they are keeping the IJF based rules as well, but in the missouri valley district we've had a few freestyle judo tournaments & they've been very popular. major differences include: gi & no gi divisions. harder to score an ippon by throw (the throw would have to have incapacitated someone if not done on a mat). & best of all, time to work newaza. i think this is a good move for judo as a sport & will attract more people to the art. jf
we're working on it andy. as an aside, i recently got a copy of "kano's jujitsu" written circa 1900 by a fellow named hancock. while i respect the rules & the spirit of early judo, i'm sure glad the techniques have evolved. jf
for future reference, www.welcomematjudoclub.com has all the missouri valley district's tournament info, you might pop in there from time to time or just email steve & ask to get the monthly newsletter. jf
I have spoke with Norm Miller on a few occasions before reading this post. He is a great guy. By the way, thanks for the site address.
my pleasure, here's another site regarding freestyle judo that just went up: http://freestylejudo.com/ jf
Nice, now they just need to allow the use of one of my favourite throws, kaniwaza and I will be happy.