Strength and Conditioning for Judo John Amtmann,Edd,And Adam Cotton Montana Tech of the University of Montana,Butte,Montana

Keywords: judo, grappling, strength, conditioning, interval training

Strength and Conditioning for Judo John Amtmann,EdD,and Adam Cotton Montana Tech of the University of Montana,Butte,Montana

should be aware of this, and should work have to fight in up to 6 or 7 matches in 1 summary closely with strength and conditioning tournament. The score of ippon can be coaches to develop an appropriate given to a judo competitor by one of the For elite judo athletes and recre- strength and conditioning program for following 4 ways: their athletes. ational judo athletes alike, sport- • Throwing an opponent onto his or specific strength and conditioning This article will discuss the literature her back with impetus. published on injuries most common to • Holding an opponent down on his is essential in the prevention of in- grappling athletes and will make recom- or her back for 25 seconds. mendations regarding strength and con- • Strangling an opponent into submis- juries and for enhancing perfor- ditioning approaches to prevent injury sion. mance. This article offers sugges- and improve performance. We encourage • Joint-locking an opponent into sub- the athletes and coaches to keep an active mission. tions for judo athletes and coaches mind in analyzing what works best for them. The methods described in this arti- If a match is not won by ippon by the for the development of strength and cle are what have worked for our athletes, end of regulation time, then whomever conditioning programs specific to but may not be best for others. Combin- has accumulated the most fractional ing the effects of a properly designed and points during the match is declared the the requirements of their sport. executed strength and conditioning pro- winner. gram with quality coaching on the technical aspects of judo will improve perfor- Injuries udo, one of the most popular sports mance and help to prevent injury. Preventing injury in sports by training in the world, is an exciting grap- specific joints identified as frequently J pling sport similar to wrestling, but Rules of the Game injured is known as prehabilitation (4), unlike wrestling, the competitors wear Judo matches may last anywhere from 3 and identifying injuries incurred in spe- thick jackets called judogis or gis. The gi to 10 minutes depending on a variety of cific sports and developing programs to allows for different tactical approaches factors, but the regulation time for na- prevent them is a top priority of strength for the judo athlete when compared to tional and international matches is one and conditioning coaches. It is also the wrestling, and some say judo is more 5-minute period. A judo competitor can judo coach’s responsibility to be knowl- technically oriented as a result of this win a match by scoring an ippon (“full edgeable about the most common in- difference. Nonetheless, judo athletes point”). If an ippon is scored, then the juries in judo and about how the rely heavily on strength and condition- match is over. This is an important dis- strength and conditioning program will ing to ensure success. Every judo coach tinction to the judo athlete who may be of benefit to their athletes.

