Читать книгу Martial Arts Training in Japan. A Guide for Westerners онлайн

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I cannot recommend judo for middle-aged people who are not in excellent physical condition, or for senior citizens. The crashing break-falls typical of judo take their toll on the body over time, having a particular deleterious effect on knee joints. I have heard of judo classes for senior citizens but I have never seen one. Many wounded former judoka find their way into aikido, in which the fundamental principles of judo still apply but violence to the body is much less. Before arthroscopic surgery, retired judo players could be easily identified by three- and four-inch scars around their knees. However, if you do happen to meet a high-ranked middle-aged or elderly judoka on the mat, thank him or her ahead of time for the lesson he or she is about to teach you.

When I was training in jodo at the Fukuoka Budokan, the Olympics were being held in Korea. Several foreign judo clubs stopped there to warm up with the Fukuoka Budokan judo club before moving on to Seoul for the main events. The physical preparation for the technical teaching in a judo class is awe-inspiring. Some of the heavyweights in the budokan would hoist their partners on their backs and run up and down the steps in the bleachers, after which they would perform a hundred push-ups—with their partners still on their backs. Then came the wind sprints. And on and on.