@@Reflectionmaterial You got koka (when they sat on the butt), yuko when they fall on the side, wazari when throw wasn't a highlight throw and clean ippon. You had leg grabs, 'non'-traditional grips, pins, ground game. Now it's either you throw him from classic grip like a bag of potatos or it doesn't count, heck even the pin time is shorter and the best technique is penalty for the opponent
I like to practice Judo but have no interest in competing or the current rules. I want to only do randori with old rules like leg grabs etc. I want to also practice doing all the old techniques and have no interest in the current rule set.
This is how I feel about Taekwondo. Just focus on the martial art and self defense, not sports and rules. Just spar with people in class with less restrictions and make it strong.
You're correct. The rules in Judo must change. I for one in our Dojo don't follow these ridiculous rules. We train leg grabs, old style Judo because our students need real life self defense. We cross train Traditional Japanese Ju Jitsu with striking also. Thanks
Same for me, but casually sparring with my cousin who’s 4th generation sensei. My whole life I’ve safely gotten my butt kicked. The stuff in the Olympics, even I could’ve won a gold medal in France despite successfully losing to white belts in my cousin’s dojo. The rules are a mockery of what judo should be. On the other hand, taekwondo is equally nerfed so it’s not only judo.
This video needs lots of attention! I was so confused and disappointed trying to watch Judo in the Olympics. A former practitioner myself, I thought I knew the rules, but was flummoxed by the whole thing.
I enjoyed watching judo at the Olympics. The rule set really made me angry. I’m a BJJ practitioner and I couldn’t believe how neutered the rule set has become. This is why we don’t want BJJ in the Olympics.
I agree completely, we need to call it like we see it. Half assed throws and playing the system is more important for winning than using actual judo. I watched your son's match and was cheering for him, he and his opponent were super competitive and battling it out like warriors. But ridiculous leg grab rule that shouldn't be apart of judo and all the other things they do to make it look "clean" neuter it completely and turned that match and many olympic matches into who can get the ref to fight for them. I understand things for safety, like standing armbars and kani basami, but there has to be something systematically wrong when we reward players for gaming the system used to make it "clean". This might be a little extra too, but ippon should have a higher standard as well, getting a good throw with force, but we get throws that would be ruled wazari a decade or two ago winning matches and people just stopping all together as soon as it hits the ground. Maybe instead of shido for stalling or false attacks, we could give the incentive of advantages or yuko to the other player whenever someone does one of these things. Obviously I'm just some random spouting BS but there are so many people mad at the governing body.
I think it’s an unfortunate side effect of any combat sport in the Olympics. They end up watered down and having the rules dumbed down so that they can be popular on TV and done without any risks. Tae Keon Do by the WTKD rules has basically become toe tag. A small tap counts with very little force behind it.
It was a 50/50 snoozefest. You are 100% accurate. The older generations didn’t have to fight filled with fear. We also had way more dynamic and versatile judo with leg grabs still being capable. This Olympics was a majority of fearful fighting and not going to bring more fans to the sport.
I completely agree. I was watching the Judo coverage, and was highly disappointed with what I saw having been a judoist. My senior instructor stopped being a international referee long ago, because of rule changes like this. It is fortunate that he isn't alive to see this. He has to be turning over in his grave with this. @10:00 you are suggesting a return to the original scoring system. I was lost trying to follow with this "kneecap" scoring system, a complete mess.
Yes! I totally agree. I started Judo in the '70s and Judo felt and looked like a different sport back then. I feel it's become more constrained and less exciting. By limiting leg grabs, we constrain techniques and tactics thus MHO reducing the excitement and beauty of judo. I hope the IJF adjusts the rule set to reflect your feedback. Thanks!
Great thinking! You speak to my judo heart! I also have another suggestion: The reason of getting rid of Chui, Keikoku, Koka and Yuko was to make judo more understandable for lay people (only one yellow card and two score types). I don't think that's a bad thing. But now there are only 3 scores possible: one waza-ari each and then a third score, and that's it. So I suggest: bring back the Yuko! There would be only Yuko and Ippon. You get a Yuko for (the old) Koka, for Yuko and for Waza-ari, so more scores will be given. Also the tension and excitement of turning the fight by scoring Ippon even if your opponent is leading by 5 yukos will give back the originally thought of and outstanding meaning of the Ippon - the chance that you can win every second of the fight if you acomplish a great throw. I think it would put the focus even more away from the shido game (with your suggested changes!) and more on attacking and throwing. What do you think of that?
@@freddy_zaubert they already tried similler thing with wazari, i ref a figth with nine wazaris almost ippon but never ippon. The guy with nine wazari win but imahine that the other guy throw at the end for ippon it wont be fare. The better athelete lost.
@@hugoviegas1292 Maybe there should be a set of "5-rules": 5 yukos = ippon 5 shidos = hansokumake 5 seconds onesided grip = shido 5 seconds belt grip = shido 5 seconds oasae-komi = 1 yuko 10 seconds oasae-komi = 2 yuko etc. 25 seconds oasae-komi = ippon So, 9 waza-aris / yukos would not be possible, most shidos would come later...
@@freddy_zaubert if you give 5 shidos, the refs will use them, the problem continues. For me its more simple looking for almost all actual shidos and the diving, if it is for offensive porpuses no shido, if for defense porpuse shido. Then almost a score like landing on stomack, or butt you give advantage. So you will have just a few fights going to golden score. Because almost a score you will have for sure.
I'm an ex-athlete and actual judo coach and I totally agree with you . Thank you for sharing your opinion. It IS frustating when you ask some of the BEST referees in the world some explanation for an accion...and they say they don't understand ,they cannot explain and sometimes that their personal opinion it's different. These are top referees,.people that really know judo . Some of them were Big champions. The problem are.not the referees. The problem are the rules . when a lot of coaches,athletes eventuallly federations are complaining ...the normal thing to do was to listen to this agents. Athletes are the protagonists of the show ..not the coaches, not the referees , not the rules ..judo is the only sport in the world that the coach are expelled during a fight...only by talking and giving some help to their athletes! Judo community like athletes, coaches , clubs , federations ,should be united and try to go all together in the same direccion and make pressure in order to change some things . It IS the only way that they Will listen . This olympic games had many fights that created confusion ,subjective interpretacions and incoherent criteria ..as you well-said ...It IS not good for the sport !
Here what I wish for. An alternate competitive format that is actual real judo. Completely separate from the Olympics. And judoka worldwide support it and make it popular!
I grew up with Judo and transitioned to Submission Grappling and MMA competitions a long time ago, because of the ruleset. Recently I found beachwrestling, which has a really cool ruleset and imho every judoka should try it: - 1 clean throw = win - 1 minor throw = 1 point - 1 push out of the ring = 1 point - 3 points = win I can totally see the same ruleset, but in Gi and on tatami, for a Judo competition.
Boxers and wrestlers go hard and still maintain very safe conditions and high level ukemi should be mandatory for anyone in the Olympics. Playing the "Safety First" card is a cop-out that just slows down the match gives power to the judges, rather than the judoka.
You’re totally right. They’re watering down the art and penalizing good Judokas just for the sake of the show of it. But martial arts are for real, not for show. Same has happened for Karate, where one won after being KO’d, it’s there on YT.
Maybe take some rules from wrestling. Be allowed to challenge the refs call and watch the replay to see who's right. Also, I feel like all refs should compete to understand how much they influence the outcome and not necessarily the better fighter that wins. Should def have a high level of experience if gonna judge at the highest level.
Since the IJF and judo-politicians do not care for the opinions of ordinary people and athletes, it’s an undemocratic, corrupt system, and I no longer care about this “judo” sport. I don’t even care if this Olympic sport lives or dies. I like Jigoro Kano’s judo based on the principles and concepts which have little or nothing to do with the constant pointless sport rules changes nowadays. People have no freedom to do traditional judo under current judo rules, so judo people interested in real martial arts can go elsewhere, like a BJJ club or an independent judo club. You don’t need to follow the IJF or the Olympics to practice Seiryoku-zenyo and Jita-kyoei as taught by Kano, ideas which are timeless and transcend the sport.
