Judo
"It
is no easy feat to throw another person cleanly to their back with precision
and control. The judo player must leverage the opponent’s momentum and timing
with proper technique and mental focus."
In the battlefields of feudal Japan, samurai begat the art of
jujutsu-effective hand-to-hand combat techniques. Father of Judo, Jigoro Kano,
adopted and further developed these techniques to promote physical, mental, and
some would argue, spiritual strength for its practitioners. In time, Judo has evolved
into a combat and Olympic sport many people around the world enjoy.
Judo is more than a
collection of amazing throws, more than an Olympic sport that is practiced by
over 20 million people around the world: it is the philosophy of seiryoku zenyo
(精力善用), or “maximum
efficiency, minimum effort”. This underlying principle explains the judo
player’s desire to use their adversary’s strength to his or her advantage while
reducing the need to match their aggression. This can also apply to the
fighter’s desire to end the fight quickly and efficiently. Judo is the art of
ippon.
In the judo ruleset, the
most definitive way to finish the contest is with an ippon, directly translated
to English as “one full point”. An ippon is obtained is by throwing your
opponent to their back with force and control. There are other ways-forcing the
opponent to submit, or pinning the opponent’s shoulders to the mat for 20
consecutive seconds-but most common and celebrated ippons in judo are by
throws.
It is no easy feat to
throw another person cleanly to their back with precision and control. The judo
player must leverage the opponent’s momentum and timing with proper technique
and mental focus. It requires hours of practice to compromise the opponent’s
balance for a split second, followed by explosive action. Hours of studying and
preparation, culminating in a single moment. The player would gladly practice
ten thousand hours to live in this moment. This is it.
Cultivation of this laser focus is the art and labor of judo. This is why the player gladly puts the gi on, ties their belt, and steps on to the mat time after time. One throw at a time in one moment in time for one full point.
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