It's a Japanese word that can mean many things. For what we are dealing with, it means beginning, the beginning of a fight that goes far beyond what many people think.

READ our article about the relaunch of the judo season.

Hajime is the beginning of everything in a sport that is not a sport and, for us the profane, it is time to discover that behind this sport, inside and all around there is something else that breathes, moves, feeds, in a word, there is life.

Judo is a whole, more balanced than a philosophical current, more complete than an ideology. Judo is the fight between good and evil, it is the perfect balance between theory and reality. Everything begins and ends on the mat, this tatami that serves as a school of life to everyone who agrees to live according to a code.

Judo is the sum of all the qualities required to triumph in life, not from a material point of view, nor from a Western or bourgeois sensibility. No, this is a human journey where the person who complies with the rules grows morally at the same speed as his body. A healthy mind in a strong body.

Yes but now, for the body to be strong, it must be trained, hardened, accustomed to pain. This is in the image of life. Of course, the body is nothing, in any case nothing interesting, just a living matter without interest if it is not accompanied by a strong spirit.

Respect for oneself and the others. Have the courage to face the problems, to find the appropriate solutions. Showcase absolute courtesy without hypocrisy as a way of life. Keep your calmness in all circumstances. Make a vow of honesty and never compromise in the face of lies.

It is being humble and never believing yourself to be superior, it is showing the way by the example and never complaining but correcting and learning from your mistakes. It is a code of honor that is practiced at any age, which adapts to all. It is a state of mental rest in the midst of chaos, a weapon of mass destruction against absolute evil. It is s the lifeline against boredom and loneliness.

After comes the challenge, the fight against your equal. It is difficult, it is physical but also mental because all the senses are sharpened. It is spectacular and pretty, it is a poem of purity.

Judo is all of that and even more. The more we discover it, the more we become hooked. It is a creator of smiles, it is the definition of the respect of the difference, the integration and the quiet force, the individual strength in the service of a group.

It is the discipline that expresses the free will without disturbing. It is the supreme freedom, this stage where all are equal without amalgams, without grudges, without borders.This is Judo !

See also
Baku World Championships 2026
Lee and Tasoev Lead the Final Day of Individual Judo

10. Oct. 2026 / After seven days of individual competition, the final ...

Baku World Championships 2026
+100 kg: Tasoev’s Third Title

10. Oct. 2026 / On a day dominated by the unshakable Inal Tasoev, the ...

Baku World Championships 2026
+78 kg: At 19, Hyeonji Lee Has World Titles at All Levels

10. Oct. 2026 / With Olympic and world champions peppering the draw, ...

Baku World Championships 2026
Mixed Teams Preview: When Judo Becomes a Collective Force

10. Oct. 2026 / The individual competition is over in Baku.

Baku World Championships 2026
A Moment of Respect as the World Championships Responsibility Moves to Kazakhstan

10. Oct. 2026 / On the last day of individual competition in the National ...

Baku World Championships 2026
Highlights From the Men’s Preliminaries - Day 7

10. Oct. 2026 / There was so much great judo to enjoy on this last ...

Baku World Championships 2026
Highlights From the Women’s Preliminaries - Day 7

10. Oct. 2026 / The spectators inside the National Gymnastics Arena ...

Athlete Stories
Tato, Just Tato

10. Oct. 2026 / How many judoka can you name who have fought in six ...

Promotion
Habib Sissoko Awarded 8th Dan in Recognition of a Lifetime in Judo

10. Oct. 2026 / On the sidelines of the Baku 2026 World Judo Championships, ...

Baku World Championships 2026
History Made for UAE and a New World Champion for Georgia

09. Oct. 2026 / Baku’s National Gymnastics Arena provided the stage ...

Baku World Championships 2026
-100 kg: Sulamanidze is Overjoyed by His New World Title

09. Oct. 2026 / Despite seeding and form, there were numerous serious ...

Baku World Championships 2026
-78 kg: Unstoppable Lytvynenko Makes History for UAE

09. Oct. 2026 / Seeding, form and moments of magic convened in the ...

Baku World Championships 2026
Preview +78 kg: One Last Chance for Women’s World Gold

09. Oct. 2026 / Israel has already won a silver medal at -63 kg with ...

INTERVIEW EXPRESS
Shishime Ai (JPN)

08. Jun. 2018 / The next reigning world champion to be invited to answer ...

News
5 Key Takeaways from judo’s first Tokyo 2020 qualifier

06. Jun. 2018 / Highlights from Hohhot Grand Prix 2018

VIDEO
Judo for the World in Iran

07. Jun. 2018 / In April 2018, the International Judo Federation and ...

Meeting
JUDO: A Beneficial Cause

07. Jun. 2018 / 'Society should believe in sport as a beneficial cause ...