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.
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?
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.
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. |
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.
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