Hajime!

Book excerpt: Hajime! is the introduction to Superstar Judo’s guide to Throwing for Ippon. This should be read before any of the other books in the series. Author Danny Hicks, Fighting Films partner, gives a brief summary of Ippon – judo’s maximum score. He describes how the various qualities of the Ippon help make judo such a unique sport and the close working collaborations Fighting Films have developed alongside numerous Olympic and world champions. It’s these collaborations that have, over three decades, produced Fighting Films’ premium judo coaching videos. Originally released on VHS and DVD, these videos now form the basis to FF’s online coaching site – Superstar Judo. With tuition from more than 20 of judo’s greatest fighters, Superstar Judo has become the most innovative and specialised of all judo coaching video resources. Now, for the first time, all of the champions come together, as the story of every major competitive scoring throw is showcased. Throwing for Ippon contains 21 unique books, including 19 throws. Each book includes tuition from these champions, with beautiful photographic sequences to help illustrate the key technical points. The books start with traditional variations of the throw, before alternative methods of gripping, entry and execution are explored. As the books progress, so does the complexity of the throw. By the end of each book, throwing combinations are included as well as some extremely unusual variations. This guide is an essential for all judoka. Whether you just want to learn the basics of a throw or be inspired by numerous different techniques from the world’s best, Throwing for Ippon reveals the throws that are proven to work at the very highest level.