Judo for strength & conditioning

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Strength and Conditioning Journal
December 2011 (Vol. 33, pp 60-63)

Judo training is an intermittent metabolically demanding activity that has historically been connected to physical education and development. The health impact of practicing this Olympic sport and martial art highlights the benefits of combat sports. Various physiological improvements, including those in the areas of body composition, strength, and endurance, as well as enhanced cognitive performance and life satisfaction have shown to result from participation in judo.

Judo has fundamental ties to strength and conditioning. The founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, was an educator by trade and coupled the education of knowledge and morality with that of physical education.

Judo, as a martial art, was developed from various schools of jiu-jitsu dating to an era preceding the samurai. Kano recognized that each of these forms of jiu-jitsu possessed specific strengths that could be incorporated into a combination of techniques that would provide a unique method of training.

Judo competition has been a part of the Summer Program of the Olympic Games for men since 1964 (and 1992 for women) and has become one of the most highly practiced sports worldwide. Judo has since developed into a grappling-based sport with practitioners focusing largely on the execution of dynamic throws and quick submission attempts.

Judo's seminal texts and manuals include sections devoted to strength and conditioning. Draeger and Inokuma published “Weight Training for Championship Judo” in 1966, well before the popularity of the film documentary “Pumping Iron” in the United States. With a concentration on the importance of training the mind and body, practicing judo provides numerous health benefits for people of all ages.

Jacini et al showed that judo athletes with more than 10 years of judo experience possessed higher grey matter volume in various regions of the brain associated with motor learning, planning, and execution, as well as memory and cognitive processes when compared with healthy controls. The authors hypothesized that these adaptations were the result of the complex motor skills required during judo training. Male individuals with judo experience have also shown to have superior postural control when compared with ballet dancers in instances when visual cues are removed or instability is instituted.

Judo is an intermittent physically demanding activity that requires both power and flexibility. Basic judo training begins with learning break-falls as a means of practicing safely. These particular techniques involve rolling to one's back when being thrown to the ground to distribute the force of the impact and has shown to be effective across the lifespan, including in the elderly.

Judo technique progresses to include all muscle actions from isometric holds during grip fighting and groundwork to plyometric movements using the stretch-shortening cycle while engaging in throwing techniques. Repetitive movements during judo training include unloaded body weight exercise and loaded partner exercise.

Classifying judo as a high-intensity weight-bearing sport, Andreoli et al showed that judo athletes exhibited higher appendicular muscle mass than normative controls and greater bone mineral density values than karate athletes, water polo athletes, and a control group.

Experienced judo competitors have enhanced upper body strength and have been shown to be superior in trunk extension, trunk flexion, rotational isokinetic torque, and power when compared with elite cyclists.

With respect to lower body strength, Fagerlund and Hakkinen reported greater strength-velocity curves during squat jumping exercise in high-level judo competitors. In addition to possessing greater aerobic and anaerobic power than healthy controls, elite male and female judo athletes have shown to possess left ventricular hypertrophy, increased stroke volume, and decreased resting heart rate. As a result of these findings and in contrast to being classified as strength-power athletes, Laskowski et al noted that cardiac adaptations to long-term judo training are similar to those exhibited by endurance athletes.

Benefits of judo for children & adolescents

Strength and Conditioning Journal
December 2011 (Vol. 33, pp 60-63)

Judo founder Jigoro Kano understood the potential physical and health benefits of judo and, therefore, worked to have it included as part of Japan's physical education system. Judo has recently become part of the national curriculum in Japan, as outlined by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology.

In support, judo is a safe contact sport for children, and the scientific literature has demonstrated that the practice of judo can improve cognitive performance, enhance motor learning, and increase the sense of well-being and life satisfaction among youth participants. Furthermore, research has shown increased cardiovascular fitness, anaerobic capacity, flexibility, strength, power, and improved body composition with judo training.

Judo has been mentioned as one of the safest contact sports for children. Matsumoto and Konno reported a positive correlation between judo participation and both life satisfaction and quality of life in U.S. adolescent judo players. Furthermore, the well-being and life satisfaction scores from the young judo players in this study were higher than comparative non-judo participant norms.

Aerobic capacity in junior judo athletes has been shown to be greater than non-athletes, as well as soccer players and gymnasts. This adaptation may manifest itself in the previously described cardiac changes displayed by older judo athletes and would be of benefit during training and competition by maintenance of high-intensity activity, delayed fatigue, and enhanced recovery.

The rate of motor development in young judo players has shown to be steadier than healthy controls during the ages of 11–17 years and may be at its peak during the ages of 11 to 12 and 14 to 15 years. During this same timeframe, young judo athletes exhibit greater handgrip strength and pull-up performance than age-matched non-judo athletes. Jagiello et al hypothesized these differences, and the linear strength increases specific to the upper body are the result of the “directed loads applied in the process of the athletes' training.”