@@bruceparker6142 BJJ and judo are different sports with rules that change periodically, but judokas have more freedom to do judo techniques in BJJ than vice versa. “Shido game”, as sensei Yonezuka said: it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t even look good, if that was their goal.
Its the IOC that dictate to the varrious sports governing bodies want they want to gain television veiwing so the IOC makes money All sdports are in same boat.
@@bruceparker6142yes and no. Unfortunately a lot of BJJ schools don’t do a lot of throws or ashi waza. I do at my school. And of course all of the ground game. But I attempt to use judo as our warm up before going to the ground. It’s the same discipline, but different sport. No such thing as an ippon or winning by a pin. A takedown/throw is only worth 2 points. Go ahead and submit from there. Judo without a ref standing the competitors up every 5 seconds would look exactly like BJJ.
Personally the ruleset changes impacted my progression and interest in the sport, spent months peaking for my countries nationals only to lose in the elimination rounds because my ippon score uchi mata (against the eventual gold medalist) was deemed a head dive. Subsequently I was given hansokumake. This meant I was not selected to train in national training camps or compete internationally and caused me to be disheartened with judo and shift my focus to other sports. I wonder how many others have similar stories about the injustices of these rulesets
Someone pointed this out in another video but I think they need to bring back yuko and coca as well. One of the clips I saw in a gold medal match a Japanese player got awarded a Waza ari for lifting a downed opponent like an inch off the mat and slamming him back down. I mean, come on.
100% agree with all of what you said! My son competed in Yonezuka Memorial this year and saw Jack right before olympics there and to cheer for him and see him lose by 3 shido is heartbreaking :( same for leg grabs - add techniques not take them away! Make judo better don’t castrate it :(
They tried to add so many rules to make it better for the spectators, but it ended up making so much stalling and referee engagement that there is hardly any continuous action. They should bring in belly down pins as well, as just stalling in turtle is such an impractical thing.
My dojo doesnt even train for competition, which has penalized some of my members where high end grades are concerned, blue and brown. Having said that, when we HAVE travelled away for competitions, my students generally (not always) get within the top 3 placings. I have had students get gold and silver in their very first tournaments against far more experienced players. I attribute this to the fact we dont train for competition. My students have to learn the ENTIRE go-kyo for each rank, as well as start to learn kata before grading for to 3rd kyu/green. Since they changed the rules, it has become something of a cat fight with the competitors, and dont even get me started on Golden Score. It was changed for the normies who dont know jack about judo to make it viewer friendly. After 4 to 5 minutes of competition, if a ref cant make an informed choice of who should have won, then they shouldnt be refereeing. Chui, keikoku should have never been taken out, and penalizing someone for deliberately endangering themselves or their opponent used to be a thing, but now I see people doing what I consider to be REALLY stupid things in order to not get a point awarded against them. Suffice it to say, I agree with you 110% on what you have said here. I am glad I am not the only one been saying this for the past 2 decades. May all your throws be ippons.
@@ReflectionmaterialWell, it is a difficult question. I think IJF should reconsider for starters 1) cut the shido for going out of the tatami and for not attacking. Somebody can be passive, because he or she is waiting for the right moment. You cannot penalize a defensive player because he or she is not attacking. Not everything in the game is about attack! It is not fair that you give the match to a judoka because he or she attacked more times (but didn't throw!). Judokas are not actors, who need to be playing theater, that they attacking constantly. The criteria needs to be the throw. Only a real throw needs to be giving points! 2) Stop penalizing unorthodox kumikata and let everyone grab how they want. If somebody knows good judo and he or she can throw, let the better man win, no matter the kumikata or the system of kumikata he or she is using. 3) Allow leg grabs and all judo techniques - again let the better man win. Leg grabs are part of judo. Wrestling has other philosophy and judo never looked like wrestling either way. 4) No Hansoku make if you touch your head when executing a throw. The fact that you tried to execute a throw cannot be in favor of the opponent, even if it is not executed correct. 5) Return Yuko and Koka. These points were taken out so that judo is simplified for the public, but what happened is that real Wazari stopped existing, just like real Ippon. All Yukos are now named Wazari and two Yukos are right now an ippon. This is not OK. We no longer see real ippons! We see some pushings (de facto lack of technique) and some Yukos which are named now ippons. An ippon symbolizes the total control on the opponent, which means that it needs to be given to people who really lifted their opponent and throw him or her directly on their back. 6) Reconsider the repechage system and perhaps give more points for people who can take a real ippon. This will motivate people to try to get a real ippon. 7) change the total philosophy in the dojos. It is not only about winning but it is how you win! You need to be winning with technique and style. Winning by shido is dishonest and needs to be laughed at everywhere... I saw Olympic champions this year who won 3 matches with shido - what a shame! The game needs to be focused on the throw and it needs to be a gentleman's game and not a shido game
@@sk5114 1. what is both players act defensive and do not attack?? 2. leg grabs mean I can just keep spamming double legs to avoid ending in a bad grip or to burn the clock. 3. a lot of unorthodox allow you to stalemate and kill the action. An worse Judo player can stall a better Judo player by using only defensive unorthodox grips to stop his offense and by diving for legs once he feels he is in trouble. .I have used this tactic myself in Sambo matches when I was ahead. The idea that Judo players will not fight to win sounds idealistic but does not seem to show the reality of an Olympic sport. People are there to won and will use every detail of the rule they can to get a leg up and get that gold. Training randori for fun can allow more different techniques. But people will abuse those techniques in a match to stall. I hope my comment is understandable.
@@Reflectionmaterial 1. One of them is going to attack if he wants to win! Otherwise, in my opinion, there should be no winner! Exactly this is how it was in Jigoro Kano times. No throw should mean no winner! If you cannot throw your opponent, you should not be allowed to win! It should be the players problem! Also, in Jigoro Kano times you need it to take 2 ippons (above shoulders) and keep yourself standing to show full control. This is where Sambo copied from (in the 30's and the 40's) when it was founded by Haralampiev. 2. In Jigoro Kano Times there was no clock and no time. Sometimes there were matches that lasted 50 minutes, so that the better man wins! And yes you can spamming double legs to avoid ending in a bad grip but the same is true with drop seoi nage and with lots of other techniques! Some people in this Olympics took one wazari first and after that they were spamming and attacking with drop seoi nage to win time and take the match. And this happened not one time... I use to play with leg graps in EJU tournaments, when it was allowed (before 2012) and we didn't have any problems with leg grapping or spamming time. Nobody was spamming to win time! And judo had more technique... Now it is more stamina and a lot more power. In my opinion it is also a lot more ugly and not skeptical! It is de facto no longer judo! 3. Yes a lot of unorthodox grips allow you to kill the action and this is what judo is all about! If you are a master of the art judo, you need to find the way, no matter the kumikata the opponent uses! Not forbid this, forbid that, forbid other what is making your life difficult.... Shido, shido, shido...... Players need to be judokas, not princesses! 4. The ideology needs to be changed 100%. Judo was created based on moral values. This is why we call it Ju-do, or the "gentlemen's way". This is why we say that judo is more than a sport! Otherwise it is just like basketball, football and other sports we see in the Olympics etc. Judokas use to have a codex and my sensei taught me that this is what makes us different. If we quit on this we will be nothing different and nothing special. De facto if we quit on our technical principles and we do everything just to win a match (abusing the rules), we are no longer real judokas, just a bunch of clowns doing everything for the money. I also hope you understand me. I just share my grief about the beautiful game of judo that I didn't at all see in this Olympics! I was really disappointed with what I watch and what I will need to talk with my students, after the summer vacation.
I've thought for a while now that this is the best way to bring back leg grabs: only allow one hand below the belt. This would keep the big crowd pleasing throws (Kata Guruma, Te Guruma), and remove the mindless leg charging we saw up until the ban. This rule is also not confusing and leaves no room for interpretation. This is all theoretical though, the IJF will never do it 🤷♂
You can still charge using 1 hand. Best way in my honest opinion is to penalize charges harshly and only count leg grabs throws as ippon when there is a big impact.
