Judo at home
A soft carpet for judo games and movement at home; falls, throws and holds on a mat with a coach.
What should we practise today?
Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.
New to judo? The game in a minute
Read this once before the first card.- The sport in short
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Two players, each in a thick cotton jacket, grip each other and try to throw the other onto their back, or to pin them on their back on the mat. There is no punching or kicking. Learning to fall safely comes before anything else.
- How a contest is won
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A clean, strong throw that lands the opponent on their back scores ippon and wins at once. A throw that is not quite clean scores waza-ari; two waza-ari win. Holding an opponent on their back for 20 seconds is also ippon, and 10 seconds is waza-ari. A contest lasts 4 minutes for adults; if nobody has scored, the next score wins (golden score).
- Penalties
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Not attacking, stepping out or illegal grips earn a penalty, called shido; three shido lose the contest. A dangerous move loses at once.
- Rules children break first
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- Bow when stepping on and off the mat and to every partner.
- Stop the moment the coach says "mate".
- Tap twice to give up, and let go at once when your partner taps.
- No falls or throws at home: those are learnt on a mat with a coach.
- At home you play judo games
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Tail tag, the mirror game, animal walks, a rocking roll on a soft mattress, the bows, the belt and the judo words. Falls, throws and holds are at a club.
Words you will hear (28, in plain language)
- Dojo
- The training hall.
- Tatami
- The firm padded mat judo is done on.
- Judogi
- The judo jacket and trousers.
- Obi
- The belt; its colour shows the grade.
- Zori
- Sandals worn off the mat.
- Judoka
- A person who does judo.
- Rei
- Bow.
- Hajime
- "begin" and "stop".
- Seiza
- Kneeling with the bottom on the heels, big toes crossed, knees a fist apart.
- Tori
- Tori does the throw or hold; uke receives it and falls.
- Ukemi
- The safe ways of falling: back fall, side fall and forward roll fall.
- Tap
- Tapping the mat or partner twice means "I give up"; the partner lets go at once.
- Natural posture
- Standing upright with feet a little apart, or wide and low to stay hard to throw.
- Kumi-kata
- How a judoka holds the partner's jacket, usually one hand on the sleeve and one on the collar.
- Knee wheel
- First throws where the partner falls low, by blocking their knee or foot as they step.
- Body drop
- Throws over the hip or a blocking leg.
- Big outer reap
- Throws that sweep the partner's leg from the outside or inside.
- Shoulder throw
- Turning in and throwing the partner over the shoulder.
- Hold-down
- Keeping the partner on their back on the mat.
- Scarf hold
- Three hold-downs: from the side with an arm round the neck; from the side across the chest; from above the head across the chest.
- Escape
- Getting out of a hold-down.
- Randori
- Free practice, where both partners try their throws at a light, safe pace.
- Kata
- A fixed set of techniques shown in a formal order; Nage-no-kata is the throwing kata and Katame-no-kata the holding kata.
- Joint lock
- Techniques that bend an elbow or press the neck; not applied by juniors.
- Ippon
- The full winning score, and the half score.
- Golden score
- Extra time where the first score wins.
- Shido
- A penalty, and disqualification.
- Kyu
- The grades: kyu grades are coloured belts; dan grades are black belts.
Try it, nothing to buy
Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.- Base setup Mark your space Indoor room, club mat. 2 marks, in order
- b1 · Basic Judo games at home: tail tag and the mirror Game: Tail tag 8 min · 2 to 4 players · one room
- b2 · Basic Animal walks and the rocking roll Game: Call the animal 8 min · 1 to 2 players · one room
- b3 · Basic Bowing, the belt and the words Game: Judo Simon says 5 min · 1 to 2 players · one room
The cards, level by level
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.Ticks and stars are saved in this browser only. Clearing the browser's data, or another browser, starts from zero. Carry them into the app
Basic 4 cards · show· hide The movement base, listening, the rules of the dojo (bow, belt, mat) and the first falls and holds at a club. Falls (ukemi) come first, then a few throws per grade, holds and escapes; belt colours differ by federation.
- b1✓ Judo games at home: tail tag and the mirror At home
- b2✓ Animal walks and the rocking roll At home
- b3✓ Bowing, the belt and the words At home
- b4✓ First falls, throws and holds, with a coach At a club
Move on when the instructor passes the next grade.
Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide More throws (osoto-gari, o-goshi, seoi-nage, kouchi-gari and others), combinations and counters, groundwork transitions, and light randori of 2 to 4 minutes. Joint locks and strangles come only at higher grades, and juniors under 16 do not apply them to the point of submission (a common junior rule).
- i1✓ Throws and groundwork transitions At a club
- i2✓ Light randori At a club
- i3✓ Joint locks and strangles: knowledge only for juniors At a club
Move on when the instructor passes the grade.
Advanced 2 cards · show· hide The top kyu grades and dan: more throws, strangles and holds, kata (Nage-no-kata or Katame-no-kata), competition tactics and coaching or refereeing knowledge. Examinations for dan grades are set by national federations.
Teaching this at home
Contact, falls, weapons or heights. At home only games and knowledge; the skill is taught at a club.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.
How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.