Introduction

Judo means "the gentle way" in Japanese. Of course, it is derived in part from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors, and everything is relative. While throwing opponents to the floor wins most matches, it is the only Olympic sport where submission holds allow choking an opponent or breaking an arm.

Developed by Dr Jigoro Kano in the 1880s, the sport broke into the Olympic Games in 1964 at Tokyo. The host country could add one sport, and Japan chose judo. Four weight classes were established, and Japanese entries promptly won three.

However, in the fourth, the open class, a 1.98-metre Dutchman named Anton Geesink defeated three-time Japanese national champion Kaminaga Akio before 15,000 people at Nippon Budokan Hall. And then he beat him again. It followed victories earlier in the year over other top Japanese opponents, deeply bruising the theory that a skilled judoka could defeat any opponent of any size.

Understanding Judo

Judogi - the Judo uniform

Judogi is made out of heavy cotton to allow athletes to grab on to their opponents' collar, chest, belt and trousers when practising the various techniques. For many years there were only white judogi. In the Sydney Games blue judogi were added to make the distinction between competitors easier.

Belts

Judo belts are used to identify the athletes' skills, technical proficiency and contribution to the sport. Rank is shown by a belt colour. There are two types of rank: kyu and dan. Dan grades are the highest and shown by a black belt. Coloured belts show kyu grades. Although the grades vary among countries, the most universally accepted system is the following:

All beginners wear white belts. Black belts are awarded to students who have developed a degree of proficiency in the various techniques of Judo. They have shown commitment to being a serious student of Judo. There is a general perception that a black belt holder is a Judo expert. The 1st degree of black belt (the 1st dan) in Judo actually signifies that the student is truly ready to begin learning Judo.

Field of play - The mat

A Judo contest is conducted on a square 8m x 8m mat (Tatami). There is a 1m x 1m danger area and a 3 m outer safety area. The colour of the mat varies. Green is usually preferred for the competition and safety zone areas and red for the danger area.

The contest

To win the contest a judoka must score an Ippon (a degree equalling 10 points) by using a successful technique. Lesser scores such as waza-ari (7 points), yuko (5 points) and koka (3 points), can be awarded when a technique does not warrant an Ippon. Athletes may also receive penalties of corresponding points: hansoku make (Ippon), keikoku (waza-ari), chui (yuko) and shido (koka).

Two waza-ari add up to an Ippon. This also applies if one competitor has already scored waza-ari and the opponent is subsequently given a penalty of keikoku. Yuko and koka do not add up. Winner is the athlete who has scored the greatest value point at the completion of the five minutes.

An Ippon is given to the athlete who manages to throw his opponent on his back with a technique combining speed, force and control.

A waza-ari is awarded to an athlete when the referee and judges consider an element of the Ippon to be missing. This may be the case if the opponent does not fall on his/her back or that the athlete has not demonstrated enough force.

A yuko is awarded when two of the required elements are missing. This may be the case when the opponent falls on his/her side.

A k?ka awarded when three of the required elements are missing. This may be the case when the opponent falls on his/her shoulder or leg.

An Ippon is also awarded, when an athlete applies an osaekomi technique and manages to hold his/her opponent to the ground for 25 sec. The referee calls the beginning and the end of the osaekomi countdown.

Waza-ari is awarded when the opponent is unable to escape for more than 20, but less than 25 seconds.

Yuko is awarded when the opponent is unable to escape for more than 15, but less than 20 seconds.

Koka is awarded when the opponent is unable to escape for more than 10, but less than 15 seconds.

An Ippon is finally awarded to an athlete who applies a strangling or joint technique and thereby forces his/her opponent to give up by tapping twice or more with his/her hand, or says "maitta" (I give up).

The "Golden Score" rule will be utilised for the first time at the 2004 Olympic Games. In cases that the match has no winner even after the five-minute period, the referee announces the beginning of "Golden Score", extending in that way the match for an extra five-minute period and nullifying the score. The athlete that scores the first point, wins the match.

Categories

There are seven categories for men and seven for women, all based on weight:

Rules of conduct 

Judo has two main elements, the sporting skills of attack and defense and the culture of the sport through, which these skills are performed. The moral code of Judo is politeness, courage, sincerity, self-control, honour, modesty, friendship and respect. In Judo competition, a judoka can be disqualified for deliberately hurting their opponent.

The bow

Bowing is the most visible of the rituals of Judo. In competition, judokas bow to each other at the beginning and end of the contest to show their respect and courtesy to each other as opponents and to the institution of Judo, which fosters fair play. The bow is used because it is a physical act of humility, gratitude and appreciation.