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Judo History & Principles
Judo is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. Judo was created in 1882 by Dr. Kano and later became the first martial art to be sanctioned as a medal sport in the Olympic Games in 1964.
Judo means the "gentle way." The main principles of Judo are "Minimum Effort, Maximum Efficiency" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit." The idea of maximum efficiency teaches judokas to use the least amount of physical strength necessary to throw an opponent. This is accomplished by proper use of technique, timing, and leveraging your opponent's strength against them. The personal discipline that Judo taught would extend beyond the dojo into daily life and could allow the judoka to become more productive.
Judo is known for its spectacular throwing and swift grappling techniques. Besides its competitive aspects, Judo can also be practiced for many reasons, such as exercise and self-defense.
At SJJA
We take pride in serving the community by providing means for families and individuals to enjoy Judo as an organized sport and as a recreational activity. Judo is a great sport for all ages; kids, adults, and seniors.
At San Jose Judo Academy, we have three skillful and experienced Judo instructors that have more than 20 years in teaching Judo. Besides Judo, Professor Vinicius who is in charge in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts classes. We teach all levels from beginning to advanced, from self defense to competitions, from light training to cardio conditioning. Many choices many classes for you to train here!
We teach our students a unique blend of traditional Kodokan Judo, no-gi Judo, Bjj gi and No gi, Women's self defense, contemporary competitive Judo, and “Dynamic Judo" that is fun and suitable for all ages.
The Beauty of Falling
Falling. Sounds like scary, right?
The first thing we teach all beginners is how to fall. In Judo, we learn how to throw and how to receive a throw. With proper training and technique, you can be able to safely take falls from all directions.
Competitive Judo athletes take falls from all angles and heights daily without any injuries.
Not only is learning how to fall essential in Judo, but is also an important skill to have in everyday life. Learning the basic techniques of falling can protect us from severe injuries when we do end up tripping and falling on hard surfaces outside the dojo.
Photo: IJF
Ura Nage throw performed by Ilias Iliadis at the Paris Grand Slam.
Uchimata throw performed by Joshiro Maruyama at the 2022 World Champions in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.