What Ippon means in Judo rules

In Judo, you may have heard of the term ‘Ippon’. This literally translates as ‘One point’ which is done in Judo to signify the end of a match. In other words, an Ippon is scored when someone wins via a number of possibilities. These possibilities include throwing someone directly on their back, tapping someone out, and pinning someone on the ground for 20 seconds or more.

There are other ways of winning a Judo match which is done by scoring points. However, the Ippon is seen as the most dominant and stylish way to win. Below we shall go into Ippon wins in more detail.

Ippon by throwing on to the back

In Judo, there are numerous throws but many of them won’t put the opponent flat on their back. For instance, a Kari Ashi footsweep may put someone to the ground, but this may put them on their shoulder. In this instance, an Ippon would not be awarded. You would still get points for performing this trip, and rightly so. However, it would not end in victory either.

Now, imagine you hit a clean Seoi Nage where the opponent clearly landed on their back. Here, you would be given an Ippon which would mean the match is over. As you can imagine, sometimes there’s an element of controversy when it comes to scoring Ippons.

For instance, a judge or referee may view one throw as an Ippon, whereas another may be more particular and believe someone’s not quite fully on their back. This means that there’s always a degree of interpretation when it comes to scoring an Ippon.

Typically, most throws won’t result in an Ippon which is understandable. The reason why putting someone flat on their back is rated so highly is also because it applies for self defense. In the early days of Judo, founder Jigaro Kano wanted it to be realistic, so this was seen as the ultimate pin.

Obviously, putting someone to the ground is one thing, but putting them on their back is seen as the best possible outcome. This is why it’s rewarded with an Ippon.

Ippon by submitting the opponent

In Judo, an Ippon can be scored by getting a submission. This is when the opponent physically or verbally taps out, which is symbolic of giving in. Usually, this means they’re either getting choked or their bones are threatening to break for someone to submit.

An example could be the Okuri Eri Jime which is called the Bow and Arrow choke in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This is performed on the back of the opponent and is done by grabbing their collar and cutting off their blood flow to the brain as a result of using the collar to create tension.

In doing this, the opponent will usually submit otherwise they will be choked unconscious. If they refuse to tap, then they may fall unconscious which is also an Ippon as their body has stopped functioning due to your submission hold.

Elsewhere, you could get the same result by using a Juji Gatame, which is another word for Armbar. Again, the opponent will either tap if they’re in pain or if they ignore this then their arm could possibly break. This again results in an Ippon, as it would mean the opponent could not continue and would need medical attention.

Like the throw to the back, these are awarded as an Ippon due to being so powerful. If someone’s arm were to get broken or they got choked unconscious in a fight then it would be over. Again, this ties into the original aspects of self defense that Judo follows.

Ippon by pinning the opponent for 20 seconds or more

In Judo, a lot of emphasis is given to pinning the opponent. This is called Osae Waza which translates to pin in English. With this in mind, certain aspects of the rules surrounding Judo pins are similar to those used in wrestling which is also a grappling-based martial art.

Anyway, if you manage to pin someone for 10 seconds then this will be awarded as a Waza Ari. The Waza Ari is a good way to score points and shows positional dominance on the ground. However, it still isn’t enough to win a match and if the opponent manages to escape the pin, then you will be reset back to standing.

However, if you manage to hold someone for 20 seconds or more then you will be awarded an Ippon. This is because it shows your opponent is fully constrained and shows real physical dominance.

Often, people on the bottom will try their very best to escape being pinned for 20 seconds, whereas the person on top will use all their knowledge and weight distribution to keep them down. It can also be combined with submissions which become easier when an opponent desperately tries to escape.

Other ways of winning a Judo match

As seen here, Judo has quite a lot of rules. In short, there’s a few other ways of winning a Judo match. The first is to win by getting a point which can be done by two Wari Aza. As these are seen as a half point each, combining them would score an Ippon. This means on two separate occasions you could get two separate 10 second pins to win.

The other way is if your opponent were to be thrown but you don’t score an Wari Aza. This is called a Yuko and is the smallest margin that you could win by. This means you could potentially win a match without doing a proper pin but you dominate with throws. Sadly, this was removed from IJF rules in 2017 which isn’t too surprising, seeing as Judo often goes through rule changes.

Another method of victory is by winning in the Golden Score round. This is a term used when the match goes over the allotted time limit and both competitors are scored equally. Here, the first person to get any score is given the win, so it’s effectively sudden death.

Less conventional methods of winning can also be used in Judo. For instance, you could win by your opponent getting disqualified. An example of this could be if they punched you or performed a banned Judo throw. Another way could be if your opponent got knocked out. This could be down to bad luck of falling awkwardly with a throw and being unable to continue. Generally, this is quite a rare way to win though.

Summary

The Ippon can be achieved in three ways during a Judo match. As seen above, this means that there are a few different ways to win a match. Statistically at the highest level, most Judo matches these days are usually won on points though, and can be quite a cagey affair. This is why an Ippon is often met with excitement. It should also be said that an Ippon is also a great tool for self defense, as it means you can use Judo to gain dominant positions.