The Physics of Judo

The Physics of Judo

Judo is a martial art that is centered around physics. Even just the concept of throwing somebody is physics. To practice judo and not have a basic knowledge of physics is insane considering that physics is what makes judo possible. Judo is sport that consist of throws, take downs and over all control. Judo without physics is like have a sandwich with just bread, you don’t get much out of it. To understand how physics comes into play with judo we must start with Newton’s laws of motion.

“Newton’s first law: law of inertia, a net or unbalanced force is needed to change the state of motion of and object. In a judo match, two players try to throw each other by first off-balancing the other player, the fitting their body into a position underneath their opponent for a throw, and finally throwing their opponent squarely on their back. The key to throwing the other player in the off-balance. Without first off-balancing your opponent, your chance of successfully completing a throw are slim. You’re also asking to be countered if you don’t off-balance first.”(1)

“The first law of motion is important if you want to successfully throw your opponent in a match. For instance, suppose your opponent makes a move to his right in order to make you move to you left. In the instance that you are moving, you’re temporarily off-balanced. Rather than letting your opponent keep control of the situation you and take advantage of his motion by using Newton’s first law. In this scenario, the statement “an object in motion will stay in motion” applies. As he is in motion you quickly turn into your opponent enabling you to lift him up with your hips and throw him.”(1)

“Newton’s second law: F=ma, the acceleration of a b...

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...other example would be be if he took a step larger than he normally would. While his foot is still in motion, you sweep his foot in the direction of his advance. In doing this, he will drop because gravity will be acting directly on him in downwards direction.”(2)

Judo is a martial art that relies on physics to achieve its goals and without physics it would not exist. Everything that judo does consists of physics, such as getting your opponent off-balance, using their momentum to get your opponent moving and using gravity to pull them to the ground.

Work Cited

1.Internet Source: http://members.tripod.com/~HappyClould/newton.html

2.Internet Source: http://members.tripod.com/~HappyClould/gravity.html

3.Internet Source: http://members.tripod.com/~HappyClould/momentum.html

4.Physics a world view, fourth edition. Kirkpatrick and Wheeler: copyright 2001