Does Judo Work in a Street Fight

Judo’s legit. I’ve seen it applied in a fight at a club. Ended the fight with a shoulder throw. Dude thrown was in no shape to, nor did he want to continue the fight. And his buddies weren’t to keen to get involved when they saw the biggest and loudest of them had just been cleaned up in the space of a second.

I’d love to study Judo as a support system to my boxing. Self defence coach/writer Geoff Thompson also touts the complimentary benefits of learning boxing and judo.

But really, we’ve got to be clear on the definition of “street fight” as it’s one term that covers a potentially wide range of scenarios. One on one? Multiple Assailants? found a broken bottle wedged in your back before you’ve even known what’s going on?

[quote]slimjim wrote:

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Judo is great, one of the most underrated MA’s in this world that focuses now on BJJ.

Judo is one of the best grappling arts for the street because of it’s focus on takedowns instead of groundfighting- and those throws can end a fight in one shot. A couple of my favorite chokes come from judo as well. If you’ve got te oppurtunity to take some classes, go for it.[/quote]

dude, in a previous thread you bagged on wrestling. wrestling is much more “street effective” in my opinion because it promotes aggressive stances, high impact throws (like judo,) and is practiced without the gi. while im not arguing against judo, how could you be down on wrestling yet up on judo? they have very similar intents.[/quote]

I don’t remember what you’re talking about, but maybe it was in a different context?

I like judo because it’s focused on throwing or sweeping your opponent- this gives you a lot of time and puts you in the right position to get the fuck out of wherever you are. This is crucial in my eyes.

Wrestling can be very effective as well, and I’ve known some wrestlers that were great streetfighters. But I don’t like it because it focuses on takedowns- and alot of times, you’re going down with him. Being as I don’t want to be on the ground, I wouldn’t advise that.

[quote]Sliver wrote:
Question about judo. Since alot of the takedowns involve grabbing that suit they wear, how many of the moves can transition into MMA?[/quote]

i think jacare’s use of the inside legs sweeps up against the cage is probably the most effective use of judo in mma i’ve seen so far. there are judokas that utilize more of the intricate movements (karo parisian, sometimes nakamura) but i think that the limited stuff we’ve seen out of jacare has been pretty awesome. machida and sokoudjou have displayed mma-savy judo as well.

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
I don’t remember what you’re talking about, but maybe it was in a different context?

I like judo because it’s focused on throwing or sweeping your opponent- this gives you a lot of time and puts you in the right position to get the fuck out of wherever you are. This is crucial in my eyes.

Wrestling can be very effective as well, and I’ve known some wrestlers that were great streetfighters. But I don’t like it because it focuses on takedowns- and alot of times, you’re going down with him. Being as I don’t want to be on the ground, I wouldn’t advise that.
[/quote]

it occurs to me i may have misspoke, as i cant remember what thread it was…especially since anyone who has been on this board for awhile has done the ‘what art is most effective for the street’ debate ad nauseum. i apologize for questioning you on that one. i wrestled so my opinion will always be slanted towards wrestling.

[quote]slimjim wrote:

[quote]Sliver wrote:
Question about judo. Since alot of the takedowns involve grabbing that suit they wear, how many of the moves can transition into MMA?[/quote]

i think jacare’s use of the inside legs sweeps up against the cage is probably the most effective use of judo in mma i’ve seen so far. there are judokas that utilize more of the intricate movements (karo parisian, sometimes nakamura) but i think that the limited stuff we’ve seen out of jacare has been pretty awesome. machida and sokoudjou have displayed mma-savy judo as well.[/quote]

Wheres the love for Sexyama?

Akiyama hip tosses and flips everyone

[quote]Nate112 wrote:
Everything works in a street fight, you just have to know how to make it work to your advantage. Even jello could help you win, if you knew when to throw it perfectly at the enemies eyes to blind them with your furry.[/quote]

One time I threw a bowl of jelly at an attacker’s feet, he slipped and fell and I got away unscathed.

Judo is awesome, I recommend it to anyone. Street fighting, self-defense, sport, or just for fun. Judo.

[quote]CamoDragon09 wrote:
So, if your really looking to be proficient in an extremely effective self-defense/street fight “ART”… Krav Maga is the way to go!! It’s been the premier fighting art of the Israeli Army for as long as it’s been in existence, as well as being the base for every combat art currently trained in that isn’t used as a sport, and some that are.
[/quote]

Actually no, Krav is not the base for every combat art currently trained that isn’t used as sport. Some have their base in Kung Fu styles like Wing Chun, some have their base in jiu-jitsu, some boxing/kickboxing, etc…

Not knocking Krav btw, it’s a fine art if you can find a good instructor. Some people just erroneously think that it spawned the whole “Reality Martial Arts” industry, when in fact there are arts out there that are just as good, proven, and complete as Krav whom owe it no lineage.

