Unlike striking arts such as karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Muay Thai, judo focuses on a closer range of fighting. This leads to dynamic throws, sweeps, trips, and transitions into various submission grappling techniques like holds, joint locks, and chokes.

Judo is one of the most practiced martial arts in the world.

Its efficiency and combat pedigree has made it ideal for sports, where it’s been an Olympic sport since 1964, as well as for modern self-defense needs. Kokushi Budo is the oldest judo school in NYC. Our lineage in this art traces directly to the founder, Kano Sensei. Today, we continue to teach judo for sport, as well as self-defense. We provide judo instruction right here in NYC for both adults and kids.

We offer adult classes in all levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Our students range from those simply looking for fitness goals to those competing on the world circuit. We’ve produced national champions, world team members, and Olympians throughout the history of our school.

We have a comprehensive kids program that develops judokas as early as age 4. Our kids program is a four-part program that eventually takes the young judoka directly to the advanced adult’s competition program.

A typical judo class will have corporate professionals, moms, dads, police officers, professional martial artists from other styles (such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ), competition players, and of course, those simply looking to try this historic art form.