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The story of Masahiko Kimura, the greatest of the early champions of
competition judo... he won the All Japan tournament three times but his
forays into other forms of fighting, notable a bloody vale-tudo (anything
goes) prize fight in Brazil in 1959, angered the authorities at the Kodokan,
judo's ruling body... another earlier encounter in Brazil against Helio
gracie of the family which founded Brazilian jiujitsu, began a feud which
still persists half a century later.
How the dominanceof the Japanese over the growing international judo scene
was ended by the giant Dutchman, Anton Geesink, in a series of dramatic
encounters culminating in the openweight final of the Tokyo Olympics.
The grassroots club system... what makes people choose the sport... how they
behave... etiquette... the ordeal of gradings.
A passionate educationalist, Dr Kano said that judo was training for life.
Was he right?... judo as a way of building character... a means of chanelling
aggression.
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