[quote]Aussie Davo wrote:

[quote]slimjim wrote:

[quote]Sliver wrote:
Question about judo. Since alot of the takedowns involve grabbing that suit they wear, how many of the moves can transition into MMA?[/quote]

i think jacare’s use of the inside legs sweeps up against the cage is probably the most effective use of judo in mma i’ve seen so far. there are judokas that utilize more of the intricate movements (karo parisian, sometimes nakamura) but i think that the limited stuff we’ve seen out of jacare has been pretty awesome. machida and sokoudjou have displayed mma-savy judo as well.[/quote]

Wheres the love for Sexyama?

Akiyama hip tosses and flips everyone[/quote]

lol, my bad, im sure there are others i forgot…it’s just those guys were fresh on my mind at the time of the post.

judo is a great art that is very usefull in real life application teaches grappling wich is very important but also throws( if you can stand and throw someone to the ground you are in better position to come out ok in real life its not good to be on the ground if you can avoid it) learning to use the gi translates to using clothes as well judo training also builds great stamina and strength that is valuable in real life application finally a area many people forget is the teaching of break falling the ability to fall not get hurt and recover quickley valuable in fighting and in real life(helps in your 60-70s to be able to fall and just be sore for a few days rather than need a new hip)

A not so quick Hijack-
cause if we are bringing up things like Krav magna in a thread asking how effective Judo is then
who cares.

I wrote about this allot before…
so I will babble some of the shit that I remember or that I think is important

about Judo for MMA- or how Judo applies and works for Greco Roman, College wrestling and BJJ…

the whole time I did Greco I wanted the Gi
missed those cuffs, sleeves, lapels
and that hole time I thought hard about how to do shit without the gi.
how to bastardize stuff to do it sans Gi
where to grab,

Thought about all the good stuff I do in Judo
posture, wrist and head control , hand and grips fighting,big wheels,and use it in Greco

using the jaw and face instead of a collar
or bypassing the head altogether and using elements of what you might call a rolling kimura
(but not the hold the roll)

finding ways to control the wrist and hands
and working those underhooks to whizzer to speak in wrestling.

the biggest thing - how to be effective side by side or parallel to the opponent
vs the classic greco chest to chest

same the other way-
use all the pummeling , bullying, all the masking tricks that you have to use in Greco
keeping your hips or chest or feet from broadcasting your intentions
that and I amassed a large bag of dirty tricks.

how to be on the very edge of what is acceptable for rules, college wrestling taught me
how to stall
how to stalk and how to bully
and how to make any match as physical as needed
or as painful as needed

the Gi can hide allot of stuff, that you do to someone that probably isn’t kosher
that and you can hide miles and miles of athletic tape.
shit is also like armor and its easy to make it very uncomfortable to wear

going from Judo to BJJ showed me how learning and doing shit with perfect posture,
made you really effective with less then ideal posture
and for the most part in rolling BJJ I have better posture or posturing and am difficult to get good position on that being said I get tapped plenty , but dont give much away for free

and unless the other BJJ player is a really good athlete or pretty serious
my grip is much stronger then theirs and that makes a big difference in who controls who

blahblahblah

for judo on the street-
if you have to , it’s about preventing someone from getting closer or use their closeness before they bust you in the face and how to ensure ending up on top

I will admit to a few 'adult age ’ altercations in the very recent past that I was certainly far to old to get involved

where someone grabbed me or pushed me or menaced me, or any combination of and he ended up on his back on concrete with me on top.

what often happens is they grab me, I grab them they get some free air
I get the fuck out of dodge.

its not hard or too different from what you practice
but its not smart either- too easy to get stabbed shot or worse.

just don’t be in those places.

as for Judo in MMA-

comon son

Fucking Fedor- his uchi mata is beautiful
most of throws and sweeps are all good
Hector Lombard does some Big Judo
Yes Jacare , his work is both fine and aggressive
Yes Sexyama too
Josh Barnett has showed some good foot sweeps
Mach Sakurai when he gave a shit had great throws
Big Nog back in time usually had some excellent smaller throws and sweeps
Lots of PRideFC ‘cans’ had some fucking fierce Judo

Karo when he gave a shit too had some great great throws, his coach Goktor
kind of teaches 'greco- judo" and its mostly no gi.

polish dude busted for steroids his name is like Pavel Nuttela :slight_smile:
and some of the Pride Koreans had some serious Judo

if you go back and watch GSP and Serra both throw Matt Hughes
with the same Judo from the Same Coach- Danahar.

