In mixed martial arts, there are many ancient sports that athletes study in order to become better fighters. These include Greco-Roman wrestling skills and boxing, both of which date back centuries. Judo, however, is quite important to MMA, but was only developed in the later part of the 19th century. You will find it similar to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in many ways, and that's not hard to understand, since BJJ actually developed out of the world of Kodokan Judo.
In Judo, the main objective is to find a way to knock your opponent to the ground and then use a lock or a choke in order to gain an advantage. Judo students do learn striking, however, throwing techniques and grappling skills are far more important. In fact, striking is not a part of either sparring practice or allowable in competitions. In the century or so since Judo was developed, there have been many figures important to the sport.
Because he founded Judo, Jigoro Kano should be the first person mentioned. The father of Judo, Kano started out his martial arts studies as a small, week teenager. This is quite similar to the story of Helio Gracie, who sought a way to teach smaller, weaker opponents to overcome any larger opponent. At first, Kano trained in the art of jiujitsu, but he was dissatisfied with some of the teachings, so he developed his own philosophies and techniques and founded the Kodokan Institute, which taught this new art of Judo.
Mitsuyo Maeda is another important figure in Judo. Maeda was like many others who have turned to Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, a person who was physically weak looking for a way to build strength and defensive skills. Maeda eventually earned the rank of a 7th dan black belt, and he was the person responsible for introducing Kodokan Judo to the Gracie Family. This, of course, led to the metamorphosis of Judo into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, both of which are quite effective skills for mixed martial arts fighters.
Maeda's primary teacher was Tomita Tsunejiro, and he certainly has earned his place in the world of Judo's Greats. Tsunejiro was one of the very first students of Judo, trained by Kano Jigoro himself. Tsunejiro also was the first student to earn a black belt and is also considered to be one of the Four Guardians of Judo.
Aside from boxing and wrestling, Judo was the first true martial art to be a part of the Olympic Games, and it was displayed as early as 1932 and became an official part of the summer games in 1964. The first gold medalist in the sport was not from Japan, but The Netherlands. Anton Geesink was the first Judo gold medalist, and although he eventually earned the rank of a 10th dan black belt from the International Judo Federation, this rank was unrecognized by the Kodokan Institute, which has awarded very few 10th dan black belts and none to anyone outside of Japan.
Judo increasingly is gaining popularity in the world of MMA, and many fighters are experts in Judo, such as Anderson Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, both of who are black belts. Ronda Rousey is a 4th dan black belt with a bronze medal in Judo from the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and her high level of Judo expertise is quite evident during all of her bouts.
In Judo, the main objective is to find a way to knock your opponent to the ground and then use a lock or a choke in order to gain an advantage. Judo students do learn striking, however, throwing techniques and grappling skills are far more important. In fact, striking is not a part of either sparring practice or allowable in competitions. In the century or so since Judo was developed, there have been many figures important to the sport.
Because he founded Judo, Jigoro Kano should be the first person mentioned. The father of Judo, Kano started out his martial arts studies as a small, week teenager. This is quite similar to the story of Helio Gracie, who sought a way to teach smaller, weaker opponents to overcome any larger opponent. At first, Kano trained in the art of jiujitsu, but he was dissatisfied with some of the teachings, so he developed his own philosophies and techniques and founded the Kodokan Institute, which taught this new art of Judo.
Mitsuyo Maeda is another important figure in Judo. Maeda was like many others who have turned to Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, a person who was physically weak looking for a way to build strength and defensive skills. Maeda eventually earned the rank of a 7th dan black belt, and he was the person responsible for introducing Kodokan Judo to the Gracie Family. This, of course, led to the metamorphosis of Judo into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, both of which are quite effective skills for mixed martial arts fighters.
Maeda's primary teacher was Tomita Tsunejiro, and he certainly has earned his place in the world of Judo's Greats. Tsunejiro was one of the very first students of Judo, trained by Kano Jigoro himself. Tsunejiro also was the first student to earn a black belt and is also considered to be one of the Four Guardians of Judo.
Aside from boxing and wrestling, Judo was the first true martial art to be a part of the Olympic Games, and it was displayed as early as 1932 and became an official part of the summer games in 1964. The first gold medalist in the sport was not from Japan, but The Netherlands. Anton Geesink was the first Judo gold medalist, and although he eventually earned the rank of a 10th dan black belt from the International Judo Federation, this rank was unrecognized by the Kodokan Institute, which has awarded very few 10th dan black belts and none to anyone outside of Japan.
Judo increasingly is gaining popularity in the world of MMA, and many fighters are experts in Judo, such as Anderson Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, both of who are black belts. Ronda Rousey is a 4th dan black belt with a bronze medal in Judo from the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and her high level of Judo expertise is quite evident during all of her bouts.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes writing about MMA advantages. For additional information regarding a San Diego jiu jitsu gym or to discover a San Diego martial arts gym, click here now.
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