Judo's transferability

**Lanner Hunt** · Posted On: 11/28/2012 7:31pm

An option to take a year of judo, from a competitive standpoint will, through fairly straightforward logic, make you better at grappling. In regards to my own experience with judo, which has lasted about a year now, I can tell you that I would consider a year to be VERY beneficial. It's not going to make you a master, and JUST a year of judo isn't going to make you competent enough at grappling to go straight into the ring, but it will teach you a lot of things, and would be a great platform. You're going to experience a lot of ground work, and if it's like my judo club, you're going to get a ton of newaza randori in. Also, things like armbars, triangles, and (in my club at least) the guard are things that you will have to deal with. Maybe you're not going to perfect your technique on passing the guard, but a year of practicing with it as a possibility is infinitely better than a year of practicing something that doesn't involve things you're also going to find in MMA.

From standing, as previously mentioned, ukemi is a perfectly practical skill, as is getting your body used to getting thrown and taken down. Also, you'll be doing randori quickly, and that will contain a lot of things (not just throws, but, you know, throws) that will transfer to MMA; going back to my guard example, sure you might not be a total master at how to perform and defend against standard throws, but you will certainly be much better than you were before you did judo.

However, this is also assuming that judo is your only option. If you had an option of either taking a year of BJJ, or judo, or wrestling, or sambo (and for some reason can't take a common, mutually beneficial combination like judo and bjj), I think the debate would be less objective, and would consequently garner more conversation. As it is, however, judo versus no judo seems completely lopsided in favor of taking judo. And come on, judo is an absolute blast.

**judoratt** · Posted On: 11/29/2012 1:15am

Originally Posted by Dave R.

I would not go as far as to say Judo throws do not transfer well in MMA. I don’t agree with that at all. Judo has shown its success at all levels of MMA. However, the people I have seen with success in MMA that also has a Judo background are all at least ranked at shodan and for the average person shodan takes several years.

Back in the late 90's I had 16yo kid take judo for a year no prior MA or grapling experiance, Next two years wresteled in high school. He was good at judo never was promoted as I remember, could have been green or entry level brown. But had a year of quality judo, we were producing Olympians at the time. His name Josh Barnet. BTW if you ask him he will tell you I was kicking his ass daily, he was only 16. Quality judo will benifit your game.

**Nickosaurus** · Posted On: 12/01/2012 10:43am

Speaking for Ukemi, I found it very transferable this morning when I walked straight out of my front door at full speed to find the path very slippy before I knew it I was in a perfect front break fall position, unharmed

**twan55** · Posted On: 12/01/2012 5:40pm

Judo will vastly improve your balance- will teach you how to throw a fully-resisting opponent to the ground (hard)- will teach you to take falls from tons of different angles, will improve your ground game by forcing you escape and/or submit a person quickly, and will make you tougher.

If you take away all that then no, I don't think it'll help you.

**Jim_Jude** · Posted On: 12/09/2012 1:08am

Originally Posted by Gluckmann

Maybe Santy will bring it.

I've been watching some of Karo Parisyan's videos on no-gi throws for MMA. A poor substitute for actual training, especially given that I've no uke to practice on, but better than nothing.

I have his no-gi judo for mma dvds, they're great. too bad he's a wackadoodle.

**erezb** · Posted On: 12/09/2012 3:56am

Originally Posted by Keej613

I'm with this guy. A year of any martial arts training is better than a year of no martial training.

I disagree, if you spend this time doing aikido or cross-fit, ill go with cross-fit. Or better yet you go to Olympic lifting classes..or gymnastics of any kind. That will give you at least the conditioning of a fighter.
However, a year of judo will give you good balance, awareness from sweeps, some basic throw skills and break-falling. Also you will get some feeling for grappling (the sensation of your legs being forced behind your head for example..or someone arm-barring you.) all stuff you will experience with no gi mma grappling.