International Judo Federation Prohibits Judo Athletes To Compete in BJJ & other Grappling Competitions
The IJF International Judo Federation has just sent an email to all its official schools worldwide with a warning: ranked Judo athletes may not participate in other grappling competitions.
The email comes from the Federation president with the attachment coming from the International Judo Federation.
Ranked Judo athletes such as Travis Stevens (Judo Olympian) or Leonardo Leite (Pan AM Judo Champion) have participated in major BJJ tournaments such as Copa Podio, Worlds or Jiu-Jitsu world expo. This would mean that with this rule, they may no longer do that.
Ther IJF has also developed a circuit of Judo Ne Waza tournaments which basically follow very similar rules as BJJ with a focus on ground fighting. This is the same principle that FILA (International Wresting Federation) did with Grappling and their ‘Gi Grappling’ (sic).
Over the years, the rules in sport Judo have been changed again and again. The IJF’s rationale for every change they do is to make Judo more spectator friendly therefore easier to market. However, any smart person can easily see that the changes in rules just kept making Judo more and more unfriendly to BJJ and wrestling athletes who join Judo competitions. One of the last changes they did was making it illegal to grab the pants or the legs and warranting an immediate disqualification. This automatically set aside original judo moves like morote-gari (double leg take down), kuchiki daoshi and kibisu gaeshi (ankle pick and cross ankle pick), sukuinage (scooping throw). These were legitimate moves and more importantly, they ARE Judo moves despite what the IJF says.
It seems that the IJF are disturbed by the fact that BJJ athletes and wrestlers perform well and beat some world class Judo athletes.
The IJF is taking Judo to a different direction, not the one that Sensei Jigoro Kano intended it to be.
Every year, Jiu-Jitsu evolves with new innovations in techniques. In Judo, every year there are new rules prohibiting grips, grabs and Judokas can do less and less because of the rules imposed by the IJF.
if you do Judo and BJJ, you shouldn’t feel the need to participate in that age old argument on which is better. Judo and BJJ are two sides of the same coin, yin and yang.
The IJF International Judo Federation has just sent an email to all its official schools worldwide with a warning: ranked Judo athletes may not participate in other grappling competitions.
The email comes from the Federation president with the attachment coming from the International Judo Federation.
Ranked Judo athletes such as Travis Stevens (Judo Olympian) or Leonardo Leite (Pan AM Judo Champion) have participated in major BJJ tournaments such as Copa Podio, Worlds or Jiu-Jitsu world expo. This would mean that with this rule, they may no longer do that.
Ther IJF has also developed a circuit of Judo Ne Waza tournaments which basically follow very similar rules as BJJ with a focus on ground fighting. This is the same principle that FILA (International Wresting Federation) did with Grappling and their ‘Gi Grappling’ (sic).
Over the years, the rules in sport Judo have been changed again and again. The IJF’s rationale for every change they do is to make Judo more spectator friendly therefore easier to market. However, any smart person can easily see that the changes in rules just kept making Judo more and more unfriendly to BJJ and wrestling athletes who join Judo competitions. One of the last changes they did was making it illegal to grab the pants or the legs and warranting an immediate disqualification. This automatically set aside original judo moves like morote-gari (double leg take down), kuchiki daoshi and kibisu gaeshi (ankle pick and cross ankle pick), sukuinage (scooping throw). These were legitimate moves and more importantly, they ARE Judo moves despite what the IJF says.
It seems that the IJF are disturbed by the fact that BJJ athletes and wrestlers perform well and beat some world class Judo athletes.
The IJF is taking Judo to a different direction, not the one that Sensei Jigoro Kano intended it to be.
Every year, Jiu-Jitsu evolves with new innovations in techniques. In Judo, every year there are new rules prohibiting grips, grabs and Judokas can do less and less because of the rules imposed by the IJF.
if you do Judo and BJJ, you shouldn’t feel the need to participate in that age old argument on which is better. Judo and BJJ are two sides of the same coin, yin and yang.
- Sylvain Galibert · Top CommenterThis is an outrage! The IJF does not own the athletes who compete in Judo.
- Danielle Wilson · Works at Indie Acting StudioIve been trying BJJ for as long as I have been training Judo. No one owns me. And I am not sponsored by anyone. I will compete when and where I want. Honesty with all of the rule changes in Judo, I'd rather compete in BJJ tournaments anyway.
- Daniel Waluyo Sejati · Universitas MulawarmanHahhaa looks like the IJF had turned into worldwide mcdojo
- Dennis HayesI think its great and I hope its true. The IJF has been more worried about the spectators than the participants for years, this is just another showing of that. Well, when all the participants walk away, who's gonna spectate then?
- Dennis HayesLet them keep it up. They'll have no one to blame but themselves when everyone is gone
- Sylvain Galibert · Top CommenterAs a Judoka, I don't want athletes to go away from Judo, I want more people to learn Judo and improve themselves through Judo. So I want a strong healthy federation that promotes Judo and judo value, and doesn't overstep it's boundaries. Contest rules? Their call.
Deciding what sports Judokas can or can not engage in on their own free time? Who the fuck do they think they are? - Michael Brown · Top Commenter · Software Engineer at Lockheed MartinSylvain Galibert Who do they think they are Sylvain? They are exactly who we as Judoka allowed them to be. First it was hansukemake if you initiated an attack invovling gripping below the belt...we said...OK....then they outlawed below the belt grips entirely....we said...OK...now we cannot touch the pants until uke's legs are both on the ground and they are on their backs...(because of course no one uses their legs to attack and defend while fighting from their back)...and techniques like the omaplata are no longer in play...because they attack the shoulder...never mind that is exactly what the Kimura does in practice and everyone knows it. The only thing that can save Judo now is Free Style Judo or people like Travis telling the IJF to go screw themselves.
- Sylvain Galibert · Top CommenterMichael Brown They are in charge of establishing the rules for Judo contests. I hate the fact that you can be disqualified for touching your opponent's pants, but I recognize that contest rules are for them to decide. They put up the events, and they have to set the rules and we have to respect that fact.
Trying to dictate what athletes do in their spare time and forbidding them to take part in other sports outside of Judo is where they are crossing the line.
- Christopher Davies · Sir Bernard Lovell SchoolIt's not only Judo that has this sort of nonsense, other sports try this as well. Most practitioners realise this is nothing more than control measures and not about widening participation. NGB's and government sports/funding bodies are porobably complicit with these types of measures so they can justify themselves and their funding programmes.
- James Lloyd · Senior Nuclear Quality Engineer at Urenco GroupTechnically the IJF doesn't have individual "schools", it is the International Governing Body and so it only dictates rules etc to International competitors and the various NGBs, such as USA Judo, BUT ... I'm curious how this will filter down into the NGBs. This is a bad move, very bad move on the part of the IJF.
- Joshua McDonald · San Francisco State UniversityJudo athletes can no longer compete in marathons, dance competitions or hot dog eating competitions, also thy shall not covet ones wife's 2 days before the sabath .. prohibited by IJF
- Bill Hosken · Colorado Springs, ColoradoThey are killing there sport by doing this !
They are shooting themselves in the foot !
I know ranked judo competitors that will quit because of this .Reply · · 18 minutes ago - Rodrigo Cabanillas · Top Commenter · Instituto Tecnológico de SonoraIJF thinking like its the UFC, this is outrageous
- Sylvain Galibert · Top CommenterThe UFC pays its fighters. They have contracts and athletes are compensated. Further, the UFC does not automatically forbid its fighters to compete in non MMA events. We have had several UFC fighters entering BJJ competitions such as Metamoris.
Are Judokas employees of the IJF? Nope.
