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
Pan-America
The PJC Has a New Secretary General

28. Apr. 2025 / Dr Antonio Castro has been a highly active member of ...

Continental Championships
Continental Championships Packed to Capacity

27. Apr. 2025 / April is always a highly anticipated month across the ...

Africa Judo Union
Egypt Dominates Day Three in Abidjan

27. Apr. 2025 / The second day of the African Senior Championships ...

Judo Union of Asia
Strong Finish for Uzbekistan, Bahrain, China and Korea

27. Apr. 2025 / As expected, on the final day of competition at the ...

European Judo Union
The Final Day of Individual Competition in Podgorica

26. Apr. 2025 / The third and final day of individual competition has ...

Gender Equality
I Will Do It!

26. Apr. 2025 / Under the leadership of its newly re-elected president, ...

Gender Equality
Judo Skipathon for Women's Empowerment

26. Apr. 2025 / From 21st March to 21st April 2025, judo clubs from ...

Africa Judo Union
First Day of the African Championships: Soumiya Iraoui Wins for the Fifth Time

26. Apr. 2025 / The first day of the 46th African Senior Championships ...

Judo Union of Asia
Japan Dominates Again but Uzbekistan and Korea Show Their Strength

26. Apr. 2025 / On the second day of the 2025 Asian Judo Championships ...

Interview
Panam is Ready!

25. Apr. 2025 / Carlos Zegarra Presser is the newly re-elected president ...

Interview
Chile Demonstrates Its Capacities

25. Apr. 2025 / Marcelo Simian is the President of the Chilean Judo ...

Interview
The Power of Unity

25. Apr. 2025 / Developing judo can be challenging.

European Judo Union
Big Names Win and Lose on Day 3 in Podgorica

25. Apr. 2025 / The third day of the European Championships launched ...

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 ...