Judo v. BJJ

[mmalover]

I'm new to the whole MMA thing and martial arts, in general. My main goal is to learn something that is street effective. I know the ideal is to be well rounded in all aspects of fighting, but there aren't any MMA specific schools in my area. And I'm not looking to enter the UFC anyway. I just want to learn a grappling style that can help me defend myself.

I am primarily deciding between judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Here are my questions:

1. Do you think judo is an effective form of self-defense (even w/o gi)?

2. Which is better for the street, judo or BJJ? And why?

Your thoughts are most welcome and appreciated.

[alsey]

judo is very effective, because the training is based around fighting with a resisting partner.

judo, from observation, seems to involve a bit more stand up clinch stuff which i think is very important for street fighting. from what i've seen of BJJ the clinch is pretty much bypassed and you're straight on the ground. judo seems to give you more skills to put your opponent on the floor and get out of the situation, which IMO is the priority in a street fight. BJJ teaches you to finish the fight on the ground. while this often works, its not the most favorable street option IMO.

so i would say judo, but then i don't actually practice either of these styles.

[bushido_man96]

Both of these are good grappling styles. I think judo is a little more restricted in some aspects, as it tends to lean toward competition. It probably depends on the instructor, though. BJJ is a nice style as well. I think judo concentrates on throws more than BJJ, where as a lot of BJJ randori will start from the knees. I think Judo randori starts from a standing postition.

I think it would be great to try both, and do a live comparison. I would love to learn throws, but also like all of the locks and submissions of BJJ. Boy, I think I would do both if I could. Of course, if I had a say, my weekday schedule would look something like this:

Monday AM: Tang Soo Do

Monday PM: Tae Kwon Do

Tuesday AM: Judo

Tuesday PM: BJJ

Wednesday AM: Shotokan

Wednesday PM: Kyokushin

Thursday AM: Muay Thai

Thursday PM: Boxing

Friday: Ah, take the day off.

Of course, I would lift everyday as well. Too bad I work for a living!

[alsey]

Monday AM: Tang Soo Do

Monday PM: Tae Kwon Do

Tuesday AM: Judo

Tuesday PM: BJJ

Wednesday AM: Shotokan

Wednesday PM: Kyokushin

Thursday AM: Muay Thai

Thursday PM: Boxing

Friday: Ah, take the day off.

that would be sweet

[mmalover]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I only have time and money for one. The judo classes are cheaper but my priority is learning something street effective. If BJJ is more street effective then I'd much rather take that than judo. Also the judo classes dont require me to sign a contract or anything like that, while the BJJ courses require at least 6 month commitment.

But these are secondary issues for me. My main question is what do you guys think is more street effective between those two? And why?

[alsey]

from my own fighting experiences, and from what i know of the two arts, i would say judo. many people will say BJJ though. really, if you get good at either of them you'll have some good skills which you can apply in real defence.

[Scotty]

Yeah, you can't really go wrong with either style, as they are tried and tested. But one of my instructors explained that the self defence I am taught was taken from aspects of BJJ, and I know that what I have been taught is useful. So personally, I would choose the BJJ

[mmalover]

Thanks for all the info guys!

Have any of you actually utilized judo or BJJ in a fight (or known someone who has). And if yes, did you find the art useful and could you elaborate with details?

Also, are there other martial styles that you guys feel might be even more useful for self defense than judo or BJJ?

Edited August 15, 2006 by mmalover

[mmalover]

from my own fighting experiences, and from what i know of the two arts, i would say judo. many people will say BJJ though. really, if you get good at either of them you'll have some good skills which you can apply in real defence.

Could you go into more detail on your experiences which led to your conclusion that judo might be more useful than BJJ?

Much appreciated in advance!

[alsey]

from my own fighting experiences, and from what i know of the two arts, i would say judo. many people will say BJJ though. really, if you get good at either of them you'll have some good skills which you can apply in real defence.

Could you go into more detail on your experiences which led to your conclusion that judo might be more useful than BJJ?

BJJ is ground fighting, and aims to get the fight on the ground and finish it there. IMO on the street this is a bad tactic; your priority should be to disable the opponent while still on your feet. i have been in situations where if i had gone to the ground i could have been seriously hurt (i described one in the real self defence stories thread in the general MA forum).

from what i have seen of the two arts, judo gives you more skills to disable your opponent while staying on your feet, but it still contains a good deal of ground fighting in case the fight does end up on the floor.