More Judo athletes are fielded from more countries in the Olympics then almost any other sport

It would seem to me that slamming some guy into the pavement might be an effective way to end a fight. I took judo as a gym class and the instructor explained this to us. They’re rules in the dojo, but on the street there aren’t any.

Everyone covered everything already imo.

[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
If it’s a cold weather scenario (opponent is wearing a jacket or hoodie) Judo works very well for throwing/takedowns. If it’s a hot weather scenario (guy is in wife beater or shirtless), then you’re probably better off with wrestling. Sure, some Judo schools address methods of adapting judo to “no gi” scenarios, but a lot don’t. Both will complement each other though.

One of the advantages that Judo has over say BJJ IMO (as far as street combat) is that many Judo throws allow you to remain standing (which is good in a street fight as it allows you to escape the situation easier) while most of the takedowns in BJJ that I’ve seen result in your going to the ground with the opponent.

On the flip side though, BJJ (as a whole) tends to be more proficient in terms of finishing once it does hit the ground.

So all 3 arts (Judo, wrestling, and BJJ) can all be beneficial arts if you’re looking to be able to defend yourself in a real fight.[/quote]

I agree with the advantages of Judo, namely, standing finishes. However, Judo players just need to adapt gripping for no gi. Conversely, wrestlers need to learn how to grip the clothing. At higher levels, the differences become obvious, but in a street fight we can assume most people dont know high level technique.

I would NEVER go to the ground BJJ style in a street fight. You never know where his friends are or if they will stomp your face with a boot while you are leaning back into an arm bar.

To the OP, Yes, judo is sick for street fighting. As many have said, you dont need to go to the ground to be devastating. Learning how to slip and weave punches and then transitioning into judo throws seems like it would be awesome for street fighting and you dont need to punch and risk breaking your hand.

Please bare with me as this is my first post.

After practicing and competing in judo for over 10 years , the greatest gift it has given me if the ability to take a beating.

YES you have read that right.

If you have ever been in a street fight, the first thing you will learn, is that it is mostly won by the guy who cares least about getting hurt or the consequences.

Having competing in bjj, and currently being trained by a world boxing bronze medalist, I can assure you there is nothing more that tests a persons will than being thrown around multiple times and getting back up to take some more punishment. It is something similar like getting punched in the face many times in boxing ,but at least, there is head gear while practicing, (although some people claim headgear, amplifies the effect of the punch in terms of the knockout).

It has taught me a lot of offensive things but I guess its nothing comparing to its ability to teach you to overcome you fears of taking a beating.

Dont get me wrong, I am not saying judo is the ultimate test of will but it is pretty damn intense. And if you ever get into a street fight, and you donâ??t give a shit about what is going to happen, you just â??mightâ?? have an edge over the opponent, if you do care what is going to happenâ?¦â?¦…then I donâ??t think you will even get into it, in the first place.

Please bare with me as this is my first post.

After practicing and competing in judo for over 10 years , the greatest gift it has given me if the ability to take a beating.

YES you have read that right.

If you have ever been in a street fight, the first thing you will learn, is that it is mostly won by the guy who cares least about getting hurt or the consequences.

Having competing in bjj, and currently being trained by a world boxing bronze medalist, I can assure you there is nothing more that tests a persons will than being thrown around multiple times and getting back up to take some more punishment. It is something similar like getting punched in the face many times in boxing ,but at least, there is head gear while practicing, (although some people claim headgear, amplifies the effect of the punch in terms of the knockout).

It has taught me a lot of offensive things but I guess its nothing comparing to its ability to teach you to overcome you fears of taking a beating.

Dont get me wrong, I am not saying judo is the ultimate test of will but it is pretty damn intense. And if you ever get into a street fight, and you dont give a shit about what is going to happen, you just MIGHT have an edge over the opponent, if you do care what is going to happenâ?¦â?¦…then I donâ??t think you will even get into it, in the first place.

What.

Sorry but the guy who doesn’t care about getting hurt in a fight is the guy who gets hurt. Badly.

There’s a huge gap between tenacity and “not caring”.

