Judo Or Bjj?

**Wazashi** · Posted On: 1/25/2006 2:25pm

I think that you need to look at the club and instructor more than anything when you are choosing between Judo and BJJ. I have a shodan in Judo and I'm a blue belt in BJJ. I currently training 2 to 3 days a week in each art.

With a good instructor I think Judo should be your first choice. I've attended some great Judo clubs that had excellent groundwork. So good in fact, that I was able to get a blue belt in BJJ in only a few months. Right from the first BJJ lesson I was able to tap many of the blue belts at the school. So, you can't discount Judo groundwork, as long as you have a skilled instructor. Note that a 'good' instructor shouldn't be judged by his rank. An 8th dan doesn't mean he's any good.

I've found that the guys I train BJJ with are generally a little tougher and a lot more aggressive than the Judo guys. But, that only applies on the ground. No one at these schools has ever been able to touch me with a throw or takedown. On top of that they had and have terrible transitional skills. In that second after the throw I've been able to slap on a sub and tap many fighters that I could not beat exclusively on the ground. Most BJJ schools just don't train these skills enough. Training at a good BJJ school will give you good ground skills, but it will not train you on how to get your opponent to the ground and keep the advantage. Why do you think that so many BJJ guys jump guard or just sit down and wait for you to come in.

But, if your true goal in MMA I'd suggest you look for a serious Sambo school. There aren't many around, but if you can find one you will be training in a complete art. Striking, throws, transitions, subs there all there. You might even get to fight in some combat Sambo tournaments, which are essentially MMA with headgear and a kurtka (jacket). You will have to travel for these kinds of competitions, but it should be worth it. Fedor and Arlovski are both Sambo guys, so that should give you an idea of what is possible with Sambo training.

At any rate always remember you can change your mind later. Good luck.

***Cassius*** · Posted On: 1/25/2006 3:45pm

Wazashi: Thank you for your anecdote, but it does not mean anything to the OP. What if the Judo schools he can train at don't have good ground work? Or here's a possibility: Maybe the BJJ schools he's looking at have good takedowns. SAMBO is good stuff, but it is also extremely rare. You're also making generalizations to Fedor and Arlovski that are inaccurate at best. You also need to differentiate between Combat SAMBO and just grappling SAMBO.

Fedor trained in SAMBO and Judo and was a champion in both. For striking, he picked up boxing and (some) kickboxing in 2000.

Arlovski is also a SAMBO champ, but he currently trains at a BJJ school too.

My recommendation that he do BJJ is based on the assumption that the BJJ club he is looking at has ties to local MMA scene. As far as I've been able to tell, this is the norm. HOWEVER, it is not always true. Bullshido member Dakota Judo trains MMA fighters, for instance.

This is why he needs to look at all the schools he can and make his decision after talking with the instructors and finding out what they have to offer. It is likely that the BJJ club will have "ins" and ties to MMA orgs that the Judo club simply will not. HOWEVER, he should check out all the schools he can and make an informed decision based on the total package he's getting.

**Wazashi** · Posted On: 1/26/2006 7:35am

Originally Posted by Garbanzo Bean

HOWEVER, he should check out all the schools he can and make an informed decision based on the total package he's getting.

That's pretty much what I was getting at. If I had all three arts available with good instructors in each I would do Sambo first, Judo second, and BJJ last. But, the trick is finding a good instructor. I think we can all agree that there are shitty instructors out there in every art even the ones we like.

**martialfiend** · Posted On: 1/27/2006 6:18am

I thinkl judo is a more manly form of martial arts than BJJ. Having watched break back mountain, I tend to get strange feelings from watching UFC matches when 1/2 naked men mount one another.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 1/27/2006 6:22am

**martialfiend** · Posted On: 1/27/2006 6:31am

Originally Posted by I Choke You

I'm just a cowboy

**Askari** · Posted On: 2/01/2006 7:06am

If its just a straight question of training in Judo or BJJ when all other variables are equal, I would go for BJJ. Especially for those of us over 30 who want to keep training randori, the throws of Judo start to really wear you down.

But, when all other things are unequal, find an MMA class, even once a week and get training there, then add knife and stick somehow and your good to go.

**Coyote** · Posted On: 2/04/2006 9:20am

If you are looking for something that will work well in MMA tournaments, go for BJJ.
If you are looking for something that will help you on the street, go for judo.
In a ring, when you are facing a single opponant, forcing them to submit is easier than when you are being attacked in the real world, where you may be facing more than one opponant. Judo would allow you to throw one opponant to the concrete before moving on to the next, where BJJ would give his friends an excellent opportunity to kick your kidneys in.

**PirateJon** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 4:13pm

The thread keeps going and going...

I box so strikeing = covered (more or less)

I like the takedowns and throws of Judo.
I like the subs of BJJ and how it makes my e-penis bigger.

Sambo = none avalible.
Sub wrestling = none avalible.
PUROFESSHONARU RESURINGU = not avalible (but there are a few idiots that do backyard wrestling **** - one got f'd up pretty badly jumping off something and it was in the news a while back as an "OH NOES! TEH KIDZ ARE IN TEH DANGERZ!!" bit of bullshit)

Local "mma" i've found so far: 1 mix of akido/WC/jujitsu/other stuff (gag), 1 TKD mcdojo now with (unconfimed) BJJ guy, and one sparing shokotan place that mainly does krotty and adds other stuff maybe once a week (pass).

But turns out my bud knows plenty of high ranked amature fighters in the goldsboro NC area and is getting me hooked up with a few of the fighters there and he's heard that there are a few guys in my area that do t3h R34L MMA.

I'll give the mma thing a bit longer to pan out then I'm giving up and heading to BJJ classes since the judo isn't so much MMA or SD orientated - more of an olympic thing. Good, but not what I want.

So I guess this is where I say "BJJ wins again!"