Participation in judo has also shown to be beneficial in an even younger population. Studies by Sekulic et al and Krstulovic et al showed that nine months of judo training in 7-year-old boys (B) and girls (G) improved shuttle run performance (B: 10%; G: 13%), sit-up endurance (B: 30%; G: 46%), sit and reach (flexibility) (B: 34%; G: 45%), and flexed arm hang (B: 72%; G: 76%) to a greater degree when compared with children engaged in recreational sporting games. Both conditions were shown to similarly augment coordination, shoulder flexibility, speed, and cardiovascular endurance.

In a follow-up publication, Krstulovic et al noted that 7-year-old male judo participants gained more weight, increased flexibility, and improved both sit-up and flexed arm hang performance more than soccer and track and field participants over the course of nine months of training. The authors determined that judo training improves specific indices of fitness in children.

Wenisa Ng introduces Judo Fitness

Wenisa Ng's Certifications

• Personal Training
• Health Coach
• Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist
(American Council on Exercise)

• Women Fitness Specialist
(National Academy of Sports Medicine)

• Movement Based Flexibility
• Resisted Movement Training
(Premier Training, UK)


How did you first get involved in the fitness industry?
I started teaching aerobics 20 years ago. I later joined an international gym chain and worked my way up the ranks – from fitness instructor to personal trainer to fitness training manager – before I set up Activ Studio in 2011.

Why set up your own studio?
I wanted my own place so I could focus on personal training for specific demographics – geriatrics, people with health challenges, those recovering from injuries – groups which require specific skill sets and knowledge. The group classes were a later addition for clients who had progressed well, believe in our training philosophy and wanted to broaden their experience with us. Each instructor is handpicked to give the best class experience based on their abilities in handling special groups. The group fitness programmes offered here are designed with our clients in mind. For example, barre classes for toning, fat burning and flexibility; TRX classes for cardiovascular fitness and strength; airflow yoga for postural alignment and myofascial release.

No martial arts?
We’ve had martial arts instructors approach us before but we felt they were not a natural fit. There are other gyms which offer a range of martial arts classes but that’s not part of Activ Studio’s DNA.

Why Judo Fitness then?
When Oon Yeoh, a former national judo champion, approached me about offering judo classes at Activ Studio, I saw the potential of making judo more accessible to the general public. Together, we conceptualized a unique training programme called Judo Fitness. Although judo is a martial art, it is also very much a sport and there’s an underlying athletic foundation that includes a holistic combination of strength, agility, balance and coordination that manifests itself in very dynamic, fluid movements. It is these elements that set Judo Fitness apart from the usual group fitness programmes. I see Judo Fitness as an interactive and enjoyable way to achieve fitness goals such as weight loss, cardiovascular fitness and functional movements relevant to daily life such as learning how to fall safely. 

Is Judo Fitness basically judo without the uniform and without the sparring?
There may be some sparring but it will not be competitive-oriented as Judo Fitness has a very fitness-based approach. What you can expect are judo-based drills and movements that will be performed without having to wear a judogi (uniform). For those who want to take it to the next level, there is a competitive judo class which will also be available at Activ Studio.
 

Who can attend Judo Fitness and when does it start?
Anyone who wants to try a new fitness programme which uses core judo techniques and movements to increase calisthenics strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, agility and balance are welcome to give Judo Fitness a try. Don’t worry if you’re an absolute beginner, we will be nice! Judo Fitness classes commence at Activ Studio in January, 2019. But we'll probably have some free trial classes in December so contact us if you are keen to give this a spin.

Click here for more information about Judo Fitness.  

The secret value of games

Some new equipment for games just arrived.

Some people feel that judo games are for kids only. While it's true that kids love judo games (certainly more than they love judo drills), it's not true that adults don't like games because they

Games are more fun than traditional warm ups.

We often play judo games as a form of warm ups, especially on Sundays when we have a little bit more time. As warm up exercises, games are far more fun than boring traditional judo warm ups. But games also serve another important function. There are skill sets that can be improved through games. Reflex time, balance, coordination -- all these types of things can be improved through games.

One of our instructors, David Potts, usually leads the games. Each weekend he comes up with fun, innovative games that are designed to teach certain principles and help improve motor skills, etc.

Still think judo games are for kids? You can see from the clip below, three-time World Champion Clarisse Agbegnenou of France playing some judo games with her teammates to improve certain skill sets.

Certain skill sets can be improved through games.

Creating a repository of judo knowedge

Our club's closed Facebook Group will become a repository of judo knowledge once we re-open.

When I was training in competitive judo as a brown belt in Los Angeles, I was given a stack of VHS tapes containing competition footage that my coach wanted me to study. I found the tapes fascinating and watched them over and over again.

