Judo, a modern martial art, was first introduced to the Summer Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo; this was fitting since Judo originated in 19th century Japan. Predictably, Japan boasts of the highest number of Olympic medals in Judo than any other country. Why do we think that it's time you got ready for Judo? Let’s take a look... 

Judo was derived by way of reaction to and evolution from early martial art disciplines. Watching Judo combatants in action will tell you that Judo involves stamina, strength, ability to eliminate your partner, and fierce intensity. Judo translates into the way of gentleness, but it is difficult to decipher this at first sight. To understand how a fierce martial art can have gentleness at its roots, one would have to understand that Judo was founded as a method to avoid destruction rather than cause it. Therefore, competitive Judo is always about rendering your opponent harmless. This forms the basis of Judo techniques, which are more important in Judo training than traditional simulated exercises. 

Judo demands mental discipline that also reflects in your life. As a follower of the Judo philosophy, one is better equipped to control emotions and feelings. 

You definitely need strength and stamina to pin down your opponent as well as technique to nail them to the ground. According to Judo Federation of India, “The practice of Judo techniques helps people develop basic and fundamental physical fitness in a number of ways, such as the development of strength, flexibility, agility, speed, dynamic and static balance, explosive power, and endurance.”

Your training in strength and conditioning will also help you fight an opponent larger than your size. For this, you need a master to guide and empower you. Judo training is broken down into sections: Strength training, cardio, weight exercises and ab exercises. Above all, Judo training involves sharpening the primary techniques till they become second nature - an excellent solution to self defense, we think. 

Indians have practiced Judo for years, but it’s unfortunate that India has rarely qualified in Judo for the Olympics. The first time we did qualify was back in 2008 when Tombi Devi and Divya Sharma grappled on the biggest platform for sports. But the medal did not come our way. Perhaps, this year, Garima Choudhary from Meerut will display her skills and bag an Olympic medal for India. We wish her all the very best!

*Image courtesy Reuters