"Judo has given me so many things in my life, it taught me how to control my body, co-ordination, discipline, and how to push through and deal with things that I don't like to, but do because I have to do. It taught me leadership and how to follow. I believe that Judo has made me a better person, member of my community, and friend." - Coach Joseph Sapp

"Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defenses it refines your body and your soul and helps you make the spiritual essence of Judo a part of your very being. In this way you are able to perfect yourself and contribute something of value to the world. This is the final goal of Judo discipline.. - Dr. Jigoro Kano

The Two Principles of Judo
1st. ‘Whatever be the object, the best way of attaining it shall be the maximum or the highest efficient use of mental and physical energy directed to that aim.

2nd. ‘The harmony and progress of a body, consisting as it does of different individuals, however few or many the number of those individuals may be, can best be kept and attained by mutual aid and concession.’

The following is from the International Judo Federation's webpage on Judo culture.


Judo skills don't develop overnight ; it takes many years of hard work and dedication to become truly proficient in judo. Many international, world, and Olympic champions literally spend 10-20 years in training, starting from when they are children until the time they retire from competition in their 20s or 30s. Many others spend a lifetime perfecting their judo.
What audiences watch in high-level competition is developed, refined, and polished through daily rigorous training. For both competitors and non-competitors, it is in the daily life of the judo student that you can see the culture of judo, from its ornaments, the setting, and the organizational systems to its rituals, etiquette, manners, and ethics. Because judo has its own culture, it is not only an extremely popular international sport; it is also an educational and moral system of development.

In judo, it is just as important, if not more so, for students to learn and practice the rules, customs, and manners of judoka citizens of the world as it is to develop good sporting skills.