@@prvtthd401 One hand still requires some degree of kumi kata and kuzushi. RE: "only count leg grabs if there's a big impact", shouldn't all throws only count as Ippon if there's a big impact?
I agree broadly. There wasn’t a lot of great, positive judo. However, I fear handing more discretionary power to referees will simply open a whole new set of problems. Leg grabs and head diving are less of the issue. They are in the discretion of the attacking judoka. The false attack to put shido pressure on the dominating player is a massive issue.
My combination when I was competing was a drop shoulder throw to an ankle pick. The problem with removing legal grabs is that there is really nothing you can do besides turtle if you fail a drop seoi that puts you on your knees with your back to a standing opponent. When leg attacks where allowed I could turn back in halfway and just grab the leg. That also set me up for kata garuma.
I have been watching Olympic Judo, and it’s hurting. It’s like they just kick at each other’s feet during regular time. Then, almost throw wins in overtime. I don’t see hardly any Judo I learned.
Very well put - I have a BJJ background but have taken a real liking to Judo, and it's a crying shame how they've castrated such a beautiful art and removed so many powerful, effective, and technically challenging throws and takedowns. I'd love to see Jiu Jitsu in the Olympics, but I would HATE to see it mutilated by this kind of rule set and officiating.
BJJ is boring to watch, no one would watch it and everyone would be 'oh, why it's not over, he's on his back, it was ippon', heck even ADCC if it's not highlights it's not entertaining
I think the easiest way to stop false attacks is to just let the action go - like, if someone wants to drop and flop, they have to get back to their feet on their own power.
Thank you! One thing, though. Sensei Yonezuka is emphasizing that his rant is not about the refereeing at the Olympics, but about the current rule set, which forces the refs to call a certain way every time. That's where I am not sure I agree. I believe the refs' shido calls were widely inconsistent and often lacked logic, except the home team seemed to get away with a lot more than the others. In that regard, I especially disliked the French team who used their physical strength to take dominant grip and doing absolutely nothing with it, except waiting for the ref to call shido on an opponent, and because it was their home Olympics they were getting away with a lot more than the other athletes. In my view, that's how they collected so many bronze medals and the team gold.
As I've said for many years, it's a Parliamentary Procedure competition with a gi on. Whoever can understand and follow/manipulate the rules better wins.
I completely agree. The current rules are killing the art. Go back to the old rules. They weren't perfect but they were way better than today's mess. Thank you for posting this. I think every judoka agrees with you,
Absolutely right to call this out. I've never seen such poor Judo at an Olympic Games before. Obviously, there have been some great players and some superb examples of great Judo too. However, many of the bouts have been so defensive and negative. It's been shocking to watch. Also, when going to Golden Score, the bouts and medals are far too often being decided on a minor technique, when it should be an Ippon, or at the very least a Waz-ari. My limited time in Judo competition as a teenager in the 70s, was sometimes decided on accumulation of points from Waza-ari, Yuko and Koka scores. It seemed a more recognisable way of reaching a fair decision where an Ippon was not achieved to decide outright.
I practice both, and it's depressing. Though Judo is still somewhat watchable, in comparison. Ironically, The art of fencing is all about not losing. But the meta is to attack with no regard for your own safety, because it's statistically higher scoring. (At least in sabre, and if you're up on points in epee) For fencing, there is little that can be done without changing the equipment. For Judo at least, it seems that giving referees more discretion would do wonders.
@@kanucks9 Yes, although I was watching a fencing vid earlier today that was showing a guy literally just kill time for 4 minutes during a match years ago, so that he "wouldn't lose". It was literally embarrassing to watch, and the guy even gloated at the end about "winning". Apparently, they had to make a special rule going forward to prevent it from happening again b/c it wasn't strictly disallowed. Sadly, there will always be a "Rules Lawyer" that tries to "game the game". The take away lesson is that the Olympics ruins almost everything it touches. No Olympics in Portland! LOL! Cheers!
I'm with you on this. Started Judo almost 50 years ago and it was a better sport. Even today the All Japan rules are better than theIJF. You are absolutely correct about the leg grabbing nonsense. Wrestling is different and in my days you still didn't see many Kibisu Gaeshi or Morote Gari. We did train Te Guruma and Kata Guruma and those are great throws and real Judo. Head Diving would get you disqualified in 1985 too, but that was using your forehead doing Uchi Mata..
One more comment,, I competed under different rules. Long ago when I started in Europe one rule set Kokas and Yukos could accumulate. SO Koka 1 pt, Yoko 2, Waza Ari 4 and 8 for Ippon, 3 Yukos or 2 Yukos plus one Koka could bet Waza Ari and Yukos would still get to Iawaete Ippon. Sounds strange but actually encouraged and forced more throwing and throw-Ne Waza combination attempt. Just going back to the All Japan rules would right now be a big improvement.
Happy to see that there are people who can think straight. Thank you for the video! 1) I think golden score should disappear immediately 2) Old scoring system should come back (we cant have a situation where almost a koka equals waza-ari while almost ippon is also waza-ari - what's with that?) 3) Hantei should return 4) Shidos may or may not affect the referee's decision during hantei, but mostly not 5) Duration should increase to 5 even 6 minutes
i dont like the rules too, but the ijf revenue is going up since the rules changes.. that means they are succeeding at making it more friendly towards the viewer.. also YES they try to standardize the criteria for shidos wazaaris ippons etc so they get in seminars and meetings regularly to do this
Sensei is absolutely right. My bone of contention is also about the televised weight classes on television in the UK. They have shown hardly any bouts. I’m truly disappointed.
IJF should try dynamic time scoring to avoid early lead and "stalling". The points increase in proportion to fight time spent so that the other opponent still can win . Dynamic shidos as well to ensure positiv judo attacks. Points for backtakes with 1 or 2 hooks to ensure no belly down fake attacks and longer newaza. Extend match time to 7 mins. With reseted 00 points and golden score.
Agree 100% and glad you called it out. Next time, prepare a bit. Have an outline, make your statement, mention several examples or points, then go into each point in appropriate detail, then summarize. Good messages can get lost in the delivery.
My son billy rodman has said this for the last 2 years he has been in judo since 3 years old and competed at national level and been to the commonwealth games and now has stopped competing all together because of this
Basically: 1. False attack Shido for dropping 2. No Shido for head diving when there's no weight on the head. 3. No Shido for grabbing the legs when opponent puts their leg up for a sacrifice throw.
This was my first Olympic Games actively watching judo after I returned to doing judo myself after a 10 odd year break from it. Indeed I could not understand why some shidos were given and found most matches very inactive and thus boring to watch. When I was young, I didn't really see the difference between a yuko and wazari, but now I saw people being awarded a wazari for what was really a koka!
Thanks for sharing. We were always taught to go for the big throw and win by ippon. Jack did that and was penalized for it. It’s a setback but he will overcome it. He has a supporting family and a great coach. I understand they wanted to make the sport more spectator friendly. However, don’t know why they went so drastic as no touching legs. They could have gradually eliminated throws like they did with Kani Basami.
as it is right now, the one that gets the more action in the match is the referee, rules need to encourage actual judo and not ref interventions, side note: LOMAOOO so true!! I found myself streaming for shidos at the screen while watching olympics
I have shared in the UK Nick and all so far all have surported your comments, I started Judo almost 60 years ago saw some good changes in the 1970's but where we are now I think we are all at a lose with.
Completely right about the shidos. Needs to be fixed and refs need the ability to use their discretion or some other kind of change. Otherwise, the issue with leg grabs is the IOC thought it looked too much like wrestling which prompted the rule changes.
