Judo is a grappling art founded by Dr. Jigoro Kano in the late 19th century and organized as an Olympic sport during the 20th. As with other forms of grappling, grip strength is vital to success in judo competition. It allows you to grab and hold your opponent's uniform and to maintain the chokes that can end a match in your favor. Different teams use different methods for building grip strength, but the strong judo traditions keep some practices common from group to group.
Pushups
You remember pushups from gym class. Although this common calisthenic exercise mostly works your chest, upper arms and core muscles, a small modification turns it into a forearm exercise that improves your grip strength. "Knuckle pushups" done on your balled fists force your forearms to stabilize you as you go through the motions of the pushup. This stabilization directly works the muscles in that area.
Gi Hanging
The iconic uniform worn in judo is called a "gi." You can hang your gi over a tree branch or bar, draped so that one sleeve falls on either side. If you grip the sleeves, one in each hand, then lift your feet, you will hang from the gi held up only by the strength of your forearms. For advanced drills, do pull ups from that position.
Sand Grasping
In an old-school variation of the modern stress ball, this drill works the forearms by adding resistance to the motion of closing your fist. Immerse your open hands to the wrists in a container of clean sand. Try to close your fist, compacting the sand within your grasp. Some traditional schools would do this with heated sand, or even hot ash, to simultaneously improve the judoka's tolerance for pain.
In Context Practice
Few things build up the muscles you need for competition like competing. Dozens of judo moves require a strong grip and work out your forearms while you are practicing them. A second benefit of building forearm muscles through practice is that you simultaneously improve your skill in the techniques you're practicing.
Field Work
Many daily tasks of 19th century Japan required forearm strength, such as hauling water, chopping wood and harvesting crops. For judokas of that era, building strength was a matter of going about daily life. Modern practitioners with a rustic streak can gain forearm strength by finding opportunities to do this work, or similar modern versions of it.
Modern Weight Training
Modern judo teams often use modern training methods to build forearm strength. These can range from grip exercises with free weights to squeezing stress balls to using specialized forearm grip equipment designed mostly for rock climbers and guitar players.
References
- Judo Training: Grip Fighting and Exercises -- How to Strengthen Your Grip
- "USJA Basic Judo Manual"; Phillip Porter; 1996
- "The Tao of Jeet Kun Do"; Bruce Lee; 1978
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