Until today, I'm still fascinated with judo videos, which I think are incredible tools for learning. There's nothing like watching actual footage of top competitors doing their favorite techniques. It's even better watching on video than watching the competition live, in person, because with video you'll be to watch instant replays in slow motion, which is great for analysis.

So far at our club we've used video for two purposes. Firstly, I use video to show the players how certain techniques are performed in top-level competition. Sometimes I teach unusual variations of techniques which are very different from the classical versions and it's understandable if might be some skepticism or doubt as to whether such a technique could actually work in a real competition situation. Well, seeing is believing. Judo videos are really good for that.

We also use videos for publicity purposes. We are very active on social media, often posting highlight clips of our technical, randori or shiai sessions. We also regularly do livestreams of our entire training sessions, which can last two to three hours. Our highlights and livestream videos have proven to be very popular. I guess people like to see how we train and what we do differently from others.

We will continue to use video for these two purposes. But, I plan to use video in another way starting in December, which is to provide an in-depth recording of technical instruction.

This is important for two key reasons. Firstly, it's easy to forget aspects of newly taught techniques. With these detailed videos in place, our players can refer to them to refresh their memory of what had just been taught. Secondly, sometimes people have to miss class. With these videos in place, they can catch up with the rest of the class at their own pace.

We have a closed Facebook Group for our members which is currently not very active. Once we re-open the club in December, I plan to turn our FB Group into a repository of judo knowledge. There will be a lot of instructional videos in there.

We've occasionally had some non-members come across our closed FB Group and request for permission to join. Unfortunately we've had to say no because that group is for members only (yes, there are privileges to membership).

As a coach, I believe in teaching my players everything I know, which is quite a lot as my involvement in international judo spans nearly three decades. Putting all that knowledge down onto video will be a major undertaking but it's something worth doing as it will make that knowledge so much more accessible to our members. One of my players is a professional video editor so hopefully she can help me with this endeavor!

The JudoCrazy interview

German Judo Magazin, November issue.

I was interviewed in the November issue of the German Judo Magazin. The interviewer was Iljana Marzok, a former German international, who asked me a bit about my background in judo as well as my views on the recent 2018 Baku World Championships. The article was published in German. Below is an English transcript of the interview.

I heard that you've been throwing people since 1990. What’s your history with judo?
Unlike many of my judo friends, I did not pick up judo at an early age. My first experience with judo was when I was studying at the University of Texas in Austin. I was hooked straight away and trained as much as I could. The next summer I went to Los Angeles to seek out competitive judo training and spent three months there training under a former US national coach named John Ross. He taught me a lot about gripping and how competition techniques actually worked (as opposed to traditional Kodokan techniques). The next summer I went to London to seek out competition training and ended up in Camberley Judo Club for three months. I also visited Germany to do some training at the Russelsheim Judo Club. I did the same thing the following summer and later that year I took part in the 1993 Hamilton World Judo Championships. My friend Hans-Jorg Opp, whom I had met in Russelsheim was my mat-side coach then. I had three fights in all. Both Hans and I thought that’s a pretty good result for someone who had only been doing judo for four years.

Competing at the 1993 Hamilton World Championships (top) and 1995 Tokyo World Championships (bottom).

(Photos by David Finch)

Lately I discovered that you have actually been involved in judo publishing way before the advent of the Internet. What’s your history in publishing?
While I was training in the UK, I met Nicolas Soames, the owner of Ippon Books Ltd, a specialist judo book publisher. We got to talking and I pointed out some mistakes he had made in some of his books. They were just some minor factual errors but he was impressed and asked if I wanted to work on a judo book project called “Great Judo Championships of the World” which is best described as a pre-Internet version of JudoInside. It’s basically a book containing results from the major judo competitions of the time (Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, Tournoi de Paris, Kano Cup, etc). He told me to compile the results, provide some background to each competition and do brief profiles of top champions from those competitions. Then he introduced me to David Finch, the legendary judo photographer, and told me to get the pictures from him. That was our very first collaboration. Later we worked together on a book with American World Champion Mike Swain. I helped Swain write the book and David did the photography. This was while I was still in the university. After I graduated from university in 1995, I moved to London and worked for Ippon Books as general manager – basically helping Nicolas with everything from editing to marketing to distribution.

Representing Malaysia at the 1993 Hamilton World Championships.
(Photo by David Finch)

What is so fascinating about judo to you?
I like the fact that judo is always evolving and never stagnant. When I trained under John Ross in Los Angeles in 1991, he gave me a bunch of competition videos to watch. I learned so much from analyzing those videos. Each time I watched something, I was learning something new. Fast forward to 2018 and I’m still learning something new every time I watch competition videos. In judo, the learning never ends.

With Hans-Jorg Opp, a former German international who is now technical advisor to KL Judo Centre.

