Judo handshake

Traditionally, Japanese judo players do not shake hands before or even after a judo match. They bow and that's it.

However, in international competitions there emerged a tradition of competitors shaking hands both before and after matches. Perhaps out of deference to Japanese traditions the IJF banned handshakes before matches (only a bow is permitted before the match) but it still allowed handshakes after matches.

If you watch Japanese domestic matches, quite often players still do not shake hands after matches although some Japanese players with international exposure have begun to do so, especially when they have just fought their top domestic rival in the category.

When I used to train in Europe, I noticed a tradition where the coach would make a point to shake everyone's hand after a hard, successful training session. It's a tradition that I'm glad to carry on in our club and I'm glad it's taken root among our players.

Judo is a hard sport and we fight each other very hard during randori. But it's important to always show respect to your training partners and to your opponents. Shaking a person's hand conveys that respect and your gratitude for them showing up and giving you a chance to train with them.

Respect and gratitude