Judo

The "Gentle Way" of martial artistry is Judo. Both a martial art and combat sport, it originated in Japan in the late 1800s. It is marked by its prominent display during competition of either the throwing of one competitor by another to the ground, the immobilization of one opponent by another, or the submitting of one opponent to another. This is typically accomplished by a series of grapples, throws, pins, locks, chokes, or strangleholds. Competitive forms do not include any form or weapons use or striking. It is considered the father of all Japanese martial arts currently expressed today. This is because of the teaching structures and the philosophy behind the training. The entire world has been affected in one form or another by the popular spread of this martial art.

Judo is characterized by two main combat phases: Standing and Ground. These phases each have their own techniques, conditioning, strategies, and skills. A lot of specialized training is given to the transition between the two phases. A match will start with both competitors standing and ending with both on the ground, typically, one subduing the other. Its popularity is mostly because of this balance of phases. The standing phase involves an attempt by the opponents to throw one another. It is allowable for standing joint-locks or choke-holds to be applied according to competition rules, but they are very difficult to perform successfully. Mainly though, this phase terminates with a throw to the ground. The purpose is to get an opponent on his back where he is much less likely to be a threat. In the ground phase, judo practitioners continue combat on the ground either after the throw during the standing phase or any other legal path to the floor. They cannot just fall to the ground and begin this phase, however, because the aim is to obtain a hold-down or submission either by a choke-hold, strangulation, or arm-lock. Any kind of joint-lock are typically disallowed in sport form because of the potential for competition-ending injury.