Judo, or "The Gentle Way" is a martial art developed by Dr. Jigoro Kano which makes use of the principles of leverage, balance, movement and making use of the opponent's strength. It uses the opponent's power and weight to work against him and thereby to subdue him.
The main principles of Judo are "Maximum Efficiency" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit." The goal of maximum efficiency teaches the judoka (or student) to use the least amount of physical strength necessary to throw an opponent. This is accomplished by proper use of technique and timing.
