In Judo, Ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve. It is awarded for a throw, a pin, a choke, or a joint lock. For throws, the four criteria to grant an ippon are speed, force, landing on the back, and skillful control until the end of the landing. For pinning techniques, the pin must be held continually for 20 seconds. For chokes and locks, ippon is scored when the opponent gives up or is incapacitated. Two consecutive waza-ari by the same athlete also add up to an ippon (waza-ari awasete ippon) .

An ippon in Judo is often compared to a knockout punch in boxing. It is equivalent to a full throw in which a contestant throws his opponent to the mat with "considerable force and speed" so the opponent lands "largely on his back". An ippon immediately ends the match.

In summary, Ippon is the highest score in Judo, awarded for a throw, a pin, a choke, or a joint lock. It is equivalent to a full throw in which the opponent lands largely on their back, and it immediately ends the match.