(Photo by David Finch)

You run KL Judo Centre in Malaysia. What’s the status of Malaysian judo scene regarding international competition?
Judo is not popular at all in Malaysia. It’s mostly done by kids but by the time they enter university, most of them drop out of judo. And by the time they graduate, almost all have dropped out. So, we really don’t have many senior players in Malaysia. Malaysia sent just one judo player to the 2018 Asian Games. That’s all. And there was not a single Malaysian player at the World Championships in Baku. So, Malaysian judo has got a long way to go before any of our players could be ready for international competition. My judo club is rather unique in Malaysia in that it’s really the only club that caters for adults. All the other clubs consist mainly of children and junior players. In contrast, my club members are mainly adults, with just a few teens who like to train with adults. I don’t have any children in my club at the moment.

Uta and Hifumi Abe won gold medals on the same day and with the same technique!
(Photo by IJF)

Looking back at the 2018 World Championships in Baku which female and which male player impressed you the most?
I have to say the obvious: the Abe siblings. Uta and Hifumi Abe are now the darlings of world judo and their stars will shine for many years to come. 

Who was the biggest surprise in Baku?
I thought Frank De Wit of the Netherlands might become the gold medalist but instead he lost by ippon in the first round to a player from the Dominican Republic. And it wasn’t even by some lucky footsweep or uchimata-sukashi or even a counter. He was thrown with a massive osoto-gari by Medickson Del Orbe who then lost in the next round. So that was probably the biggest surprise.

There‘s now a different scoring system that's been implemented. What do you think about that? Did you see any new trends?
In terms of scoring, there were lots of waza-ari. Some might argue too many because some waza-aris really didn’t look like waza-aris. There’s a big debate about that and many people were talking about that in Baku. Will the IJF change the rules so that waza-ari can only be scored if uke truly falls on their side rather than towards the front? Who knows but I don’t think it’s good for judo is waza-ari is devalued by allowing front-inclined landings like it is now. I also saw quite a lot of scores from tewaza, where tori simply used the hands to drive uke to the mat. Sometimes this happened when uke was simply unbalanced but often it was after uke tried to do a sacrifice throw. In the past, these were often not scored but in Baku, a lot of them were scored. Something else that was very obvious was that many top players were attacking uke off the ground. So instead of engaging in newaza when uke is on both knees, tori would try to throw uke instead (usually with sumi-gaeshi). And a lot of the times, they scored. So that was interesting.

What were your intentions you first starting the JudoCrazy blog?
My long-time collaborator David Finch and I were in Paris for the 2011 World Judo Championships. He was there to take photos but I was there just for fun. I decided to start a blog to report on the competition just so I’d have something to do besides just watching the matches. So, that was how it all started.

I see that you started to use Patreon as a membership platform. Looking into the future what are your plans with JudoCrazy?
Actually, it’s not meant to be a membership site. Most of the content on my Patreon page is absolute free. The Patreon platform simply allows me to reserve some bonus content for people who support my work. You’re allowed to set the patronage amount and I have set it to a nominal US$5. It’s like a small tip that readers can contribute if they want to, that’s all. One reader was upset and posted that he would “unlike” my Facebook Page because I am now charging membership for Patreon. He completely misses the point. I’m not charging for content. Like I said, most of the content (maybe like 95%) is still free. The other 5% are special postings to reward my patrons, that’s all.
 

With Hans Van Essen (top) at the 2013 Rio WC & David Finch (bottom) at the 2018 Baku WC.

Next to you, who are the most “Judo Crazy” persons you know?
I can name two who are absolutely Judo Crazy. And they are my two frequent collaborators. One is David Finch, who has been shooting judo photos since 1973 and hasn’t missed a single World Championships since then. Imagine what can be done with his extensive archive. The other is Hans Van Essen of JudoInside who is a statistics nut and who works extremely hard to update his site manually every day with results, pictures, stories. He doesn’t do as much original articles as I do but he collates judo information from all over and his site is an immensely useful tool for anyone wanting to write about judo. I use it all the time.

Why judo is great for women

Just as there are many reasons why parents like to send their kids for judo lessons, there are also many different reasons why women may like to take up judo:

a) Judo is a high-intensity physical activity which is great for building up fitness and losing weight
b) Judo involves a lot of calisthenics-like movements which helps build strength
c) Judo involves many acrobatic-like actions which will help improve agility and balance
e) Judo naturally improves a woman's ability to defend herself

Let's look at each of these items in detail. The first three (a), (b) and (c) are somewhat obvious and do not require that much elaboration. The last point (d) however does, and we will go into detail about that.

Fitness and weight loss
The high-intensity nature of judo training will increase your metabolic rate long after you finish your session. This is due to Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption which allows your body to continue burning calories even when you are resting later on. High-intensity, anaerobic exercises double the amount of fats burned at the same caloric expenditure. That means if you if burn 400 calories doing judo, you will end up burning twice as much fat as someone who burns 400 calories doing a regular cardio routine like jogging.