I agree, Mr Yonezuka. I started playing Judo at the age of 12 in 1973 and competed a few times. Of course, juniors were not allowed choke holds or arm and leg bars, but back then it was still pretty rough. The one who did the throwing or made the most attempts to throw usually won. And in order to gain a pin, one had to hold his/her opponent on their backs for 30 seconds...not 20. I think it's a reflection of the current social norms. A lot of laziness about these days. The youngsters don't want the old ways. They want everything to come easily. Well, what goes around will soon be back around. Apparently they think they're never going to get old, but the same thing will happen to them; they'll be given rules that they won't like. It would be nice if only a few things were simply let alone and stayed the way they were in the beginning, but.......not going to happen.
Great points sensei, if only they dont punish when you are tacking just dont score the technick. If you touch the head on tatami it wont be a score but you will not be penalised, if you throw grabbing the leg it wont be a score but you wont be penalised. If the atacks are constant near false attack like mimi huh the oppenent cant get shido. Is someone push out of tatami even if a lite push no one get shido. Grabbing inside the sleeve mate only, streetching the leg imediate mate no nead for shido. And your point on the crowd screming for shido instead of throw great point
Instead of just looking after the club as your dad entrusted you to do your looking after the entire Budo. Powerful message. Hopefully heard by those who can implement change.
I could not agree more, Nick sensei. We are all tired of what the IOC is doing to judo. If it hasn't already destroyed this once great sport it is just a matter of time. The IJF is also responsible for selling itself out to the whims of the IOC and allowing it to control its future. Constantly changing the rule set has also had a detrimental effect on judo as a martial art. Pretty much all the techniques that have been banned in the sport are no longer practiced in class. I dare say they will be completed dropped from the judo cirriculum or just appear in symbolic form in kata like atemi.
Preach! In my competition days (over 20 years ago) we had to actually throw our opponent with speed and control. None of this "go into newaza and roll over" crap like the heavyweights in the 2023 Worlds. None of these modified kata garumas and yoko wakares that are really transitioning to ne waza, not actually throwing. We weren't penalized for transitioning into ne waza when advantageous (what, I am supposed to know if there are three knees on the mat before passing a guard or going into a choke? Dumb.) and brushing a leg. I think I like Golden Score more than decision (look what happened to Travis Stevens, for example) but there should at a minimum be a rule that you cannot win by shido at a certain level of competition. I wanna see the whole crowd on their feet after a huge uchimata or standing seoinage, not cheering for shidos.
I was talking with my Roku Dan Sensei about this today. As a spectator it can be a bit boring to watch. Wins happen from technicalities. Best part by far was Teddy totally bombing Kim with a big throw.
i totally agree...it has done nothing but undermine the sport. As a fanatic fan of Judo, i suggest that if IJF want to increase offensive attacks, then they should abolish opponent grip breaking and let things play out...that simple. I know purists will scoff but it makes sense if the goal is offensive engagement of the judoka.
The IJF, run by mostly Europeans, has turned Judo into soccer with all of the modern bureaucratic rules. The fact you can lose a match on shidos before time runs out is absurd. Alot of modern Judo's woes would be solved by removing rules not adding them. If they penalized people turtling on the floor and incentivized people to play more guard and attack submissions it would prevent false attacks. With the rise of bjj it could be a good way to attrack that talent and fan base. The rules should incentivize people making good attacks. Judos rules should encourage the opposite of the IBJJF. It should reward big throws, fast submissions and constant aggression. My ideas to fix judo: - remove the ability to have a match ended by shidos - encourage more time on ne waza and call shidos for turtling to encourage aggressive submission oriented guard play. - Bring back leg grabs - Bring back yukos which should incentivize people to make more attacks The team event however is excellent and a welcome addition.
WJF allows partial leg grabs, unfortunately the federation isn't as popular, Sampson is a sensei that competes and still promotes the old rule set and techniques.
I'm passionate about judo, but I feel the Olympics have altered the essence of the sport. In my dojo, the focus has shifted towards Olympic-style fighting, overshadowing traditional judo techniques. It's disheartening to see many practitioners conforming to this new style as if it's the only way to practice - like sheep following blindly the centralized power.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one annoyed with Olympic Shido-Ryu Judo. One guy took a chance on breaking his own neck, to get the other guy disqualified. Another was keeping her back to the ref, and grabbing her own collar. They are not playing Judo, they’re playing the rules of Judo. Of course, to a degree they always have. Ever since it became more of a sport than a martial art. Personally, I switched to BJJ years ago.
I am considering studying judo But i j f judo does not interest me The judo of kodokan interests me I respect competition in judo but it is not the only goal of being a martial artist but is necessary phase of a martial artists development If techniques are proven safe not unfair should be allowed judo needs to break away from ijf and usa judo and do its own thing
I watched virtually all of the Olympic competition. This is right on. But the attempt to get the opponent a shido while appearing to attack resulted in so many "flop and drops" that I couldn't watch. The OP is correct in that the current rules have not resulted in more exciting matches. As for leg grabs, what the IJF has done is unconscionable. If you want to disallow blatant wrestling style leg picks they could just do that and not penalize every incidental touching below the belt.
The comments are the same in every countries, we think the same in France. I'm just sad that bad comments are made towards athletes that are playing with this rules but it's their job to do their best regarding the current rules, they are not making the rules.
The leg grab rule is the craziest one to me. I understand, say, wanting to highlight the throws more..perhaps allowing leg grabs but not awarding score for them, to help encourage more newaza seems like a good compromise 🤷 idk
There are a lot of ways to win when good technique is applied, unfortunately when the players are well matched, all these rules seem to become a way for them to strategize not only the shido rules but some of the throw executions be come fair game for them, they need to take a good look at the whole process of scoring.
I wanna see the rules change to allow ALL the judo techniques to be implemented. Just no BJJ centric style, like guard pulling should be a shido, and the rules should incentivize throws, and more time for ne-waza that’s unrestricted. Something like a minute and then stand them up based on time.
Well said, Sensei. The current rules are ridiculous. The sport administrators are destroying the art.
They’re not administrators, they’re profiteers
So what rules would be better??
When the best in the world go against each other they do not just land a clean ippon.
@@Reflectionmaterial
1. Yes, sometimes they do.
2. That is what wazari is for.
3. That is what Yuko was for before we got rid of it.
@@Reflectionmaterial You got koka (when they sat on the butt), yuko when they fall on the side, wazari when throw wasn't a highlight throw and clean ippon. You had leg grabs, 'non'-traditional grips, pins, ground game. Now it's either you throw him from classic grip like a bag of potatos or it doesn't count, heck even the pin time is shorter and the best technique is penalty for the opponent
Enfin un être sensé s'exprime.
I like to practice Judo but have no interest in competing or the current rules. I want to only do randori with old rules like leg grabs etc. I want to also practice doing all the old techniques and have no interest in the current rule set.
Been feeling the same way lately because even the rules at the local tournaments are becoming highly restrictive. It’s a bummer.
There is a federation called wjf that still allows partial leg grab and yuko, veterans and hobbiest should support this.
rules will change many times again so don't bother yourself remembering it. focus on techniques
Based
This is how I feel about Taekwondo. Just focus on the martial art and self defense, not sports and rules. Just spar with people in class with less restrictions and make it strong.
You're correct. The rules in Judo must change. I for one in our Dojo don't follow these ridiculous rules. We train leg grabs, old style Judo because our students need real life self defense. We cross train Traditional Japanese Ju Jitsu with striking also. Thanks
Same for me, but casually sparring with my cousin who’s 4th generation sensei. My whole life I’ve safely gotten my butt kicked. The stuff in the Olympics, even I could’ve won a gold medal in France despite successfully losing to white belts in my cousin’s dojo. The rules are a mockery of what judo should be. On the other hand, taekwondo is equally nerfed so it’s not only judo.
I'm at a point now in Randori where I say "do whatever you want, as long as you are going for throws and don't do anything dangerous."
This video needs lots of attention! I was so confused and disappointed trying to watch Judo in the Olympics. A former practitioner myself, I thought I knew the rules, but was flummoxed by the whole thing.
I hope this gets more attention. You're only speaking truths, sensei. I commend you for it.
Totally agree - competition judo is becoming impotent - and the refereeing left alot to be desired.
I can win a gold by spamming a fall, and never actually throwing anyone.
