Judo Speed Training

**brend0_** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 7:58am

Hey Guys,

I've been training Judo for a few months now, and I'm really getting into it. I'm hoping to start competing soon (so far money problems and injuries have made me put that off), and I was looking for some extra training to help me increase my agility and explosiveness.

I am a bigger guy (106kg, or about 233 pounds), so I know step one is working off some of that weight. (Legs and arms fairly lean, just mainly left in the middle).

Any suggestions for particular exercises or drills to help would be great. I'm trying to put together a serious training regiment for days I dont have Judo.

As a side note, I have to thank you guys, if it weren't for this site I probably never would have even tried Judo. Now I'm practically addicted.

**RhinoUP** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 8:16am

Squats....lots of em.

**DarkPhoenix** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 9:31am

Uchi komi is one of the best things that you can do for drills. It will help build to muscle memory for the throws and it is a great exercise. Start of slow to get the proper technique. You can do this on your own with a bike tyre inner tube. They will help you get the right pull while doing the entry.

Outside of that, any body weight exercises and anything that will strengthen your core. That will help to prevent future injuries and it will help your balance as well.

**Ming Loyalist** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 9:35am

running is great for your endurance. for judo i would suggest going on 30-40 minute runs that focus on intervals (jog, sprint, walk) for instance... 5 min jog, 1 minute sprint, 1 minute walk... repeat for 30-40 min. you need explosive energy in judo, and interval training can help with that.

**NeilG** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 9:49am

Look into bodyweight squats (AKA hindu squats), judo/divebomber pushups, box jumps, pull-ups. Anything for cardio is good but a lot of it will lean you out too much - three 30-45 minute sessions/week is good.

If you want to train with weights, whole body exercises done with light enough weight to allow for explosive movement is where you want to be. You don't want to be grinding through your reps, rather you want to be accelerating the bar. Snatches, squats to press, cleans are all good for judo.

**brend0_** · Posted On: 9/05/2012 3:23pm

Thanks Guys.

Originally Posted by DarkPhoenix

Uchi komi is one of the best things that you can do for drills. It will help build to muscle memory for the throws and it is a great exercise. Start of slow to get the proper technique. You can do this on your own with a bike tyre inner tube. They will help you get the right pull while doing the entry.

I actually have a few resistance bands lying around somewhere, will they be fine for uchi komi? I take Uchi Komi fairly seriously when at training, I'll add them to the home routine as well.

I do need to add weights & squats back in to my training, been focusing too much on cardio to lose some of this weight and to keep up in Randori.

I'll need to weight for shoulder injury to heal before some of the bodyweight exercises & weights but I'll have a go at that interval running, thanks for the suggestion.

**AdamEC** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 4:24pm

Originally Posted by NeilG

Look into bodyweight squats (AKA hindu squats), judo/divebomber pushups, box jumps, pull-ups. Anything for cardio is good but a lot of it will lean you out too much - three 30-45 minute sessions/week is good.

If you want to train with weights, whole body exercises done with light enough weight to allow for explosive movement is where you want to be. You don't want to be grinding through your reps, rather you want to be accelerating the bar. Snatches, squats to press, cleans are all good for judo.

+1 on this one

**CrackFox** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 4:38pm

Originally Posted by brend0_

I actually have a few resistance bands lying around somewhere, will they be fine for uchi komi? I take Uchi Komi fairly seriously when at training, I'll add them to the home routine as well.

I've been told that it's not a good idea to do solo uchi-komis until you can do them reasonably well with a partner. You'll end up learning them wrong.

**brend0_** · Posted On: 9/17/2012 2:21am

Originally Posted by CrackFox

I've been told that it's not a good idea to do solo uchi-komis until you can do them reasonably well with a partner. You'll end up learning them wrong.

Oh ok hadn't heard that one. Might have a chat to my coach about this also then, see what his opinion on the matter is.

**ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE** · Posted On: 9/17/2012 2:14pm

I'm a bigger guy than you but I'm reasonably quick, I put it down to doing Tabata style sprints more than anything else:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...thod_perfected

I personally find them good because they get you used to the right sort of rapid movement (the sort where your already exhausted when trying to do it) and it helps enormously with the cardio side of Judo practice.

I miss having time to train :(

ETA: Don't start doing Tabata style training if your out of shape AND haven't been doing much physical activity as you might end up doing yourself a mischief. I moved onto them because I'd been training 3-4 times a week plus trips to the gym and I didn't have the time to keep that up.