the principles of judo (in a nutshell)

Judo literally means 'the gentle way'. The principles of judo are based on the theory of maximum efficiency with minimum effort (i.e. I am going to let this big thug provide all the effort which will allow me to knock him/her over whilst doing very little - and gosh won’t my friends be impressed, and then I will run very fast). In this they reflect the nature of Japanese society at the turn of the last century. Kano embodied these principles in his famous maxims.

The first maxim (and you can be guaranteed that you will be asked this in your first grading) is:

Ji Ta Kyo Ei
By improving one’s self, the whole community benefits.

And the second (learn it, because it may just appear in its place) is as follows:

Sei Ryoku Zen Yo
All unselfish intention is right.

Kano intended that these maxims extended beyond judo, to one’s involvement in life itself. Indeed the most basic judo technique requires the application of a number of his principles in order to be effective. As such, there are three sequential components of a Judo technique:

1. Kuzushi - breaking the opponent's balance
2. Tsukuri - moving into the position to execute the throw
3. Kake - executing the throw

This does not mean that the throw is done in three separate parts; rather it is one single, continuous movement. However, if a technique lacks any one of these, it will be inefficient and most probably ineffective. If a technique has the right balance of these principles in its application, then the throw will be applied effortlessly. It has been said that the feeling of achieving this is better than sex (similar, perhaps, to surfing that perfect wave), although you will probably not be asked if this is the case during a grading.