Judo: Analysing Its Rule Changes: Past, Present, and Future

How is the martial art judo considering changing its rules to modernise the sport and make it more of a spectacle for its younger viewers?

Following an eventful Olympic Games marked by numerous upsets and victories across weight categories, many fans and athletes focused on rules and how they are implemented in competitions.

How Judo is Considering Rule Changes to Modernize the Sport for Younger Viewers

The refereeing at the games reinforced the conversation, but it remains an ongoing issue for both players and fans. Many people complained that there were far too many inconsistencies in how the rules were applied and therefore a lack of uniformity.

Controversial Calls and Athlete Reactions

Shohei Ono, a double Olympic gold medallist and triple world champion, took to Instagram to express his thoughts on the rules, specifically the hide dive.

This was in reference to last month’s Junior World Championships, where two Japanese athletes, Fukuchi Shuntaro and Kentoku Kairi, competed in the final at under 66kg.

Despite being thrown for ippon (a winning score), Fukuchi was awarded the win because Kenoku received a Hansoku-Make (a disqualification) after the referee stated that he performed a head dive, which is illegal in judo.

Ono commented on the fight expressing that the objective of the sport is to throw, and that’s exactly what Fukuchi did. He added more screenshots to his story of other world-class athletes in the sport who agreed with his stance.

History of Rule Changes in Competitive Judo

Since its creation Judo has experienced several rule changes.

The founder of the Sport Kano Jigoro created the foundations of judo based on the key principles of maximum efficiency, mutual welfare, and personal development.

The rules in the competitive arena were to reflect this. With the modernisation of the sport the rules were changed accordingly.

For example, up until 2010 leg grabs were permitted and viewed as a standard defence and offensive technique.

Other modernisation rule changes included the ban on Tobi Juji Gatatame (flying arm lock) and the Reverse Seoi Nage which was banned in 2021. These were in line with the IJF’s stance to put safety first during contests.

Similar changes were made to the points scoring system over the years. While the ippon has remained the same, smaller scores such as the Koka and Yuko were abandoned in favour of the Waza-ari.

For a brief for period, two Waza-ari scores were not enough to end the contest. A player could have as many of these scores on the board, but only an ippon could finish the fight.

This meant that matches were longer and went into golden score (extra time). It was then changed back to two Waza-ari scores finishing the fight.

Potential New Rules and Fan Feedback

The current IGF board have announced that they are considering changing the rules ahead of the new Olympic qualification period beginning.

They have not specified to what rules they will be, but that they will be listening to the players and audiences.

Their aim is to update the judo rules to modernise the sport, and enhance its appeal to younger athletes. This has sparked conversations across social media and intrigue as to what rules will be changed again.

Many fans have commented under the post that they would like the leg grabs to return, and the head diving penalty to be changed.

The IJF stated that all rules that have been changed in the past and will change in the future have safety at the centre and then afterwards the ippon score.

The IJF appear to be considering the entertainment factor of the sport as they debate the possibility of these new rules. Could this be to do with other martial arts such as MMA gaining more traction and fans due to its entertainment value?

The Road Ahead: Modernizing Judo for the 2028 Olympics

Judo follows the ways of Japan where it originated, and with rule changes it is no different. The All-Japan Judo federation have announced that they will be allowing certain types of leg grabs in their upcoming competitions.

This decision has left the rest of the judo community across the world wondering if they will see a resurgence of leg grabs in all competitions on the IJF Tour.

This statement has posed many questions for coaches, fighters and referees. Will there be a new set of rules that the sport has yet to experience? Will some old school rules return?

This is all yet to be decided as of right now. As far as the IJF have announced there will be a period of overlap if there are any rule changes that come from this period for players to adjust.

Either way we hope see some exciting Judo in the upcoming cycle in the road to LA 2028!

What are your thoughts on how rule adjustments could modernize the sport and increase its appeal? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram!

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