Useful tips for those starting out in Judo/Jujutsu...

Tez3

Sr. Grandmaster
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
27,608
Reaction score
4,901
Location
England
Choose your sparring partners very carefully. Judo is a full-contact sport and some people simply don't care about the safety of those they do randori with. I say this as I'm laid up for two months with a broken fibula from Judo which you could hear snap halfway across the dojo. If your spidey sense goes off (as mine did), just politely decline (like I did not).

-Mark

Oh my days, that's awful thing to happen! I'm so sorry, I hope it's not going to mess you around too much with things like work. I'm sure though you will come back from it fighting fit again. Take care of yourself.
 

Langenschwert

Master Black Belt
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
1,023
Reaction score
353
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
Thanks Tez!

I'm off work due to the injury. The doctor expects a full recovery, which is a good thing. Three screws and plate, which means I'm slowly fulfilling my lifelong goal of becoming a terminator, one piece of metal at a time! :D
 

jks9199

Administrator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
23,473
Reaction score
3,794
Location
Northern VA
Thanks Tez!

I'm off work due to the injury. The doctor expects a full recovery, which is a good thing. Three screws and plate, which means I'm slowly fulfilling my lifelong goal of becoming a terminator, one piece of metal at a time! :D
Unacceptable from your training partner. I hope to hell that the seniors in the class/club have addressed it thoroughly.
 

Tony Dismukes

MT Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
7,576
Reaction score
7,611
Location
Lexington, KY
Choose your sparring partners very carefully. Judo is a full-contact sport and some people simply don't care about the safety of those they do randori with. I say this as I'm laid up for two months with a broken fibula from Judo which you could hear snap halfway across the dojo. If your spidey sense goes off (as mine did), just politely decline (like I did not).

-Mark
Ouch! How did it happen?
 

Hanzou

Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
6,770
Reaction score
1,330
Choose your sparring partners very carefully. Judo is a full-contact sport and some people simply don't care about the safety of those they do randori with. I say this as I'm laid up for two months with a broken fibula from Judo which you could hear snap halfway across the dojo. If your spidey sense goes off (as mine did), just politely decline (like I did not).

-Mark

Might be time to find a new school.
 

Langenschwert

Master Black Belt
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
1,023
Reaction score
353
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
My foot got stuck in the mat and the guy powered through it and threw me over his leg and my foot stayed behind. He didn't realize what what happening, but I knew he played rough. Some people's going easy is the same as others' going full out. There was absolutely no maliciousness on his part that I'm aware of. One's safety is their own responsibility. I knew I should have declined and I ignored my gut. A strong, brand new yellow belt is dangerous and I should have walked away. There are other guys that I love to drill with, but I won't spar them under any circumstances. They are simply too powerful and too green for me to spar safely.

I didn't reply to make the club or the person look bad. I replied to make sure people know that you need to be careful about your choices when you're training. Guard your safety, since no one else can do it for you, no matter their experience. When you start, watch how people play. If someone looks like they play too rough for you, then don't spar them. If someone's on the edge but is experienced, here's what I did. I said, "hey, my breakfalls aren't good enough to deal with your throws yet. Let's go really easy, since I don't feel like getting hurt today". Usually that's good enough. A yellow belt doesn't know how to go easy unless they're experienced in other arts. I had 10 years of training before starting Judo, so I know how to go easy and I always watch for my partner's safety. That's not to say I haven't injured people in randori, but they were able to continue training because I was looking out for their safety as much as my own. I try really hard to make sure that I spar safely. I won't injure someone to score a point. But accidents happen in contact sports.

My point is, don't let your ego get in the way of your safety. I did.
 

Chris Parker

Grandmaster
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
6,259
Reaction score
1,104
Location
Melbourne, Australia
My foot got stuck in the mat and the guy powered through it and threw me over his leg and my foot stayed behind. He didn't realize what what happening, but I knew he played rough. Some people's going easy is the same as others' going full out. There was absolutely no maliciousness on his part that I'm aware of. One's safety is their own responsibility. I knew I should have declined and I ignored my gut. A strong, brand new yellow belt is dangerous and I should have walked away. There are other guys that I love to drill with, but I won't spar them under any circumstances. They are simply too powerful and too green for me to spar safely.

