Judo training

What is training? What is Judo training about and how it’s different? Is training in Martial Arts different from training in any other human activities?

Those questions are rarely asked as anyone has his very clear understanding of what “training” means (say “professional training” or say “horse training”). The common understanding of training is very generic by its nature.

So, how training in Judo is different? When we’re talking about training we’re assuming preparation to some specific activity (let say practicing medicine – “medical training”), but in case of Martial Arts target activity is very unclear as it can be anything from diffusion of hostility to violent attack and anything in-between. Training in combat sport is much more focused on the other hand – its target is a tournament success and training is focused on developing physical and technical skills needed for this.

Judo training therefore is bi-focal as Judo is a Martial Art as well as a combat sport. Very often nowadays Judo trained only as a sport (be it Olympic Judo, BJJ, or SAMBO), but Martial Art Judo always a combination of combat/self-defense training with sport training even some individual judokas may never take part in formal tournaments. Judo as combat sport training is central for Judo as Martial Art training and it’s one of key training innovations introduced by Dr. Kano into traditional jujutsu curriculum.

From this point of view it worth one another time to clarify the place of Judo sport competitions in the overall picture: competitive Judo sport fight (shai) is a form of training for combat, but not (sic!) imitation of it. Preparation and participation in competitive sport fights developing such physical and mental qualities as endurance, resistance to physical pressure, resistance to psychological pressure, and ability to refine subtitle technical points (that within sport rules) under most adverse conditions.

Success in sport Judo helps to develop strong Martial art skills, but not substitute for it. When it’s clear what qualities competitive sport Judo helps to develop, it’s more important to understand what it’s not.

Sport Judo deploys directly next to nothing of combat applicable techniques. Not all sport techniques applicable in combat and self-defense at all and, even as a name of technique for sport and combat will be the same, the sport version has its specifics defined by rules. Adhesion to effective sport techniques in combat and self-defense situations can cause problems to the level that render all training ineffective. To overcome this issue we need to turn to 80/20 combat training principals.

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