2º ESO. Judo 1: History and Philosophy

Ratio: 5 / 5

Vocabulary in this lesson:

Means: medio	To promote: promocionar
Rank: grado, rango	To hold-down = to pin: inmovilizar
Gentle: suave	On/Off balance: des/equilibrado
Ability: capacidad	To strangle = to choke: estrangular
To perform: ejecutar	Contest: competición
Tie-breaker: punto para desempatar	Joint lock: luxación
To oppose: oponer	To give way: ceder el paso (dejar hacer)
Grappling: técnicas de suelo (luxaciones, inmovilizaciones y estrangulaciones)

A small history of Judo:

Judo is a fun sport, a discipline, a fitness program, a means of self-defense or combat, and for many people, a way of life.

Judo comes to us from the fighting system of feudal Japan. It was created in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano, judo is an adaptation of the ancient martial art of Jujutsu.

The judo Dr. Kano showed his pupils was not just a sport but a way of life. He based his teachings around the principles of gentleness.

Kano became the first Asian IOC (International Olympic Comitee) member in 1912 and began to travel Internationally promoting judo throughout America and Europe. Judo became an Olympic sport in the 1964 Games in Tokyo, and women judo joined in Barcelona 92. It is a very important fact, as he created a sport, he made it international and olympic, and all this during his lifetime.

Images: Wikimedia Commons

The Philosophy of Judo:

Judo is defined as the "gentle way." That means that you do not resist the force of your oponent, you move with it and you use it against him to your advantage.

The first thing to learn is never to oppose strength with strength. If you do that, the stronger man will inevitably win. Judo is a sport based on techniques, not strength.

Remember that when your opponent is on balance, he is strong, but off balance he is weak. If someone pulls you, you push. If someone pushes you, you pull.

Your attacker may be using force, but he is not in complete control of it.

This is why you give way instead of meeting resistance. In short:

Use your attacker's force against him.

Here you have a small video showing you some judo techniques: