Judo or the "Gentle Way" is derived from Japanese Jujitsu. It was created by Jigoro Kano who was born in Japan in 1860. Mastering several styles of jujitsu including Kito-Ryu and Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu in his youth he began to develop his own system based on modern sports and proper educational principles. In 1882 he founded the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo where he began teaching and which still is the international authority for Judo.
The name Judo was chosen because it means the "Gentle Way". Kano emphasized the larger educational value of training in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from. He eliminated some of the traditional, more violent Jujitsu techniques (eye gouging, small joint manipulation and fish hooking) and changed training methods so that most of the moves could be done with full force to create a decisive victory without injury. The popularity of Judo increased dramatically after a famous contest hosted by the Tokyo police in 1886 where the Judo team defeated the most well-known Jujitsu school of the time. It then became a part of the Japanese physical education system and began its spread around the world. Dr. Kano, President of the University of Education, Tokyo, dedicated his life, studied these ancient martial arts of Jujitsu and integrated what he considered to be the best of their techniques into what is now the modern sport of Judo.
Judo is many things to different people. It is an Olympic sport, a martial art, a personal discipline, a recreational or social activity, a fitness program, a means of self-defense or combat and a way of life. It is all of these and more. In Judo, we have a saying; "Get thrown seven times, get up eight". This martial philosophy teaches a strong work ethic that carries on to your everyday life.
Judo was introduced into the Olympic Games in 1964 and is practiced by millions of people throughout the world today. People practice Judo to excel in competition, to stay in shape, to develop self-confidence, and for many other reasons. But most of all, people do Judo just for the fun of it.
Judo as a martial art focuses on the reality that all fights end up on the ground. Judoka spend a lot of time training in that transitional phase between the stand up and the ground. Judo techniques are designed to simply take your opponent down and allow you to have the dominant position to effect the result you want. You can either use a holdown, apply an arm lock or a choke to finish a confrontation.