Judo Training Methods (Tuttle Martial Arts) [Paperback]

Takahiko Ishikawa (Author), Donn F. Draeger (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Takahiko Ishikawa was twice the All-Japan judo champion and a judo instructor in the rigorous Tokyo Metropolitan Police training program. He was a pioneer in the field of progressive weight training methods as an adjunct to martial arts training.

Donn Draeger was an internationally recognized authority on the martial arts of Asia and the author of many books on the subject, including Tuttle's six-volume Practical Karate series and, as co-author, Tuttle's Judo: Formal Techniques, which has sold TK copies since it was issued in paperback in 1990. A pioneer Westerner in the practice of Japanese martial arts, he was the first non-Japanese to compete in the All-Japan High-Rank Holders' Judo Tournament at the Kodokan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (August 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804832102
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832106
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Nonsense Training, November 3, 1999

By 

Brian (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judo Training Methods (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

Judging by the one and five star reviews below me this is a "love it or hate it" kind of book. I love it, while admitting its drawbacks.

Originally written in 1962 by trainers from the Kodokan in Tokyo, its purpose was to catalog the traditional calisthenic exercises of judo and promote the then-radical use of modern western free weights. Part one is theory, part two is practice.

The books only flaw is its age. Looking at the pictures, one feels like Jerry Seinfeld when Lloyd Bridges decided to whip him into shape: "It's like a fitness museum!" Some exercises are pictured employing such unfashionable devices as rubber expanders and one-piece barbells of the sort that circus strongmen always use. Scrupulously up-to-date people will no doubt find some of it pretty funny, and the looks one would get at the gym when doing, say, reverse running on all fours would be funnier still.

Never the less, the book is packed solid with explanations and photos of hundreds of damn good exercises and lots of fairly good training information, all of it presented from a perspective of what is useful for judo. If supplemented by some common sense and maybe a book on gym safety it is quite valuable.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Academic Judo Work, November 5, 2001

By 

C. J. Hardman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judo Training Methods (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

I have found no other Judo or martial arts work that approaches the academic level of this one in scholarship and completeness. Draeger and Ishikawa have been VERY thorough in their assessment of HOW to train for Judo, offering for the first time a catagorized breakdown of training techniques into four areas: Preparatory, supplementary, compound, and auxiliary. Training is approached for the first time in English, as a scientific undertaking which like many other sports, is based upon and helped by the study of kinesiology (study of movement, body & muscle, etc.). The authors don't simply tell us, they give us the "why" of things. Helpful diagrams and quality sequence photographs help convey the ideas, though I wouldn't recommend this volume for someone who doesn't have the patience to read. Training methods utilizing partners, weights, belt, equipment, and gravity are detailed. Originally printed in 1962, This recent re-release paperback edition is affordable and a welcome return. Don't let the age of publication dissuade you from learning from this volume, it was revolutionary upon its oroginal release, and little approaching its depth has been published in the popular press since. There is another terrific judo book by Draeger & Inokuma which I hope Tuttle will consider rereleasing again soon, called "Weight Training for Championship Judo", which goes even deeper into advanced sports theory. Judo was Draeger's first martial art, and I was surprised years ago to discover how deep and ground breaking his research with Kodokan colleagues had been. Altogether a superb volume.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 11, 2002

By 

Antonio Bustillo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Judo Training Methods (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

An insightful look at the way Judo champions trained years ago. I enjoyed the book and I appreciate the information offered.

The book was first published during the early 1960's. Anyone with two cents of common sense will understand that is is unfair for us, nowadays, to criticize some of the methods used during that era. The weight training segment in the book, compared to todays standards, perhaps not cutting edge. Yet back then, it was obviously good enough for the likes of Judo Champions like Inokuma. Therefore, reading Draeger/Ishikawa's book provides another piece to puzzle and it will help us to analyze and understand the evolution of Judo training.
In particular, the 'Instructor Advice' and 'Student Advice' sections are worthwhile reading.

I recommend this book for a martial artist's library.

Antonio Bustillo