Dr Jigoro Kano created Junomichi (called today Judo) in order to enhance goodness in human beings.
He was fiercely against competitions in order to get medals (this type of competition is a distortion of Judo), which is can be explained from a neurological point of view.
“The competition to get a prize is supported by a group of people (school, organisation, country, etc). Therefore, there is a mental pressure which is fuelled by a feeling of guilt in case of failure. This failure creates fear and therefore overactivity in the brain to tense the muscle.
The body expresses the mind and always displays the truth of what is the person.
Ura expresses the real person and Omote is the external expression of this person.
Mental tensions create protections, a sort of shield.
The body is then rounded and bent over with tense arms and legs in order to create a protective shield.
If we educate the children with constant tension, we take away their chance of having a happy life. The imprint of this tension creates a life where the energy comes from fear and guilt.”
Age: 6 to 8 and 9 to 12 years old
General Abilities
The goal is to emphasise the lateralisation which could be starting to fade away at this age due to the urban life.
– Crawling, face down alone.
– Crawling face up alone and with a partner
– Moving forward and backwards on all fours.
– Rolling forward and backward
– Synchronised walk with a partner
How to receive the body on the ground also called UKEMI
Mae Ukemi: receive the body when moving forward
Yoko Ukemi: receive the body sideway
Ushiro Ukemi: receive the body backward
Ukemi alone and with a partner
Techniques to understand the principles of Junomichi