Olympics Effect on Judo and Taekwondo

My daughter asked me the other day if I had seen any of the Olympic Judo.  She was surprised when I told her I had not.  Besides being a black belt in Taekwondo, I’m a brown belt in Judo.  Like both my sons, Caity trained in both TKD and Judo as well.

However, I dislike the political considerations made in awarding and deciding events in the Olympics.  I am concerned about doping in sports.  My main concern though is the detrimental effects that inclusion in the Olympics has done to both martial sports.

Judo started out as a demonstration sport in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.  Eventually, it would be accepted into regular Olympic competition.  While initially the inclusion was great for the sport, Judo began to focus everything on staying in the Olympics.

Unfortunately, out of the 50,000 lonely souls practicing Judo in the United States today, 8 will make it to the Olympics. The vast majority of judoka have no interest in Olympic or International competitions.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) continues to modify the rules for all competition every few years with the intent of keeping Judo in the Olympics.  These rules effect every competition down to the local level.  The problem is the IJF is scared of a wrester or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor coming in and dominating the judoka, so they make rules that prevent significant ground work or the grabbing of the leg.  This last rule is ridiculous.

You are not penalized from grabbing the leg.  You are disqualified.  For years, competitors could grab the leg.  Dr. Kano, the founder of Judo, modified a wrestling fireman’s carry into the kata guruma (shoulder wheel throw), which he used to throw a 300 pound opponent he couldn’t defeat.  Today, Dr. Kano would be disqualified.

Taekwondo is not much better.  After it became a demonstration sport in 1988 and a regular sport in 1992, World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has consistently modified the rules to try and keep the sport in the Olympics.  Recently, WTF created a complicated point system and are testing electronic hogus (chest protectors).

It doesn’t really matter because the fighters just stand there and look at each other for 1 minute and 45 seconds of the 2 minute round.  They both have so much to lose, they never make a move.  If you want to see good TKD, visit a local or national tournament.  These competitions display the true beauty and skill of the art.

Contrast these arts with the actions of the second-generation Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructor Rolls Gracie.  The Gracie Family is very competitive with a certain number of divisions in the family.  However, Rolls was the son of Carlos Gracie, one of the founders of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu but was raised by his uncle Helio Gracie, the other leader in the family.  Due to his unique relationship with both sides of the family, he could bridge the differences.

Rolls saw that his family’s art was really strong on the ground but lacked strong take downs.  Rolls wanted his students to be strong in all forms of grappling, so he brought in wrestlers like Bob Anderson, studied Judo for a year and brought in Sambo trainers to make himself an all-around grappler.  Rolls would accept any challenge.  He didn’t try to say, “Well, here are the rules.”  He would take them on with no rules.

Some BJJ leaders would like to see it included in the Olympics.  You don’t want that.  Having experienced what it has done to Judo and Taekwondo, it has more negative than positive benefits.

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