Judo: Techniques and Tactics by Jimmy Pedro

Jimmy Pedro’s Judo was a very early edition to my Judo library. I probably considered it a good read then, but the text is really best for beginners.  

The book contains sections that introduce the sport and history of Judo, including info like how the scoring works, referee calls and the size of the competition area. It’s all handy stuff if you’ve never be introduced to Judo before (some of that information will be dated, since there have been rule changes since the book was published).

The technique section focuses on a few basic throws like O Soto Gari, O Goshi and Seoi Nage. There are some combination and counter techniques, but most of the information was very basic. A few of the counter-throws and combinations are worth looking at a second time.  The techniques are presented in black-and-white photos with text. It’s not the best presentation as more modern texts will use more photos in the action sequence and usually be in color.

There is one technique that I really like and that is using the British Strangle to counter a knee-drop Seoi Nage. For those interested, the counter involves rolling over the back of the failed thrower into a variation of the Hadaka Jime or Hell Strangle. It’s a real nifty little counter and it’s really the best technique of the book.

I also like that a lot of the grappling techniques are presented from a Judo-centric perspective. The growth of Brazilian Juijitsu means most of your grappling instructionals are going to demo sankakyu (triangle choke) and Jujigatame (armbar) from the guard, but Pedro shows the triangle as a way to attack the turtle and the armbar as a top-position attack. He also shows arm locks like wakigatame as a turtle attack and the uncommonly-seen-outside-Judo ude gatame. I like these demonstrations because I’m a big fan of versatility.  

Some of the other material includes an introduction to ukemi (falling) and some conditioning. It’s not terribly instructive, because each segment is presented with just two or three pictures and a bit of text. If you’ve never done a lot of falling training or Judo conditioning, you might see something in here that is new, but otherwise this is all standard business.

In the end, the book just feels like an introduction. I would only recommend it for beginners.