Zen Judo Continued

All judoka are deemed to have accepted the objectives of The Zen Judo Family.
These are:-

•To develop the spirit and practice of Zen Judo along traditional lines.

•To demonstrate that Zen Judo is beneficial both mentally and physically.

•To promote the skills and abilities of Zen Judo without the application of unnecessary force or strength.

•To promote friendship and co-operation between all members of the Zen Judo Family and affiliated groups and associations.

  1. Have No Falsehood in mind. Reluctance or deceit are not conducive to the inner harmony required by Judo Practice.
  2. Do Not Lose Self-Confidence. Learn to act wholeheartedly and without hesitation. Learn reverence toward the practice of Judo to keep your mind focused.
  3. Adjust Your Posture. The posture in Judo should be natural, so camouflage or affectation should be avoided. The essence of life is in truth. Nature is ever unchangeable because truth is omni present and if a person can find him/herself within, he/she will be able to act freely.
  4. Be Swift. The centre of gravity follows the movement of the body. The centre of gravity is the most important element in maintaining stability. If it is lost, the body is naturally unbalanced. Always fix your mind and keep your body in balance.
  5. Utilise Your Strength Infinitely. Use unshakable strength with the quickest movement of the body. Acknowledge that what is called stillness and motion, or tenderness and sturdiness is nothing but the endlessly repeated process where truth is.
  6. Don’t Discontinue Training. Mastery of Judo cannot be accomplished in a short time. Since skills depend on mental and physical applications, training should not be neglected.
  7. Culture Yourself. If you become self centred, you will build a wall around yourself and lose your freedom. If you can efface yourself in preparation for an event, you will surely be better able to judge and understand truth. In a match, you will be able to detect the weak point of your opponent and easily put him/her under your control.

After the sad death of Shihan McCarthy in 1995 it became difficult for the Zen Judo Family which he had started, to remain under one Sensei and there was a fragmentation of the original clubs. The main Zen Judo clubs in the U.K. formed themselves into two groups partially based on geographical region. Most of the original Zen Judo Family clubs from the South of England around the Petersfield area remained with The Zen Judo Family (ZJF) and the group of clubs which had their base in and around Nottingham broke away to form The British Zen Judo Family Association (BZJFA) in January 2000 under Shihan Andrew M. Millard 6th Dan Zen who had been the Zen Judo Family Technical Director and Custodian at the time.

The American Zen Judo Family had been set up in 1991 by Sensei H.B. Keo Cavalcanti 6th Dan Zen and later The Spanish Zen Judo Family came into being in 2001 under Sensei Batolome Canellas Cardona 4th Dan Zen. It should be pointed out that over the years a number of clubs have broken away from the main Zen Judo organisations and have gone it alone but still use and teach the Zen Judo syllabus.

Shihan Dominick ‘Mac’ McCarthy 8thDan(1918 -1995)Founded The Zen Judo Family in 1974 at Love Lane, Petersfield, England.

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