Judo

Judo is many things to different people. It is a fun sport, an art, a discipline, a recreational or social activity, a fitness program, a means of self-defence or combat, and a way of life. It is all of these and more.

Judo, which is translated as the "gentle way", teaches the principle of flexibility in the application of technique. This is the flexible or efficient use of balance, leverage, and movement in the performance of Judo throws and other skills.

Skill, technique and timing, rather than the use of brute strength, are the essential ingredients for success in Judo. For example, in Judo classes you may learn how to give way, rather than use force, to overcome a stronger opponent.

The inventor of judo was Jigoro Kano. He was born on the 28th of October 1860 in the village of Mikage in western Japan. He was small and not strong. He studied the ju-jutsu-method of three different schools: the Kito-Ryu, the Tenshin-Shinyo-Ryu and the Nippo-Ryu ("Ryu" meaning school). He was searching for a new method of self-defence. Because of his small stature, he was looking for different techniques to defeat the stronger men. He must therefore find a way to use their strength against them.

He invented the Nippon-Den-Kodokan-Judo, in short JUDO that literally means 'the gentle way'. In 1882 he opened his first school and named it the Kodokan. "Kodo" meaning 'the search for truth' and "Kan" meaning 'gathering'. He was then 22yrs old.

In 1889, Jigoro Kano left Japan and went on tour in Europe.