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Judo And Physical Training
Judo is one of the most participated sports worldwide, with practitioners spanning all age
groups, gender lines, and ethnicities. Judo was originally derived from a truly “combat”
oriented martial art known as jujitsu. Jujitsu was basically developed in medieval feudal
Japan for battlefield ‘hand-to-hand/sword’ confrontations when a Samurai warrior lost his
sword during combat. Therefore jujitsu became by necessity, a “dangerous” form of
combat for survival and an adjunctive tool for victory during war.
However, through the founder of judo, Professor Jigoro Kano, jujitsu made a profound
transition from a dangerous, primarily combative art form. Professor Kano modified
various styles of jujitsu into a “safe”, life enhancing martial art, which he called Judo or the
“gentle way”, that is now an Olympic sport. He accomplished this in part by removing
many of the striking, kicking, gouging, and joint locking techniques that were primarily
intended to maim or injure an opponent. He retained and created techniques that could be
practiced relatively safely and harmoniously between practitioners. He placed much
emphasis on achieving “mutual benefit” when individuals train together. Professor Kano
redirected the primary goals of training in his martial art from self-defense and survival
to the development of mind, body, and character.
Other important practical life judo lessons include learning respect for others, cooperation,
and efficiency. These lessons can truly benefit the developing, immature mind and body.
Judo can be a vehicle towards greater, overall life-long health & well-being, character &
confidence development, and may decrease significant injuries by improving strength,
flexibility, coordination, body spatial awareness, and balance.
To note one major problem that medical/pediatric professionals today encounter is the
current prevalence of obesity in our country, which is now being recognized more and
more in our children & adolescents. Most experienced “judo-ists” will confirm that there is
nothing like a good judo workout to facilitate weight loss. It is both aerobic and anaerobic,
like lifting weights and running at the same time, which has tremendous benefits for “burning” calories.
Specifically, judo is an inherently, physically dynamic sport and thus it can potentially improve one’s
strength, speed, agility, conditioning, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
At Ojukan we welcome a great diversity of Judo student. Not everyone is a young, teen-aged
athlete training for high-level competition. Some students are younger children, sometimes as young
as 8 years old, whose primary goal is to begin developing balance, motor skills, and finer levels of
coordination and control. Some students have been practicing Judo for a number of years and
possess a well-rounded collection of techniques and experience and wish to advance their competitive
abilities. Other students, the adult student in the age range of 30 to 50 (and older) may still be interested
in getting in shape, dropping a few pounds, or exploring a life-long curiosity regarding martial arts and
self-defense, but don't necessarily wish to compete.
We get all manner of students, of all ages and levels of fitness at Ojukan, we even train students with
special needs and disabilities, and because Judo is so broad reaching and flexible in its design for practice
and skill acquisition, there's plenty of room for all types of students.
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Benefits