This biographical article describes how Yoshihiro Uchida, a 100-year-old Japanese American built the stature of Judo in the United States. It describes how a World War II veteran’s entire life revolved around Judo, how he played a role in helping make Judo an Olympic Event and how he became the coach of the US’s first Olympic Judo team. This source is very useful as it gives us great insight on the history of Judo in the United States.
This article discusses the increasing number of severe injuries and deaths these past 30 years of high school students practicing Judo. It discusses the research and investigations led in high schools where lack of safety training and strict coaches that push students to their limits led to severe injuries, comas, and deaths. This source highlights the importance of safety in Judo and the hazards of Judo when precautions are not taken.
In this article, we discover Ronda Rousey, a famous female judoka’s early struggles in life and how Judo helped relieve most of these issues. Her struggles with speech disorders, her father’s passing, and her inability to fit in made her life hard but her mother decided to introduce her to judo which ultimately changed her life for the better. This source is very interesting and powerful as it shows how judo can change one’s life.
This blog post from effectivejudo.com goes back on Craig Fallon’s life with a lot of emotion. Craig Fallon was a British World Champion Judoka who has significantly marked the international judo community. The writer, Neil Adams, speaks personally to Craig Fallon’s character and how he witnessed many of his victories and achievements. This blog post is impactful and emotional and says a lot about the solidarity that reigns within the Judo community.
In this Op-ed, the author discusses how there is no longer a designated location and club to practice Judo on campus at Columbia University despite Judo being the school’s oldest club sport. He discusses how he tried to open the club again and the obstacles that have made that feat nearly impossible. This source highlights how Judo is a passion for many people include younger people like college students.
This article focuses on a study led by researchers at the University of Central Florida that shows that children that have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could benefit greatly from practicing Judo. Their study shows that Judo can help these kids overcome the stress and social anxiety that comes with ASD and most kids were also enjoying practicing Judo. This source shows how practicing Judo can be a form of therapy for some disorders.
In this narrative, Mart Malloy, who is part of the United States’ Olympic Judo Team describes what Judo is and her personal experience practicing the sport. She describes the rigorous training she must go through and what Judo is to her. This source gives us a new and interesting perspective on Judo- an Olympic Judoka’s perspective.
This article discusses how women become progressively more involved in Judo and how they began participating in their own tournaments and events. We learn about one of the pioneers, Rusty Kanokogi who was the first woman to participate in a Judo tournament in the US and how she almost single-handedly took down society’s stereotypes about women and combat sports. This article is very interesting as it gives us an overview of important Judo history and how women become more and more involved in the sport.
This article talks about a judo club in Johannesburg, South Africa and how it operated amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. During quarantine, they organized judo classes through Zoom, and they were able to have virtual masterclasses with world medalists and Olympic Champions. Once things started to open back up, the dojo opened with measures in place like required face masks and each Judoka mat separated from others to promote social distancing. This article shows how the judo community kept going and members stayed connected in spite of extraordinary circumstances like the pandemic.
In this article, we learn about how organizations help young orphans through Judo. Their programs provide judo classes for the kids and help promote them to international and national competitions. Through Judo, orphans who show talent also receive scholarships to get an education. This source shows that there is a great sense of community in Judo and that for many Judo is synonym of home.