Why were leg locks taken out of Judo? The type I learn is competition Judo, and not the original type, so I guess that's why.
I was always told that it was because they caused too many injuries when they were allowed in competition. However, other arts use leglocks in competition just fine, so realistically I suspect it was simply one of those bizarre decisions that no-one really understands.
You are correct. Someone in Judo decided leglocks were too risky and removed them from the sport. In order to make Judo an Olympic sport, it has been watered down over many decades. Many effective techniques have been modified or eliminated, because someone deemed them unsafe, so they were done away with to prevent possible injury. You can still teach, practice and use these techniqes, just NOT in Judo competition.
Safety concerns. I mean they are still in the curriculum and still get practiced, drilled, and trained. However, it was a safety decision.
Why no leglocks in judo? Simple - because it hurts. Not so much the injury itself, but the status and reputation of the "gentle way" - olympic judo, as a safe sport, every time someone fractures, dis-locates or breaks a leg.
Why no leglocks in Judo? Same answer to the question: Why no chokes in Sambo? And: Why no wristlocks in Judo and Sambo? Interesting how two similar sports come up with different two different answers (to the first two questions).
Shoulder locks scare me more than leg locks after my first session...thought admittedly the damage was entirely my fault for being so reckless.
I think the reasoning is just that the risk of injury is high, and any injury you recieve to a knee, hip or ankle is going to be pretty serious and be more debilatating than an injured elbow or shoulder. I have no idea, however, whether or not this is a medically sound assessment on the part of whoever made the decision.
I once read somewhere that students were using leg locks to purposely injure their opponents in "practice matches" before an upcoming tourny. I could see why leg locks were removed since it is very easy to injure the person it is being performed on.
ummm this could get me panned but Im going for it, and don't get me wrong I love Judo to death and if I could do any other Martial art in the world it would probably be Sambo but am I the only who finds the too dangers to do chokes/leg locks argument a little dubious, it seems to me more likely it was a case of "these Japs/Russians are coming over and kicking our ass in our own sport, lets put an end to this deal". I mean I can't speak for Sambo but we all no a lot of stuff has been disappearing from judo in the last 15 years or so for all sorts of reasons (most of them ridiculous) but If I am not mistaken didn't the leg lock thing disappear decades ago (does anyone know exactly when they were banned in fact that would be interesting), that was probably a product of its time the reason they have never came back is probably more to do with the ridiculous stuff I mentioned, which is a real shame cos leg locks are great, fun and holy underrated fight stoppers. this is kind of off the wall and I don't even really think its true but has anyone just out of interested ever put out the notion that it was a cultural thing ? Japanese/Russian relations were pretty strained for much of the early 20th century, an interesting way of looking at it if unlikely in my opinion anyway. but whatever the reason I have my doubts it was simply a case of those techniques are to dangers.
then why no chokes in Sambo ? see what I mean this ridiculous age old answer is just full of holes, why are they done quite safely in MMA, BJJ, Sambo and there predecessor catch wrestling ? again another age old answer to when stuff is taken (at the protest of the majority) out of high level competition "there's nothing to say you can't do all the stuff in training" well for the majority of clubs that's just not the case, what happens at the top end which is what the rules are changed to influence inevitably has a trickle down effect on what skills the majority of people who do judo and will never compete (at least at top level) will pick up from the art, by this logic if I was during randori this week to perform a single leg take down into a knee bar id be well within my rights to ignore the raised eyebrows that would cause (to say the least), and again by that logic were does it end ? can I just run up and jab someone because its randori and not competition rules ?
The justification I always hear is that a choked guy can wake up and shoot you, a leglocked guy takes two more people to carry away. Remember, the Soviet government had a big hand in its development and it was originally a military art. I think it was just a way to russian-ify judo to make it more palatable at the time. It does tend to speed up groundwork though. You don't have people getting a death grip on your collars so much on the ground in sambo as in some other gi arts. It's a pretty meaningless ban anyway, as sambists almost universally train with chokes just like armlocks. They are allowed in MMA and freestyle and combat sambo, so they're definitely relevant for any sambo gym. Can judoka say the same thing of leglocks? Hell, BJJ guys shy away from leglocks too, and they're not even completely banned there.
so I was onto something maybe just a little bit with the cultural thing ? and again its not really your average Judoka, if you asked most people, Most young Judoka who grew up with MMA and into a world of martial arts that has what you could say a more complete understanding of the mechanics of fighting, not to say some people didn't have that hundreds of years ago but its definitely more common place now over the death touch deadly strike crap of the past, ultimately the future inheritors of the sport they'd probably think it was a good idea to train them, but of course they don't make such decisions. that's pretty much my hope for the future that these things will have an effect on the next few generations (something I think is inevitable really) who will become the decision makers and we might see allot of cool stuff come back into Judo.
Then why ban the straight footlock and double leg while allowing osoto gari, tai otoshi, and other leg-based throws to blow out ACLs, MCLs and PCLs all day? Because the first two are not theatrical, spectator and technique-elitist friendly while the second ones are.
I'm not sure in that case, but it seems to be a common thread. The epaulettes, weave, and colors of the kurtka were all changed exclusively to make it visibly distinct from the japanese judogi. I'd be surprised to find it didn't play a part in most other arbitrations.
Why the fixation with what something hasn't got? Surely there is plenty to learn anyway. If you are desperate though there are still plenty of old school guys that could help you out or maybe cross train in something else a little. Personally I can't stand leglocks, but thats probably because I don't train them enough. I remember the first time I ever got caught in one years ago, it was by a russian visiting our club. He was a veteran of Afghanistan, apparantly the russian govenment paid for soldiers to do a degree when they left the army and he was studying over here. He'd tried to start up a business in Moscow, had issues with the 'mafia,' and had a huge scar down his back to prove it. Very well read and cultured but tough as nails, you meet all kinds of interesting people through judo.
I think Ratty pretty much nailed it. Every Sambo practitioner I've met knows chokes well. I think the removal of chokes from the sport competition was purely so they could differentiate it from judo competition (so basically political). They have a new style of competition (I think it is called freestyle) where chokes are allowed.
Ermm guys, leg locks were banned in 1914. People only began to develop what would become SAMBO in the 1920's so I don't think you can blame this one onus judoka's naked terror of the russians wining everything Edit: To asnwer the question, Judo's ban on leg locks comes form the fact that it was historically practiced by manual labourers and clerks in Japan. If you got a leg broken you were out of work for weeks at that time and couldn't really get around whereas a broken elbow was a relatively mild injury that still allows you to function and work, alebit in a llimited capacity. People want to say that you can perform leg lcoks safely in BJJ and MMA so why not Judo? I'd say the pace of the game is substantially different and the risks are higher of an injury in Judo. The first student nationals I went to I saw three people get their arm's broken or injured. The pace is much faster on the ground, people aren't willing to hang around and slowly crank up the pressure, they slam the locks on as fast as possible. With things like heel hooks that would be a crippling injury waiting to happen, I mean is anyone seriously going to say they'd even be willing to take part in the sport if they saw three poeple get taken out of play by heel hoo0ks in one tourney? Those are potentially crippling injuries.