I didn't reply to make the club or the person look bad. I replied to make sure people know that you need to be careful about your choices when you're training. Guard your safety, since no one else can do it for you, no matter their experience. When you start, watch how people play. If someone looks like they play too rough for you, then don't spar them. If someone's on the edge but is experienced, here's what I did. I said, "hey, my breakfalls aren't good enough to deal with your throws yet. Let's go really easy, since I don't feel like getting hurt today". Usually that's good enough. A yellow belt doesn't know how to go easy unless they're experienced in other arts. I had 10 years of training before starting Judo, so I know how to go easy and I always watch for my partner's safety. That's not to say I haven't injured people in randori, but they were able to continue training because I was looking out for their safety as much as my own. I try really hard to make sure that I spar safely. I won't injure someone to score a point. But accidents happen in contact sports.

My point is, don't let your ego get in the way of your safety. I did.

Dude! Ouch!

Get better, my friend.
 

jks9199

Administrator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
23,473
Reaction score
3,794
Location
Northern VA
My foot got stuck in the mat and the guy powered through it and threw me over his leg and my foot stayed behind. He didn't realize what what happening, but I knew he played rough. Some people's going easy is the same as others' going full out. There was absolutely no maliciousness on his part that I'm aware of. One's safety is their own responsibility. I knew I should have declined and I ignored my gut. A strong, brand new yellow belt is dangerous and I should have walked away. There are other guys that I love to drill with, but I won't spar them under any circumstances. They are simply too powerful and too green for me to spar safely.

I didn't reply to make the club or the person look bad. I replied to make sure people know that you need to be careful about your choices when you're training. Guard your safety, since no one else can do it for you, no matter their experience. When you start, watch how people play. If someone looks like they play too rough for you, then don't spar them. If someone's on the edge but is experienced, here's what I did. I said, "hey, my breakfalls aren't good enough to deal with your throws yet. Let's go really easy, since I don't feel like getting hurt today". Usually that's good enough. A yellow belt doesn't know how to go easy unless they're experienced in other arts. I had 10 years of training before starting Judo, so I know how to go easy and I always watch for my partner's safety. That's not to say I haven't injured people in randori, but they were able to continue training because I was looking out for their safety as much as my own. I try really hard to make sure that I spar safely. I won't injure someone to score a point. But accidents happen in contact sports.

My point is, don't let your ego get in the way of your safety. I did.

Excellent point -- but I still hope that the seniors in the club have addressed the issue with the student in question, or by setting a policy, even if "unpublished" that only senior students work with the guy until he moves past that point. I still say it is unacceptable, but the correction depends on the specifics of the problem. In his case, that's probably going to be some "slow down, let's work this out properly..." and helping him understand how he contributed to your injury.
 

Jeff_Beish

Yellow Belt
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
49
Reaction score
27
Choose your sparring partners very carefully. Judo is a full-contact sport and some people simply don't care about the safety of those they do randori with. I say this as I'm laid up for two months with a broken fibula from Judo which you could hear snap halfway across the dojo. If your spidey sense goes off (as mine did), just politely decline (like I did not).

-Mark
Hum, now this may sound not PC, but in my day I chose my sparring partner by picking the toughest and more knowledgeable person on the dojo floor. In other words, a black belt was a very worn obi...... :)
 

Drakanyst

Yellow Belt
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
30
Reaction score
7
I am learning Judo! Buuuuuuuuuut all the terms are in Korean. Does anyone have a good pointer for where to look for technique names and so forth in Japanese?
 

Tez3

Sr. Grandmaster
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
27,608
Reaction score
4,901
Location
England
I am learning Judo! Buuuuuuuuuut all the terms are in Korean. Does anyone have a good pointer for where to look for technique names and so forth in Japanese?


