The Goals of Judo
Judo has many faces--as a sport, self defense, exercise and philosophy. As a result, there are many goals that one can harbor through the practice of Judo. The most important goal, however, is the development of oneself as a person. To develop one’s character through Judo means to learn many of the same values, morals, and ethics passed on to the student from the instructor.
These values can be summarized by the two mottos of Judo.
The first is
“Sei ryoku zen yo” - - to put our best efforts into everything; and
“Ji ta kyo ei” - - for the benefit of living with others harmoniously.
Judo teaches us to work as hard as we can, for the benefit of interpersonal relationships. These mottos can also be summarized by the last teachings of Jigoro Kano:
“Judo is the way to most efficiently use one’s mental and physical strength. By training, one should discipline and cultivate the body and spirit through the practice of techniques of offense and defense, thereby to master the essence of Judo. And, by these means, it is the ultimate goal of Judo to build oneself up to perfection and thereby benefit the world.”