Judo Quick Reference: Principles, Waza & the Gokyo

The companion reference to Kodokan Judo: An Instructor's Overview. Print it, keep it in your gym bag, and use it to check a term, find a throw's group, or decode a score without re-reading the full article.

The Two Principles

Seiryoku Zenyo: maximum efficiency, minimum effort. Use your energy where it works. In technique this means leverage and timing over muscle: a well-timed foot sweep topples a partner that a forced throw never will. Kano meant it as more than a mat rule. It applies to study, work, and how you spend effort generally. When something in your judo isn't working, the first question is never "how do I do it harder?" but "where is the wasted effort?"

Jita Kyoei: mutual welfare and benefit. Nobody progresses in judo alone. Every throw you practice requires a partner willing to be thrown, and every partner you throw has to be safe enough to train again tomorrow. That is why etiquette in judo is structural, not decorative: control your throws, release instantly on the tap, and look after the people whose bodies your progress depends on.