I'm currently thinking about joining a Judo class, I'm not a total beginner, I did Judo a long time ago and ive studied a bit about it. I was wondering, can you get information on moves etc from the internet or where ever, and come to the dojo and use them? so for example, when you grade as a whitebelt, can you pull out all these advanced moves?
If you want to pull off moves in a competition (ie a grading) you need to have practiced it properly first. That involves an opponent. You will not be able to perform a technique learned on your own. After you get to a certain point in your training you might be able to get the basic idea of a technique from a book and then work on it with a partner in class, but until you get to the mid/high ranks, it's probably best to stick with regular teaching.
But is it allowed? If you study and train the art with a partner and get good at it, can you use what youve learnt at home in the dojo/grading?
You can use anything you've picked up anywhere in competition unless it's against the rules to do so.
Mr. Massacre, www.judoinfo.com is simply the best website for learning. It has excellent animations. Learning at home is the most effective way of learning. Obviously in Judo you need to put the time in training with an opponent, but you can practice technique on your own. Also, got any brothers or sisters? Use 'em, or maybe your parents! Have a good long study of the practical techniques on the site and practice them
It is a good reference site. Learning from any website isn't going to be great, but as a source of reminders or inspiration it is one of the best choices out there. Absolutely wrong. The most effective way to learn Judo is on a partner. You can supplement your training with uchi-komi movements at home, but that will not improve your throwing much, as you have no-one there to force you to get your technique right. Working with a partner is much better than with no-one, and working with several partners is better yet, as is the case in a dojo. Practicing Judo techniques on your own will not really help that much. See my above point. Practicing on anyone is good training, but make sure they at least don't mind you trying your stuff out on them, as otherwise it's rather harsh to suddenly start doing Judo moves on friends and relatives.
There is nothing wrong with picking up info from books, internet, videos/DVDs etc. But I agree with Aegis, the best and only real way to learn is to attend classes. You really have to get your hands on a fully resisting opponent to find out if you have proper technique. Stand-up, striking MAs fine - you can learn and improve a lot by training on your own. Grappling-based MAs, like Judo, no - its essential to have at least one training partner who can break-fall.
yup. training with your friends or relatives(lets say that they dont do judo or any martial arts) will not give you enough resistance(uchi komi. both static and moving), and might get injured if you accidentally throw them down. for me, get a good training partner, preferably, one who has more knowledge than you. he/she can give you a good resistance and can correct you when trying new techniques. get your ideas from books, websites, videos, etc. then try them in the dojo.
