Whatever
their seniority, all experienced plays will almost habitually go through
variable stretching routines and practice break-fall in a warming-up process
before starting their rest work on the mat. How much time an instructor devotes
to exercises and body-building routines in a class must depend upon how often
the classes are held and how long each lasts.
Generally, however,
in order to maintain a supple body and to build up strength and stamina, it’s
the responsibility of the judoka to exercise outside the time spent on the mat.
Then, at the beginning of a Judo session, the sensei, the sensei need concern
himself only with leading his pupils through a warming up program designed to
loosen limbs from head to toe and generally stir up the circulation in
readiness for a vigorous Judo work-out.
The warming
up exercise routine might well begin with jumping exercises followed by head
rolling, arm swings to rotate the shoulders and trunk turning and twisting to
loosen up the back. There should also be hip rolling with feet astride, and
knee rolls performed with feet together. Ankle pulls should performed in a
sitting position with the feet wide apart, and there should also be press-ups, sit-ups,
cat stretches and squad thrusts. Other important exercises include revolving
the feet forwards and backwards from the ankle, and repeatedly rotating the
hands inwards and outwards while holding them at arm’s length. From there, it’s
into break-falls. Hips, shoulders, legs, neck – all joints from head to toe are
warmed up in a series of exercises before this group gets down to more serious
work on the mat.
A third
party category of Judo techniques, atemi-waza, is concerned with the delivery
of blows and kicks which are capable of causing dangerous or even fatal injury.
For that reason they are practiced only in kata and never in free practice or contest
situations because a knowledge of then is not necessary in order to progress
from beginner to black belt in Judo they are not explained in this blog. The two
main categories of techniques, nage-waza and katame-waza, are themselves each divided
into further groups. Nage-waza (throwing techniques) is subdivided into
tach-waza (standing techniques) and sutemi-waza (sacrifice techniques).
Tachi-waza
is further divided into te-waza (hand techniques), koshi-waza (hip techniques)
and ashi-waza (foot techniques). Sutemi-waza are throws in which Tori (the
attacker) must also fall on to the mat himself in the course of throwing an
opponent. Sutemi-waza is divided into two groups of sacrifice techniques – ma-sutemi-waza,
in which Tori must throw himself backwards in the course of executing the
technique; and yoko-sutemi-waza, in which Tori throws himself sideways.
Katame-waza
(groundwork techniques) is subdivided into osae-komi-waza (hold-down
techniques), shime-waza (strangling or choking techniques) and kansetsu-waza
(joint techniques). Although kansetsu-waza and shime-waza are grouped under the
general category of ground work techniques, always remember that strangles,
chokes and arm-locks can often be applied also from a standing posture. It is from
this whole range of techniques that a syllabus might begin with throws such as
o-soto-gari (major outer reaping) or ippon-seoi-nage (one-arm shoulder throw), and
with groundwork such as keas-gatame (scarf hold). Note that only arm-locks are
allowed in competitive Judo. Leg, wrist and neck locks or any other type of
technique which attacks joints, are not permitted. Neither is the grabbing or
twisting of an opponent’s fingers or thumbs. Whatever techniques are embarked
upon to begin with, the sensei will no doubt demonstrate them before pairing
you off with partner to try it for yourself under his supervision. Later, if he
becomes satisfied also with your break-fall ability and general respect for
dojo discipline and etiquette,
he may release you for randori (free practice). In randori any number of pairs
can be in practice combat on the mat at the same time. Each pair practices at
its own pace and unless directed otherwise by the sensei, works on whichever
techniques it particularly wishes to develop.
The sensei may direct everyone to practice, say, o-chi-komi; in which
players
