The Complete Grappler

When I began Judo I really believed that it was completely different art from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Now of course the emphasis is different but one complements the other to such an extent that I can't believe I didn't take up the practise sooner.

For example today we went from ground-fighting to stand-up and back again.  This allowed me to see grappling in its entirety rather than separating the two.  I've said in an earlier post that to become a complete grappler I think its essential to have the ability to grapple on the ground, but also the ability to take your opponent to the ground.  Not only is Judo giving me this, its also improving my understanding of balance, hand/grip placement and how to manipultae your opponents body weight.  I have just started teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to a small group of guys and as soon as I am able I will introduce some take-downs to them, it will be a core part of our practise, considered just as important as any ground technique.

The French Wonder

After enjoying the Saturday class so much I thought I would attend the Tuesday class.  The class was much smaller with five Dan grades present and about half the number of students, great!  This resulted in me getting some excellent one on one coaching with a French black belt Teddy.  Now here's a guy who has been practising since the age of five, wow. 

I got some excellent coaching on my uchikomi and he really stressed breaking the balance of your opponent rather than just going through the motions.  We then did some 'French Randoori' which is a more relaxed style of Randoori which allows you to experiment with your throws, I don't have a huge dictionary of throws at this point but it was really useful to practice the throws I had learnt thus far, Tuesdays are bit more technical and the class moves at a slightly slower pace, but for me its a great way to learn.

My First Randoori

So this was my second lesson and I felt a bit more ease about attending as the club is such a welcoming place.  There is a complete lack of ego and all of the judokas, from white belt to black, went out of their way to help and assist Simon and I when they could.

Today we focused on a throw, called O Goshi.  I really thought my prior grappling experience would help me when learning throws, but I was a duck out of water.  The key here is again breaking your opponents balance whilst simultaneously moving your body and particularly your hips into the correct position to execute the throw.  It should look something like this; needless to say my version was some way off:



We practised this a number of times and although Simon didn't fare any better than I did, I was glad to have someone I knew and trusted to work with.

Racky, the Dan grade who was leading the class, then called for a few rounds of Randoori.  At first Simon watched as these guys threw each other all over the place.  We spar a lot in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but there is something very different about Judo sparring.  In a nutshell BJJ is like chess whilst Judo seems like a war of attrition.  As we knew virtually nothing at this statge we were hesitant about having a go, but Racky beckoned us over and we thought 'what the hell!'.  Now of course I got tossed around like a rag-doll, but wow, what a rush.  Its great seeing and feeling the ability of someone who has command of their martial art, it gives you an appreciation for the hard work and dedication, and it also gives you something to aspire to.

A great way to start your Saturday morning!

My First Class

So today was my first ever Judo session.  I managed to find a cheap Gi, plain white, very different from my black or blue Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi covered in patches!  It was also quite weird to put on a white belt and be the least skilled person in the class, but it also felt great to know that I would be learning something completely new and adding to my grappling game.


I wasn't quite sure what to expect, when I first started BJJ I found the training really tough so it was with some apprehension that I began the class.  Surprisingly, the warm up was almost exactly the same, a run around the mat to get the blood flowing, break-falls and forward rolls.


I was then taken aside with Simon, a BJJ purple belt who I've trained with for a number of years.  The Dan grade who looked after us, Racky, was extremely welcoming and very helpful.  We were shown a key entry practice called 'Uchikomi'.  Judokas use this to practice their entry into throws and to be honest I found it a bit odd.  Racky explained the principles behind Uchikomi and suggested we focused on body placement and unbalancing your opponent.  I can't quite see it yet, but I can definitely understand why unbalancing your opponent will make executing throws that much more successful.


We ended the session with about twenty minutes of Newaza or groundfighting, now this now this I found really surprising.   I expected very little groundwork and expected it to be quite slow with the focus on hold-downs.  However this was full-on sparring and some of the Judokas were quite skilled on the ground. That said I felt that they were stronger at defending positions and remaining static rather than the BJJ method of groundwork which is more fluid and dynamic.  On the other hand your average BJJ practitioner's takedowns are incredibly basic in comparison to your average Judoka, which is why I feel a mixture of both arts makes for a complete grappler.


On the whole, I found my first class to be incredibly enjoyable and I truly believe that adding Judo to my BJJ game will enhance my all round grappling ability.  I'm really looking forward to the next class.