Judo

I usually go into spasms of delight when I see my opponent ‘turtle up’ on the ground.  While this can be a score saving ‘trick’ in shiai, it usually means only a quick defeat in the dojo.

The most common error that I see with failed throws is the bad placement of what Geof Gleeson refers to as the ‘Driver Leg’.  This is the leg that you are powering off the ground with.  For example, in a right-handed Harai Goshi, there’s no question what leg is the driver leg… it’s clearly the only one still in contact with the ground… your left leg.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘Bilateral’ as:

I’m often fascinated by the number of Judoka who complain about BJJ rules - and the number of BJJ’er who complain about Judo rules…

Judoka: BJJ doesn’t give enough points to effective throws and/or takedowns.

BJJ’ers: Judo doesn’t allow enough time on the mat for an effective ground game.

Any student of mine has heard this phrase dozens if not hundreds of times: “Where the head goes, the body follows”. It’s a good way to remember a simple fact. If you can direct uke’s head, you can direct his entire body.

Combinations are popular and well-known in Tachiwaza, if not used as much as they should be… but many Judoka forget that combinations are just as powerful on the mat.

I often refer to the ‘Triangle of Techniques’ to illustrate the simple concept that there is always something you can do to uke on the ground. You have Katamewaza, Shimewaza, and Kansetsuwaza (Pins, Chokes, & Armbars) to work with on the ground. The key is to use each to set up the next.

Judo is not much different from driving a car. You learn specific responses to certain stimuli. For example, experienced drivers just know when someone is about to pull in front of them from a nearby lane, and take their foot off the accelerator, and are ready to touch the brakes.

I ran across a recent post on JudoInfo.com’s forum from a Judoka who was purchasing a gi, who’s sole consideration was a “super stiff collar”… he even stated that “I am only going to wear this gi in competitions so that it stays difficult to grip.”

Then he posed the question: “Is this unsportsman like, or is it just a reasonable use of the rules and regs?”

It seems to me that if the question needs to even be asked, he already knows the answer to it.

I thought it was time to update BestJudo … as you may have noticed, features that didn’t used to work are now working - I’ve moved BestJudo from the webhost that it’s had for years… and I hope to spend just a tad more time on this website than I’ve done in the past.

My intention is to write from time to time on topics that will interest Judoka.  Hopefully, I can add posts on a more or less weekly schedule.  There will also be an RSS feed from this blog available to Judo or other martial art websites.