Let me re-word that, a guy who isn’t scared of getting hurt.

I have no idea what “works” in a street fight. My experience with street fighting is extremely limited. All the fights I have endured outside the gym or Dojo since leaving grade school, that would be six in all, involved multiple armed attackers, whom I could not out run, evade, and I did not have the wherewithal at that moment to shoot. Despite being the decided loser in all six encounters, I can truly say Judo saved my life.

I would have had no idea how to take a forward roll-zempo kaiten-on to broken concrete after being hit from behind with tire iron had it not been for decades of Judo training. I need to assume that I was out cold after being hit. Yet, muscle memory allowed me to tumble completely over my shoulder. When I came to a moment later, I started kicking back at the five men stomping me. I survived long enough for a passerby to to ward off my assailants with a shot gun. At their trial my attackers said they just wanted to “mess somebody up” and I was alone, on foot, and at the time, unarmed.

That is what street fighting to me. I don’t frequent the kind of taverns that have " bar fights." I am completely ignorant of how such confrontations develop. Generally, I have found that a fight does not begin in my neck of woods, i.e. Philadelphia, PA with squaring off and pushing. A fight begins in the “City of Brotherly Love” when you are on your way home from work and the crack head next to you at the intersection crosswalk decides it would be a just splendid idea to cram the flash light he has under his coat into your ear. Then he and a couple of his buddies come at you with knives or firearms to make you give up your valuables. I had to learn the hard way that these miscreants will try to stab, cut, or shoot you regardless of what you do. I unfortunately know seeral people who did not survive their first lesson in this fact of urban survival. Thanks to Judo I knew how break the first character’s elbow, so I could take the second and third assailants’ slashes on my forearms, until I could grab another arm. Some nasty scars, but these drug addled lunatics wanted me dead! This was not in some slum, but half a block from City Hall. I remember thinking while they were putting me in the ambulance that William Penn’s statute seemed better looking than I had ever noticed. Wonder what peacable Quaker Billy thought of all this.

When I started Judo 45 years ago, it was a Martial Art with sport aspects. Then nearly every serious Judoka held rank in Ju-Jitsu as well and most in Karate. Most also boxed or had done so, and had a background in military or police combatives. Now most clubs no longer teach self defense or goshen-jitsu for fear a competitor will strike someone in a sport match. Our club teaches Judo as sport and a Martial Art with a liberal dose of both the Ju-Jitsu that from which Professor Kano formed Judo and Sombo and BJJ that both descended from Judo. Our students learn the fundamentals of Anglo-American Boxing. and variety of forms of Wrestling. It is then up to the student to decide whether to pursue the arts they are studying as sports or stay completely on the self defense side. I certainly encourage students to “play” Judo, Sombo BJJ, and Submission Wrestling, to box, kick box and do MMA. as sports. I remind them that sporting competition and fighting for your life are completely different aspects of these Arts. Since most people have lives outside the Dojo each person will pick the specialization that is right for him or her. If their turn comes to fight for their lives, I pray God, they made the correct choice. Losing sport matches is easy. I have made rather a hobby of it, in multiple disciplines, over the better part of 5 decades. I have not lost what is most precious to me and hopefully those who love me, because Judo saved my life.

[quote]Red Gabe Ross wrote:
I have no idea what “works” in a street fight. My experience with street fighting is extremely limited. All the fights I have endured outside the gym or Dojo since leaving grade school, that would be six in all, involved multiple armed attackers, whom I could not out run, evade, and I did not have the wherewithal at that moment to shoot. Despite being the decided loser in all six encounters, I can truly say Judo saved my life.

I would have had no idea how to take a forward roll-zempo kaiten-on to broken concrete after being hit from behind with tire iron had it not been for decades of Judo training. I need to assume that I was out cold after being hit. Yet, muscle memory allowed me to tumble completely over my shoulder. When I came to a moment later, I started kicking back at the five men stomping me. I survived long enough for a passerby to to ward off my assailants with a shot gun. At their trial my attackers said they just wanted to “mess somebody up” and I was alone, on foot, and at the time, unarmed.

