You Must be JUDO-King!

Hot on the heels of growing debate of ‘mickey mouse’ degrees, Anglia Ruskin University is developing the UK’s first degree in Judo.

Eager Judokas will be able to take a 5-year course in the Judo – which means ‘the way of gentleness’ in Japanese.

The defensive martial art was invented by a Japanese polymath, who failed at learning Ju-jitsu and suffered at the hands of school bullies, in the late 19th Century.

Students will be able to study the art to foundation or degree level, earning Bachelor of Science post-noms (BSc).

The course includes the teaching of exotic-sounding disabling throws and holds such as Tsubame Gaeshi or ‘the Swallow’s Flight reversal’ and Yama Arashi or ‘the Mountain Storm’.

Anglia Ruskin will also teach more serious aspects of the discipline such as physiology, biomechanics, psychology and coaching pedagogy, to provide students with ‘a rounded understanding of the demanding sport’ beyond simply throwing other human beings to the floor.

Anglia Ruskin are bringing in Judo experts from all over the globe to set up the course, including Italian two-time Olympic medallist Emanuela Pierantozzi and the British Judo Association’s Technical Advisor Dr Andrew Moshanov.

The course director, Bob Challis, coaches the Army Judo team and already has experience lecturing in Sports Coaching and Physical Education studies.

Challis’ vision is to have a team of 30 or 40 international judo experts visit ARU this summer to help him finalise the format of the course.

ARU beat bids from Hungarian and Italian Universities to host such a world-leading program.

The University has already invested £20,000 in specialist judo equipment including 200 training mats and niche teaching books and DVDs.

ARU Judokas will have the same privileges as other ARU students, including access to all University libraries, resources, student union and student support services.

The University will pool resources with local Comberton Village College – a centre for sixth-form studies – which has scheduled the construction of a full martial arts training centre, or Dojo, beginning in 2011.