Judo
By Brendan Weiss
Overview
Judo, meaning " gentle way", is a full contact sport that originated in Japan. The objective is to throw to takedown you opponent using locks or chokes. Judo later became the model of modern martial arts including taekwondo and Karate.
Origins
In 1882, judo was created by combining jui-jitsu and discipline. The man responsible for this was Jigro Kano. Kano exceeded in schoolwork but was concerned about his size. At 17 he worked to become stronger. At 21, he took the best thing about every jiu-jitsu style and combined them. Thus creating what we know today as judo.
Starting to spread
When Kano went to introduce judo to the world, a notable episode occurred on the boat he was on. When a foreigner made fun of Kano martial art, Kano threw him down, but placed his hand beneath the foreigner's head to prevent him from getting hurt. After seeing that judo also increased ones thoughts for the opponent, many people took interest to judo. When Kano was appointed to the Olympic committee, he worked tirelessly to spread judo around the globe
Judo today
Tody, over 20 million people practice judo and 184 countries and regions are part of the world judo federation. Judo has effected how many people live and work. It has also effected the number of people who now participate in sports.