That is what street fighting to me. I don’t frequent the kind of taverns that have " bar fights." I am completely ignorant of how such confrontations develop. Generally, I have found that a fight does not begin in my neck of woods, i.e. Philadelphia, PA with squaring off and pushing. A fight begins in the “City of Brotherly Love” when you are on your way home from work and the crack head next to you at the intersection crosswalk decides it would be a just splendid idea to cram the flash light he has under his coat into your ear. Then he and a couple of his buddies come at you with knives or firearms to make you give up your valuables. I had to learn the hard way that these miscreants will try to stab, cut, or shoot you regardless of what you do. I unfortunately know seeral people who did not survive their first lesson in this fact of urban survival. Thanks to Judo I knew how break the first character’s elbow, so I could take the second and third assailants’ slashes on my forearms, until I could grab another arm. Some nasty scars, but these drug addled lunatics wanted me dead! This was not in some slum, but half a block from City Hall. I remember thinking while they were putting me in the ambulance that William Penn’s statute seemed better looking than I had ever noticed. Wonder what peacable Quaker Billy thought of all this.

When I started Judo 45 years ago, it was a Martial Art with sport aspects. Then nearly every serious Judoka held rank in Ju-Jitsu as well and most in Karate. Most also boxed or had done so, and had a background in military or police combatives. Now most clubs no longer teach self defense or goshen-jitsu for fear a competitor will strike someone in a sport match. Our club teaches Judo as sport and a Martial Art with a liberal dose of both the Ju-Jitsu that from which Professor Kano formed Judo and Sombo and BJJ that both descended from Judo. Our students learn the fundamentals of Anglo-American Boxing. and variety of forms of Wrestling. It is then up to the student to decide whether to pursue the arts they are studying as sports or stay completely on the self defense side. I certainly encourage students to “play” Judo, Sombo BJJ, and Submission Wrestling, to box, kick box and do MMA. as sports. I remind them that sporting competition and fighting for your life are completely different aspects of these Arts. Since most people have lives outside the Dojo each person will pick the specialization that is right for him or her. If their turn comes to fight for their lives, I pray God, they made the correct choice. Losing sport matches is easy. I have made rather a hobby of it, in multiple disciplines, over the better part of 5 decades. I have not lost what is most precious to me and hopefully those who love me, because Judo saved my life. [/quote]

Terrific post my man. Very true stuff, glad you’ve come out on the other side.

What you described in the second paragraph is a prime example of the difference between a street fight at a bar that develops because of a dick measuring contest and outright crime and assault.

They’re two very different situations that call for very different responses. It’s good that you’ve analyzed them and been able to differentiate between all of this.

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:

[quote]Red Gabe Ross wrote:
I have no idea what “works” in a street fight. My experience with street fighting is extremely limited. All the fights I have endured outside the gym or Dojo since leaving grade school, that would be six in all, involved multiple armed attackers, whom I could not out run, evade, and I did not have the wherewithal at that moment to shoot. Despite being the decided loser in all six encounters, I can truly say Judo saved my life.

I would have had no idea how to take a forward roll-zempo kaiten-on to broken concrete after being hit from behind with tire iron had it not been for decades of Judo training. I need to assume that I was out cold after being hit. Yet, muscle memory allowed me to tumble completely over my shoulder. When I came to a moment later, I started kicking back at the five men stomping me. I survived long enough for a passerby to to ward off my assailants with a shot gun. At their trial my attackers said they just wanted to “mess somebody up” and I was alone, on foot, and at the time, unarmed.

That is what street fighting to me. I don’t frequent the kind of taverns that have " bar fights." I am completely ignorant of how such confrontations develop. Generally, I have found that a fight does not begin in my neck of woods, i.e. Philadelphia, PA with squaring off and pushing. A fight begins in the “City of Brotherly Love” when you are on your way home from work and the crack head next to you at the intersection crosswalk decides it would be a just splendid idea to cram the flash light he has under his coat into your ear. Then he and a couple of his buddies come at you with knives or firearms to make you give up your valuables. I had to learn the hard way that these miscreants will try to stab, cut, or shoot you regardless of what you do. I unfortunately know seeral people who did not survive their first lesson in this fact of urban survival. Thanks to Judo I knew how break the first character’s elbow, so I could take the second and third assailants’ slashes on my forearms, until I could grab another arm. Some nasty scars, but these drug addled lunatics wanted me dead! This was not in some slum, but half a block from City Hall. I remember thinking while they were putting me in the ambulance that William Penn’s statute seemed better looking than I had ever noticed. Wonder what peacable Quaker Billy thought of all this.