26 April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal Common injury sites in wrestling occur reported. Approximately 70% of the in- lines for effective strength training pro- at the knee, shoulder, ankle, head, elbow juries reported occurred during practice, grams for grappling athletes (5, 7, 9, 12, and neck (2, 6). Although neck injuries and upper-limb injuries were more com- 13, 15). These programs commonly em- are most frequent in football and hockey mon in judo when compared with the ploy exercises that enhance the strength of (1), the neck injuries in grappling sports other sports. The researchers also report- all major muscle groups combined with like wrestling and judo, although rela- ed that dislocations were relatively more lifts done in a ballistic manner. These lifts tively rare, are no less catastrophic (2, frequent in karate and judo (8). include the Olympic lifts and their sup- 3). Previous studies reporting on the plements (power clean, power snatch, sport of wrestling have documented a Athletes in grappling sports may suffer hang clean, hang snatch, and high pulls) wide range of injury rates, from 10 to injuries at many locations on the body. and other lifts using an explosive phase, 70%, depending on a variety of factors There is conflicting evidence regarding such as medicine ball throws, weighted including how injury is defined, the whether the rate of injury is higher in squat jumps, and weighted split jumps. population being studied, and whether a practice or competition, but the impli- tournament or a season was evaluated cations for coaches are clear: Neck training should be a special con- (10). sideration for all grappling athletes. • Create a strength-training program Judo athletes are encouraged to throw Pasque and Hewett (10) performed a that is comprehensive and balanced their opponents onto their backs with prospective study to evaluate injury pat- in nature. high force. Because of the nature of terns in a large population of 458 high- • Conduct hard randori (the technical grappling and combat sports, the judo school wrestlers during one season. term used to describe freestyle prac- athletes are sometimes at risk for cervical There were 219 injuries in 418 wrestlers tice in judo) sessions in the first half injury because body positions of the ath- followed throughout the season, for an of practice, or make sure the condi- letes can become quite contorted. Some- overall injury incidence of 52 injuries tioning level of the athletes is high times athletes being thrown risk cervical per 100 wrestlers per season. The most before conducting hard randori in spine injuries to avoid landing on their common injury sites were the shoulder the second half of practice. backs and conceding the score of ippon (24%) and the knee (17%). The re- • Focus on technical mastery in the (Figures 1 and 2). searchers noted that the majority of in- areas of throwing, falling, hold- juries occurred in practice (63%), al- downs, and arm-locks. Our strength-training program includes though the injury rate was higher in a balanced combination of neck exercis- match competitions. Sixty-eight percent Strength Training es for our judo athletes that includes a 4- of practice injuries occurred during hard Fleck and Kraemer (4) recommend per- way neck machine (Nautilus, Vancou- wrestling, 23% during drills, and 9% forming a needs analysis before develop- ver, WA), manual resistance exercises, during conditioning. Sixty-seven per- ing a strength and conditioning pro- and free-weight exercises. The exercise cent of all practice injuries occurred gram for an athlete of a particular sport. movements target the cervical muscula- during the last half of practice. Similar The analysis should include a considera- ture, and include neck flexion, neck ex- findings were seen in match competition of these questions: tension, and lateral flexion. Additional- tion, in which 42 and 36% of injuries ly, the upper trapezius and levator occurred in the second and third peri- • What muscle groups need to be scapulae play a role in cervical stabiliza- ods, respectively, versus only 22% in the trained? tion and are targeted with a scapular-ele- first period (10). Other researchers • What are the basic energy sources vation movement. Table 1 shows combi- noted higher injury rates during compe- that need to be trained? nations of neck exercises to improve tition (2). • What type of muscle actions should overall neck strength. The athletes be used in the sport? choose one of these cycles and can per- It is logical to think the injuries in judo • What are the primary sites of injury? form as few as 1 set of each exercise to ef- would be similar to those found in ficiently train the neck musculature. wrestling because judo is a jacketed form The primary sites of injury have already The strength and conditioning coach of wrestling. Finnish researchers (8) used been discussed and are related to the first must educate the athlete regarding the national insurance records to analyze the question; all major muscle groups should importance of strict form in and overall types of injuries sustained by athletes be included in the strength-training pro- balance of the neck exercises. If 2 sets are participating in soccer, ice hockey, vol- gram for the judo athlete because of the performed for the anterior cervical mus- leyball, basketball, judo, and karate over diverse nature of injuries in grappling culature, then 2 sets should be done for a 5-year period (1987–1991), and karate sports. A comprehensive literature review the posterior musculature. In some and judo had the highest rates of injury found numerous works offering guide- cases, where muscular imbalances have

April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 27 been identified, however, athletes may be required to work a particular muscle group or plane of motion more than another.

Another special consideration for the judo athlete is grip strength. In judo, if an athlete dominates the grip fighting, that athlete is usually in control of the match and has a higher chance of win- ning. Although there are tactical and strategic approaches to dominating the grips, overall grip strength does play a role. There are numerous exercises that focus on the grip, and the following list is only a partial list of what the judo athlete can use to improve grip strength and endurance:

• Wrist curls. • Reverse wrist curls. • Barbell curls with pronated grip. • Pronated or supinated barbell or dumbbell curls with a “thick” bar. • Farmer’s walk: using dumbbells, walk with the dumbbells for as long as the dumbbells can be held. If walking with dumbbells is not a pos- sibility, simply holding the dumbbells in a seated or standing position for a designated period of time is an effective grip strengthener. • Judogi pull-ups: perform pull-ups using an old gi or a towel hanging from the pull-up bar, instead of the bar. Also, just hanging from the gi or Figure 1. This throw,teguruma (“hand wheel”),is common in competitive judo.The de- towel in flexed-hang or straight-arm fender has 2 optinons,to tuck the head and roll thus conceding a score or position. post on the head to prevent a score and risk injury.Photo by Bob Willingham. • Wrist rollers.

