The interest trends in martial arts have the judo community willing to branch out and change.
Interest in bjj has far eclipsed those interested in judo as recent review of google trends revealed.
This may have lead to something unprecedented. For the first time ever there was newaza (ie ground game) presented during the Canadian Open National Judo Championships.
‘Judo is often known for its spectacular projections, but an important part of it is fighting on the ground (ne waza), which is often overlooked by beginners,’ said Nicolas Gill, CEO of Judo Canada. ‘Fighting on the ground is also physically easier than standing up. We’re hoping this event will encourage judokas to say competitive longer and to be more involved in their sport.
Andrzej Sadej, Sport Director for Judo Canada, added that it’s a new service offered to their members. ‘Many judokas enjoy the ground aspect of judo, but until recently, they didn’t have the option to practice only ne waza. Now they can, and we feel that ne waza is as spectacular as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which inspired this aspect of judo.’
source: boxscorenews
A reddit user was kind enough to sum up the rules:
Submission ends it. There are points for different things, I believe if you get to 20 you win. Two pins will get you there. Passing guard and taking the back are 5 points if I remember correctly. Starting position is on one knee.
