Unit 3 · Fair Start

Judo began in Tokyo, Japan. A teacher named Kano Jigoro started his school in 1882. He called the school the Kodokan.

In many judo schools, students bow when they step onto the mat. Two players bow to each other before a match. They bow again at the end.

In Japan, a bow is a common way to say hello and thank you. Judo schools kept this everyday sign of respect.

Before a sumo match, wrestlers stand in the ring. Many toss a handful of salt. This custom comes from Shinto, an old religion of Japan. In Shinto, salt stands for making a place clean.

A referee in a bright robe watches. He holds a wooden fan. The two wrestlers crouch and face each other. They choose the moment to start together. This start is called the tachiai.

Fencing is a sport with long, thin swords. It grew from sword schools in Europe. Fencing has been in every modern Olympics since 1896.

Before a bout, each fencer gives a salute. They salute the other fencer and the referee. The rule book of world fencing asks for it. A fencer who will not salute can be punished.

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. Today, a world group called United World Wrestling writes its rules.

Before a match, the two wrestlers meet in the middle. They shake hands. After the match, they shake hands again. Then they shake hands with the other coach too.

In the United States, school wrestlers shake hands too. The handshake says, we both agree to the rules.

Boxing matches are cut into parts called rounds. The Queensberry Rules of 1867 made each round three minutes long. A rest of one minute came between rounds.

A person called the timekeeper watches the clock. The timekeeper rings a bell. One ring starts the round. Another ring ends it. Everyone in the room can hear it.

Many PE teachers and referees use a whistle. Its sound is short and loud. It can be heard across a big room.

In 1884, a toolmaker named Joseph Hudson made a famous whistle in Birmingham, England. He called it the Acme Thunderer. Referees around the world used it.

Muay Thai comes from Thailand. Before a match, many fighters do the wai khru. Wai khru means paying respect to the teacher in Thai.

The fighter moves slowly around the ring while music plays. Each gym has its own way. People who watch can learn what it means. It belongs to the fighter and the gym.

Beni Hasan is a place in Egypt, near the Nile River. People carved tombs into the cliffs there about four thousand years ago.

Painters covered the tomb walls with pictures. One wall shows many pairs of wrestlers. Each pair is shown in a different pose.

These paintings are clues. They tell us people in Egypt wrestled long, long ago.

Long ago, people in Greece held games at a place called Olympia. These were the ancient Olympics. They were held every four years.

Greek writers said wrestling joined the games in 708 BCE. Boxing joined in 688 BCE. Artists painted these sports on clay pots. Many of those pots are in museums today.

Kano Jigoro started judo in 1882. He was also a school teacher. He wrote many talks and articles about judo.

He wrote about two big ideas. One means best use of energy. The other means helping each other so all do well. Judo schools still teach these ideas.

Because Kano wrote things down, we can read his own words today. Judo teachers in many countries still read them.

The International Olympic Committee keeps careful lists. They show which sports were in each Olympics. These lists are called records.

The records show that judo joined in 1964, in Tokyo. Women’s judo joined in 1992, in Barcelona. Taekwondo joined in 2000, in Sydney.

The Nihon Shoki is an old book of Japan. It was finished in the year 720. It tells a story about two strong men in a match.

Many people call this the first sumo match. But it is a legend. A legend is an old story that no one can prove. Historians keep legends and proof apart.

A museum is a place that keeps old things safe. People visit to look and learn.

In Tokyo, the big sumo hall has a Sumo Museum. It keeps old prints, belts and banners. The Kodokan in Tokyo has a judo museum too. It tells the story of Kano and his school.

Martial arts classes start the same way. First the body gets warm. Then everyone checks the space.

1. Ask a grown-up to stay near you.

2. Hold your arms out wide. Turn around slowly. Touch nothing? Then you have space.

3. March in place. Roll your shoulders. Count to twenty.

4. Open the Dojo. Watch the move first. Then try it slowly.

What helps: go slow. Slow is how everyone learns.

Stay safe: hands and feet go into the air, never at a person. Stop if something hurts. Tell a grown-up.

Kicking arts start each kick the same way. The knee comes up first. This is called the chamber.

1. Stand in your ready stance. Lift your arms a little for balance.

2. Lift one knee up in front, as high as your belly.

3. Hold it for two counts.

4. Put the foot down softly. Switch legs.

What helps: hold a wall or a chair with one hand. Many people start that way.

Stay safe: use a flat, dry floor.

The reverse punch is a key move in karate. It uses the hand on the side of the back foot.

1. Stand with one foot in front.

2. Hold both fists at your waist.

3. Push the back fist slowly forward, belly high, into the air.

4. Pull it back to your waist. Switch sides.

What helps: wrap your thumb outside your fist, not inside.

Stay safe: punch only the air. Never punch a person, a wall or a pet.

Judo students learn to fall before anything else. A safe fall is called ukemi.

1. Sit on a soft mat. A grown-up is next to you.

2. Tuck your chin. Look at your belt.

3. Roll back slowly onto your round back.

4. Slap the mat with both arms, palms down. Roll up to sitting.

What helps: keep your chin tucked. That keeps your head off the mat.

Stay safe: only on a soft mat or grass, with a grown-up. Never on a hard floor.