I realize that judo is not suppose to be about strength but?

Question

Would you say once you are doing the technique right and you have off balanced you opponent should you then be using as much power as you can to throw. Would relying on the technique and not powering the person over be a mistake

Answer 1

If you already off-balanced your opponent, their momentum and motion provides all the energy you need.  The technique is about maximizing the effect of that momentum, not about adding your own.

Ideally (yes, its not always ideal, but...) with a hip throw, you don't throw your opponent - your opponent falls over you - all you do is position yourself and aim their momentum.

For a breath throw, its the same thing - you don't throw your partner, you just deny your already moving partner the ability to catch themselves with their feet.

When we walk, we're constantly stopping ourselves from falling over with each step.  The throw is about preventing that one perfect step than would prevent the fall that's already taking place.

Gravity is what produces the throw - your part as the 'thrower' is the let/help gravity do its natural thing in a particular way to produce the result you want.

In the beginning, we want to 'Do' the throw.  Later we learn to let, or rather help, our partner throw them self - no need to add more to it - just  aim the attack correctly for lack of a better term.

You CAN add more force - sure.... but why bother putting more effort in than you have to?  In a sense, throwing is kind of about finding the most efficient way...  just how lazy can one be?  Correct technique allows for MUCH laziness.  Adding force when its not needed just runs out your own gas tank faster.

Answer 2

"Power" is an iffy term. It could mean forcefully throwing the opponent. If that is what you meant then yes, that is a mistake. Trying to put more "power" like that into a technique will not benefit the result as much as training to perfect your technique then increasing SPEED.

Speed is the key when you want to cause more damage. Force=Mass x acceleration^2, so you get a lot more bang for your buck training your speed and not your strength.

On the training mat I recommend working on technique first and speed second. Strength is something you should not overlook, but it is by and large less useful to a practisioner than speed is.

Answer 3

You're just using your own body as a lever dude.  Does "verosity" mean anything?  sure it does, but only to the extent of catching your opponent before he knows what's coming in the execution of the technique.  I wouldn't say power from say a "powerlifter's" stand point, but the power of motion is everything man.  You're not trying to "muscle" the guy just using your own body and his own momentum to bring about the proper exectution of technique.

In other words he's kind of defeating himself with his own momentum, you're just the tool that brings him down the only "muscle power" needed is what he ( your opponent ) supplies to the conflict.

Answer 4

I think what you are looking for is explosiveness.

In all honesty, power and explosiveness in a technique means combining strength, speed, and technique into one fluid motion.

Relying on the technique would never be a mistake period. In fact, you will find that the throws that are the most devastating are the ones that actually took the least amount of effort.

Finishing a technique with power.. (called Kime) i.e. the person is throw and is heading toward the ground, and you forcefully push them so that they hit the ground even harder, is proper. However you can throw a guys so hard and so fast without ever having to force your Kime that you can cause serious injuries.

I have seen ankles broken, concussions, internal organ and knee damage from someone just hitting a guy with a perfectly timed footsweep and the person being so caught off guard and thrown so quickly that they didn't have time to react and fall properly.

Trust me, hitting the technique in the right momentum is one more important than strengthing through a throw.

In fact, it is horrible to rely on strenght in this way, your strength comes into play as you launch the throw, you give a powerful kazushi, and throw movement in an explosive manner.

A good throw is one motion, not fitting in, and having to power the person through the technique. It is one continous motion without interruption.

I hope that I am clear in what I am trying to say... yes you do use power and strength in Judo, in the exact moment of executing a technique. But that is where you use it, you explode through the throw. There shouldn't be a "I off balance him, then I am stepping in, now he is going over the fulcrum, now I use some strength to force him to hit the mat harder..." it isn't like that. You should already be in the technique and the person flying over your fulcrum before you even finish your pull/push/step for kazushi.(off balancing).

Trust me in competetion, in the street, in randori, etc. The good throws are like good golf shots, they come almost unexpectedly. You throw a guy and are like... (wow, that dude flew.. how did that happen) because you combined all your movement into one continuous movement and caught it in perfect time.

Like in golf you can practice it over and over again, do everything technically right, but sometimes you ball still goes errant, or the technique misses or is hard, and you have to muscle through it.

But when everything is combined and timed perfectly... you get a long straight shot, and a fast, dynamic, throw that took almost no effort.

Just the way it goes..

Relying on technique is not a mistake, it is the only way you should be doing it. When it is all said and done you will fight guys stronger than you, bigger than you, and different body sizes. Using strength to finish a throw off might not always be the thing that will actually help the throw, and in the end could end up with you face down with a guy on your back. That is why you need technique, timing, and that your move is one explosive burst.

Hope that I was able to articulate what I am trying to so. Feel free to message me if you need clarification on anything I said.

Answer 5

I have seen and competed against those who try to use force or power to throw in judo. I would say many of them aren't good judokas.

I must agree with judomofo. There isn't anything that I can add to what he said. Technique is how it should be done in Judo. When done correctly you it will look graceful. But the impact isn't so graceful for the one being thrown. Our school experienced much success because we were taught to use technique. Mr. George White(Sensei) would have it no other way(Bushido Judo Club). What he taught us got us a special invite by Phil Porter to train in Colorado with the Olympic team. They also came to St. Louis to train with us. I even had a little randori with O- Sensei (Phil Porter). He taught me some very good lessons while beating me. The biggest lesson was in humility.