You won Olympic gold??
I dont think people call real life moves spam but you could pretend you're a chick with a dick and get gold easy!
1000% correct. Teams need to start removing themselves from the ijf an form a better organization an bring back real Judo. Period
There's already a better organization that you can join. The IFJA and the JBBA.
I enjoyed watching judo at the Olympics. The rule set really made me angry. I’m a BJJ practitioner and I couldn’t believe how neutered the rule set has become. This is why we don’t want BJJ in the Olympics.
I agree completely, we need to call it like we see it. Half assed throws and playing the system is more important for winning than using actual judo. I watched your son's match and was cheering for him, he and his opponent were super competitive and battling it out like warriors. But ridiculous leg grab rule that shouldn't be apart of judo and all the other things they do to make it look "clean" neuter it completely and turned that match and many olympic matches into who can get the ref to fight for them. I understand things for safety, like standing armbars and kani basami, but there has to be something systematically wrong when we reward players for gaming the system used to make it "clean". This might be a little extra too, but ippon should have a higher standard as well, getting a good throw with force, but we get throws that would be ruled wazari a decade or two ago winning matches and people just stopping all together as soon as it hits the ground. Maybe instead of shido for stalling or false attacks, we could give the incentive of advantages or yuko to the other player whenever someone does one of these things. Obviously I'm just some random spouting BS but there are so many people mad at the governing body.
I think it’s an unfortunate side effect of any combat sport in the Olympics. They end up watered down and having the rules dumbed down so that they can be popular on TV and done without any risks. Tae Keon Do by the WTKD rules has basically become toe tag. A small tap counts with very little force behind it.
The IJF knee capped and ruined Judo
It was a 50/50 snoozefest. You are 100% accurate. The older generations didn’t have to fight filled with fear. We also had way more dynamic and versatile judo with leg grabs still being capable. This Olympics was a majority of fearful fighting and not going to bring more fans to the sport.
I completely agree. I was watching the Judo coverage, and was highly disappointed with what I saw having been a judoist. My senior instructor stopped being a international referee long ago, because of rule changes like this. It is fortunate that he isn't alive to see this. He has to be turning over in his grave with this. @10:00 you are suggesting a return to the original scoring system. I was lost trying to follow with this "kneecap" scoring system, a complete mess.
Yes! I totally agree. I started Judo in the '70s and Judo felt and looked like a different sport back then. I feel it's become more constrained and less exciting. By limiting leg grabs, we constrain techniques and tactics thus MHO reducing the excitement and beauty of judo. I hope the IJF adjusts the rule set to reflect your feedback. Thanks!
Great thinking! You speak to my judo heart!
I also have another suggestion:
The reason of getting rid of Chui, Keikoku, Koka and Yuko was to make judo more understandable for lay people (only one yellow card and two score types). I don't think that's a bad thing. But now there are only 3 scores possible: one waza-ari each and then a third score, and that's it.
So I suggest: bring back the Yuko!
There would be only Yuko and Ippon. You get a Yuko for (the old) Koka, for Yuko and for Waza-ari, so more scores will be given. Also the tension and excitement of turning the fight by scoring Ippon even if your opponent is leading by 5 yukos will give back the originally thought of and outstanding meaning of the Ippon - the chance that you can win every second of the fight if you acomplish a great throw.
I think it would put the focus even more away from the shido game (with your suggested changes!) and more on attacking and throwing.
What do you think of that?
@@freddy_zaubert they already tried similler thing with wazari, i ref a figth with nine wazaris almost ippon but never ippon. The guy with nine wazari win but imahine that the other guy throw at the end for ippon it wont be fare. The better athelete lost.
@@hugoviegas1292 Maybe there should be a set of "5-rules":
5 yukos = ippon
5 shidos = hansokumake
5 seconds onesided grip = shido
5 seconds belt grip = shido
5 seconds oasae-komi = 1 yuko
10 seconds oasae-komi = 2 yuko
etc.
25 seconds oasae-komi = ippon
So, 9 waza-aris / yukos would not be possible, most shidos would come later...
@@freddy_zaubert if you give 5 shidos, the refs will use them, the problem continues.
For me its more simple looking for almost all actual shidos and the diving, if it is for offensive porpuses no shido, if for defense porpuse shido.
Then almost a score like landing on stomack, or butt you give advantage.
So you will have just a few fights going to golden score. Because almost a score you will have for sure.
@@freddy_zaubert 🎯💯
One of my friends who’s never watched Judo before texted me ask why people were winning without throws lol
I'm an ex-athlete and actual judo coach and I totally agree with you . Thank you for sharing your opinion. It IS frustating when you ask some of the BEST referees in the world some explanation for an accion...and they say they don't understand ,they cannot explain and sometimes that their personal opinion it's different. These are top referees,.people that really know judo . Some of them were Big champions. The problem are.not the referees. The problem are the rules . when a lot of coaches,athletes eventuallly federations are complaining ...the normal thing to do was to listen to this agents. Athletes are the protagonists of the show ..not the coaches, not the referees , not the rules ..judo is the only sport in the world that the coach are expelled during a fight...only by talking and giving some help to their athletes! Judo community like athletes, coaches , clubs , federations ,should be united and try to go all together in the same direccion and make pressure in order to change some things . It IS the only way that they Will listen .
This olympic games had many fights that created confusion ,subjective interpretacions and incoherent criteria ..as you well-said ...It IS not good for the sport !
The hair folical diving and if you look at someone's leg rule are great examples of when commonsense left IJF town.
Well said “when common sense left judo
Here what I wish for.
An alternate competitive format that is actual real judo.
Completely separate from the Olympics.
And judoka worldwide support it and make it popular!
I grew up with Judo and transitioned to Submission Grappling and MMA competitions a long time ago, because of the ruleset.
Recently I found beachwrestling, which has a really cool ruleset and imho every judoka should try it:
- 1 clean throw = win
- 1 minor throw = 1 point
- 1 push out of the ring = 1 point
- 3 points = win
I can totally see the same ruleset, but in Gi and on tatami, for a Judo competition.
Boxers and wrestlers go hard and still maintain very safe conditions and high level ukemi should be mandatory for anyone in the Olympics. Playing the "Safety First" card is a cop-out that just slows down the match gives power to the judges, rather than the judoka.
I don't understand when you say "high level ukemi should be mandatory for anyone in the Olympics".
Ukemi is break falls.
You’re totally right. They’re watering down the art and penalizing good Judokas just for the sake of the show of it. But martial arts are for real, not for show. Same has happened for Karate, where one won after being KO’d, it’s there on YT.
This entire Olympics has been a disaster. I sincerely hope they clean house in the IOC after this whole debacle.
"The night is darkest just before the dawn". I hope we are going to rise stronger and back to the roots of judo after this shame.
Maybe take some rules from wrestling. Be allowed to challenge the refs call and watch the replay to see who's right. Also, I feel like all refs should compete to understand how much they influence the outcome and not necessarily the better fighter that wins. Should def have a high level of experience if gonna judge at the highest level.
Since the IJF and judo-politicians do not care for the opinions of ordinary people and athletes, it’s an undemocratic, corrupt system, and I no longer care about this “judo” sport. I don’t even care if this Olympic sport lives or dies. I like Jigoro Kano’s judo based on the principles and concepts which have little or nothing to do with the constant pointless sport rules changes nowadays. People have no freedom to do traditional judo under current judo rules, so judo people interested in real martial arts can go elsewhere, like a BJJ club or an independent judo club. You don’t need to follow the IJF or the Olympics to practice Seiryoku-zenyo and Jita-kyoei as taught by Kano, ideas which are timeless and transcend the sport.
You think bjj is real judo?
@@bruceparker6142 BJJ and judo are different sports with rules that change periodically, but judokas have more freedom to do judo techniques in BJJ than vice versa. “Shido game”, as sensei Yonezuka said: it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t even look good, if that was their goal.
Its the IOC that dictate to the varrious sports governing bodies want they want to gain television veiwing so the IOC makes money All sdports are in same boat.
