What is Judo? A competitive Olympic sport, a modern martial art and means of self-defense. Judo, translated from Japanese, means “the gentle way.” This is due to many techniques used in judo that require a person to give way to the force used by an opponent. By giving way, you allow the opponent’s own force to be used against them. Judo was developed by an educator, Dr. Jigoro Kano, in 1882. It has been an Olympic sport since 1964. It is one of the most popular sports practiced worldwide.
Why should we study it? Dr. Kano, the educator, developed Judo not just for the sake of physical activity, sporting purposes, or self-defense, but as a way of life. “As a way of life” does not mean it is some kind of pseudo-religion; it means that you apply what you learn through the practice of Judo into everyday aspects of life. The two core principles that Kano put into Judo are: “jita kyoei” and “seiryoku zenyo.” The first, jita kyoei, means “Mutual benefit and welfare. The second, seiryoku zenyo, means “Maximum efficient use of effort.” Now if you take those two principles that we learn in Judo and apply them to other situations in life, you may see how and why Dr. Kano hoped Judo would help us to be better people; not just better athletes.
Located at the Casper Family YMCA, we offer a safe, friendly, environment in which everyone is welcome to come and learn Judo. Whether you're a competitive grappler looking for techniques to add to your game, or you're just looking to be physically active and have fun, we have something for everyone. We accept students 5 years old - adult.