What Energy Systems Need To Table 1 Be Trained? Combinations of Neck Exercises When considering the energy systems Cycle A Cycle B Cycle C used for a particular activity, it is essential to analyze the intensity and the du- Shoulder shrugs db Harness neck ext. Dead lifts ration of that effort. Experts agree that Neck flexion fw Lateral flexion mr (r) Isometric (flexors),60 s mr most activities require energy from Neck extension nh Lateral flexion mr (l) Isometric (extensors),60 s mr Shoulder shrugs db Neck flexion fw Shoulder shrugs db both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, but the percentage of adeno- Choose one cycle to perform,1–3 sets of each cycle,10–20 repetitions/exercise sine triphosphate (ATP) production from aerobic and anaerobic sources will Note:db = dumbbell,fw = free weight,nh = neck harness,ext = extension,mr = manual resistance,r = right,l = left. vary according to intensity and duration.

28 April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal Table 2 Contributions of Anaerobic and Aerobic Energy Systems

Time Anaerobic Aerobic (seconds) (%) (%)

0–30 s 80 20 0–60 s 70 30 0–120 s 60 40 0–240 s 40 60

Note:Data from Powers,S.,and E.Howley. Exercise Physiology:Theory and Applica- tion to Fitness and Performance.New York: McGraw Hill, 2001.

According to the general guidelines in Table 2, energy system involvement is directly dependent on the duration of the activity. However, there are inter- mittent periods where intensity changes according to the demands of the partic- Figure 2. The athelete in white has countered an uchimata (“inner thigh sweep”) with ular match in dynamic sports like judo. a ride and roll maneuver.In defense,the athlete in blue is posting his head, For example, at certain times the ath- attempting to prevent giving up a score.Photo by Bob Willingham. letes may be working at 100% of their maximum intensity, and at other times Table 3 a submaximal percentage, and this is Circuit Weight Training Session true for many sports. Most experts agree that during the 5 minutes of an average 1. One minute jumping rope 2. Leg extension 3. Leg curl judo match, both aerobic and anaerobic 4. Bent-knee sit-ups 5. Neck cycle 6. Overhead press energy systems are contributing varying 7. Lat pull down 8. Dumbbell bench press 9. Barbell curl percentages at various times. 10. Wrist curl 11. Farmer’s walk 12. Leg press For this session,upper-body exercises should have a performance goal of 12–15 rep- Pulkinnen (12) conducted a compre- etitions and lower-body exercises 12–20 repetitions.There should be little to no rest hensive review of the literature related to between the exercises. time–motion analysis of grappling sports and suggested a work to rest ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 for judo-specific interval There is no substitute for training in may be different than the session for a training. Likewise, Tabata and his asso- the actual sport. However, because of junior athlete preparing for a regional ciates (14) found that 7 to 8 sets of inter- their metabolic costs, CWT and IT can tournament with 3-minute matches. For val training with the same work to rest be effective in creating a metabolic an example of our basic CWT session, ratio had a profound effect on both aer- state similar to what develops in a judo see Table 3. The frequency and overall obic and anaerobic capacities. They used match in a safe manner while maintain- volume with which the CWT should be interval training for their national team ing strength (11, 14). This is especially used depends on a variety of factors, and speed skaters that involved 20 seconds important for those athletes who have the strength and conditioning coach of pedaling on a cycle ergometer at max- to meticulously manage total body should work closely with the judo coach imal levels followed by 10 seconds of weight. to monitor overall training and compe- submaximal work for 7 to 8 repetitions. tition volume in case acute program Armed with this information, we use The CWT should be developed in ac- variables need to be modified. Also, we circuit weight training (CWT) com- cordance with the length of the bout. encourage the coaches (and athletes) to bined with interval training (IT) as the For example, the CWT session for an modify this program and to experiment main components of our metabolic con- athlete preparing for an international with other variations to determine what ditioning program. event consisting of 5-minute matches best suits the needs of his or her athletes.