Strength
Judo-related movements are basically calisthenics done with a training partner. These motor movements which involve pushing, pulling, bending, twisting and grasping will increase body strength in a natural way by leveraging your own body weight as well as a partner’s resistance and body weight. It also has the added advantage of being a lot more fun than lifting weights!

Agility and balance
Judo requires you to react immediately to your partner's actions and movements, change direction constantly and still be coordinated enough to stay on your feet. A 2002 scientific study on gait and posture showed that individuals with judo experience have superior postural control when compared to even ballet dancers in instances when visual cues are removed or instability is introduced.

Self-defense
​Let's be clear about something: Judo's primary purpose is not self-defense. It's a sport, first and foremost, and it's a great form of physical exercise. But it does have a martial arts background and any woman who trains consistently in judo will naturally develop instinctive self-defense capabilities even if that's not her intention for taking up judo.

But what if it is? Well, the good news is that for a sport that is not specifically designed for self-defense, judo happens to be darn good for it.

A trained judoka will react instinctively when accosted from behind. There is no time to think in situtions like this.

Judo consists of throwing and groundwork techniques. There are many different types of throws generally classified under hand, leg, hip and sacrifice techniques. On the ground, there are pins, armlocks and strangles. As a grappling sport, judo does not involve any punching or kicking. Some see this as a weakness when it comes to self-defense. They feel that in order to defend herself properly, a woman should know how to deal with punches and kicks rather than grappling situations.

Really?

Even if forced onto the ground, there are actions a judoka can take to prevent the assailants from having his way.

Ask yourself: What does a thuggish assailant try do as he attempts to subdue his female victim? Does he come up and punch her in the face? Does he try to kick her in the head to knock her out? No, he will grab her and take her down to the ground. He will then try to immobilize her, twist her arm or perhaps strangle her to get her to submit and comply to his demands.

Guess what, judo players train for those kinds of scenarios in every single practice session. Takedowns, pins, armlocks and strangles — that's par for the course in judo.

The other important thing that consistent judo practice does is it trains you to respond instinctively. When an untrained woman suddenly gets seized, either from the front or behind, she would typically go into shock and freeze up, allowing the assailant to subdue her. Judo is a grappling sport, so a female judo player will react instinctively and take the necessary evasive action without even thinking about it because she encounters similar situations all the time on the mat.

In collaboration with Activ Studio, starting in December, we will be offering both competitive judo training as well as a special exercise program called Judo Fitness, which is a modified form of judo training that does not involve fighting. Women who wish to take up judo can choose between the two options depending on whether they prefer a harder or softer activity. Both types of training will help build up fitness, strength, agility and yes, self-defense capabilities.

www.kljudo.com

Why judo is great for children

Parents send their kids to judo for many reasons and judo is good for all of them.

Parents love to send their children for judo lessons. There are many reasons for this and usually it's a combination of the following:

a) Parents want their child's excess energy to be expended on positive things like excercise
b) Parents like a sport or activity that instills discipline and respect
c) Some parents want to give their child an early head start in competitive sports
d) Parents want their child to be equipped to handle bullies

The first three: (a), (b) and (c) are pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. There isn't a need to expand further as it's pretty clear judo is good for all these things. The last item (d) is however something that does need to be explored. Bullying is a very challenging issue to deal with. When a parent says they don't want their child to be bullied anymore what exactly do they mean?

It could be they feel the child is physically weak and they want the child to be able to physically defend himself or herself. Or it could mean the child is meek and not willing to stand up for himself/herself. Bullies can smell that and will prey upon those who are lacking in self confidence. Quite possibly it's a combination of those two things.

The good news is that judo will help with both points. To deal with bullies, you need to be physically capable of literally pushing back if things get physical.

This clip shows the value of confidence

But beyond the physical aspect of self-defense is the psychological component which is just as important. If a child is confident, it shows. And bullies will generally think twice before harassing someone who projects a strong sense of self-belief regardless of that person's physical size.

Of course self-confidence offers no immunity against bullies. Bullies will be bullies and sometimes they will go after someone just because they can. We never advocate violence as a solution to any dispute but if you are being physically assaulted you have to know how to defend yourself. Judo's full-contact, grappling nature is good for that.

When I was a young man training in competitive judo in Los Angeles, I overheard a conversation between a parent and the head coach at the judo centre where I was based. The father said his son was getting beaten up at school and he wanted him to learn judo so that he could defend himself.

The head coach said something which I found to be profound then, and it still resonates with me today. It's something I would gladly repeat to any parent who wants their child to learn judo to deal with bullies.

"If your son learns judo, I can't guarantee that he will never get beaten up," the head coach said. "The other person might be that much bigger or stronger. But what I can guarantee you is that your son will never take crap from any bully ever again."

