I am admittedly a judo novice. Though I have practiced judo on and off for many years to supplement my self-defense training and more specifically my MCMAP and jiujitsu, I have only been a judo player for about a year, since I began preparing for and received my blue belt from Sensei Maurice Allan. I have noted, however, that within judo there are many styles, based on the backgrounds of the players involved and the teaching styles of their masters. Some of these styles include Greco-Roman and other types of wrestling, Sombo (a Russian derivation of judo), and Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) (a Brazilian derivation of judo).
Playing with other judoka I've noticed that BJJ players tend to be uncomfortable in the standing phase of the fight but very comfortable on the ground, particularly in the guard, though unfortunately sometimes to their own detriment. BJJ players tend to fall naturally into the guard when taken down and lose matches that way in judo tournaments.
I've noticed that wrestlers tend to be good at shooting in for take downs and have good ground work and are good at pinning, though not so good with submissions or throws.
Since my base is BJJ so far as grappling styles go, I have been a victim to falling into guard when being taken down. I've learned two ways to counter take downs since then. One is to manipulate the head of the attacker, redirecting his head toward the ground and away from you. This negates his take down attempt. The other way is to turn away from the attacker and take a knee. This way is tournament centric, however, and a bad idea on the street. Once your knee hits the mat, you are no longer subject to ippon (full point) and you may then turn back toward the attacker and pull guard.
I've also learned a few counters to pins, kaze-gatame and north-south, in particular. One shouldn't ever get into a pin to begin with, but with a BJJ background and small stature within my weight class I find myself fighting from my back quite a bit, which is bad in judo.
Finally, conditioning. Wrestlers tend to be in good to great condition. They are quick on the take downs. The way to counter take downs is to be on the attack, versus waiting for them and reacting. But being on the attack means having to have superior conditioning, especially if you have several fights to get to the medal rounds and if you are fighting in multiple divisions. Running, swimming, and continuous fighting against multiple opponents, such as in Bull in the Ring, are excellent ways to improve conditioning. Bull in the Ring is a drill where one fighter takes on multiple opponents, one at a time. They form a circle around him and randomly attack him in the center. He fights them to ippon, and then is attacked by another opponent once the first opponent is safely out of the ring.
Regardless of what style of judo you come practice each has its pros and cons and different ways to deal with the other.
Playing with other judoka I've noticed that BJJ players tend to be uncomfortable in the standing phase of the fight but very comfortable on the ground, particularly in the guard, though unfortunately sometimes to their own detriment. BJJ players tend to fall naturally into the guard when taken down and lose matches that way in judo tournaments.
I've noticed that wrestlers tend to be good at shooting in for take downs and have good ground work and are good at pinning, though not so good with submissions or throws.
Since my base is BJJ so far as grappling styles go, I have been a victim to falling into guard when being taken down. I've learned two ways to counter take downs since then. One is to manipulate the head of the attacker, redirecting his head toward the ground and away from you. This negates his take down attempt. The other way is to turn away from the attacker and take a knee. This way is tournament centric, however, and a bad idea on the street. Once your knee hits the mat, you are no longer subject to ippon (full point) and you may then turn back toward the attacker and pull guard.
I've also learned a few counters to pins, kaze-gatame and north-south, in particular. One shouldn't ever get into a pin to begin with, but with a BJJ background and small stature within my weight class I find myself fighting from my back quite a bit, which is bad in judo.
Finally, conditioning. Wrestlers tend to be in good to great condition. They are quick on the take downs. The way to counter take downs is to be on the attack, versus waiting for them and reacting. But being on the attack means having to have superior conditioning, especially if you have several fights to get to the medal rounds and if you are fighting in multiple divisions. Running, swimming, and continuous fighting against multiple opponents, such as in Bull in the Ring, are excellent ways to improve conditioning. Bull in the Ring is a drill where one fighter takes on multiple opponents, one at a time. They form a circle around him and randomly attack him in the center. He fights them to ippon, and then is attacked by another opponent once the first opponent is safely out of the ring.
Regardless of what style of judo you come practice each has its pros and cons and different ways to deal with the other.
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