April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 29 Table 4 is to create the worst-case metabolic sce- Judo Speciﬁc Interval Training nario.

Round 1 60 s shadowing What Types of Muscle Actions? 30 s push-ups Concentric and eccentric muscle ac- 30 s pull-ups tions will be natural parts of all of the 60 s free squats movements within the metabolic con- 30 s heavy-bag lifts or double-leg lifts with partner ditioning phase. Isometric muscle ac- 30 s osotogari attacks tions are a significant aspect of most 30 s ouchigari attacks 30 s shrimping (with partner,in legs around-bottom) grappling sports and should be imple- Maximum of 60 s break between rounds. mented into the strength and conditioning program. For example, the Round 2 60 s shadowing strength and conditioning coach may 30 s hold of the peak position of the pull-up implement specific isometric variations 30 s half push-up (holding the midposition) of exercises. Variations may include the 60 s half squats half push-ups, v-ups, or holding of the 60 s ippon seoi nage peak contraction in the pull-up or 60 s ippon seoi nage into kouchi maki komi bicep curl. See Table 4 (round 2) for an example. The intensity of the CWT session can be Metabolic conditioning is a part of varied by several methods. We recom- grappling sports and is usually a natural Conclusion mend varying the order of the exercise to component within the drilling and ran- Unlike wrestling, judo can take differ- increase or decrease the overall intensity. dori parts of the practice session. ent forms for different people. Some For example, for the first 2 to 3 weeks, Pulkinnen (12) offers an example of the train in judo to learn self-defense, and the strength and conditioning coach various components within a judo ses- others train recreationally for fun or fit- may alternate upper-body and lower- sion: ness. There are those who train for so- body muscle groups with successive ex- cial reasons, and retired judo athletes ercises to gradually prepare the athlete • Warm-up: 10–15 minutes. who still enjoy coming to club workouts for more intense training as condition- • Conditioning: 30 minutes. just to have fun randori sessions with ing improves. As the season progresses, • Technique instruction and review: some of the younger members—those the intensity may be increased by work- 10–15 minutes. sessions are enjoyed by the younger ing all lower-body and all upper-body • Technique- or situation-specific members as well. With wrestling, how- muscle groups or by adding more multi- drills: 10–15 minutes ever, the average wrestling club member joint movements. To maximize efficien- • Randori: 30–45 minutes is young, male, and competition orient- cy of time, each circuit is separated by ed. Our club encourages willing and the interval-training method described More intense supplemental metabolic able members to compete. We believe above. conditioning, such as the CWT and that competition judo offers an oppor- JSIT, can be initiated to improve lactic tunity for personal growth unmatched Another method that can be used to acid tolerance, and Pulkinnen suggests by many other activities and sports. It is prepare the athlete for the metabolic en- 12 weeks to allow for this adaptation not a requirement, however. No profes- vironment specific to judo is judo-spe- (12), which can be used on days off of sionally run club would make competi- cific interval training (JSIT). By this, the CWT program. There are many tion a requirement, but to the members the authors are referring to a collection ways to manipulate this phase as the ath- that are competition oriented, strength of movements that are specific to com- lete’s conditioning and ability to with- and conditioning should be an impor- petition judo and can be performed stand lactic acid improves. For example, tant aspect of their overall training regi- with high intensity. For example, the during the first week of JSIT, the athlete men. athlete could begin with 1 minute of may require complete rest during the shadowing techniques (throws and 60-second break between rounds. In We work individually with the club takedowns), then proceed to timed seg- successive weeks, the athlete may begin members involved in competition, de- ments of exercises totaling 5 minutes. to shadow between rounds with increas- veloping strength and conditioning pro- This process can be continued for as ing intensity. Also, the coach may de- grams that work for them. Some of our many rounds as desired. See Table 4 for crease the break from 60 seconds to 50, members are students with light semes- an example. then to 40 seconds. Again, the purpose ter credit loads, and with these students,

