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What To Look For In A Judo Contest
John Osako
Chairman, IJF Refereeing Subcomittee
Judo is "The Gentle Way". It is the art of subduing an attacker, not by force, but by using his own force to your advantage. It is a superb form of self-defense. An attacker will always be subdued, quickly and without serious injury, by a reasonably accomplished judoka. This is the principle demonstrated by the katas which are a stylized method of performing the various judo techniques, using an attacker and a victim.
Contest Judo is action and reaction. The player is both attacker and victim. He must attack in order to give his opponent an opportunity to subdue him. He must also defend himself against his opponent's attack. Players must be both aggressive and defensive in reasonably equal measure. This is basic to the contest and is controlled by assessing penalties for two specific violations of that requirement.
Non-combativity.
Each player is required to make an attacking move every 20 to 30 seconds. Don't be misled by a player who moves around a lot, or is making constant jabbing motions with his feet. An attacking move must upset the opponent's balance. He may fall to his knees, but that is not necessary. So long as his balance is visibly disturbed, the move is an attack. The first violation of this ruling is called by the referee, but no penalty is given. This is usually referred to as the 'free one' and does not become a part of the recorded score. Further violations are scored as penalties on an increasing level.
Defensive Attitude.
The line between non-combativity and an excessively defensive attitude is not clearly drawn, and is subject to the judgment of the referee. A competitor who bends over from the waist in order to stay as far as possible from his opponent is obviously violating this rule. So is one who makes no attempt to execute a technique, but repeatedly grabs for his opponent's legs. Sometimes a defensive attitude may be misinterpreted as aggressive movement. A competitor who makes rapid and repeated attempts, without consideration for his own balance, and without any measure of success, is not attacking; he is merely preventing his partner from attacking. This is considered excessively defensive and is subject to penalty. The same is true of one who takes hold of his opponent and 'dances' him to the edge of the mat, then promptly falls out of bounds. A significant difference between this offense and non-combativity is that there is no warning. An excessively defensive attitude is recorded on the scoreboard the first time it is called.
Stepping Outside.
The wide red border defining the contest area is called the danger area. It serves as a warning to the competitors that they are approaching the edge. It is a violation for a player to intentionally step outside of the contest area during the course of the contest. To be considered outside, one foot must have lost contact entirely with the area. There should be no misunderstanding about this rule if you remember these simple elements:
- When a player's balance is upset as the result of an attack by his opponent, and he thereby steps outside, there is no penalty.
- When a player steps out of bounds while he is executing a technique, the penalty is Chui.
- In any other case, when a competitor steps out of bounds intentionally, the penalty is Keikoku.
Confusion enters the picture when you try to define the third instance. Don't try. If it isn't one, and it isn't two, then it will be three - or none at all. The rule refers only to players who leave the contest area intentionally. This is a judgment call by the referee. He will always try to avoid giving any penalty at all. He will always give the player the benefit of any doubt he may have. A competitor who generally plays the center may not be penalized at all if he should go outside, since the referee may not consider it intentional. A competitor who consistently plays the edge, however, may possibly be penalized the first time he steps outside.
Other Penalties.
There are a number of other penalties which may be imposed during the course of the contest. Most of them will have to do with actions which could possibly injure an opponent, or which would be considered in violation of the generally recognized rules of good sportsmanship. When the referee announces a penalty, he will try to make some gesture explaining the violation. An important thing to remember about penalties is that they are not cumulative - that is a player can only be charged with one penalty at a time. Therefore, a competitor who has a penalty and commits a further violation will then be given a penalty of a higher order. At the end of the contest, a penalty is recorded as a score of the equivalent level for the opponent for purposes of determining the winner.
Scores.
The scores of Ippon, Waza-ari and Yuko are very similar. All require that the three elements of largely on the back, force and impetus be present to some extent. Waza-ari may be called when the player has landed a bit too much on one shoulder, or the throw may have been a shade too slow, or the landing a bit too soft to warrant Ippon. Yuko will be called when the throw is lacking still further in one of these three elements. They are judgment calls and may vary with the individual standards of the referee.
The score of Koka is quite different in that the element of largely on the black need not be present in any degree. Koka is reserved for those cases when the player lands on his side, his thigh(s), stomach or buttocks and therefore cannot be considered for a higher score.
In assessing a throw, remember to watch for the point of impact. A player may land on his side, and then be carried over onto his back by the force of the throw. Or he may land first on his buttocks and fall onto his back. These can only be called Koka, regardless of the amount of force or impetus. This is easy to miss, particularly when you're sitting in the stands. It's one of the things the referees are trained to watch for - and they are in the best position to see.
Majority of Three.
This is a good time to explain about the majority-of-three rule. The referee - that is the man who stands in the center and makes the calls - is responsible for conducting the match and administering the judgment. He is assisted by two judges (who are also certified referees), sitting at opposite corners of the mat. The most important function of the judges is to watch the boundaries and to let the referee know whether a technique executed at the edge was inside or outside. They also assist him in his interpretation of the judgment calls. When a referee makes a call, a judge who holds a dissenting opinion will make his own signal from his seated position. If the opposite judge agrees, and makes the same dissenting signal, they will both stand while holding their signal. The judge will immediately nullify his call, and award the one upon which the judges have agreed This does not happen frequently, but it is a safeguard to protect the competitors in the event that the referee has not been in position to view the action as well as the judges, or against human error.
Ne-Waza.
All ground work is ne waza - or grappling techniques. There are three kinds of ne waza: Osaekomi waza, which includes all methods of body control, Shime waza, which is usually referred to as choking, and Kansetsu waza or arm bars. A player is not required to engage in ground work if he can avoid it. When the players fall to the ground, one who does not wish to continue into ground work will rise to his feet as quickly as possible. There are no calls of non-combativity or defensive attitude on the ground. If the action is not continuous, the referee will simply return the players to a standing position.
Of all judgment calls, Osaekomi is probably the most difficult for spectators to see, or to understand. That may be why ne waza is thought to be the least interesting to watch. The judoka frequently enjoys it most. The standing techniques are exciting - the upset, the impact of the body on the mat, the loud kiai - but ne waza is pure suspense. Two players struggling for control, quietly and patiently making their moves. Neither can relax or he is lost!
For those who are not in judo, I sometimes offer this analogy. Visualize a man and a snake. The snake is coiled around the man's arm; the man has the snake's head firmly in his closed hand. Neither is in control; both are in danger. If the man releases the snake's head, he will be bitten. If the snake releases the man's arm he can be smashed against a sharp rock, or thrown to the ground and shot. However, if the man can shake the snake loose, still maintaining his grip on the head, he will be in control. The snake's body will be free to writhe and twist in the air, but he cannot escape. That is osaekomi.
There are scores to be won in Osaekomi comparable to the standing techniques. An Osaekomi that is held for 30 seconds is Ippon, 25 seconds is Waza-ari, 20 seconds is Yuko and 10 seconds is Koka. For Shime-waza and Kansetsu waza, successful application is signified by two taps of the opponent's hand or foot, and is considered Ippon. There are no intermediate scores.
The men who are officiating these matches are all highly trained and certified National Referees, or better. They have spent hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars in acquiring the necessary skills. They are here at their own expense. As you watch them, they are being observed by a committee composed of International Referees and they will be critiqued during their rest periods. You can be confident that their decisions are fair and accurate, and that everything possible has been done to give every competitor an equal chance.
This article was printed in the program for the 16th National High School Judo Championships - May 4-5, 1979 - Rogers, Arkansas. Have you seen this anywhere else?
For more articles of this type, attend a John Osako Referees Clinic!