@@bruceparker6142yes and no. Unfortunately a lot of BJJ schools don’t do a lot of throws or ashi waza. I do at my school. And of course all of the ground game. But I attempt to use judo as our warm up before going to the ground. It’s the same discipline, but different sport. No such thing as an ippon or winning by a pin. A takedown/throw is only worth 2 points. Go ahead and submit from there.
Judo without a ref standing the competitors up every 5 seconds would look exactly like BJJ.
Personally the ruleset changes impacted my progression and interest in the sport, spent months peaking for my countries nationals only to lose in the elimination rounds because my ippon score uchi mata (against the eventual gold medalist) was deemed a head dive. Subsequently I was given hansokumake. This meant I was not selected to train in national training camps or compete internationally and caused me to be disheartened with judo and shift my focus to other sports. I wonder how many others have similar stories about the injustices of these rulesets
Sorry to hear. Which sports did you shift focus to?
@@adisc7475 Primarily powerlifting but I also shifted towards submission grappling too
Someone pointed this out in another video but I think they need to bring back yuko and coca as well. One of the clips I saw in a gold medal match a Japanese player got awarded a Waza ari for lifting a downed opponent like an inch off the mat and slamming him back down. I mean, come on.
100% agree with all of what you said! My son competed in Yonezuka Memorial this year and saw Jack right before olympics there and to cheer for him and see him lose by 3 shido is heartbreaking :( same for leg grabs - add techniques not take them away! Make judo better don’t castrate it :(
Thank you for being part of the movement to fight this destruction of true judo
They tried to add so many rules to make it better for the spectators, but it ended up making so much stalling and referee engagement that there is hardly any continuous action. They should bring in belly down pins as well, as just stalling in turtle is such an impractical thing.
My dojo doesnt even train for competition, which has penalized some of my members where high end grades are concerned, blue and brown. Having said that, when we HAVE travelled away for competitions, my students generally (not always) get within the top 3 placings. I have had students get gold and silver in their very first tournaments against far more experienced players. I attribute this to the fact we dont train for competition. My students have to learn the ENTIRE go-kyo for each rank, as well as start to learn kata before grading for to 3rd kyu/green.
Since they changed the rules, it has become something of a cat fight with the competitors, and dont even get me started on Golden Score. It was changed for the normies who dont know jack about judo to make it viewer friendly. After 4 to 5 minutes of competition, if a ref cant make an informed choice of who should have won, then they shouldnt be refereeing.
Chui, keikoku should have never been taken out, and penalizing someone for deliberately endangering themselves or their opponent used to be a thing, but now I see people doing what I consider to be REALLY stupid things in order to not get a point awarded against them.
Suffice it to say, I agree with you 110% on what you have said here. I am glad I am not the only one been saying this for the past 2 decades.
May all your throws be ippons.
Well said Sensei. Can't dispute anything. Spoken like a true professional. Some serious changes need to happen.
I totally agree with you! I hope that IJF understands that this has gone too far and it is not judo anymore
What ruleset would be better?
@@ReflectionmaterialWell, it is a difficult question. I think IJF should reconsider for starters 1) cut the shido for going out of the tatami and for not attacking. Somebody can be passive, because he or she is waiting for the right moment. You cannot penalize a defensive player because he or she is not attacking. Not everything in the game is about attack! It is not fair that you give the match to a judoka because he or she attacked more times (but didn't throw!). Judokas are not actors, who need to be playing theater, that they attacking constantly. The criteria needs to be the throw. Only a real throw needs to be giving points! 2) Stop penalizing unorthodox kumikata and let everyone grab how they want. If somebody knows good judo and he or she can throw, let the better man win, no matter the kumikata or the system of kumikata he or she is using. 3) Allow leg grabs and all judo techniques - again let the better man win. Leg grabs are part of judo. Wrestling has other philosophy and judo never looked like wrestling either way. 4) No Hansoku make if you touch your head when executing a throw. The fact that you tried to execute a throw cannot be in favor of the opponent, even if it is not executed correct. 5) Return Yuko and Koka. These points were taken out so that judo is simplified for the public, but what happened is that real Wazari stopped existing, just like real Ippon. All Yukos are now named Wazari and two Yukos are right now an ippon. This is not OK. We no longer see real ippons! We see some pushings (de facto lack of technique) and some Yukos which are named now ippons. An ippon symbolizes the total control on the opponent, which means that it needs to be given to people who really lifted their opponent and throw him or her directly on their back. 6) Reconsider the repechage system and perhaps give more points for people who can take a real ippon. This will motivate people to try to get a real ippon. 7) change the total philosophy in the dojos. It is not only about winning but it is how you win! You need to be winning with technique and style. Winning by shido is dishonest and needs to be laughed at everywhere... I saw Olympic champions this year who won 3 matches with shido - what a shame! The game needs to be focused on the throw and it needs to be a gentleman's game and not a shido game
@@sk5114leg grabs banned due to wrestlers is a narrative, eastern Europeans and central Asians wrestling styles are predominantly upper body.
@@sk5114 1. what is both players act defensive and do not attack??
2. leg grabs mean I can just keep spamming double legs to avoid ending in a bad grip or to burn the clock.
3. a lot of unorthodox allow you to stalemate and kill the action.
An worse Judo player can stall a better Judo player by using only defensive unorthodox grips to stop his offense and by diving for legs once he feels he is in trouble. .I have used this tactic myself in Sambo matches when I was ahead.
The idea that Judo players will not fight to win sounds idealistic but does not seem to show the reality of an Olympic sport.
People are there to won and will use every detail of the rule they can to get a leg up and get that gold.
Training randori for fun can allow more different techniques. But people will abuse those techniques in a match to stall.
I hope my comment is understandable.
@@Reflectionmaterial 1. One of them is going to attack if he wants to win! Otherwise, in my opinion, there should be no winner! Exactly this is how it was in Jigoro Kano times. No throw should mean no winner! If you cannot throw your opponent, you should not be allowed to win! It should be the players problem! Also, in Jigoro Kano times you need it to take 2 ippons (above shoulders) and keep yourself standing to show full control. This is where Sambo copied from (in the 30's and the 40's) when it was founded by Haralampiev.
2. In Jigoro Kano Times there was no clock and no time. Sometimes there were matches that lasted 50 minutes, so that the better man wins! And yes you can spamming double legs to avoid ending in a bad grip but the same is true with drop seoi nage and with lots of other techniques! Some people in this Olympics took one wazari first and after that they were spamming and attacking with drop seoi nage to win time and take the match. And this happened not one time... I use to play with leg graps in EJU tournaments, when it was allowed (before 2012) and we didn't have any problems with leg grapping or spamming time. Nobody was spamming to win time! And judo had more technique... Now it is more stamina and a lot more power. In my opinion it is also a lot more ugly and not skeptical! It is de facto no longer judo!
3. Yes a lot of unorthodox grips allow you to kill the action and this is what judo is all about! If you are a master of the art judo, you need to find the way, no matter the kumikata the opponent uses! Not forbid this, forbid that, forbid other what is making your life difficult.... Shido, shido, shido...... Players need to be judokas, not princesses!
4. The ideology needs to be changed 100%. Judo was created based on moral values. This is why we call it Ju-do, or the "gentlemen's way". This is why we say that judo is more than a sport! Otherwise it is just like basketball, football and other sports we see in the Olympics etc. Judokas use to have a codex and my sensei taught me that this is what makes us different. If we quit on this we will be nothing different and nothing special. De facto if we quit on our technical principles and we do everything just to win a match (abusing the rules), we are no longer real judokas, just a bunch of clowns doing everything for the money.
I also hope you understand me. I just share my grief about the beautiful game of judo that I didn't at all see in this Olympics! I was really disappointed with what I watch and what I will need to talk with my students, after the summer vacation.
I've thought for a while now that this is the best way to bring back leg grabs: only allow one hand below the belt.
This would keep the big crowd pleasing throws (Kata Guruma, Te Guruma), and remove the mindless leg charging we saw up until the ban.
