What in the World Happened to Judo? The Future of Women's Judo

Kosei Inoue - the greatest

Judo is by far one of the most organized and widely practiced martial arts in the world today.  At the 2012 London Olympic Games, 137 countries participated in the event.  That is a true testament to how universal it has become.  And for good reason.  Judo is a sport that can and does appeal to almost everyone.  The physically challenging nature of judo accompanied by it's life-enhancing moral code of conduct, judo can be practiced by anyone of any age.

Judo is typically practiced by men.  It is a combat sport that is not easy on the body and it's style of grace is different than what would be seen in ballet or figure skating - two activities that are equally as grueling.  Because of this, the growth of women's involvement has been slower than for men with the exception of a smaller core group of countries (e.g. France, Brazil, China, Cuba, Korea, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan).  Even within the more successful women's programs, the margin of success is still in favor of the sport's founding country - Japan.


Japan - It's Own Greatest Rival

The new face of judo

All of this reminds me of the sport 20 years ago for men.  Though judo's popularity was spreading rapidly and many countries were developing their own national programs, Japan was still the dominant team.  To beat a Japanese was a very big deal to any country.  Things have changed so much since then.  It's become clear in recent years that Japan is no longer the dominant country, but rather a part of the full spectrum of competitive judo.  In the London Olympics, Japan was fourth at the medal table, securing just a single gold medal and 7 medals in total.  Russia, France, and South Korea were the top teams, respectively, for this Olympic Games.

For many of us who started judo LONG ago, we will all have a soft spot for Japan.  Japan did an outstanding job of streamlining the sport, growing it globally, and making it a dynamic Olympic event.  We all loved seeing the new big name Japanese players dominate competition with their textbook technical proficiency.  So today when we see their top players being defeated regularly in the international venues, I think I can speak for many "older" timers that there's likely a part of us wishing that a new Kosei Inoue is being born in some hospital somewhere in Japan.  Maybe in a far-off mountain temple with ministers of judo chanting in harmony...or something along those lines.  In short, Japan is the reason Japan is not as "successful" competitively as they once were - and we can only thank them for this fact.


The Future for Women's Judo

The future of women's judo

Sharing the limelight shows us how far the sport has really come.  How involved and unique each country is with the techniques.  I believe the same path lies ahead for women's judo.  Though Japan's women did not fare well in London, they typically dominate international events.  Actually, in recent years it's generally been the women that have pulled the overall Japanese team to the top spot.  I think that as time goes on and the sport of judo continues to grow, the level of competition globally will also come up to speed in the women's category.  The playing field will be leveled out just as with the men and we'll see greater game play among a broader scope of countries.

Ryoko Tani Tamura

That being said, the state of women's judo today is nothing short of dazzling.  Women by nature have a tendency to place a greater focus on technique and it shows in competition.  Men's matches at times can appear to be a bit like wrestling - and the Olympics already has that event.  This is judo.  We like to see bodies being whipped to the mat with speed and power.  There's no doubt that women give us that in there display of technical judo.

Here's to the next 20 years for the world of judo.