Judo

First Olympic Year:

1964, every Olympics since 1972.

Origin:

The martial art started around 1882 and the sport of throwing dudes to ground by their Judogis¹ was in 1884. These were tournaments started by schools teaching Judo. Kodokan Monthly Tournament and the Red and White tournament started in 1884 and still exist today. It's old.

The first formal rules showed up around 1889. I imagine this made the original contests similar to the Kickboxer movies and Lionheart, or any Jean Claude van Dam movie that does not include a stopping a penalty shot in the Stanley Cup finals.² For the unfamiliar that means TO THE DEATH.³ Around World War Uno they decided choking and locks around the neck weren't the best idea so those were outlawed. Also there was a demonstration of Judo in the 1932 games but the creator Kano didn't really care.

First Competition:

1964 was the first Olympic competition in TOKYO.⁴ It is unsurprising that the Japanese attained Gold in 3 of the weight classes only surrendering in the Open weight class to a Dutchman named Anton Geesink.

An American competitor, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, sustained an injury during his fight with a German. Another reason to hate those Germans, how can you injure a man whose middle name is Nighthorse.⁵ Campbell qualified for the elimination round but his injury caused him to retire. DAMN YOU KLAUS GLAHN!⁶

It was Judo done right, because it's kind of Japanese.

Dominant Countries:

The Asian nations tend to have the most medals. Especially Japan.

Basic Concept:

There are three types of points” Ippon is one full point and you win the match automatically, waza-ari is a half a point and two of these makes an Ippon which wins you the match, and yuko are fractions of a point however no matter the amount of yukos a person receives they do not equal a waza-ari.⁷

The sport is all about aggression, if there is a period of non-aggression you get a Shido. The first gets you a warning, the second awards a yuko, the third a waza-ari, and the fourth awards the match to the other competitor. The second type of penalty is hansoku make which is awards the opponent with the victory as well as gets you ejected from the tournament. I imagine this is rarely awarded and only if you go way outside the rules.

A person cannot do any grip besides the standard grip unless immediately trying a move. A person cannot grab inside the sleeves or any other opening. A player cannot bite another persons gi.⁸

So an Ippon is scored for throwing and pinning your opponent for 25 seconds or causing them to submit. If you pin a guy for 20 seconds its only a waza-ari and it needs to be at least 15 seconds for a yuko.

If there is a tie there is an overtime period. If there is no winner in the overtime period then get ready with your stack of bills because it goes to the judges.

How is the Outlook for the US?

It's over. My apologies for getting this up late.

What to Look For:

If you want to rewatch, look for Kayla Harrison winning the GOOOOOLD!

1The best things about gis, the those sweet white robes, is that for any martial art apparently you just add the type in front of. JUDOGI!

2JCvD cost the Blackhawks the cup. Everyone knows it.

3Citation Needed.

4BREGMAN-PEREZ wasn't a big fight but here's a video. Here are all the fights.

5Ben Nighthorse Campbell became a US Senator from Colorado. His injury from 1964 made him retired from Judo.

6The only name more German is Burgermeister Meisterburger. Klaus hates toys too.

7Math people think of it as a sort of Asymptote.

8At what point does this need to be said. You also may not urinate on your opponent. I haven't seen anything about spitting, so try that if you find yourself untrained in a judo match.