Randori

Randori is a Japanese martial arts term that translates loosely into English as “free sparring”.  Used in the context of Judo, the term refers to sparring matches in which players attempt to throw one another to the ground and/or submit each other.

The term also refers to the starting position.   You stand across from your partner and put your right hand on their left shoulder.  They do the same to you.  Then you put your left hand under their right elbow.

After the position is established, the level of effort can specified.  Perhaps the game is just light pushes and pulls but no actual take downs if the students are both beginners or are warming up.  It could be that practice calls for one student to only attack while the other defends.  Another obvious variant is for both students to go full bore and try and throw one another – with control, of course.

Today in kid’s class we worked (light) randori both from standing and from our knees.