Judo Training Techniques

Although the Japanese origin of the word means "gentle way," judo is hardly a soft martial art. It is instead fiercely competitive, designed to throw opponents to the ground or force them to submit and quit. As such, it is highly effective and practical as a means of self-defense. If you are just looking for exercise, check out Tae Bo. Judo is about competition and quick results, and the training techniques reflect these qualities.

  1. Types of Training

    • According to Judo Training Methods, the art recognizes three basic forms of training: exercise, freestyle fighting and matches. The first involves drills, strength training and stretching. The second involves sparring with a partner, with the goal of exhibiting and improving skills. Matches are about driving your opponent into submission.

      Although judo is inherently competitive, practitioners emphasize a balance between all three forms of training. Practice for the sake of practice and non-competitive sparring is highly encouraged for improving one's technique.

    Athletic Demands

    • Judo emphasizes intelligent applications of power. This means incorporating long endurance, flexibility and mental preparation into a fighting style that is always ready to deliver the submission throw. Thus, expert practitioners are expected to perform in partner sparring for more than 2 hours while also having the necessary strength to lift an opponent and slam him to the ground when necessary. Weight exercises to increase strength should be combined with full-body endurance exercises such as rope climbing, burpees and rowing.

    Throwing

    • The winning actions of judo typically involve throws. Throws require precise technique grounded into instinct by repetition. This repetition, known as "nage-komi," involves performing the same throw repeatedly with a partner. Typical nage-komi sessions last for 20 throws, with each sparring partner throwing 20 times and then being thrown 20 times.