Breakfalling is quite a simple business and shouldn't take much time to master. The following are few exercises to be mastered before taking an actual throw.

1. Lie on the back, head up off the mat with the chin almost touching the chest, arms held across the body. Now starting with either arm beat the mat with the whole arm down to the flat palm and then with the other arm and so on alternately. Try to get a slight roll to the side which you are beating. The idea of beating the mat is to absorb some of the shock that the back takes. In a heavy throw the arm hits the mat as hard as possible. The arm should not be too rigid or too limp but with just enough firmness to hit the mat hard without damaging the elbows. The position for starting and beating the mat can be seen in plate 151. This is quite a simple exercise and can be learnt after a minute or two.

Ukemi

(breakfalls)

The art of falling is, in most cases, letting the broad expanse of the back take the shock of the fall. With this there are two important points to remember. The first and most important is keeping the head tucked in to avoid it banging the mat. The second is to not use the arms for saving one's position. For example, when a beginner takes up skating and his skates fly out from underneath he will drop down on his backside with both arms stretched out backwards to stop his upper body and head from hitting the ice. This is dangerous because if the fall is hard all the joints in the arm and shoulder could suffer injury. In this case it is better to keep the arms out of the way, with the chin tucked in and let the curve of the back take the impact.

Sixth Dans and above may wear black belts if they wish and generally do so except for formal demonstrations. The top international competition men are usually 4th Dan and they acquire higher grades as they grow older through knowledge and service to the sport. The club you join should have a proper judo mat and will provide a judo kit. If these are not available some surface soft enough to absorb a heavy throw is necessary with some loose strong clothing tough enough to take a lot of pulling. You will then be ready for your first lessons in Judo.

Starting Judo

The best way to learn judo is at a reputable club. If you have difficulty in finding a local club the British Judo Association will advise of your nearest one. It is also advisable to check with the BJA about your instructor. There are many charlatans professing to be judo experts who will tell you they are such and such a black belt.

Grades in judo are awarded for ability and progress through various coloured belts and then through Dan grades. They are:


6th Kyu white 3rd Dan black
5th Kyu white 4th Dan black
4th Kyu white 5th Dan black
3rd Kyu white 6th Dan red and white
2nd Kyu white 7th Dan red and white
1st Kyu white 8th Dan red and white
1st Dan white 9th Dan red
2nd Dan white 10th Dan red

Judo as Self-Defence

Although ability in a judoman to throw, strangle or put an arm lock on an adversary makes him somebody to fear in a brawl, judo itself is not a complete system of self-defence. The judoman, although practising some form of kicking or striking in kata, is not thereby made completely efficient.

All the combat arts are deficient in one way or another. A boxer is vulnerable to attacks at a low level or in close quarters. The karate man is weak on the ground or perhaps due to the continuous pulling of his opponents' punches and kicks is not able to take punishment in the way a boxer does. A judoman is vulnerable to kicks and punches. It takes a combination of all the combat arts to acquire a complete defence.

The ideal would be a judoman who boxes and does karate for the kicking techniques. However, a practitioner of any one of these combat arts will be fit, will have good reflexes, will be strong and without dithering will be able to attack instantly with his particular techniques. This puts such men at a huge advantage over the average untrained man.

The Sport of Judo

From the early days of the Kodokan, Japan has held Judo Championships. However, it is only in recent years in the West since judo gained popularity that national and international matches have been held. World championships have been held regularly in recent years. In 1964
Judo was included in the Olympic Games for the first time. It is now recognized as a fully fledged sport and takes its place in many other games including the Pan-American Games and the Maccabiah Games.
Judo is not just a knack learnt after a few minutes. It takes just as much training to throw a good man as it takes to become a top boxer or high jumper. International judo players include running and weight-training routines plus several hours daily practice in perfecting their actual judo technique. Judo is an exacting combat sport making great demands on the body and is an all-round strength and fitness builder.

What is Judo?

Modern Judo techniques consists of four main divisions. They are throws, strangles, armlocks and hold-downs. Any one of these scores a point in competition. One point only is required to win. This is because in the early Samurai days it was thought that one of these techniques would finish off the enemy or at least put him at a serious disadvantage.

A successful throw is obvious. The man is whirled up and over and thrown with impetus on his back. The thrower must show that he has control and could increase the force of the throw.


With the armlocks and strangles the opponent must signal defeat or else he suffers injury.

A hold-down must be maintained for thirty seconds. The inter-play of all these techniques with defensive moves, continuation attacks, counter-throws, styles of fighting and so on makes judo a fascinating sport.

Kodokan judo

was not just a rehash of ju-jitsu techniques. Kano selected the good points of each ju-jitsu school and with his own fresh ideas and innovations turned an old martial art into a new system of physical culture and mental training. There was much rivalry between the new Kodokan school and the ju-jitsu men and four years after its foundation the Kodokan had a public match with the top ju-jitsu school. It was an overwhelming victory for judo with the Kodokan winning nearly every match.

