Well, Sort of. I've already had three classes and I gotta say, I like it . I took it to compliment my Muay Thai and have some understanding of grappling. Mostly so I wouldn't have to immediatly resort to kicks and elbows if I ever need to defend myself, especialy against a person I really don't want to really hurt (thought about taking Aikido for this, but seemed like it wouldn't go well with my Muay Thai). The only thing I was worried about was falling, which I'm not a big fan of. I never knew how much work it takes to fall correctly until my first judo class . Ground grappling is also much tougher than it seems, especialy against people who have been at the dojo for awhile. I try and topple them over by strength alone, but most of the time they just pull my gi and throw me off balance. I did manage to topple over an instructor by surprise and apply a choke, but I didn't last on top of for long. Plus, I injured my right rib while trying to reverse a ( I think) "Shiho gatemi," which is a pin where you hold the opponents head with one arm and his/her arm witht he other. Needless to say, that made falling even more painful. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying Judo alot and hope to someday be the thrower instead of the person being thrown !
stick at it, judo is a great art for sport and for self defence. im currently thinking of taking muay thai to compliment my judo.
I had my first Judo class today, well, I was the only one there... It's a small class. It's pretty fun, but I twisted my left ancle... So sad.... :cry:
i take kickboxing to compliment my judo, i think they do go well together. the thing you have got to learn is, although strength is good, it dosent gaurentee success. you probably already now this from your muay thai but its doubly true of judo. i regulary beat bigger, stronger opponents by speed of movement flexability and knowledge of chokes and arm locks. ground work is where its at. i love the ground i try to get there asap in a fight as i know thats where i'm strongest. RE: falling over, breakfalls are the most important thing in judo. you have to be able to be thrown and spring right back up. not sustaining an injury is paramount. plus, you can learn things from being thrown that no teacher can teach you. i'm glad you enjoy it, it really is a great sport.
Re: Falling Whilst I would advise mastering traditional breakfalling, see this old Yoda thread about unorthodox breakfalling - http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2428 The article by a US judo coach advocates trying to avoid being thrown onto your back by "turning out" and trying to use your hands, or twist mid-air to land either on your feet or on your front. Food for thought when you are a bit more advanced with your Judo.
Turning out is absolutely spectacular, one of my instructors can do it very well, and it can surprise the heck out of an opponent who doesn't hold on to you after the throw. As to the Shiho Gatame, a good trick, if you're limber, is simply to roll over backwards. It hurts, because it'll grind your head into the mat for a couple seconds, but if you can get your legs over your head not only have you pretty much broken the pin, but most opponents will hold on until they have chicken-winged themselves, leaving you in a very nice position for retaliation
