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Judo was founded in 1882 in Japan by Jigoro Kano but the sport has developed from then and it is now considered as modern martial arts with a mix of fighting styles. Compared to other martial arts such as taekwondo and kung fu, judo is less about striking and more about grappling with opponents. Fans of mixed martial arts and boxing can visit AT Madrid to wager on the latest matches and to predict the fighters they believe will win their respective bouts.

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The History of Judo

Judo grew out of jiujitsu, a martial art that has been described as wrestling-like. Jigoro Kano, a jiujitsu student studied various forms and styles of the martial art.

He took elements from each jiujitsu style and compiled them into a new martial art called judo. By taking his favourite elements, he created judo and began teaching students at his dojo. Martial arts is now considered an Olympic Sport, with lots of tournaments taking place around the world. If you are a fan of Judo or in general of mixed martial arts, you can find the latest odds on combat sports events with this code and wager on the top fighters.

In the late 1880s, Kano travelled to Europe in hopes of spreading judo. The martial art was slowly introduced around the world until 1908 then Kano was elected to the International Olympic Committee where his voice helped the sport spread even further.

However, it wasn’t until 1964 that judo became an official men’s Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games, then in 1992, women’s judo became an official Olympic sport.

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The Philosophy of Judo

Like other martial arts, judo is a way to harness the powers of the body and mind, and focus them into one. Many practitioners believe that truly understanding judo can bring a balance in a judoka’s life.

One of the leading aspects of judo and why individuals train to become a judoka is it allows a person of small-statured to compete with a much larger and stronger individual. Judo isn’t about brute strength or punching power, It’s about control, balance, and leverage.

Judo Fundamentals

Judo has three major categories when it comes to techniques. These categories include throwing (nage waza), grappling (katame waza) and vital-point striking (atemi waza).

Nage waza moves are designed to unbalance opponents and throw them to the mat. There are numerous nage waza moves that a judoka can learn.

Katame waza moves consist of holding, strangling, joint twisting, and counter movement techniques, designed to prevent an opponent from moving freely. Katame waza techniques are further divided into three subgroups: holding down moves (osae waza), strangling (shime waza), and joint lock techniques (kansetsu waza).

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Atemi waza techniques consist of striking manoeuvres. The strikes can be completed by using the hands, fingers, outer edge of the hand, elbows and knees, feet, and heels. These moves are aimed at vital target points on the opponent’s body. Atemi waza striking moves are not allowed in judo competitions due to the injuries that can be inflicted on opponents.

According to the International Judo Federation claims 40 million people practice the martial art. Judo’s popularity continues to grow and with the UFC now a part of mainstream culture, it is likely more people will discover judo.