The techniques of judo have slowly been streamlined and modified over the years with some new ones being added and old ones on account of their inefficiency or danger being eliminated. With judo becoming an international sport during the last ten years rules governing contests have been formulated to make it safe for competition. Nevertheless, the essence of judo - throws, strangles, joint-locks and hold-downs - makes it an excellent system of self-defence and attack.

Judo History

Judo as a martial art came into existence in 1882 being derived from the much older techniques of attack and defence called ju-jitsu. Before the advent of judo or more properly Kodokan Judo there existed some twenty independent ju-jitsu schools. A young Japanese man Jigoro Kano, wanting to be able to handle some bigger bullying companions, decided to join one of the ju-jitsu schools.

He studied the techniques of various schools for several years. Finally in 1882 he established his own which he called the Kodokan and instead of using the word ju-jitsu used judo instead. One of the reasons for choosing a different name for his school was that with theordinance of 1871 forbidding Samurai to carry swords the martial arts fell into decline and then disrepute. Some ju-jitsu experts of Kano's time were rogues and bullies and ju-jitsu acquired a low reputation. Kano, not wishing to inherit this, began his school with a new name.

A normal contest lasts five minutes but many extensions are allowed and often the championship matches will last half an hour or more before a single cut is made and the point taken. Hiki-waki or 'drawn matches' rarely occur and contest is not normally required for grading until 3rd Kyu.

This section gives you an introduction to Kendo but many advanced aspects have been ignored. The student is advised to begin training and see whether or not he enjoys it. Kendo is utterly absorbing and fascinating to those who practise and a new field of technique or different aspect of thought is always beginning. The basic conception of cutting is very simple and the main study is in co-ordination, timing and the mental aspects of training.

There are currently several dozen clubs scattered over the country, three of them being in London. Not all clubs originate in the same school or theory and some remain independent. Information can always be given on all known clubs at the headquarters of the British Kendo Council, 10 Stuart Road, Acton, London W3 (tel 9929454).

Most established clubs have a limited amount of equipment on loan to the novice. Buying equipment is rather a problem since it comes from Japan, but it can be obtained.

Properly marked out Shiaijo (contest areas) are not available in Britain but a rectangular area of at least 15 by 20 feet is necessary. After each score both the contestants return to their original position since the point is declared to this side regardless of whether or not the contestants have changed sides during the match. Some referees words are given below.

Ippon Shobu or Sanbon Shobu - Match for one point, or match for the best of three. Hajime - Begin. Yame - Finish. Men Ari - A Men has been scored (or Kote Ari, etc). Wakarete - Break. Moto Ni Kaeru - Return to your original positions. Nihon Me - For the second point. Ippon Shobu - One each, for the final point.

Shiai Kite

(Contest Rules)

Contest is normally performed under the eye of one or more referees depending on senior grades available. The contest Ma Ai (fighting distance) is greater, with a good twelve inches between the points.

There is an Omote Shinban (front referee) and one, or two Ura Shinban (rear judges) and contestants normally have coloured sashes on their backs and flags are employed to indicate scoring. Two simultaneous decisions are required for the cut to score, according to complex rules. A good understanding of technique is necessary to properly understand scoring but the following will give a rough idea.


1. The technique must originate from at least full Ma-ai (distance) unless composite.


2. The Shisei (posture) and balance must be maintained throughout the action.

3. The blow must strike accurately and be delivered with the cutting edge of the point section.


4. The blow must be properly controlled and taken off.


5. There must be no contact between the opponents Shinai, the cut must be clear.


6. The opponent's Shinai must not be in contact with the attacker's body as the cut falls.


7. The cut must be delivered with spirit and declared loudly by name.

A scoring point normally gives an impression of fluidity and hits the opponent's body quite naturally. Awkward or uncontrolled blows are not counted as valid. If two blows land together this is taken as Aiuchi (double hit) and no score. If a time lag can be seen the first blow to hit takes the point. After three contacts of the blade the Shinban will normally halt the match and restart from the centre.

Shiai-geiko

(contest practice)

This is a form of simulating contest conditions. In normal Keiko points are acknowledged in passing but often the loss of a point occurs whilst developing a specific technique. In Shiai Geiko a more serious concentration is maintained and this is the time for practice of techniques in competition.

Ji-geiko

(level practice)

In Ji-geiko a more level aspect is taken and neither side is committed to initiate the attack although the student has not much chance other than to keep attacking. It is rather difficult to practise freely if too wide a grade space separates the two participants since the timing sense is different. A more normal form is Hiki-tate-geiko in which the senior grade will assist the junior, either by deflecting incorrect blows or by allowing some opportunities for the junior to take and adjusting a certain level of technique for the junior to match himself against. If we practise with a novice at our own level it will merely consist in him being beaten about. Therefore adopt alevel just about a grade above his own and he can then work directly to some end and take an occasional point.