Judo – that sounds somehow like harmony, Zen and a peaceful afternoon in a Japanese garden, right? Well, that’s true… until you suddenly find yourself floating in the air and landing on the ground seconds later, not knowing exactly how you got there!
Judo, which means “the gentle way” in Japanese, is a martial art that emphasizes elegance and technique over brute force. That sounds nice in theory. In practice, it often boils down to being gently – but firmly – placed on your back. So the “gentle path” might feel more like a quick flight towards the ground, but hey, at least in style 🙂
The highlight of judo is that you use your opponent’s strength to your own advantage. Sounds cool, right? When someone runs toward you, you use their energy to gracefully tackle them to the ground. The result? Your opponent is on the ground and you’re standing there like you’ve just stepped out of an action movie. At least in theory… Sometimes you’re wrong – or worse, your opponent ends up on top of you!
Martial arts meets city: The legendary judo city tournament in Innsbruck 1964
In 1964, Innsbruck was not only host to winter sports enthusiasts – the city also became the setting for one of the craziest judo city tournaments in history. It was “grab, throw, roll” instead of “ski, snow and ice”.
Cover photo: Ph-4460
Image in text (Fig.1): Ph-4461
Author: Laura Madreiter
