A brief history of Judo.

 

Judo (柔道 jūdō), translated as "gentle way", was originally created in 1882 by Jigoro Kano (嘉納治五郎) as a physical, mental, and moral pedagogy in Japan. It is generally categorized as a modern martial art, which later evolved into a combat and Olympic sport. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or take down an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defenses are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata, 形) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori, 乱取り). A judo practitioner is called a judoka.

 

 

Judo:

 Primarily known for its spectacular throws and takedowns, is what separates Judo from other martial arts. Those who practice Judo must rely on the cooperation of their training partners in order to perfect the techniques. The one being thrown, often referred to as "Uke", offers little or no resistance as the thrower, also referred to as "Tori", executes their technique. The cooperation of both partners allows the one throwing to perfect their own attack. The entries are often referred to as "uchi komi". Once perfected, the technique is very difficult to fend off and will be practiced in live scenarios, called "randori". Standing is one aspect of Judo, as Judo matches are also fought on the ground. After one competitor is thrown, the match often continues on the ground, with both fighters working for a pin, or a submission by arm lock or choke. The ground techniques of Judo are very similar to those found in Brazilian Jiujitsu.

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Our Judo Instructors:

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 Head Judo Instructor-Quest Grappling Academy is honored to host Mr. Gregory D. West and his judo club, Recreational Judo Club of OK.

 Greg West began his studies of judo at the age of 13. He reached the rank of junior ikkyu as a member of the United States Judo Federation, under the late John Peters. He was a competitor in the early 1970s and medaled in state and regional competitions on the U.S. East Coast. A family move to a small island in Alaska ended his judo career for many years. At the age of 51, he came back into judo with his then 11 year-old son Alma, training under Mike Muender in 2010. He was promoted to the rank of Shodan as a member of the United States Judo Association in 2012. He is also a coach with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and he holds membership in the American Traditional Jujutsu Association. In 2015, he was promted to the rank of Nidan by the promotion board at the "Greatest Judo Camp" in Matthews, North Carolina.

 

 In 2013, Greg founded Recreational Judo of OK (RJO) at Sellers Recreation Center in Oklahoma City. The club moved to 12th Avenue Recreational Center in Norman, OK shortly thereafter in June of 2019 RJO moved to a commercial location at Quest Grappling Academy of Norman and continues to grow. The club trains traditional Kodokan judo and practices under Freestyle Judo rules. RJO is affiliated with the AAU and it is a chartered club with the USJA. The club offers training for ages as early as 8 years of age.

 

 Sensei Greg West is married, has five children and 11 grandchildren. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served as a cryptologic-linguist and a member of the "Red Force". He is an author of five books, has taught French at Broadwater Academy in Virginia and English at Jackson Middle School in Oklahoma City, OK. He has earned his Master's degree in American History from American Military University.

 

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 Judo Instructor- Bonny Overly started training in Indiana with Branson Judo in November of 2014. She has received her Black Belt (Shodan) on June 2nd of 2018. She also has one year of Jeet Kune Do and Tang Soo Do training. She is a mother of three children who all actively train judo. Bonnie also works at the largest martial art supplier in the world, Century Martial Arts. Bonny is a great addition to our instructor roster at Quest Grappling Academy.