I thought all the terms in Judo were Japanese?
 

Dirty Dog

MT Senior Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
23,355
Reaction score
9,095
Location
Pueblo West, CO
I am learning Judo! Buuuuuuuuuut all the terms are in Korean. Does anyone have a good pointer for where to look for technique names and so forth in Japanese?

Why would your school use Korean terms for a Japanese art? Are you in Korea?
 

elder999

El Oso de Dios!
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
9,929
Reaction score
1,451
Location
Where the hills have eyes.,and it's HOT!
Why would your school use Korean terms for a Japanese art? Are you in Korea?

Because Korea has their own version of judo, called "yudo," that some people say is "different" from Kodokan judo, but once was the same thing...Kodokan judo having so largely departed into being an Olympic sport as to not even resemble itself, at times.....

EDIT: Korean yudo is taught in several places and flavors in the U.S.
 

Langenschwert

Master Black Belt
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
1,023
Reaction score
353
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
Hum, now this may sound not PC, but in my day I chose my sparring partner by picking the toughest and more knowledgeable person on the dojo floor. In other words, a black belt was a very worn obi...... :)

Black belts are usually safer to spar than yellow belts as they have control. A big yellow belt can be very dangerous. Some people don't have any median intensity. It's 100% or nothing. Those are people you want to avoid when you're learning.
 

Dirty Dog

MT Senior Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
23,355
Reaction score
9,095
Location
Pueblo West, CO
Because Korea has their own version of judo, called "yudo," that some people say is "different" from Kodokan judo, but once was the same thing...Kodokan judo having so largely departed into being an Olympic sport as to not even resemble itself, at times.....

EDIT: Korean yudo is taught in several places and flavors in the U.S.

I'm familiar with yudo, though I've never trained in it. I guess there's a built in assumption that if the OP were training in yudo, they wouldn't have said judo...

Black belts are usually safer to spar than yellow belts as they have control. A big yellow belt can be very dangerous. Some people don't have any median intensity. It's 100% or nothing. Those are people you want to avoid when you're learning.

Absolutely.
We recently had a young man join our school. His older sister is one of our 1st Dans. He's 17. 6'4" and about 250. Enthusiastic. But he has no control (yet) and no "median intensity" (excellent term). At this point, the only geup student I let him spar with is our resident giant - a 6'6" 270' 4th geup who plays football for last years NCAA Division II national champs. He can take a hit...
Other than that, he spars with chodanbo or above. Until he learns some control, at least.
 

Drakanyst

Yellow Belt
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
30
Reaction score
7
Dirty Dog- yes, I am. It is a part of my university major and while it has been very informative and fun to learn so far, when I return to the U.S. I don't want to get terms mixed up if I end up in a Japanese term using school.
 

Langenschwert

Master Black Belt
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
1,023
Reaction score
353
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
Absolutely.
We recently had a young man join our school. His older sister is one of our 1st Dans. He's 17. 6'4" and about 250. Enthusiastic. But he has no control (yet) and no "median intensity" (excellent term). At this point, the only geup student I let him spar with is our resident giant - a 6'6" 270' 4th geup who plays football for last years NCAA Division II national champs. He can take a hit...
Other than that, he spars with chodanbo or above. Until he learns some control, at least.

That's a good plan. My HEMA club has a similar resident giant (again, a former collegiate football player) who is also our fight team coach. Very good with the newbies. Should we ever get a big guy with no control, we have our countermeasure already in place. :)
 

Jeff_Beish

Yellow Belt
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
49
Reaction score
27
Black belts are usually safer to spar than yellow belts as they have control. A big yellow belt can be very dangerous. Some people don't have any median intensity. It's 100% or nothing. Those are people you want to avoid when you're learning.
I liked working with white belts so to practice techniques not usually done well with black belt types; but you are right, those big novices can be dangerous. I left the dojo with blood on my GI more than once.
 

Latest Discussions

Top