Description
Where else are you allowed to strangle an opponent unconscious? It is a sport of balletic beauty and extraordinary violence.ÿBut while its aim is to inflict symbolic death, judo is a form of combat which also rigorously insists on the most formal courtesies.ÿ When Mark Law joined his local judo club he was able to observe at close quarters the sport practised at its highest level - finding himself face-to-face with world champions and Olympic medallists. His journey into judo took him to Osaka, Japan to see the World Championships and to Athens for the Olympics. He delved into the sport's history, exploring everything from its origins in 17th century Samurai culture, to its legendary proponents - past and present. The Pyjama Game is a fascinating account of this most enigmatic of sports. We are taken behind the scenes of the international tournament circuit, populated by some of the most fearsomely single-minded and self-denying competitors of all time -men and women who have arrived at the apex of a sport from thousands of local clubs all over the world. Through a series of colourful encounters we experience the irresistible drama of tournament judo as figures grapple, whirl and fly through the air or struggle for arm-locks and chokes; each contest culminating in that symbolic death. Funny, alarming and mesmerising, The Pyjama Game is one of the best sports books of recent years.… (more)
Library's review
'Anyone can follow a football match and make some plausible remark. But Judo? As Mark Law writes: 'It leaves most people uncomprehending and speechless. It is too fast, too subtle, too foreign.' Approaching his 50th birthday, Law decides to take up the sport and his initial interest becomes an obsession, then a book. The result is a fascinating journey in which he unravels this most opaque of sports with humour, verve and style. Part travelogue, part history, part chronicle of midlife discovery, The Pyjama Game is an illuminating exposition of an enigmatic and marginal sport'-James Corbett, Observer Sport Monthly
'The subtitle barely does this fantastic book justice. Beautifully written and no interest in the martial arts is required to find it absolutely riveting'-Independent
Contents
Acknowledgements
1 Hajime!
2 Beginner's luck
3 To walk the talk
4 The crucible
5 The incredible Dr. Kan
6 Beauty and the beast
7 How the West was won
8 War-When the fighting had to stop
9 The renegade
10 The end of supremacy
11 The club
12 Floored personalities
13 The Soviet menace
14 The Emperor
15 When the gods come down to earth
16 The arms race
17 The likely lad
18 Zen and the art of Uchimata maintenance
19 Hell on a very hot mat
20 The man from the land of the falling rain
21 How the women fought to fight
22 How to build a fighting machine
23 When judo goes into the cage
24 The little empress
25 Devid the Goliath and Inoue the prince
26 White collar worker
27 The tournament
28 What do you think of it so far, Dr. Kano?
Notes
Online information
Index