Judo

Advertise your judo club or judo coaching in this directory of judo in London for just £40 a year. Guaranteed position in top 3 for paid listings, plus a link to your website to boost your Google ranking.

The Budokwai     4 Gilsdon Road, London SW10 9SL  
Tel - 020 7370 1000
Judo classes

Advertise your judo club or judo coaching here for just £40 a year. Guaranteed position in top 3 for paid listings, plus a link to your website to boost your Google ranking.

Alexandra Park Judo Club   Rhodes Avenue, Muswell Hill N22

Willesden Judo Club   Willesden Sports Centre, Donnington Road  NW10 3SQ

Ealing Judo Club   ealingjudoclub (at) hotmail.com
An England Squad Performance club
Produces athletes at national and international level
West Acton Community Centre, Churchill Gardens, West Acton, London W3

Barnet Judo Club   Lyonsdowne Hall, Lyonsdown Road, Barnet EN5 1JB   Tel - 020 8441 5579

 Need a personal trainer in London to get you fighting fit for Judo? Click the link now!

What kind of fitness training is best for judo? You need to work on all aspects of fitness.

You need cardiovascular fitness for strong heart & lungs, and also for muscular endurance of legs (running is a great endurance-builder) and whole body (rowing machine interval training is hard to beat for full body endurance. Just see the Oxford/Cambridge boat race if you doubt the intensity of rowing!).

Muscular strength will give you the edge against a weaker opponent, although judo does not demand maximal muscular strength, so resistance exercises with moderate weight dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells will give you the strength necessary for optimal judo performance. No need for huge muscles, so keep the weight moderate and the repetitions in the 10-15 rep max range. Strong legs and glutes will give you the edge in Seoi nage (shoulder throw), as you need to begin that throw with bent knees.

Core strength is key - lower back and abs and glutes - as a strong core is a vital foundation of strength and stability in all aspects of judo. If your core is weak, you risk lower back injury and chronic lower back pain.

One aspect of strength is explosive strength - the ability to make a sudden move with power and control. Plyometric exercises will help boost explosive strength (such as burpees, side hops, leaping high in the air, and medicine ball slams).

Another aspect of judo fitness is proprioception (balance, co-ordination, agility, and general awareness of body position in time and space), and this can be enhanced with a range of balancing exercises with swissball, wobble board, and BOSU ball. Another exercise is to stand on one leg, with your eyes closed, and time how long you can maintain your balance.

And of course flexibility is crucial. If you're not flexible in all muscles, you will easily get injured in judo. Pay particular attention to flexibility of hamstrings and calves, as these are often the most stubborn muscles to stretch. Beware becoming too flexible, as you need to maintain stability at each joint, and if you're too flexible you will risk damaging your joints during explosive moves.

Feedback Please!

Let me know if you want your judo club or coach added to this London directory of judo venues on this page, and I'll add it.