Adding more throws / options is a move in the right direction, but the sport is still regressive in the shido play and also awarding ippons from throws that would normally result in back takes / non dominant positions as the result.
The sport originated from a martial art based on being able throw and control an opponent on the ground for self defense / attacking.
Is it as bad as Olympic taekwondo? No, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on a downward slope. Similar to taekwondo in the 80s / 90s
I think there's no way to truly stop shido play. The stakes are simply too high, and if you get rid of shidos, athletes and coaches will still try to kill the game in the name of victory.
I think the issue of the rolling ippons is overstated, although I do kinda wish we encouraged remaining in control as criteria... if only because it looks cooler and its easier to explain. But we want big throws, and requiring control like that will make big throws harder to come by.
Any rule system has fuckery, it’s not like BJJ has perfect rule sets that are flawless. Shidos are a necessary evil so to speak. We want big throws but at the cost of realistic positions.
I think there is a balance to hit in regards to forcing action, punishing stalling / bad positions, and getting big throws attempts, and throws
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u/Yamatsuki_Fusion sankyu Jun 08 '25
Not really. Have you been keeping up with the rules? We've been allowing a lot more things lately.