Stamford Judo

100 Research Drive
2nd Floor
Stamford, CT 06906
ph: 203-327-6665
fax: 203-286-2356
alt: 203-253-2008
chrisangle@sbcglobal.net

Origin of the

Classic Rules Tournament

The Origins:

As traditional judo enthusiasts know, up until the mid-1970's, the judo contest rule system was comprised only of the waza-ari (the half point) and the ippon (the full point) accompanied by very few penalties which were administered very sparingly.

From the mid-1970's until the present the IJF gradually added the above scoring and penalty systems. In addition the scoring changes, the IJF instituted another aspect which addresses the frequent transition of athletes when they do not attain the full point (ippon) score attempting to finish the match by going from the partial throw into grappling combat endeavoring to hold the opponent, whom he toppled to the mat, on his back for the necessary time to attain the ippon score which will end the match. Under a relatively recent IJF rule, there must be constant grappling activity that proceeds rapidly to the hold down and a score, or the referee will stop the grappling and the contestants will resume from the standing position.

Previous to the mid-1970's, before the advent of most the rule and scoring changes, many of the contest matches exhibited the spectacular techniques that produced the ippon and waza-ari that made judo a famous sport, practiced throughout the world, and to be included in the Olympics. However, since the advent of the rules, the character of the contest scoring throws have retreated away from the ippon throws to the athletes attempting lesser effective levels of the judo techniques which have resulted in awards frequently at the level of the koka and the yuko score.

With such depreciation of the level of the throw, the phrase "koka judo" has surfaced and is immediately understood in the judo world to mean this change of the content by the athletes toward the utilization of their competitive techniques directly to obtain the lesser scores of yuko and particularly the koka which enables them to win the match.

However, pre-1970 tournament judo, although it beheld many spectacular throws, it had some flaws. Predominately, matches were frequently slow without action. Contestants, often times, would use stalling and excessive defensive techniques against a superior opponent to avoid being thrown hoping that they could gain an advantage somewhere in the match and receive at the end of the match the judges and referee's award for the decision producing at times unexciting, dull matches.

After the mid-1970's, three results evolved. First is that judo contests, due to the inactivity penalties, did acquire greater activity and lost some of its tendency to bore the viewer or audience during interims of inactivity producing a positive aspect to tournament judo. However, secondly, the participating athletes began to attempt many more throws of a level of technique that would produce lesser awards of koka and yuko, and hence the term "koka judo" came into usage inducing the disappearance and frequency of the throws that produce the full point award. Thirdly, the activity for the grappling ("newaza" in judo terminology) almost ceased altogether. Although newaza (literally "lying down technique") is in itself not particularly spectacular due to its slow, methodical employment of grappling techniques, it is for the judo aficionado of great interest replete with its chokes and arm joint locks. In fact, this aspect of judo although almost completely devoid in modern judo contests is alive and well in the new arrival of Brazilian ju-jutsu (a.k.a. jiu-jitsu - an inadvertent corruption of the original word, ju-jutsu) which does employ joint locks and strangulation chokes often to spectacular effect.

Part 2 - More Changes Producing Complete Transmogrification

In recent years, the IJF has induced a further change that has produced a complete change in the character of contest judo. It has lessened the criteria of the technical level of the throw thus essentially downgrading the level of competence needed to effect the award of an ippon or a waza-ari. Presently, what used to be awarded a koka is now a waza-ari and what was needed to attain a yuko score is now awarded ippon totally changing the integrity of the judo throw. The IJF reasoning behind the new award appellations is to make judo more appealing to audiences by increasing the action of the sport and effect the conclusions of the matches quickly.

Part 3 - Unintended Consequences

In introducing the new rule changes, there have been some unintended consequences. These unintended consequences of the many rule changes have produced a different sport from the original previous to the mid 1970's, and it has divided the world of the adherents to the sport of judo into two camps. The major and controlling camp is the IJF controlled by the European judo community (let us call them the "Modernists"and the older generation of judo practitioners (let us call this group "Judoka", literally in the Japanese language, "judo cognoscente").

The Modernist Group has changed the rules for two reasons: one is, as mentioned above, to quicken the action of judo and bring the matches to a faster conclusion. Secondly, the Modernist intended to quantify, more clearly, to various degrees of action within the judo contest to assist in eliminating the vagaries of two judges and a referee calling the winner at the end of a match from the memory of the content of the matches which historically have produced a significant amount of inequitable decisions. The categories of yuko and koka have significantly assisted to rectify these wrong decisions.

The third reason is one that is perhaps a cynical prejudice among some judoka purists who feel that the Modernists have changed the rules to enhance the potential of non-Asian player of attaining medal awards as finalists in the major contests such as the Olympics and the World Judo Championships as sponsored and sanctioned by the IJF. It is felt by some previously when the rules began changing in the1970's that the non-Asian, as a whole - but not entirely - were behind the Japanese and Koreans in the ability to employ the techniques of the full point judo. As such, if proficiency is attained by being able to score with the utilization of lesser techniques, then they also will be able to participate at the awards dais more frequently and to a greater degree. Over time, however, this thought line has diminished, if not completely vanished, from judo's political arena.

In summary, the Judoka group further feel that the rule changes have downgraded the beauty of the sport of traditional judo.

Market Development of Classic Rules Judo Championships

The new Classic Rules Judo Championships will be significantly different from the present World Judo Championships as sponsored by the IJF in many aspects not just in the rules that govern participation. In the present IJF World Championships, each country sends a delegation of one judo athlete per weight category to the tournament. The present IJF Worlds is only for delegations of young men and women that win their country's championship tournaments.

The Classic Rules traditional judo tournament, on the other hand, will be an open tournament inviting any and all.

The Classic Rules Open will also contain a veteran's division whereby in addition to the open age category in which the young athletes will participate, there will be age divisions for the veterans over the age of 35 who would like to participate. Categories will be constructed each five years starting at age 35 (hence, 35 - 39 as an example) and going up to the 75 and over category. The weight classes will be the same as those of the IJF. This division of the Classic Rules Judo Championships will be called the Classic Rules World Masters Judo Championships.

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100 Research Drive
2nd Floor
Stamford, CT 06906
ph: 203-327-6665
fax: 203-286-2356
alt: 203-253-2008
chrisangle@sbcglobal.net

Stamford Judo

Origin of the

Offices:

The Origins: