Thinking about trying Judo...?

Discussion in 'Judo' started by yoyo123, May 11, 2011.

  1. yoyo123

    yoyo123 Valued Member

    I already take chen t'ai chi, but I want to add a more active art. I tried taekwondo and LOVED it, but some of the kicks didn't agree with me, so I think I'll be better off with a non-kicking art.

    I was thinking about checking out the local Judo club, but I do have some concerns. I am 30-ish, female, VERY slight build, not very strong. I have no preference for self-defense vs. sport. I am in this for fun, exercise, challenge of learning new skills, and martial arts culture (really enjoy the respect/camaraderie/focus in my other MA classes).

    Do you think Judo is an OK fit for me given my age/size? My lower back is "slightly" weak, but taekwondo doesn't bother it. Is this an issue, with all the falling in Judo? I'm not worried about muscle soreness/bruises, more concerned about other injuries since I am small (are 200 lb guys and muscley amazon women going to break me in half?? lol). I'm not as durable as I was 10 years ago, obviously!

    What do you think?
     
  2. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Biggest problem is always going to be your size. Visit the local clubs and see if they have people/women of a similar size.
     
  3. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Try it and see. Most people you train with will be considerate of your size. You might find that your local club has some of the more advanced juniors in the adult class and you could train with one of them. In my Judo club a lot of the women are there for fun and exercise so aren't huge Amazons, just parents of kiddies who started Judo after their children did.
     
  4. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Contrary. In Judo- Size Doesn't Matter
     
  5. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Yes it does, when you are training with people with the same level or greater experience than you, it makes a heck of a difference. It matters less when you are training with someone who has less experience than you, but it can still be a factor.
     
  6. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    This doesn't make sense to me.

    I would think that a person would start of with less experience methods.

    Taking it easy and gradual progression has always been the way of instruction, in anything.

    In Judo, size doesn't matter if proper technique is studied and applied to the methods.

    I don't know how Judo is for you, but the classes I had attended, size never had mattered.
     
  7. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    These size matters discussions are about Judo, right? :eek:


    yoyo123, if you got a friend around your size that you can talk into taking Judo with you, then that can help with any concerns you have. Give you someone to train with in addition to who else is in class.
     
  8. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    How big are you, because as a small female it is blatantly obvious to me that the bigger people I train with have an advantage.

    If someone has the same level of experience and training as you then if they are bigger and/or stronger than you they will have the advantage in randori. It will also give them an advantage of strength over skill in learning a technique. It doesn't mean that skill wise they are better than you, but they can get away with more by using strength rather than pure technique.
     
  9. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    With utmost respect;

    I am not speaking of only randori. Randori is not the crux of Judo.

    My instructor always had stated;
    "Size doesn't matter in Judo-technique does."
    He always paired smaller people with the larger.
    I remember a small female, less than 5' tall, 175lbs or less.
    Of course in the beginning, she had a difficult time.
    After progression, she can throw-toss the bigger people.

    If you think strength is the key issue in Judo, then perhaps you train in a far different Judo that I have and I know others in.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2011
  10. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    I totally agree. A partner that you are familiar with is a great way to start

    However, having a back injury, can serve as a problem for a throwing or grappling arts such as Judo, JJ, etc.
     
  11. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Sorry but you're wrong. So is your instructor
     
  12. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    Probably not wrong, just the statement is being taken out of context.

    Of course size and strength matter, but it is all relative. If because of good technique I'm able to effectively use 90% of my size and strength, but my opponent is only able to use 50% of his size and strength... it is possible that I am effectively using more size and strength than the opponent, even if physically I am smaller. Add to this use of kuzushi, of course, and the opponent can even have their own size used against them.

    Now the argument is with equal skill and experience, does that make strength and size matter more?
     
  13. yoyo123

    yoyo123 Valued Member

    I'm not sure bringing a friend would help, since they are all bigger than me (I'm 105 lbs on a good day! lol). It is a good idea, though, thanks. I hadn't though about the teenager angle...some of them might be closer to my size.

    I don't know if my back would be an issue or not...it's really not too bad, but I won't know unless I try it. That's why I originally gravitated more towards taekwondo, since any injury would either be caused by me (from overdoing it), or from my partner in the form of bruises from getting kicked, which is no big deal. Are injuries from getting thrown (and landing wrong), or being contorted on the ground common in Judo?
     
  14. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Pounds and inches might not matter but when you're talking twice the weight and a foot in height then it makes a big difference.
     
  15. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    You guys are forgetting Frodo lifts 1 1/2 times her bodyweight so strength isn't the issue
     
  16. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    No argument there.

    Still, good technique (as in fundamentals and principles), being in top physical shape, experience, and strong fighting spirit also can make a big difference.

    One of the things that likely will happen is that yoyo123 at 105 lbs is going to go up to around 115 pounds from Judo training. This will be in the building of muscles and strength. It won't be fat. This extra mass and strength might help protect her from injury during training.
     
  17. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    And I wasn't talking about just randori. The bigger, stronger person will always have an advantage when comparing like experience with like experience. This particularly true in the case of a newbie - like the op. She will struggle to learn to unbalance, throw and sweep larger people at first, whereas a larger newbie bloke can get away with muscling through technique (to a certain extent). As she gets more experience size will become less of an issue, but it will still be an issue. If it wasn't a problem, then there wouldn't be weight classes in competition.

    This I agree with. If I have much better technique than someone who is bigger than me (and less experienced than me) then size and strength become much less of an issue, because I can use their size and balance points against them and to a certain extent I can make use of my lower centre of gravity to make it harder for them to unbalance/throw me.
     
  18. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Which is why being small shouldn't put her off training. It might take longer for her to progress in learning to apply the technique to a fully resistant partner, but in the end she may end up with better technique than a large bloke who can use his strength to compensate for a lack of skill, to a certain degree.
     
  19. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Won't make that much difference. Another small female is what she needs to make it fun. Getting battered, squashed & bruised week in week out isn't going to be any fun for the O/P
     
  20. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I find it fun! :D

    Well, most of the time! Often it is fun interspersed with frustration! I did get depressed when my regular training partner (who was the same size and a bit lighter than me) had to quit because of a job change.

    Interestingly enough, training with her did support the theory of the importance of skill and experience. I was much better on the ground than she was (due to also training BJJ) but she pretty much always beat me in stand up randori.
     

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