Khadaji's blog

Do You Know Where Your Driver Is?

The most common error that I see with failed throws is the bad placement of what Geof Gleeson refers to as the ‘Driver Leg’.  This is the leg that you are powering off the ground with.  For example, in a right-handed Harai Goshi, there’s no question what leg is the driver leg… it’s clearly the only one still in contact with the ground… your left leg.

Bilateral Judo - Are YOU A Bilateralist?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘Bilateral’ as:

The Rules Of The Game - BJJ vs. Judo

I’m often fascinated by the number of Judoka who complain about BJJ rules - and the number of BJJ’er who complain about Judo rules…

Judoka: BJJ doesn’t give enough points to effective throws and/or takedowns.

BJJ’ers: Judo doesn’t allow enough time on the mat for an effective ground game.

Where The Head Goes - The Body Follows

Any student of mine has heard this phrase dozens if not hundreds of times: “Where the head goes, the body follows”. It’s a good way to remember a simple fact. If you can direct uke’s head, you can direct his entire body.

Newaza Combinations - The Triangle Of Techniques

Combinations are popular and well-known in Tachiwaza, if not used as much as they should be… but many Judoka forget that combinations are just as powerful on the mat.

I often refer to the ‘Triangle of Techniques’ to illustrate the simple concept that there is always something you can do to uke on the ground. You have Katamewaza, Shimewaza, and Kansetsuwaza (Pins, Chokes, & Armbars) to work with on the ground. The key is to use each to set up the next.

Do You Want To Improve Your Judo?

Judo is not much different from driving a car. You learn specific responses to certain stimuli. For example, experienced drivers just know when someone is about to pull in front of them from a nearby lane, and take their foot off the accelerator, and are ready to touch the brakes.

Jita Kyoei - Ethics In Judo

I ran across a recent post on JudoInfo.com’s forum from a Judoka who was purchasing a gi, who’s sole consideration was a “super stiff collar”… he even stated that “I am only going to wear this gi in competitions so that it stays difficult to grip.”

Then he posed the question: “Is this unsportsman like, or is it just a reasonable use of the rules and regs?”

It seems to me that if the question needs to even be asked, he already knows the answer to it.

A New Beginning

I thought it was time to update BestJudo … as you may have noticed, features that didn’t used to work are now working - I’ve moved BestJudo from the webhost that it’s had for years… and I hope to spend just a tad more time on this website than I’ve done in the past.

My intention is to write from time to time on topics that will interest Judoka.  Hopefully, I can add posts on a more or less weekly schedule.  There will also be an RSS feed from this blog available to Judo or other martial art websites.

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