The father said that's good enough for him because he knows the greatest value that judo can give to his son is the fighting spirit to stand up for himself.

There's no question size does matter. That's why judo contests are run according to weight classes. But during practice, you train with everyone including those who are bigger than you. This is common. It happens in every practice. Judo practitioners are thus acclimatized to fighting bigger opponents. And that will come in handy when dealing with bullies who might happen to be bigger.

As the head coach rightly pointed out, knowing judo does not necessarily mean you won't get beaten up but believe me, that big bully will have the shock of his life when the person he is picking on fights back and gives as good as he's got.

This ethos of standing up for yourself will be useful for the child as they grow up because in life there will be many instances of unfairness. They will need to be able to stand up for themselves and push back, sometimes against much stronger forces. A strong fighting spirit is the greatest value that judo can give to a young child.

KL Judo Centre in collaboration with Activ Studio plans to offer children's classes in the near future. If you have a child below 12 whom you would like to sign up for judo lesson, please contact us to so we can notify you once our classes begin.

www.kljudo.com

Why judo is great for senior citizens

Here's an interesting article about teaching senior citizens how to do judo break-falls to save them from fracturing their bones.

Salient Points:
While we tend to think of heart disease and cancer being the big health issues of older age, the reality is a fall is far more common — and can be as catastrophic for some. Falls are more likely once you reach 60, with three in ten over-60s falling at least once a year. This is due to a combination of factors, including deteriorating muscle strength and poorer eyesight.

In the Netherlands anyone over 60 is eligible for a five-week course that’s been shown to nearly halve the number of further falls.The secret? People are taught judo-style falls that prevent broken bones. The course was developed by Dr Vivian Weerdesteyn, a professor of human movement science at Radboud University Nijmegen — and a former junior international judo black belt.

"Everyone thinks there’s no time," acknowledges Dr Weerdesteyn. "They’re wrong. Even the fastest fall takes up to 900 milliseconds to reach the ground. The body is alert to a loss of balance within 100 milliseconds. So you have 800 milliseconds to do something."

During half of each two-hour session, participants complete a low-tech obstacle course designed to replicate daily trip hazards. "We know there’s a moment when you’re pushed off balance when you can either recover or lose it and fall over," says Dr Weerdesteyn. "So many people lose that ability to regain balance as they age."

Yet research shows it’s possible to re-learn the skill — by experiencing loss of balance repeatedly. Indeed, perturbation balance training or tripping people up deliberately so they learn to regain their balance, is a "feasible and effective approach to falls reduction in a clinical setting", according to a review in the journal Gerontology & Geriatrics.

Since its introduction in 2007, this Dutch course has been shown in trials to be remarkably effective. It costs £310, with part or all of the bill picked up by Dutch health insurance.

In collaboration with Activ Studio, starting in December, we will be offering a special exercise program called Judo Fitness, which is a modified form of judo training that does not involve fighting. Like the Dutch program described above, Judo Fitness will be suitable for senior citizens and working adults who want to be stronger, fitter, more agile and capable of doing judo style break-falls.

www.kljudo.com

What should be the aim of judo training?

One of our new members asked me an interesting question: "What should the aim of my judo training?"

The intuitive and simplistic answer would be to train up for competition someday. That's because I come from a competition background and I believe that competition is an essential part of the judo experience. A judo player's journey is just not complete if they never compete. However, I do realize that competition must never be the be-all and end-all of judo. A judo player who only trains to compete is also not getting the full judo experience.

The new member's question made me think long and hard about what exactly that full experience should consist of.

Perfect your technical base
Although there are many different standing and groundwork techniques in judo, it's actually possible to do well in competition by mastering a small handful of techniques and just doing those few techniques over and over again. We all know of players who aren't very versatile at all and can only do one or two techniques that they rely on all the time.

That's one of the reasons I feel competition must not be the be-all and end-all of judo. A player who is only interested in competition and only interested in winning medals might discover that they can get by with just a very limited range of judo techniques. These people will usually not bother to learn a broader range of techniques and will show obvious disinterest whenever new techniques are being introduced. Such players are missing out on the wide breadth of what judo has to offer.

In working life, it makes sense to specialize in something but to also be versatile enough to do many other things. Take journalism, for example. It's a good career strategy to specialize in a particular subject so that you can be the best in your field for a particular topic. But you must at the same time be able to cover other topics if need be. Let's say you are a political or business writer. If your editor were to send you to cover a lifestyle or entertainment event, you should be able to do it. And so it is with judo. You should have a few tokui waza (favourite techniques) which you specialize in but you must also be versatile enough to at least demonstrate other techniques.