30 April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal we have more flexibility to vary the over methods recommended within this arti- Canada: Pulkinetics. pp. 19–31, 69. all volume of work. cle have proven efficient and effective 13. Sanders, M. Strength and conditioning for the athletes that we have worked for submission ﬁghting. Strength Cond. Others, however, work full time or are with. ♦ J. 21:42–45. 1999. full-time students with heavy semester 14. Tabata, I., K. Nishimura, M. Kouzaki, and course requirements and limited References Y. Hirai, F. Ogita, M. Miyachi, and K. time to dedicate to judo or their 1. Biasca, N., S. Wirth, and Y. Tegner. The Yamamoto. Effects of moderate-inten- strength and conditioning program. In Avoidability of head and neck injuries sity endurance and high intensity in- these cases, the science of strength- in ice hockey: An historical review. Br. termittent training on anaerobic ca- ˙ training program development becomes J. Sports Med. 36:410–427. 2002. pacity and VO2max. Med. Sci. Sports more of an art. Nonetheless, all of our 2. Boden, B., W. Lin, M. Young, and F. Exerc. 28:1327–1330. 1996. members use some variation of the Mueller. Catastrophic injuries in 15. Takahashi, R. Power training for judo: CWT session described in Table 3 as wrestlers. Am. J. Sports Med. 30:791– Plyometric training with medicine part of their program to prepare for 795. 2002. balls. Strength Cond. J. 14:66–71. tournaments. 3. Chesterman, B. Judo. Broomall, PA: 1992. Mason Crest Publishers, 2003. p. 33. For the recreational judo athlete, we still 4. Fleck, S., and W. Kraemer. Designing recommend a supplemental strength Resistance Training Programs. Cham- and conditioning program. Staying in paign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1997. pp. shape to play judo, rather than playing 88–91. judo to stay in shape should be the gen- 5. Grisaffi, D. Ballarmine Prep’s strength eral rule, and we make ourselves avail- training program for wrestling. able to any of the recreational judo club Strength Cond. J. 18:54–58. 1996. members who request help in develop- 6. Jarret, G., J. Orwin, and R. Dick. In- ing a personal program. juries in collegiate wrestling. Am. J. Sports Med. 26:674–680. 1998. Judo is an excellent activity for chil- 7. Kraemer, W., J. Vescovi, and P. Dixon. Amtmann dren, and there is very little turnover of The physiological basis of wrestling: children in our club. For children, we Implications for conditioning pro- John Amtmann is a professor for the ap- try to incorporate strength and condi- grams. Strength Cond. J. 26:10–15. plied health science program at Mon- tioning in a fun manner during practice 2004. tana Tech, and is the strength and condi- sessions, and we encourage the kids to 8. Kujala, U., S. Taimela, I. Antti-Poika, tioning coordinator for the Montana regularly perform at home the basic S. Orava, R. Tuominen, and P. Mylly- Tech basketball teams. He is also the body-weight exercises that are done nen. Acute injuries in soccer, ice hock- judo coach for the Montana Tech Judo during practice. Supplemental strength ey, volleyball, basketball, judo, and Club. and conditioning sessions outside of karate: Analysis of national registry the judo practice sessions may be re- data. Br. Med. J. 311:1465–1469. quired for the more serious competi- 1995. tion judo athletes, but exposing the 9. Lansky, R. Wrestling and Olympic children to some basic exercises that style lifts: In-season maintenance of they may be using in the future, simply power and anaerobic endurance. for health and fitness purposes, is desir- Strength Cond. J. 21:21–27. 1999. able. 10. Pasque, C., T. Hewett. A prospective study of high school wrestling injuries. To enhance performance and, even more Am. J. Sports Med. 28:509–515. 2000. important, to prevent injury, expertise 11. Pichon, C., G. Hunter, M. Morris, R. in the technical aspects of judo should Bond, and J. Metz. Blood pressure and Cotton be combined with an effective strength heart rate response and metabolic cost and conditioning program. There are of circuit versus traditional weight Adam Cotton is an undergraduate stu- many different programs that could be training. J. Strength Cond. Res. dent in the Applied Health Science pro- used. We recommend including neck 10:153–156. 1996. gram at Montana Tech.He is an assistant to and grip training as components espe- 12. Pulkkinen, W. 2001. The Sport Science the strength and conditioning coordina- cially helpful to the judo athlete. The of Elite Judo Athletes. Guelph, Ontario, tors for the basketball and football teams.

April 2005 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 31