Judo is an Olympic sport with origins in the ancient combat techniques of Japanese samurai warriors. A martial art codified by Dr. Jigoro Kano in the 1880s, Judo involves physical, intellectual and moral education. One of the many Judo grappling techniques, shimewaza, involves taking your opponent down with a choke or strangulation hold. Because this move requires precise technique, it is often practiced during Judo training, but can lead to sore, bruised throats in practitioners – especially newbies.
About Shimewaza
Shimewaza has been an official part of Judo practice since 1882; it incorporates three basic methods. A choke hold may compress the carotid arteries of the neck, the windpipe or the chest and lungs. All cut off the flow of blood or oxygen to the brain and lungs – usually causing the recipient to go unconscious. Technically, choking refers to the blockage of the windpipe, but in most Judo classes the term is used to describe any of these techniques of shimewaza. The Olympic rules define choke holds as any “legitimate” judo hold in which an opponent’s neck is encircled with an arm, the legs or the hands.
Choke Training
Judo participants learn proper choking techniques from certified instructors who know the anatomy of the neck, are aware of the physiology and amount of pressure necessary, can recognize when pressure should be released and how to resuscitate anyone who does become unconscious as a result of a choke. Judo participants receive chokes during practices, often repetitively, which can lead to throat soreness. Although choke holds leave the potential for injury, serious incidences are rarely reported.
Avoiding Soreness
During Judo training, you should be taught how to give and receive choke holds to minimize your and your opponent’s discomfort. When taught properly, choke holds are only temporarily incapacitating and not painful. Submitting when under a choke hold helps prevent throat soreness, but this takes practice. If you resist too much, you may experience soreness in your throat for several days. Part of your Judo education is learning to determine when defeat is inevitable and that further resistance can result in pain or unconsciousness. The person applying the choke hold must also recognize when you have submitted and release immediately. Failure to do so could cause you to experience a sore throat.
Considerations
Choke-hold practice should not be done with children younger than 13, as their physiology is different. Chokes performed from the ground are safer, because when you submit, you have less distance to fall, and injury to the throat or other parts of the body is unlikely. Although choke holds sound like a dangerous activity, no reported deaths or long-term injuries from this Judo practice have been reported. A December 1991 issue of the “Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness” included a study that concluded no evidence suggests choking causes permanent damage to the central nervous system of Judo practitioners. A December 1998 issue of the “Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences” confirmed that Judo participants show no brain function impairment when compared to normal subjects.
References
- Olympic.org: Judo Equipment and History
- JudoInfo.com: Principles of Judo Choking Techniques
- Italian Journal of Neurological Science: Long-term Effects of Boxing and Judo-Choking Techniques on Brain Function.
- Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness: Judo and Choking: EEG and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Findings.
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