When I started Judo 45 years ago, it was a Martial Art with sport aspects. Then nearly every serious Judoka held rank in Ju-Jitsu as well and most in Karate. Most also boxed or had done so, and had a background in military or police combatives. Now most clubs no longer teach self defense or goshen-jitsu for fear a competitor will strike someone in a sport match. Our club teaches Judo as sport and a Martial Art with a liberal dose of both the Ju-Jitsu that from which Professor Kano formed Judo and Sombo and BJJ that both descended from Judo. Our students learn the fundamentals of Anglo-American Boxing. and variety of forms of Wrestling. It is then up to the student to decide whether to pursue the arts they are studying as sports or stay completely on the self defense side. I certainly encourage students to “play” Judo, Sombo BJJ, and Submission Wrestling, to box, kick box and do MMA. as sports. I remind them that sporting competition and fighting for your life are completely different aspects of these Arts. Since most people have lives outside the Dojo each person will pick the specialization that is right for him or her. If their turn comes to fight for their lives, I pray God, they made the correct choice. Losing sport matches is easy. I have made rather a hobby of it, in multiple disciplines, over the better part of 5 decades. I have not lost what is most precious to me and hopefully those who love me, because Judo saved my life. [/quote]

Terrific post my man. Very true stuff, glad you’ve come out on the other side.

What you described in the second paragraph is a prime example of the difference between a street fight at a bar that develops because of a dick measuring contest and outright crime and assault.

They’re two very different situations that call for very different responses. It’s good that you’ve analyzed them and been able to differentiate between all of this.[/quote]

agreed.

[quote]Red Gabe Ross wrote:
I have no idea what “works” in a street fight. My experience with street fighting is extremely limited. All the fights I have endured outside the gym or Dojo since leaving grade school, that would be six in all, involved multiple armed attackers, whom I could not out run, evade, and I did not have the wherewithal at that moment to shoot. Despite being the decided loser in all six encounters, I can truly say Judo saved my life.

I would have had no idea how to take a forward roll-zempo kaiten-on to broken concrete after being hit from behind with tire iron had it not been for decades of Judo training. I need to assume that I was out cold after being hit. Yet, muscle memory allowed me to tumble completely over my shoulder. When I came to a moment later, I started kicking back at the five men stomping me. I survived long enough for a passerby to to ward off my assailants with a shot gun. At their trial my attackers said they just wanted to “mess somebody up” and I was alone, on foot, and at the time, unarmed.

That is what street fighting to me. I don’t frequent the kind of taverns that have " bar fights." I am completely ignorant of how such confrontations develop. Generally, I have found that a fight does not begin in my neck of woods, i.e. Philadelphia, PA with squaring off and pushing. A fight begins in the “City of Brotherly Love” when you are on your way home from work and the crack head next to you at the intersection crosswalk decides it would be a just splendid idea to cram the flash light he has under his coat into your ear. Then he and a couple of his buddies come at you with knives or firearms to make you give up your valuables. I had to learn the hard way that these miscreants will try to stab, cut, or shoot you regardless of what you do. I unfortunately know seeral people who did not survive their first lesson in this fact of urban survival. Thanks to Judo I knew how break the first character’s elbow, so I could take the second and third assailants’ slashes on my forearms, until I could grab another arm. Some nasty scars, but these drug addled lunatics wanted me dead! This was not in some slum, but half a block from City Hall. I remember thinking while they were putting me in the ambulance that William Penn’s statute seemed better looking than I had ever noticed. Wonder what peacable Quaker Billy thought of all this.

When I started Judo 45 years ago, it was a Martial Art with sport aspects. Then nearly every serious Judoka held rank in Ju-Jitsu as well and most in Karate. Most also boxed or had done so, and had a background in military or police combatives. Now most clubs no longer teach self defense or goshen-jitsu for fear a competitor will strike someone in a sport match. Our club teaches Judo as sport and a Martial Art with a liberal dose of both the Ju-Jitsu that from which Professor Kano formed Judo and Sombo and BJJ that both descended from Judo. Our students learn the fundamentals of Anglo-American Boxing. and variety of forms of Wrestling. It is then up to the student to decide whether to pursue the arts they are studying as sports or stay completely on the self defense side. I certainly encourage students to “play” Judo, Sombo BJJ, and Submission Wrestling, to box, kick box and do MMA. as sports. I remind them that sporting competition and fighting for your life are completely different aspects of these Arts. Since most people have lives outside the Dojo each person will pick the specialization that is right for him or her. If their turn comes to fight for their lives, I pray God, they made the correct choice. Losing sport matches is easy. I have made rather a hobby of it, in multiple disciplines, over the better part of 5 decades. I have not lost what is most precious to me and hopefully those who love me, because Judo saved my life. [/quote]

Great post.