Judo going Professional

[Teh El Macho]

Be interesting to see what they do about the refs. If I'm getting this right the ones for the Olympics where still amateur, but if you're going to go professional you need professional refereeing as well, and the standard of that in the past in judo has been "somewhat" suspect...

That's what I was thinking as well. Hopefully this will improve the quality of reff'ing. I don't quite understand this qualification by name and not by country thing? How's that compatible with the way the IOC operates?

Does that mean that, perhaps, entire countries might not get to send a Judo team in their delegation to an Olympics game? Not that it is a really bad thing, but me no get how that works.

Also, if it's going to be unlimited time for newaza, is there a penalization for passivity?

[CannibalCrowley]

Also, if it's going to be unlimited time for newaza, is there a penalization for passivity?

I didn't see anything that hinted at unlimited newaza. I think people are jumping to conclusions.

[danno]

if it is going to be possible to earn money from grappling in the next couple of years then i am going to train some motherfucking judo. sounds great, i hope it takes off.

[JudOWNED]

A lot of people are going to be disappointed when their half-assed tomoe-nage gets them a shido instead of newaza time.

They may even start a thread about it on bullshido... lol

Anyway, I'm not sure about this. Anybody remember "real pro wrestling"? No? That's my point. OTOH, if they can improve the reffing, give more _quality_ newaza time, and get rid of all the "flopping", I'm all for it. I also would love to watch Judo on versus. I just don't see it happening in the long run.

[datdamnmachine]

They may even start a thread about it on bullshido... lol

Anyway, I'm not sure about this. Anybody remember "real pro wrestling"? No? That's my point. OTOH, if they can improve the reffing, give more _quality_ newaza time, and get rid of all the "flopping", I'm all for it. I also would love to watch Judo on versus. I just don't see it happening in the long run.

Unfortunately, "Pro Rasslin" has basically destroyed any and all hope for the possibility of actual "Pro Wrestling". Fortunately, Judo, doesn't has that stigma.

[DerAuslander]

So has Judo finally completely cast aside Kano's teachings?

[junkielectric]

So has Judo finally completely cast aside Kano's teachings?

That's just silly. Kano's rule against using Judo to earn money has been ignored so often at this point, and even by his prominent students back in the day, that it stopped being relevant or even thought about long ago. More importantly, there were a lot more important and relevant teachings of Kano that are still included in Judo, and in fact are integral to the way Judo is taught, that they probably won't ever be cast aside.

[DerAuslander]

Thank you for proving my point.

[MurphysLaw]

So has Judo finally completely cast aside Kano's teachings?

My thoughts exactly. Judo is already filled with people who don't care about learning judo, and simply focus on learning to win judo competitions (traditional judo vs sport judo). These increased monetary rewards can only encourage more sport judoka, creating more people who rely on referees, weight classes, active stalling (like grip fighting, and butt flopping), and fractions of points for victory.

I want to see more traditional judoka... people who are 5'2" like Kano and can easily throw people who are 6'2" with perfect control, and don't spend half the match fighting for 'their grip.'

I want to see judo tournaments adapt for modern times without forgetting the principles they were founded on. Common attire like jeans and t shirts instead of 2" thick pajamas, BJJ accepted instead of discouraged, no weight categories, and points awarded based on proper kuzushi, tai sabaki, efficiency, and control. Too bad this is just wishful thinking at best (and pointless ranting at worst).

[cuatro76]

Now is a great time to go teach English in Japan if you are a competitive Judoka fresh out of college.