Obviously in the Judo community there has been a huge uproar in the changing of Judo rules regarding leg grabs, pickups and Russian style techniques. I have travelled all around the world and experienced different styles of Judo, from the traditional Japanese judo, the Russian pickup style of judo and even the weird Mongolian and Kazakhstan styles as well.
On the internet there are constant threads about the new rules and people who keep on complaining about how Judo isn't a martial art anymore due excluding grappling techniques that are used in various forms of wrestling.
For a while I was very against the new rules of Judo due to the fact that it clashed with my own style of Judo. Although recently I have travelled to Taipei, Rotterdam, Samoa as well as Brazil and Japan and I believe the new rules have been great for a number of reasons.
I have participated in many training camps over the last few months and have noticed that a lot of the top judo guys who utilized pickups and leg grabs are still doing judo and still performing at a top international level.
Due to me being in Japan and having a lot of time on my hands I have been doing a lot of thinking regarding other sports who have changed rules for various reasons.
Taekwondo: A few years ago in competitive Taekwondo competitors were able to punch to the head. But what tended to happen was amateur boxers would enter the tournament. These amateur boxers would block kicks to the head and proceed to close the distance and knock fellow competitors out. The essence of Taekwondo is their amazing kicking skills, but due to the amateur boxers never kicking spectators were not seeing spectacular kicks anymore they were seeing a boxing match. By banning punching to the head the complete Taekwondo fighter using the very essence of the sport would more often than not win the match. By changing the rules they could keep the essence of the sport alive so that when people came and watched they would watch Taekwondo's amazing kicks not just a boxing match.
I understand that they were taking out an effective attack but to keep the essence and spirit of the sport alive they did what they needed to do. Therefore I see no problem with the change.
Rugby League & Rugby union: Rugby league and rugby union at first can look very similar especially when the scrum in rugby league was contested. It would collapse and they would start over which is very similar to Rugby union. Therefore the rugby league powers decided that by not contesting the scrum onlookers would be able to see the difference between league and union. One major aspect of rugby union is the contested scrums and rucks, while in League it isn't a huge part of the game. By eliminating contested scrums from the game rugby league and rugby union could stay visibly different and spectators can notice the difference between both sports.
Brazilian Jujitsu: It is my understanding that in Brazilian jujitsu once you throw or perform a takedown you must then engage on the ground, if you don't you may lose a point. These rules are in place so that the throwing sports such as judo and wrestling cannot come in and (due to superior stand up) throw and break away repeatedly. If these rules were allowed the essence of Brazilian jujitsu wouldn't be there. The fundamental nature of competitive Brazilian jujitsu is the ground game. Without the ground game Brazilian jujitsu is simply a judo or wrestling match. By keeping these rules you are keeping the essence of the sport alive. Imagine going to a Brazilian jujitsu competition and all you saw was stand up and no ground work. This is similar if when you went and saw a judo tournament all you saw was ground work and no standing fighting.
Judo What makes Judo Unique? Is it the GI? Is it the throws? Is it the Japanese names? In my opinion Judo is the most superior unarmed martial art as well as sport. It has all the making of real world self-defence as well as a sport. For example in judo the fight starts standing and in most cases the ground game is well and done within sixty seconds. I have never heard of a street fight or a fight in a pub where both fighters were wrestling on the ground for ten minutes and the fight finishing with a submission from rubber guard.
What makes Judo unique is the techniques used in the sport. Imagine if at a judo competition all you saw was double and single leg takedowns, fireman's carries and bear hug techniques. These are all valid attacks but are stereotypical of wrestling matches rather than judo matches. Spectators need to be able to the difference between both sports besides one is contested in a gi. For example imagine coming to a Judo competition and all you saw was Uchimata, Tai otoshi, Seoi nage and foot sweeps and then the next week going to watch freestyle wrestling and seeing mostly doubles and singles being used with an occasional Uchimata or foot sweep. You would be able to easily see the difference between the two sports.
That is what the international judo federation is trying to achieve with the rule change. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with trying to keep Judo unique.
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In the end I see nothing wrong with the new rule change because it will keep judo unique in the eyes of spectators as well as competitors.
Another quick example I have which is completely unrelated to Judo but the point is still valid. One of my favourite authors, David Gemmell writes medieval fantasy. Although once he wrote a suspense mystery novel under an alias. When asked why he wrote under an alias Gemmell replied that when people pick up a Gemmell novel they are expecting a medieval fantasy novel, but if they pick up a Gemmell and its a murder mystery they will be disappointed as that is not what a Gemmell novel usually is. Gemmell wanted to keep the genre of medieval fantasy and not have a variety of different genres, by doing this he remained exclusive and the general public know what they were getting. This is the same with Judo, way when you come to judo you want to see Judo; you don't want to see a wrestling match.
In conclusion, this article is written from my personal opinion regarding the new Judo rules that have been put in place by the international Judo Federation. I know that there are many people out there who may disagree but as a current international Judoka I believe these rules will keep the original essence of the art.
Author: Matt D'Aquino http://www.workoutsforjudo.com
Matt D'Aquino is the founder of Beyond Grappling fitness and conditioning. He is a 2008 Beijing Judo Olympian as well as nationally ranked freestyle wrestler and National Champion in Brazilian Jujitsu. Matt has a passion for teaching all forms of grappling and is on the journey to qualify for his 2nd Olympic Games.
To learn more about Matt and his fitness and conditioning training visit http://www.workoutsforjudo.com
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