Higher Judo: Groundwork Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Definitely my favorite judo book on groundwork. Some early chapters discuss theory & philosophy, much like a Gleeson judo book would. The bulk of the book is a very good & well-systematized discussion of groundwork tactics and principles. The tactical/situational presentation differs from many other judo books, which tend to present "catalogs" of techniques, maybe with 2-step (2-technique) combinations. Feldenkrais shows (showed) longer chains of techniques, more along the lines of what I've seen in some books on Brazilian Ju-Jitsu.
With the (very good) line drawings, he discusses tactics & principles in a way that suggests how the student can expand beyond the confines of what's within the book.
Doesn't have the beautiful photos like Kashiwazaki's "Fighting Judo" does, but this is a better organized/systematized book for students of groundwork than "F.J.," or the Masterclass books that address newaza. (Keep in mind that this book includes techs. that are now illegal in judo, so the M'class books, especially "Armlocks," have the advantage of relevance to modern competition.)


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Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais is best known for pioneering the somatic therapy that bears his name. Less well known is that he was also one of the earliest European practitioners of the martial art of judo and wrote a number of influential texts on the subject. Primary among these is Higher Judo, first published in 1952 and now reprinted with a new foreword that offers useful context and elaborates on Feldenkrais' comprehensive—and still timely—approach to the martial art and to the body.Judo was a natural choice for Feldenkrais's fascination with body/mind exploration and how to promote optimal functioning through awareness. In Higher Judo, he presents judo as the art of using all parts of the body to promote general health, and as part of the "basic culture of the body." He reveals judo's potential for creating a sense of rhythm of movement and improving mental and physical coordination. Higher Judo covers specific movements and positions—the astride position, the six o'clock approach, falling techniques—in both the text and the clear line drawings. Even more importantly, it shows how such groundwork can help practitioners develop their mental and physical awareness to their full potential.

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