Best Judo (Illustrated Japanese Classics)

By Isao Inokuma, Nobuyuki Sato, Nobuyoki Sato

Book Overview

This book is the joint effort of two of Japan's foremost judo instructors. Isao Inokuma and Nobuyuki Sato have also been world-class judo champions, and their advice and enthusiasm have helped train countless other judo practitioners. Among their students is the sensational Yasuhiro Yamashita, who captured the All-Japan Judo Championship nine times in a row from 1977 to 1985. Now, with Best Judo, their winning methods can be yours.

Best Judo can be used by beginners and veterans alike. It starts with the basic judo postures and salutations and shows you how to move on the mat, how to control your opponent, and how to be thrown safely. It then demonstrates the essential judo techniques: throwing, grappling, locking, choking, escaping, and sequence combinations.

Over 1,200 photos and easy-to-follow action sequences-many of them demonstrated by Yamashita present each movement clearly. Brief explanations emphasize important areas for study, caution, and concentration. There is also a section on training, full of ideas for building and vitalizing your body.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870117866
• ISBN13: 9780870117862
• Release Date: March 1987
• Publisher: Kodansha
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 10.1" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

Competitive Kodokan Judo

Top Japanese competitors and coaches took some of the most effective competition techniques and displayed them in details with some great tips. For example, in the book when speaking about the Harai Goshi (sweeping hip) they advise you to know that Harai Goshi is hard to execute since you need to get extremly good body contact in order to execute a throw. Guess what - when I kept that in mind in worked for me. When not - "I saw the lights on the ceiling".I like the section on ground techniques and combination techniques. I learned some nice escapes chokes this book.I usually take one technique, and study it in detail step by step. This book is perfect for that. Finally, there is nice fitness section, and great essays by he authors on fighting and winning in Judo.This book benefits Judokas, BJJ practitioners and other martial artists who may need to learn grappling and throws.

Great work on grappling with the Gi

This is probably the best Judo book on the market. Full of dynamic technique and loaded with good descriptions. This book breaks down all of the major throws of judo while also exploring judo's mat work. Having "Newaza" Sato on board really made this subject matter stand out tremendously. This book also contains a great section on combinations, and physical training. Any person who grapples with a gi should own this book.My only complaint is that the judoka demonstrating the techniques are both wearing white gis this can sometimes make it hard to distinguish what is going on unless you already have a practiced eye for the material. It is a small complaint to be sure.

This book will help anyone be their best in judo

I trained for several years, and spent most of them on a plateau. This book helped me smash through that glass ceiling (or whatever it was) that held me back. Now, I am flawlessly executing complex moves I never thought I would be able to use. What I got from this book was one flash of insight after another. My only regret is the time I wasted BEFORE I latched onto Inokuma's powerful words. I am forever indebted to the author. My son is showing an interest in Judo. This will be his text.

Written by the great minds in the game.

This book is ideal for the judoka regardless of his/her experience. The book focuses on showing the techniques with action photos rather than on long passages of text that would bore the reader. It also contains a handy section on physical conditioning for the judoka which is essential for maximizing progress in a very physically demanding sport. The essays, at the back of the book, about the authors and Yamashita's experiences in judo are most inspirational.

From the basics to the very advanced, Best Judo has it all.

When I wanted to be a Judoist two years ago, I was very impressed by the skills and and technique exhibited by the Judoists of my school. I badly wanted to be a good Judoist as I wanted to make my mark in the club. But the road ahead for me was very hard and frustrating. You see, having little or no experience whatsoever in the field or Judo or any martial art, I compared myself as weak and small with my seniors and the instructors in my club. Many times I wanted to give up, to quit Judo, saying that the sport was not suited for me, but deep down I knew that it was, and so I stayed on, trying very hard to perfect the techniques taught to me. I knew that if I trained hard, I would at last find the light at the end of my tunnel. To me, this light was the book, Best judo. I did not stumble on to it or find it by luck, I was searching for the BEST Judo instruction manual ever written and to day I still believe that the book entitled Best Judo was what I Had been searching for. This book to me was a godsend. It gave clear instruction in technique and skill. After being taught a new technique in Judo class, I would refer to Best Judo afterwards to refresh my memory on the throw and read up on the pointers and the things to look out for when making the throw. Night after night I studied the instruction manual and slowly but surely with practise I was improving, and boy was I improving! This year I was selected in the school Judo team and this was the bigest reward Best Judo hs ever given. To fight for the glory of my school in the arena of sports was indead a dream come true. Without Best Judo none of would have ever happened, and I am very grateful. So, if you are an avid Judoist or just a person learning Judo to keep fit, I urge you to buy the book. This will be the most rewarding investment "Judo-wise" you will ever make