Judo, or "The Gentle Way", was created in Japan in the late 1800s by Jigoro Kano. Kano was a Jujutsu practitioner who began to develop his own system that emphasized the larger educational value of training in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from. He eliminated some of the traditional jujutsu techniques and changed training methods so that most of the moves could be done with full force to create a decisive victory without injury. In 1964 was introduced into the Olympic Games and is one of the most popular Martial Arts in the world today.

Judo at Yamasaki Academy Springfield focuses on sport judo–big throws, submission techniques, and pins. We regularly compete in local, regional and national tournaments. A number of our members have won national trophies and several have competed in international tournaments.  Competition is encouraged, but not required.

We welcome newcomers from all ages!  Our program is split between the 4-6 year olds and 7-13 year olds.  We provide beginners with training in the basics and progress students at a pace comfortable to them. As skill and endurance improve students are phased into advanced drills and live judo grappling. We recognize that different ages and different body types adjust at a different pace and work with each student to maximize their potential and ensure safety.