Judoka are creatures of habit in pursuit of athletic excellence. When 700 plus judoka from over 150 nations gather in the same city with 14 individual world titles on the line (7 men, 7 women) and one new world mixed team title this summer, all corners of the world will be transfixed by an Olympic sport, a martial art and a self defence system that has its roots in the ancient samurai traditions.
A craft like no other, judo, instils its moral code in all of its practitioners, a set of values which empower judoka of all ages and levels through life’s ups and downs.
A judoka bows no less than three times before competing. The value and resonance of that is that it applies to the stars of the sport who will compete at the 2017 Suzuki World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary (28 August – 3 September) and the children who will be fixated watching them on the grandest stage of the IJF World Judo Tour.
One judoka in a white judo suit (judogi) and one in blue, will stand adjacent to each other on the edge of the mat waiting for the referee to signal for them to grace judo’s sacred battleground. As they receive last second instructions from their coaches, the athletes will have their own little matside routines such as slapping their face and thighs to ensure they are in the zone while others stand tall and absorb the moment for all its worth.
At this time it’s the mind that is working. Overworking. Some plot their method to victory and visualise it. An inferior judoka may be troubled with the task of finding a way to shut out a throwing machine they were drawn against. A champion right-handed judoka may be preoccupied by the nightmares a left-handed yet lesser judoka gives them. There may be a hint of trembling from a plucky underdog or a young gun.
Whatever occupies their minds, everything evaporates when the referee calls them onto the tatami. Whether they are the most celebrated of champions or a little-known, unranked newcomer from a country with a population in hundreds of thousands rather than millions, both judoka will perform a standing bow before stepping onto the tatami.
Then when they reach the centre of the mat and first put their eyes onto their opponent they bow once more before standing inches apart and showing mutual respect with a third and final bow before starting four minutes of artistic discord.
After observing the highest level of etiquette in the sporting world, which to judoka are fundamental aspects of the sport, a wise observer would come to the realisation that a judoka bows at every training session, in every contest, all over the world, during the entirety of the career.
Judo starts with a bow and ends with a bow. Founder of the Olympic sport, professor Dr. Jigoro Kano, refereed to judo as ‘the highest application of body and mind.’
The concepts of "Jita kyoei" (Mutual benefit) and "Seiryoku zenyo" (Maximum efficiency) are central to Jigoro Kano’s visualisation of judo being a vehicle to empower people and develop societies.
A bow shows respect for any opponent, no matter what the level of skill and illustrates a judoka’s appreciation and humility to another judoka who is allowing them to improve their skills against them.
The bow is formalised and set in stone in the IJF’s competition rules. Judo is synonymous as a martial art displaying the utmost respect and it is only right for such a traditional and worthy component – which is ingrained in all its practitioners - to be preserved in the present day at the elite level of the sport.
On the rare occasion where a judoka has not bowed correctly, for example, if the head and upper body are not lowered enough, then the referee will ask the judoka to repeat and perform correctly before they can compete or before they can leave the mat after a contest.
Judo’s moral code has eight values: courtesy, courage, friendship, honest, honour, modesty, respect and self-control.
If you watch an IJF World Judo Tour event then during the course of the competition you will not see one or two of the above values but all eight could be identified.
Judo’s annual supershow, the seven-day senior World Championships, will cast forward hundreds upon hundreds of upholders of the sport’s customs and they and their genius will shine in the prestige of this competition and its far-reaching presence which in 2017 will be louder and further than ever before.
Whether they are a fabled fighter from a favela, a Kosovo trailblazer who fought not for her own self-recognition but for that of her country or a hulking heavyweight, born in an overseas French region, who has no peers and no limits, they will command your attention and earn the respect of those previously uninitiated to the Japanese martial art.
In a world of hashtags, live streams and the mobile device being inseparable with its owner, judo, the unassuming art for all, has established itself as a leading sport in the Olympic movement, a television attraction, a social media hit and a vehicle to empower and develop societies.
This is with a level of diversity which its founder Jigoro Kano envisaged when he sent his leading students around the world to demonstrate and disseminate the sport. Judo’s diversity astonished audiences at Rio 2016 as a record 26 nations won medals on the tatami and its headliners delivered brilliance with more than a powdering of emotion – on the mat, in the stands and at home - and universal elation from all those who practice this wonderful sport and are proud to call themselves a judoka.
Judo’s captivating journey towards the mainstream will reach a crucial juncture in Budapest, Hungary when it’s modernised, spectator friendly rules mash with its ability to crack the code of social media virality to reach more consumers than ever before and create new fans.
The playing field is more level than ever [the IJF will financially support over 50 countries to take part in the Worlds] in a sport which – counting 196 member federations - is practiced almost everywhere, from the beaches of Havana, through the Mongolian countryside and on the eight floors of judo’s spiritual home of the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, Japan.
Clichés may be rolled out at will in some sports but the one that’s for sure in judo is that nothing is assured. You will not hear commentators utter redundant lines such as ‘anything can happen’ as – although this applies in judo perhaps more than anywhere else – those moments will be already unfolding before your eyes in scenes which you will struggle to find your own words for.
There has never been a better time to be a judo fan. Whether you are an aficionado who calls the local dojo home, or just wondering why there’s growing attention on the sport and it’s all-action athletes then you would be rewarded for your intrigue by watching the sport’s blue ribbon event on television or online.
Watch #JudoWorlds2017 live and free at www.ijf.org from Monday 28 August – Sunday 3 September.