This rule is also not confusing and leaves no room for interpretation.
This is all theoretical though, the IJF will never do it 🤷♂
You can still charge using 1 hand. Best way in my honest opinion is to penalize charges harshly and only count leg grabs throws as ippon when there is a big impact.
@@prvtthd401 One hand still requires some degree of kumi kata and kuzushi.
RE: "only count leg grabs if there's a big impact", shouldn't all throws only count as Ippon if there's a big impact?
I agree broadly. There wasn’t a lot of great, positive judo. However, I fear handing more discretionary power to referees will simply open a whole new set of problems.
Leg grabs and head diving are less of the issue. They are in the discretion of the attacking judoka. The false attack to put shido pressure on the dominating player is a massive issue.
It doesn't look like wrestling to us, but the average spectator it probably looks pretty similar. The IOC wants big ippon scoring throws.
My combination when I was competing was a drop shoulder throw to an ankle pick. The problem with removing legal grabs is that there is really nothing you can do besides turtle if you fail a drop seoi that puts you on your knees with your back to a standing opponent. When leg attacks where allowed I could turn back in halfway and just grab the leg. That also set me up for kata garuma.
I have been watching Olympic Judo, and it’s hurting. It’s like they just kick at each other’s feet during regular time. Then, almost throw wins in overtime. I don’t see hardly any Judo I learned.
Very well put - I have a BJJ background but have taken a real liking to Judo, and it's a crying shame how they've castrated such a beautiful art and removed so many powerful, effective, and technically challenging throws and takedowns. I'd love to see Jiu Jitsu in the Olympics, but I would HATE to see it mutilated by this kind of rule set and officiating.
BJJ is boring to watch, no one would watch it and everyone would be 'oh, why it's not over, he's on his back, it was ippon', heck even ADCC if it's not highlights it's not entertaining
I think the easiest way to stop false attacks is to just let the action go - like, if someone wants to drop and flop, they have to get back to their feet on their own power.
Thank you! One thing, though. Sensei Yonezuka is emphasizing that his rant is not about the refereeing at the Olympics, but about the current rule set, which forces the refs to call a certain way every time. That's where I am not sure I agree. I believe the refs' shido calls were widely inconsistent and often lacked logic, except the home team seemed to get away with a lot more than the others. In that regard, I especially disliked the French team who used their physical strength to take dominant grip and doing absolutely nothing with it, except waiting for the ref to call shido on an opponent, and because it was their home Olympics they were getting away with a lot more than the other athletes. In my view, that's how they collected so many bronze medals and the team gold.
As I've said for many years, it's a Parliamentary Procedure competition with a gi on. Whoever can understand and follow/manipulate the rules better wins.
100% Nick. Judo is now competing "not to lose" instead of playing to win because of the current rules.. something needs to change
Glad to hear your opinion. Your father was my sensei in the late 1970s - an inspiring man.
I completely agree. The current rules are killing the art. Go back to the old rules. They weren't perfect but they were way better than today's mess. Thank you for posting this. I think every judoka agrees with you,
winning Olympic gold by shidos is so anticlimactic
Absolutely right to call this out. I've never seen such poor Judo at an Olympic Games before. Obviously, there have been some great players and some superb examples of great Judo too. However, many of the bouts have been so defensive and negative. It's been shocking to watch. Also, when going to Golden Score, the bouts and medals are far too often being decided on a minor technique, when it should be an Ippon, or at the very least a Waz-ari.
My limited time in Judo competition as a teenager in the 70s, was sometimes decided on accumulation of points from Waza-ari, Yuko and Koka scores. It seemed a more recognisable way of reaching a fair decision where an Ippon was not achieved to decide outright.
Everyone, repost and ask your Sensei to repost this, the tournament directors need to here this message
Well said. Compared with the old judo, this is a joke.
Everytime you change or make rules to fix some problem you are going to get some other problem because of it. More rules, more problems.
Olympic Judo and Fencing have now become sports of "not losing", rather than winning. The very anti-thesis of purpose of both disciplines.
I practice both, and it's depressing.
Though Judo is still somewhat watchable, in comparison.
Ironically, The art of fencing is all about not losing. But the meta is to attack with no regard for your own safety, because it's statistically higher scoring. (At least in sabre, and if you're up on points in epee)
For fencing, there is little that can be done without changing the equipment.
For Judo at least, it seems that giving referees more discretion would do wonders.
@@kanucks9 Yes, although I was watching a fencing vid earlier today that was showing a guy literally just kill time for 4 minutes during a match years ago, so that he "wouldn't lose". It was literally embarrassing to watch, and the guy even gloated at the end about "winning". Apparently, they had to make a special rule going forward to prevent it from happening again b/c it wasn't strictly disallowed. Sadly, there will always be a "Rules Lawyer" that tries to "game the game". The take away lesson is that the Olympics ruins almost everything it touches.
No Olympics in Portland! LOL!
Cheers!
I'm with you on this. Started Judo almost 50 years ago and it was a better sport. Even today the All Japan rules are better than theIJF. You are absolutely correct about the leg grabbing nonsense. Wrestling is different and in my days you still didn't see many Kibisu Gaeshi or Morote Gari. We did train Te Guruma and Kata Guruma and those are great throws and real Judo. Head Diving would get you disqualified in 1985 too, but that was using your forehead doing Uchi Mata..
One more comment,, I competed under different rules. Long ago when I started in Europe one rule set Kokas and Yukos could accumulate. SO Koka 1 pt, Yoko 2, Waza Ari 4 and 8 for Ippon, 3 Yukos or 2 Yukos plus one Koka could bet Waza Ari and Yukos would still get to Iawaete Ippon. Sounds strange but actually encouraged and forced more throwing and throw-Ne Waza combination attempt. Just going back to the All Japan rules would right now be a big improvement.
Happy to see that there are people who can think straight. Thank you for the video!
1) I think golden score should disappear immediately
2) Old scoring system should come back (we cant have a situation where almost a koka equals waza-ari while almost ippon is also waza-ari - what's with that?)
3) Hantei should return
4) Shidos may or may not affect the referee's decision during hantei, but mostly not
5) Duration should increase to 5 even 6 minutes
Thank you so much Sensei Nick. Well said. Hope something to be changed 👍
i dont like the rules too, but the ijf revenue is going up since the rules changes.. that means they are succeeding at making it more friendly towards the viewer.. also YES they try to standardize the criteria for shidos wazaaris ippons etc so they get in seminars and meetings regularly to do this
Well said, fully agree. It is time to revert everything back to before the leg grab ban
IJF is slowly cooking judo into taekwondo, no wonder bjj is becoming more and more popular.
Sensei is absolutely right. My bone of contention is also about the televised weight classes on television in the UK. They have shown hardly any bouts. I’m truly disappointed.
IJF should try dynamic time scoring to avoid early lead and "stalling". The points increase in proportion to fight time spent so that the other opponent still can win . Dynamic shidos as well to ensure positiv judo attacks. Points for backtakes with 1 or 2 hooks to ensure no belly down fake attacks and longer newaza. Extend match time to 7 mins. With reseted 00 points and golden score.
New subsequent points.
I agree 100% please let people fight and be the best judoka they can be,stop this shido game nonsense
Ya your right, I'd like to see Yuko for position and grips to encourage action. Positive motivation instead of fear.
Agree 100% and glad you called it out. Next time, prepare a bit. Have an outline, make your statement, mention several examples or points, then go into each point in appropriate detail, then summarize. Good messages can get lost in the delivery.
Greco Roman wrestling says hi
My son billy rodman has said this for the last 2 years he has been in judo since 3 years old and competed at national level and been to the commonwealth games and now has stopped competing all together because of this
Basically:
1. False attack Shido for dropping
2. No Shido for head diving when there's no weight on the head.
3. No Shido for grabbing the legs when opponent puts their leg up for a sacrifice throw.
This was my first Olympic Games actively watching judo after I returned to doing judo myself after a 10 odd year break from it. Indeed I could not understand why some shidos were given and found most matches very inactive and thus boring to watch. When I was young, I didn't really see the difference between a yuko and wazari, but now I saw people being awarded a wazari for what was really a koka!
