Kayla Harrison, the martial artist who won the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in judo, updates her fans on what she’s been doing since her triumph at the 2012 London Games and where she will make her next tournament appearance.
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Judo
Derived from his study of jujutsu, Jigoro Kano created judo as a martial sport usable for self-defense. In 1882, Jigoro Kano founded the Kodokan Judo Institute as the governing body for judo. Judo became an Olympic sport at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
When judo was advertised in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s through comic-book ads, it was emphasized as an effective self-defense method for women and the proverbial 100-pound weakling. This campaign can be traced to Jigoro Kano’s status as a sickly thin teenager and America’s first judo class in 1902 being for women only.
Reportedly, it was a woman who convinced eventual brown-belt President Theodore Roosevelt to learn judo. Furthermore, history’s highest-ranked female judoka and Jigoro Kano’s last living student, Keiko Fukuda, is the granddaughter of Jigoro Kano’s most influential jujutsu teacher, Fukuda Hachinosuke.
Two important aspects of judo training are character development and morality. This often makes judo a preferred martial art for children.
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Q&A With Kayla Harrison: Olympic Golden Girl Returns to Judo Competition
– March 8, 2013
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Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison Demonstrate Judo Techniques and MMA Techniques in New Book!
– March 1, 2013
IN STOCK NOW! — Winning on the Ground: Training and Techniques for Judo and MMA Fighters by Dr. AnnMaria De Mars and James Pedro Sr. features Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison demonstrating techniques for taking your MMA and/or judo game to the next level!
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Hayward Nishioka Reveals How Judo Changed His Life — and How It Can Change Yours!
– February 28, 2013
Like so many martial artists, Hayward Nishioka started training primarily for self-defense. But he quickly discovered that the judo skills and philosophies he was learning had the potential to improve every aspect of his life.
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The Life of Keiko Fukuda, Last Surviving Student of Judo Founder Jigoro Kano
– February 12, 2013
Keiko Fukuda never made the cover of Black Belt. She lived to be 99, but she wasn’t that fierce or imposing. Longtime Black Belt contributing editor Dave Lowry delves into her life story in this fascinating article.
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Judo Master Keiko Fukuda Passes Away at Age 99
– February 11, 2013
Keiko Fukuda, the first female judoka to be awarded the rank of 10th-degree black belt, died February 9, 2013, in San Francisco. She was 99.
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Judo Info From Olympic Judoka Jimmy Pedro: Four Judo Moves Every MMA Fighter Should Know!
– July 23, 2012
Long before there was the Ultimate Fighting Championship or mixed martial arts, there were judo moves. Founded in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano, judo took the best techniques of various schools of Japanese jujitsu, refined the ones that needed it and incorporated them into a single scientific system. Its adherents
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Judo Techniques Info: Hayward Nishioka on How Gripping Skills Can Make a Difference in Judo Competition
– July 16, 2012
Until the 1960s, judoka didn’t think much about gripping skills. Then the former USSR judo team entered the Olympics and brought sambo-wrestling grips into the tournament. The team’s many victories because of the grips stunned the judo competition world. Today, gripping skills are considered important in the world of judo
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Master the Foot Sweep: Judo’s Secret Weapon
– December 9, 2011
Judo is a way to effectively use both your physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defenses, it refines your body and your soul, and it helps you make the spiritual essence of judo a part of your very being. In this way, you are able to
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Shito-Ryu Karate Trailblazer: Fumio Demura
– November 21, 2011
Ask the average karate practitioner to name the main styles of Japan, and chances are he’ll rattle off shotokan, goju-ryu and wado-ryu with no trouble. But unless he’s really up on his art, there’s a good chance that he’ll stumble over the name of the fourth major style, snap his
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Matt Larsen: Teaching the U.S. Army How to Fight
– November 11, 2011
Back in 1983, I heeded the call of Uncle Sam and joined the U.S. Army. Basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, was easy enough and mostly fun, what with the M16 rifles, M60 machine guns, hand grenades, Claymore mines and LAWs (light anti-tank weapons). A martial artist interested in state-of-the-art
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