theres a "trick" if you wanna call it, that we do in wing chun. where we blind fold ourselves and do chisao. to someone who doesnt do chun they think its amazing we can hit and control our opponent without looking. but it actuually makes it EASIER because then were not worried/chasing the hands because..well...we cant see them. you have to totally rely on sensitivity and feeling.

i was wondering if in judo, or jiujitsu, if you could do that, and get the same results?

from what iv read about judo, you "give way" and dont use brute force. you feel where there force and weight is and use a throw based on that.

so do you think blindfolding yourself and training that way would be a good training proponent or even make you better?

We occasionally do Aikido blindfolded. It's a useful exercise now and again, as things really feel different, and it changes the focus a lot. Also, it just adds a bit of interest by changing the class routine.

I certainly wouldn't say it's useful enough to spend any real amount of time on it though, beyond changing peoples perspective for a few minutes.

I've been to an Aikido class taught by a blind guy, and that was more interesting because his technique was tangibly different. Everything had more points of contact, and was geared more towards kinaesthesis.

I've done Judo with a blindfold on, its gay and pointless.

I've also introduced a blind person to Judo, he was an absolute gun and picked it up super quickly. I was very impressed. He's on the GB VI squad now and looking to go to the Paralympics in 2012.

When I was a student there was a blind guy on the college judo team. By all accounts he was just as good as anyone else and had no problem throwing regular people on their heads.

It can be a useful tool for beginner's. As a Judo beginner myself, I find that my foot sweeps actually suck less blindfolded than when I'm using my eyes. Without visual input, I worry less about timing.

They still suck though.

When did you start Judo, JNP?

When did you start Judo, JNP?
I started working intermittently with an older shodan that trains with me in BJJ two or three months ago. However, I can barely make it in to train anything due to work right now.

I also trained once with Hungryjoe at his Judo dojo in Oklahoma City last week. Since I'll be working there regularly, I plan on training at his place as often as I can when I'm in OK.

I decided to start training Judo almost a year ago, but work has prevented me from becoming a serious student. For now, I'll have to settle for being semi-serious. I will study Judo for as long as I'm physically able. I have decided that the science of Judo is easier on my body than wrestling. Due to dodgy knees, I'm afraid my double and single leg days are drawing to a close.

No matter how old you are, a good foot sweep is always an option.

I started working intermittently with an older shodan that trains with me in BJJ two or three months ago. However, I can barely make it in to train anything due to work right now.

I also trained once with Hungryjoe at his Judo dojo in Oklahoma City last week. Since I'll be working there regularly, I plan on training at his place as often as I can when I'm in OK.

I decided to start training Judo almost a year ago, but work has prevented me from becoming a serious student. For now, I'll have to settle for being semi-serious. I will study Judo for as long as I'm physically able. I have decided that the science of Judo is easier on my body than wrestling. Due to dodgy knees, I'm afraid my double and single leg days are drawing to a close.

Dodgy knees seem to hold a lot of late adult beginners back in Judo as well.

Is that at the defensive tactics place? Checked out their website and couldn't find any instructor profiles, but its a bit pricey for Judo!

Anyway good luck with it as long as they teach the conceptual stuff I've been covering over the past year you'll be in good hands.



No matter how old you are, a good foot sweep is always an option.
This reminds me I need to do a De ashi barai thread.

Practicing blind folded is nothing new. I have been doing it since I started judo. I was very fortunate to have one of the best blind judo players in the world as one of my coaches. I would have to use a blind fold when I would train with the blind team and we would use it regularly.

These days I just close my eyes when rolling. It helps and pisses people off when they realize they got tapped by someone with thier eyes closed. As a matter of fact blind folds will be used in class tonight to bring back the old school.

JNP roll your ass this way and pick up your Neanderthal brother on the way and come get some Cajun style Judo training.

come get some Cajun style Judo training.

En français? :O

Fought a couple of blind guys (in Judo that is), they really loved Judo and had a good feel for it as well.

Blind practice (just close your damn eyes, we don't need the theatrics of a blindfold!) is ok I guess, I think it helps beginners as JNP mentioned.

After a while as you do randori (spar) you may as well have your eyes closed. That is, the time it take for you to see, perceive what you saw, and react to your perception is usually slower than your reaction to how it all feels. If that makes a lick of sense.

That is, the time it take for you to see, perceive what you saw, and react to your perception is usually slower than your reaction to how it all feels. If that makes a lick of sense.
I think this is true up to a point i.e beginners are only attempting to process the whole randori situation through their eyes. Or more specifically they are trying to spot, visually, specific movements or positioning i.e uke steps forward with their left foot, is on their toes/ heels.

Obviously as you say by the time you have seen these, processed them through the noob processor and then attempted to engage the noob neurons etc... to apply the noob technique it all breaksdown.

However, the eyes are a vital part of our body's information gathering and feedback system so I think some people can go too far and villianise the eyes as some kind of evil anti-Judo twins sitting in your head sabotaging any attempt at doing Judo, which is obviously a bit silly.

When you get more experienced there are a number of things that have changed - your body has the pathways of the technique movements programmed much better so you can physically perfom the attack faster and more fluidly, your eyes have got much better at looking 'deeper' into the errors and opportunities that permit a throw beyond simply just 'on the heels/ toes' etc..., your body's information systems are working in sync better touch, sight, balance etc... are all now programmed to work together to produce results be it an attack, evasion etc...

So I see blindfold randori as perhaps useful in trying to snap noobs out of the mode of thinking that is 'I watch when uke steps there, I look for uke to be on their toes/heels' etc... and show them that there's more to it than that and that that is an overly simplistic way of looking at debana. However, I think its much more beneficial to actually explain to people how the simplifications of debana we talk about are just that, simplifications and that the only real way to get all the body's information systems in sync, muscle pathways working and all the stuff geared towards Judo is to do loads of quality, well controlled randori.

Off to do pushups...

I agree completely. I sounded a little Mr. Miyagi before, when Judo is anything but. I honestly don't know enough about neurophysiology and biomechanics to say what I want to at times. That's why I rarely post.

As a training tool it's really invaluable. We need to train people to develop the tactual sense of judo. People who begin judo can barely move in a correct and efficient manner. The sedentary lifestyle to majority of people live has over developed the visual sense and people can not use the other senses in relation to physical action.

As an advanced player it's a fun exercise and a challenge to you as a martial artist. As with anything it should be fun. Will it elevate you to world champion status, no, but it will bring you one step closer to being better than you were the previous day. I'm sure they are drills that people do that I would look at and go that's just sofa king we tard it and they would justify them.

Ultimately Judo should just be fun and challenging, well any martial art for that matter.

I dunno, maybe I'm weird, but doing Judo is my idea fun.

There are very activities that are more fun for me than doing drills and uchikomi/nagekomi etc...