Thanks for sharing. We were always taught to go for the big throw and win by ippon. Jack did that and was penalized for it. It’s a setback but he will overcome it. He has a supporting family and a great coach.
I understand they wanted to make the sport more spectator friendly. However, don’t know why they went so drastic as no touching legs. They could have gradually eliminated throws like they did with Kani Basami.
as it is right now, the one that gets the more action in the match is the referee, rules need to encourage actual judo and not ref interventions, side note: LOMAOOO so true!! I found myself streaming for shidos at the screen while watching olympics
I have shared in the UK Nick and all so far all have surported your comments, I started Judo almost 60 years ago saw some good changes in the 1970's but where we are now I think we are all at a lose with.
Completely right about the shidos. Needs to be fixed and refs need the ability to use their discretion or some other kind of change. Otherwise, the issue with leg grabs is the IOC thought it looked too much like wrestling which prompted the rule changes.
I agree, Mr Yonezuka. I started playing Judo at the age of 12 in 1973 and competed a few times. Of course, juniors were not allowed choke holds or arm and leg bars, but back then it was still pretty rough. The one who did the throwing or made the most attempts to throw usually won. And in order to gain a pin, one had to hold his/her opponent on their backs for 30 seconds...not 20. I think it's a reflection of the current social norms. A lot of laziness about these days. The youngsters don't want the old ways. They want everything to come easily. Well, what goes around will soon be back around. Apparently they think they're never going to get old, but the same thing will happen to them; they'll be given rules that they won't like. It would be nice if only a few things were simply let alone and stayed the way they were in the beginning, but.......not going to happen.
Great points sensei, if only they dont punish when you are tacking just dont score the technick. If you touch the head on tatami it wont be a score but you will not be penalised, if you throw grabbing the leg it wont be a score but you wont be penalised.
If the atacks are constant near false attack like mimi huh the oppenent cant get shido.
Is someone push out of tatami even if a lite push no one get shido. Grabbing inside the sleeve mate only, streetching the leg imediate mate no nead for shido. And your point on the crowd screming for shido instead of throw great point
Instead of just looking after the club as your dad entrusted you to do your looking after the entire Budo. Powerful message. Hopefully heard by those who can implement change.
Amen, Nicky! I agree 100%
I could not agree more, Nick sensei. We are all tired of what the IOC is doing to judo. If it hasn't already destroyed this once great sport it is just a matter of time. The IJF is also responsible for selling itself out to the whims of the IOC and allowing it to control its future. Constantly changing the rule set has also had a detrimental effect on judo as a martial art. Pretty much all the techniques that have been banned in the sport are no longer practiced in class. I dare say they will be completed dropped from the judo cirriculum or just appear in symbolic form in kata like atemi.
Preach! In my competition days (over 20 years ago) we had to actually throw our opponent with speed and control. None of this "go into newaza and roll over" crap like the heavyweights in the 2023 Worlds. None of these modified kata garumas and yoko wakares that are really transitioning to ne waza, not actually throwing. We weren't penalized for transitioning into ne waza when advantageous (what, I am supposed to know if there are three knees on the mat before passing a guard or going into a choke? Dumb.) and brushing a leg. I think I like Golden Score more than decision (look what happened to Travis Stevens, for example) but there should at a minimum be a rule that you cannot win by shido at a certain level of competition. I wanna see the whole crowd on their feet after a huge uchimata or standing seoinage, not cheering for shidos.
I was talking with my Roku Dan Sensei about this today. As a spectator it can be a bit boring to watch. Wins happen from technicalities. Best part by far was Teddy totally bombing Kim with a big throw.
Didn't originally catch the match but just saw the replay. I agree that the 2nd and 3rd shidos were unwarranted
i totally agree...it has done nothing but undermine the sport. As a fanatic fan of Judo, i suggest that if IJF want to increase offensive attacks, then they should abolish opponent grip breaking and let things play out...that simple. I know purists will scoff but it makes sense if the goal is offensive engagement of the judoka.
Have you try to talk to the People on top of international judo organitation
The IJF, run by mostly Europeans, has turned Judo into soccer with all of the modern bureaucratic rules. The fact you can lose a match on shidos before time runs out is absurd. Alot of modern Judo's woes would be solved by removing rules not adding them. If they penalized people turtling on the floor and incentivized people to play more guard and attack submissions it would prevent false attacks. With the rise of bjj it could be a good way to attrack that talent and fan base. The rules should incentivize people making good attacks. Judos rules should encourage the opposite of the IBJJF. It should reward big throws, fast submissions and constant aggression.
My ideas to fix judo:
- remove the ability to have a match ended by shidos
- encourage more time on ne waza and call shidos for turtling to encourage aggressive submission oriented guard play.
- Bring back leg grabs
- Bring back yukos which should incentivize people to make more attacks
The team event however is excellent and a welcome addition.
WJF allows partial leg grabs, unfortunately the federation isn't as popular, Sampson is a sensei that competes and still promotes the old rule set and techniques.
Well said and Golden score should be golden bore!! Golden score should only be for the semi finals and finals.!!
I'm passionate about judo, but I feel the Olympics have altered the essence of the sport. In my dojo, the focus has shifted towards Olympic-style fighting, overshadowing traditional judo techniques. It's disheartening to see many practitioners conforming to this new style as if it's the only way to practice - like sheep following blindly the centralized power.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one annoyed with Olympic Shido-Ryu Judo. One guy took a chance on breaking his own neck, to get the other guy disqualified. Another was keeping her back to the ref, and grabbing her own collar. They are not playing Judo, they’re playing the rules of Judo. Of course, to a degree they always have. Ever since it became more of a sport than a martial art. Personally, I switched to BJJ years ago.
I am considering studying judo
But i j f judo does not interest me
The judo of kodokan interests me I respect competition in judo but it is not the only goal of being a martial artist but is necessary phase of a martial artists development
If techniques are proven safe not unfair should be allowed judo needs to break away from ijf and usa judo and do its own thing
WJF still allows leg grabs, have a look at Sampson judo.
As a Canadian, I watched our gold medal match. What a joke! Not ONE martial technique was executed for the GOLD!! What a joke.
I watched virtually all of the Olympic competition. This is right on. But the attempt to get the opponent a shido while appearing to attack resulted in so many "flop and drops" that I couldn't watch. The OP is correct in that the current rules have not resulted in more exciting matches. As for leg grabs, what the IJF has done is unconscionable. If you want to disallow blatant wrestling style leg picks they could just do that and not penalize every incidental touching below the belt.
The comments are the same in every countries, we think the same in France. I'm just sad that bad comments are made towards athletes that are playing with this rules but it's their job to do their best regarding the current rules, they are not making the rules.
The leg grab rule is the craziest one to me. I understand, say, wanting to highlight the throws more..perhaps allowing leg grabs but not awarding score for them, to help encourage more newaza seems like a good compromise 🤷 idk
I was thinking the same thing. Its become a game of penalties. Just let them fight! Very annoying to watch.
Modern Judo is not judo.
Good message ! Let's share this for make knowing the death of real judo...
Agree 100%. The shido wins were out of control. BTW, My son and I think Jack got robbed! I think that Moldovan guy got three consecutive shido wins!
Olympic Judo is now officially "Bu-shido". It's just a sad joke at this point.
Once they took out leg attacks, I knew Judo was in trouble
"SHIDO HUSTLING" is the easiest way to win Judo!
There are a lot of ways to win when good technique is applied, unfortunately when the players are well matched, all these rules seem to become a way for them to strategize not only the shido rules but some of the throw executions be come fair game for them, they need to take a good look at the whole process of scoring.
I wanna see the rules change to allow ALL the judo techniques to be implemented. Just no BJJ centric style, like guard pulling should be a shido, and the rules should incentivize throws, and more time for ne-waza that’s unrestricted. Something like a minute and then stand them up based on time.
Totaly agree sensei!