Judo is a very technical sport. There's really a lot that goes into the successful execution of a judo throw. You need to have the right stance and grips as well as the seamless coordination of both arms and legs, done with perfect timing, in order to successfully execute a throw. And it's just as complex when it comes to groundwork. It requires the use of your entire body weight and the use of both arms and legs in concert to pull off a successful groundwork move.

Mastering a judo technique is really not easy at all but that's what makes judo fascinating and fulfilling. The instance a technique starts working for you is a moment of pure magic and bliss.

I believe every judo player should set out to eventually master all the main techniques of judo. That doesn't mean specializing in every single techniques -- that would be impossible to do. A person can only specialize in a few moves. But they should have a sound grasp of all the techniques to the point that they would be able to competently teach the principles behind those techniques to a beginner.

At KL Judo Centre we focus a lot on technique and we have a very methodological approach to teaching both tachi-waza and newaza.

Get fighting fit
Whether you plan to compete or not, you should get yourself into fighting fit shape. What that means is you are able to keep up with the training and do the randori sessions without giving up halfway. The single best way to get fighting fit for judo is to push yourself to get through the sessions even if you are very tired. Or perhaps I should say, especially when you are very tired.

It's very tempting to just give up and request for a break whenever you are worn out. But your fitness and your judo won't improve if you make a habit of stopping every time you feel tired. Judo is an intense and tiring sport. Remember, everybody else is the dojo is going through the same thing that you are. They are just as tired as you are. But some will push on while others give up. If you want to get fighting fit, you must push on.

When you are fit and able to fight properly, that's when judo starts becoming enjoyable. If you're always tired during drills and randori, you'll find you can't do anything and will eventually have to ask to sit out the session. That defeats the whole point of training, which is all about participation. The good news is you can get fit. Everybody can. Those who are fit are so because they had pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones.

Learn some valuable life lessons through judo
It's often said that sports teaches you a lot of lessons that apply to everyday life. That's certainly very true for judo. As such it would be a shame if all you gain from judo are the physical benefits.

One of the key tenets of judo is respect. It's sometimes very easy to lose sight of that when you are doing a full-contact combat sport. But it's important to remember that judo is not an activity that you can do alone. You need training partners to do judo. If you don't treat them with respect or if you train in a dangerous way, pretty soon you'll find that no one wants to train with you. So, it's always important to check your ego at the door when you come in for judo training. Always treat everyone else in the dojo with respect.

The other thing that judo is really good for is teaching perseverance. There's a lot of frustration in judo, especially for beginners. Sometimes, it might seem like there's no progress happening. Despite all your efforts for many months, you might still not be able to overcome your teammates. But that might not be because you are not improving. It's probably because your teammates are improving as well. If they were already a few steps ahead of you in terms of experience and knowledge, unless you have some very special natural talent, they are likely to continue to stay a few steps ahead of you. Of course in time it's possible to overtake even those who started earlier than you, by training harder and more consistently than they do. But it will take some time for that to happen. Those without perseverance will drop out. Those who stay on are the ones who eventually become black belts.

Fighting spirit is something very important in judo. Fighting spirit can manifest itself in many ways. It could be pushing yourself to carry on even when you are exhausted. It could mean never giving up and until the moment the buzzer goes off. It could mean telling yourself that despite some setbacks (e.g. a defeat in a competition or a failure to pass a belt grading), you will succeed the next time around. Or it could mean something as basic as giving it your all during training. Fighting spirit is a crucial quality that all judo players must have. Without it, you are no judoka. Some people are born with a strong fighting spirit. But for some, it requires building up. As with all other things in judo, the key to acquiring a strong fighting spirit is to always carry on and to never give up. Whatever challenges you face in judo -- whether it's your fitness level or skill level -- you've got to fight on until you achieve a breakthrough. If you persist long enough, you will develop a strong fighting spirit. And that will help you as much in life as on the judo mat.

This is how we do it: Tachi-Waza

Judo training without randori is like having appetizers with the main course missing!

A modern approach to tachi-waza
My method of teaching tachi-waza is really very different from the traditional approach on a number of points. We are all a product of our experiences and my approach towards tachi-waza development is a function of how I learned it as well as my own evolving thoughts about technical development.

Stance and grips
I mentioned in the last posting that for newaza, I believe the correct way to teach it is to base it on scenarios. For tachi-waza, I base it on stances and grips. Those are the most fundamental things to look at when you are learning tachi-waza. What stance are we in? What grip are we dealing with?

Are we in a kenka-yotsu (opposite stance) situation or are we in an ai-yotsu (similar stance) situation? This makes a big difference. Take kouchi for instance. In a kenka-yotsu situation you can do skipping kouchi and kouchi-makikomi. But in an ai-yotsu situation, a kouchi-gake is more practical. So, what kind of kouchi you do will depend very much on the stance you and your opponent are in.

