I'm new on the Judo forum, so forgive me for asking what has probably been asked a million times.
How good do you think Judo is for self-defense?
As long as there is room to throw I would think it is a good art in general. If one had to fight in a phone booth or tigh quarters, I would think this woud cause a problem, but otherwise it sounds like it is overall a good art.
Any opinions?
I think judo is great for self defense. I think that the throws and ground grappling make it very sound for most situations
Jason,
I always wondered how much the ground game was emphasized in Judo.
Aren't pins part of the curriculum? I bet a judoka could hold someone down with ease.
Yes, pins, strangles, and arm bars are part of the judo curriculum. The only part of the body you can apply a joint lock is on the elbow. The ground game in judo is much less emphasized than bjj.
"If one had to fight in a phone booth or tigh quarters, I would think this woud cause a problem, but otherwise it sounds like it is overall a good art."
Grappling is applied on the ground AND while standing. The word "grappling" is not limited to ground work, and the same principles apply either way.
Fighting in a phone booth is basically ground grappling except horizontal without the benefit of gravity being on your side if you are "on top" with no up or down.
i always question why grown men ask about self-defense. unless you work as a cop or in the protection/military fields then it is really odd to me that grown men want to learn to beat somebody up.
i fully see it being a necessity for women, girls and boys, however.
the truth is that if you want to learn something for self-defense it will not be the most enjoyable experience for you in the first place. but, if you do it for fun, for a challenge, for a work-out, to learn something challenging, then you will learn it and enjoy the process only to someday find out that you can really easily protect yourself but dont really care to test it.
^^^ Ok, so are you saying a growen man should not educate himself about how he would react in a street situation??
^^^^
He's saying it's usually not necessary unless the grown man works in law enforcement or other occupations in which he has a high probability of being face to face with violence.
For adults, most violence can be avoided with a little bit of common-sense and a willingness to not get sucked into fights over nothing.
no. i am saying it simply strikes me odd that a grown man would worry about such things unless he worked in a field that requires him to put himself into a dangerous situation.
men dont worry about walking down the street and being raped. men dont worry about being picked on the school-yard bully anymore. men dont worry about their boyfriend or spouse beating the tar out of him.
most crimes that involve adult men are weapon related, and thusly, knowing how to fight isnt much of a help in the real world.
what i am saying is that men grow up and grow beyond putting themselves into violent situations (shy of just being unlucky), and if they find themselves in that kind of situation, learning something like judo for fun would have the exact same impact as learning it for self-defence.
in other words... pick something because it will be fun for you. when you get good at what's fun, it will come in handy on those very rare times in life.
Maybe what Resnik means is that the Return On Investment for self-defense in ANY martial art or combat system is slim at best.
By the time you are able to use your skill in a self-defense situation you will have spent mucho dinero and many, many hours. Possibly, God forbid, only to find yourself at the wrong end of a firearm with no other alternative than to "give it up".
If your main concern is self-defense, then a class on awareness, or any law enforcement seminar will give you more useful information in a couple of hours than Judo (et al) would in a year.
Sorry, my reply was written before I saw Resnik's reply.
and mine was written before i saw Flash's.. =)
i am in complete agreement with Sam and Flash.
Everyone has different motivations for learning martial arts.
I think the comment about grown men wanting to learn MAs for self defense is snobbish, but you are entitled to your opinion.
well, i think its kinda odd that a grown man desires to dwell on having to protect himself maybe one time in his adult life so much that he is willing to train for years in order to do it.
if you are always worried about SD, then youll never really learn everything judo, or any martial art, tries to teach you because in the back of your head you will always be judging things by saying "that wont work on the streets so thats not for me."
which is simply the way wrong attitude to have.
Joshua,
A lot of people, men, women and childeren learn martial arts for self defense as their primary reason. Nothing wrong with that.
The average person thinks of MAs as being for self defense, this is normal thinking.
Many MA schools as well as boxing gyms advertise that the art can be learned for self defense.
It would be different if I said that I wanted to learn Judo to be a bully.
Also I think the average person needs MA training more than a cop/LEO who has weapons training, partners and can arrest someone.
Not many people are going to target a cop, if they do, they can get shot or thrown in jail.
Thank God someone finally said it! Kudo's to you Josh. I am 40 years old and haven't been in a fight since I was 12. I competed in Judo because it was fun, not because I wanted to be able to "handle myself".
Of course dojo's advertise for self defense. It is called MARKETING. It brings in people. If you want the best self defense training, buy a gun and learn how to shoot it. This is much more reliable and cheaper than thousands of dollars in investment in a martial art that you may or may not remember how to do when your vision tunnels under the stress of a confrontation.
I don't like guns and don't want to own a gun so that is not an option for me.
I think this is a case of someone trying to tell someone else how to think and what their motivation should be, which doesn't make sense.
I agree with Josh. There is nothing more stupid looking than an adult male still worrying about playground fights
I could care less how you think. I could care less if you spend $100,000 in self defense training. In fact, I know a number of gym owners who will gladly take your money. I am in agreement with Josh, however, that I am puzzled as to what kind of life someone leads were they think self defense is a neccessity. In the course of my day, I process thousands of other more pertinent thoughts regarding my well being before I would ever get to "oh yeah, what will I do if I get jumped in the street".