There has been much speculation regarding rule changes, and unfortunately that’s all we can continue to do until next month when the official new rules are released by the International Judo Federation. After already a great deal of deliberation, national federations, coaching commissions and unions were invited to give their opinions and suggestions for potential alterations.
Following the announcement from the All Japan Judo Federation, in collaboration with the Kodokan, that they would be allowing leg grab techniques in the All Japan Judo Championships, the rumour mill has been turning at an extreme speed and of course it has become one of the most talked about potential changes.
Speaking with a member of the EJU Coaches Commission and Head Coach for the Italian Women’s Judo Team, Francesco BRUYERE, we were keen to hear the opinions and suggestions that had been passed forward.
For me, bringing back the techniques grabbing the legs would be too much. We took the decision many years ago to change our sport, to differentiate from others like wrestling, similar to us in the Olympic Games. I mean, I love these techniques, these huge leg grabs, but in recent years I saw a good sport without them.
It hasn’t been such an easy transition however, and there were growing pains as with most changes, but it must be noted that rules are continuously under observation and judgement for the betterment of the sport. Bruyere discussed the initial removal of the leg grabs,
When we started, they gave hansoku make for touching the leg, this was too much, then grabbing the leg was given a shido, a little better, and now if I touch the skirt, under the belt, a shido. Imagine a huge action, ippon, and then removed because they touched the skirt, I think it’s too much, so now we have to find another way. We now have a lot of information to go in a good direction, for me I think you can touch the leg or below the belt accidentally but not grab the leg to throw. My personal opinion is that grabbing the jacket under the belt is okay, but not the leg.
As young judoka are not versed in using such techniques, many juniors having never practiced, Bruyere decided to let his players try,
In my club I tried to see how they would manage with leg grabs and immediately the young guys, they were scared! They don’t know what to do! Immediately they are low with the body and tried only to grab the legs because it is simple, more instinctive, than to apply a standing technique. They were bent over and it wasn’t good.
So together, the EJU Coaches Commission, headed by Shany HERSHKO and includes; Driton KUKA, Christophe MASSINA, Yvonne SNIR-BÖNISCH, Pedro SOARES, Chiel WILLEMS and Jamie JOHNSON, sent proposals, like national federations, to the IJF.
We are also not completely agreeing with the head diving, yes if it is direct, but there are cases where head is brushing the tatami, and these are professional athletes, so we don’t believe in these cases it is dangerous. Sometimes, we talk about it being ‘against the show’, so we see a big action, and then the side of the head brushes the tatami and it is a disqualification. Judo is a dynamic sport, so analysing still frames I think is also not the best way, any story can be told from a still picture. So we are in agreement about this, the leg grabbing, and there is also the topic of a lot of shidos.
In the beginning of matches, they are given shidos very quickly, but in this time, the opponents are studying one another, to get a grip in the right way, but instead they are both given a shido, for me it is too quick. Perhaps, it is better to invite the athletes like a warning and only then if it continues, shido-shido. It is not a simple sport, and many of my friends watched judo during the Olympic Games and asked me ‘what is going on? why so many shidos? I don’t understand who won.’ I don’t think it is good for our sport, and our show.
For me, I don’t think there should be any big changes. My brother is also a coach, he told me if they reintroduced leg grabs, he’d have to restart his teaching, changing the point of view of the athletes. I’ma. little afraid for this. Whatever happens though, we have four years to try them and see how everything works.
I must say, I am really happy that the IJF Committee took the opinions of all the countries, it is very open minded and I love it. A lot of nations had similar ideas which is great and then they discuss them to see how it would work, I think it is a great idea, and then on the other side, Japan have one idea, France may have another and it is a good way to have this discussion. Only with the opinion of everybody can we find a good solution.
Now judo is a really big show, when I was fighting here in Rome 20 years ago, it never looked like this, now it is a show, and why is it like this? Because of new rules and technology, so of course we have to continue in this way.
Author: Thea Cowen