I emphasize gripping a lot because it is so crucial to the success or failure of a throw. For every technique I teach, I will highlight the grips employed. Adopting the wrong grip for a particular throw  will make it difficult for the throw to succeed. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the grip for ippon-seoi-nage. Many people try to do it off a sleeve grip because that is how it is traditionally taught. However, a sleeve grip results in a lot of looseness and space between tori's back and uke's chest. As a result, the seoi-nage is unlikely to work. For seoi-nage, you have to throw off the lapel grip not the sleeve grip. That's never taught in judo textbooks although it's the way practically every seoi-nage specialist does it in randori and competition.

Hands and legs
Very few judo throws are purely hand techniques or purely leg techniques, and it goes without saying hip techniques and sacrifice techniques require the use of hands and legs working in concert. A good example to illustrate the importance of hands and legs working together is ouchi-gari. No doubt this technique is classified as a leg technique but if you just do the leg movements with little attention paid to the hands, it won't be effective. Both hands and legs need to work in unison. So, whatever throw I'm teaching, I always make it a point to show what the hands and the legs are supposed to do.

Uchikomi and nagekomi
I'm not a big fan of uchikomi. Traditional judo senseis will tell you to do a thousand uchikomis to perfect your throw. If you do a thousand uchikomis what you will be perfecting is uchikomi not  throwing. Why? Because uchikomi is not throwing. Uchikomi is loading someone up for a throw, in a static, cooperative situation. This on its own is useless for learning how to throw because what's missing is the unloading component. Secondly, in a real life situation like randori or competition, the situation is far from static and your opponent most definitely not cooperating but rather, resisting with all his might. As such, uchikomi on its own teaches you very little about throwing.

What uchikomi is good for is to teach you the mechanics and principle involved in entering into the throw. So there is some value in uchikomi but it's far from sufficient for teaching you how to throw. Doing a thousand of these is an utter waste of time. Do three sets of 10 uchikomis and quickly move on to nagekomi.

Nagekomi teaches you to unload uke after you have entered into the throw. It's important to do this with full force so a crash pad is necessary. Otherwise after a while you will find no ukes to train with because they have all had the wind knocked out of them.

There are many traditional dojos that don't use crash pads because the coach or the players think "real judokas" don't use crash pads. Actually, it's masochistic nincompoops who don't use crash pads. What those macho idiots do instead is an assisted landing where they lift uke up a bit during the fall so that the landing won't be so hard. What's the point of that?

Firstly, it doesn't teach tori to throw with full force which is what is needed in order for any throw to work. Secondly, if tori's concern is that uke doesn't land too hard there is a simple solution. Use a crash pad, dummy!

Some people say that the reason they don't like to use crash pads is that it doesn't teach uke to do proper breakfalls. But the purpose of crash pad throws is not to teach uke to breakfall. It is to teach tori how to throw! If you want to practice breakfalls, go practice breakfalls on the mat. But if you want to learn how to throw, use a crash pad so you can throw hard and uke won't have to suffer so much. At KL Judo Centre we are neither masochistic nor egotistical dumbasses, so we do use crash pads.

Randori
Of course the ultimate test and training for throws is to try them in randori. I'm always amazed at judo clubs where randori is limited to just 15 minutes or in some cases, none at all. It boggles the mind. It's like asking a swimmer to do drills but not actually swim. Or football players to do drills but not play football. You can apply this analogy to badminton or volleyball or hockey or any other sport.

Since we used a fork and spoon analogy in my post about newaza, I will continue with a food analogy here too. Judo training without randori is like going for a meal where all they serve are appetizers. The main course is missing.

At KL Judo Centre we are very randori-centric. If you like randori, this is the place for you. If you like to sit out randori, go some place else.

Come fly with me!

Picture by David Finch

I remember seeing the above picture in a judo book when I was just starting out in judo. As a beginner I had no idea how two people could end up airborne like that (it was only later that I learned that the technique used was uchimata) but that picture sure captured my imagination.

Since then, I've continued to be fascinated by the endless possibilities of judo. As an Olympic sport it has continued to grow and evolve. Some people don't like new rules because in some cases they do fundamentally change how the sport is played. But with each set of new rule changes comes innovation too.

Rather than be held back or handicapped by the rule changes, athletes and players come up with new ways of doing things. So, you could say that rule changes have sparked innovation. And that's what keeps judo dynamic and exciting.

The judo I played as a beginner was very different from the judo I played as a competitor, years later. And the judo of today is very different from the judo of my competition days. I don't see that as a bad thing. I view it as proof that judo has not stagnated.

This openness to new things and different possibilities is also the ethos of the KL Judo Centre. I have a certain philosophy of training based on my knowledge and experience but I am not adverse to adapting and modifying our approach along the way. Just as judo has not stayed stagnant, judo clubs must not be so either. When we reopen the club in December, we will continue to innovate to offer the best judo training program around.