The 2010 IJF Rules and you.

Most of you will be aware that as of January 1st 2010, the new Judo rules of the IJF have come into effect. These rules will have a big effect on how Judo is played, even if you are not yet n the international stage. In this article I shall talk a little about the new rules and how they affect you as a Judo athlete and some of the strategies already becoming apparent to adjust to the changes.

Leg Grabs.

Attacking below the belt with the hands is out! Don’t do it or you will be penalised by Hansoku Make!
This is the most radical of the new rules (argueably) and will impact the way Judo matches are played in ways that we can only speculate on, time will tell how players gain maximum benefit from these rules. We also don’t know yet how strictly they will be policed by referees in the longer term or how far the rule will be bent before an infraction is called.

Leg grabs are not banned IF, and only if, it is a continuation of a prior valid attack. meaning if you were to say attack with Ko Uchi Gari and then transitioned immediately into a leg grab that “should” be fine. This does depend on the referees opinion of your first attack, it has to be intended to throw your opponent, it can not just be a trick to make the leg easy to grab.

You are also supposed to be able to leg grab as part of defending an attack, say grabbing the leg (or between the legs) if you are attacked with Ippon Seoi Nage.

The problem for Judo athletes and coaches…

The problem here is that this is all subjective by the referees. The IJF posted online a selection of video clips of leg grabs showing Penalty or no Penalty. What that proved is that it is not clear! It is going to take a long while for the situation to stabilise and a consistent interpretation of the new rule be established. Till then, beware!

My suggestion for now…

For now, you need to exclude leg grabs from your arsenal, the risks outweigh the benefits too much! Leg grabs are a lottery, even if done from a prior attack. And the penalty (disqualification) is too much of a risk to be a good idea. If it was a Shido penalty, then it would be different, but for now avoid leg grabs like the plague in competition, it simply is not worth the risk!

The Future…

The rules are very new, and have yet to be tested fully by athletes. The interpretation of the rules will change with time and this will affect how you as a Judo athlete play your game. The rules may not even make it for all we know; there is a lot of negative feeling towards them out there.

But assuming they survive (and I suspect they will make it through to 2012), the way our game is played will change. The IJF wants this rule to encourage a more stand-up Japanese style of fighting. And this may happen… maybe. But, my suspicion is that it will not have the effect the IJF seem to desire.

More than one high level coach has said that Kumi Kata will become more important, especially for those without the style of Judo that the IJF wants to see. So I suspect we shall see these players get even better at grip fighting and spend more time negating the stand-up style fighters ability to throw with grips, strength and movement.

Players and coaches will work on combinations that allow them to transition into leg grabs and of course ways of throwing that previously have used the hands might be done without the hands to get around this new rule.

You will see also more strategic play from players. Perhaps just for a short period of time, but I think you will see players attempting to get the other player to leg grab for the hansoku make. For example, if you were to keep your opponent bent over and then attacked with an Uchi Mata or O Uchi Gari. Then the next time you just “twitch” your hips. There would be a good chance that your opponent will react and defend by grabbing your leg… easy hansoku make for you!

This is a really negative style of play, but I expect to see it happen, especially in the early days. It will also open doors for your throws. If you develop this twitch, your opponents will become wary of defending with the hands, which in turn will open an opportunity to attack.

The result may be that we have even more static Judo rather than active Judo. More cautious fighters taking less risks, fewer attacks, more defensive postures and movement… maybe.

To be honest, we and the IJF just don’t know what the result of this rule change will be.
What I know, is that all the rule changes between 1987 and 2008 had very little effect on the fundamental structure of a Judo match. I mean in terms of duration, number of attacks, number of scores, etc etc. So I predict that this rule will have a equally small effect on the grand scheme of the sport. You, the Judo Athlete, will find a way to make what throws you have work, no matter the rules. The IJF may have either helped your Judo or hindered it, depending on your style. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction and what helps you today I would expect to hinder later.

Again, we just don’t know what the result of this rule change will be, too little research has been done. Too little testing has been done. I wrote an article on my JudoCoach.com blog comparing the Judo rule changes to the Rugby Union rule changes and I invite you to read it as it highlights how rushed this rule change has been and how compared to Rugby how little thought and process has been put into play by the IJF.

Summary:

Judo Athletes have a turbulent year or two ahead, especially with the changes to repechage system, the leg grab hansoku make will potentially have a devastating effect on the results you can achieve. A simple mistake (grabbing the leg) will get you disqualified and out of the tournament most likely. A pistol grip mistakenly taken will give you the chance to make up for it and win, but leg grab is going to ruin your day.

As referees settle into a consistent (or at least consistent-ish) interpretation of the rules, you will have the opportunity to use this rule strategically to gain advantage against your opponents. Be that earning to use your leg grabs within the restrictions imposed on you or by inciting a leg grab from your opponent for the easiest of wins. Or using the fear of being penalised in your opponent to attack for Ippon.

What is important is that in the short term you allow others to be the guinea pigs, let them get caught by the new rules.
This in ways means that the IJF will win, at least in the short term; smart players will stop leg grabbing for now. But my prediction is that by the end of 2010/2011 those fighting regularly will have a good feel for how the rule impacts the game and will be using leg garbs and the new rule to their advantage.

So stay tuned and keep an eye on how the referees in your events are applying this rule, compare that to international events and try and see where the trend is heading. Then work out how you will apply th new rules effect to your best advantage.

Lance

[UPDATE: Neil Adams has just written a blog post on the new rules also, see it here: http://naeffectivefighting.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/the-new-ijf-rules-out-of-hand/ ]