Background History of Judo:
Judo (meaning "the gentle way") was founded in Japan by Dr Jigro Kano in 1882. The object is to either throw your opponent to the ground, immobilize or subdue your opponent, or force your opponent to submit by applying a joint lock or a choke.
Dr Jigro Kano (Born: 1860 & Died: 1938) was small frail boy who was often picked on by bullies. He first started pursuing Jujutsu at the age of 17, but met with little success. Kano trained in various styles of Jujutsu, under various coaches for years, from which he devised new ideas and techniques. In May 1882, at the age of 22, Kano took nine students to study Jujutsu under him at a Buddhist temple named Eisho-ji. The temple would later be known as Kodakan. This form of martial art was known as Kano Jiu-Jitsu or Kano Jiu-Do and was then named Judo as we know it today.
We at the Nelson Mandela University Judo Club pride ourselves in continuing the traditions and teachings laid down by our founder over 100 years ago.
Mission and Objectives:
The club is prominent amongst the sports clubs on campus and in the Judo community. We strive to empower everyone with the ability to defend themselves against attackers or when a situation arises.
We strive to uplift the lives of those in the community by conducting outreach programmes in disadvantaged areas, in the form of specialised training sessions and assisting where needed.
We also run self defence courses for staff, students and the community. Our courses are based on basic Judo principles and techniques. See the "Outreach" to get information on the next course we will be having.