The question of whether Judo makes you a good MMA fighter or now has been a hot topic of debate for decades. Judokas assert that the aggressiveness of the sport makes them better fighters than many other disciplines. The quick throws and efficient takedowns make the sport much superior in many aspects. But how effective is Judo really in MMA?
To say that it is quite effective is an understatement. The explosiveness of the sport makes it a great foundation for any aspiring MMA fighter. This doesn’t mean that Judo doesn’t have flaws. But if you know what you can take and what to leave out, you will be setting yourself up for greatness in MMA.
So what do you need to leave out of Judo? And what do you need to focus on? Let’s examine this discipline closely and see how it can help you become the fighter you want to be.
Judo as a Good Foundation for MMA
Few MMA disciplines prepare you as good as Judo. With grappling at the core of the sport, you know that you’re getting a great foundation laid out when you start practicing. For one thing, the techniques of Judo are as old as time itself. They are aggressive and shall we say immortal? Even before Judo became the discipline we know it today, people have been grappling, sparring, and fighting. What Judo did was group those techniques under different categories.
And then there’s the clinch. Ask any Judoka worth their salt about the best thing they got out of Judo and they’d tell you it’s the clinch. This clinch is the basis for many techniques in MMA. This makes it easy for you to move from Judo to other MMA disciplines without issues. Furthermore, you will go into any discipline with a strong background that makes you shine in a short time.
And let’s not forget about the underhooks and overhooks. Long before Judo was a thing, people have been using these techniques. When Judo established the need for a Gi for its members, grappling became more disciplined and rules were set to make it more efficient. So if you’re worried about the Gi and no-Gi issue, don’t let that deter you. You can put your Gi aside and go at your opponent in whatever discipline you choose and still come up on top.
Even the Gi was not originally part of Judo either. In the very early days of the discipline, the Judokas used to wear kimonos. That’s the traditional Japanese garb that all respectable people wore at the time. What that tells you is that the Gi is not an essential aspect of the sport. It won’t impact your skills as an MMA fighter whether you wear a Gi or not.
Improvements to Judo
But that doesn’t mean that Judo is a perfect sport. Far from it. The discipline is still weighed down with some techniques and rules that prevent it from becoming a more popular choice for MMA fighters. One of those things is obviously the Gi. It’s such an integral part of the techniques and grappling in Judo that many Judokas can’t imagine fighting someone not wearing a Gi.
It’s undoubtedly the biggest hurdle that you need to get over when you finally make the move from Judo to other MMA sports. Your first thought would be how can I grapple with someone wearing a rashguard? Where’s the lapel to grip and shake them by the root? But, hey, you’re a Judoka, you have plenty of other techniques in your proverbial sleeve that you can use. You have the clinch, the underhook, and the overhook. If you’re good at all of these, that’s all you need to take down your opponent no matter what they are wearing.
The other issue is of course the distance. In Judo the distance between you and your opponent is not the same as in other MMA sports. Now you need to realign yourself and start to think about this new space that separates you from your rival. Your opponent might not weigh as much as you, nor do they have the same skills, but they are faster. They are nimble on their feet and can cover any space in a fraction of a second.
There’s no doubt that Judo is different. Its pace is slower and it is more intellectual than other sports. By that I mean, you spend more time sizing up your opponent and looking for vulnerabilities than other sports like wrestling. In wrestling, you’re always on the move and either parrying or launching an offensive. So that’s something else that you need to adjust to.
Does Judo Help?
Absolutely. All the techniques we have covered so far give you a great advantage over other MMA fighters who have zero background in Judo. But you still have your work cut out for you. Let’s delve deeper and in more detail about what you need to do to get the most out of your Judo training and implement it in the new MMA sport.
Grips
With no Gi to grip, you need to rely on other ways to spar with your opponent with the need to grip something. As we mentioned you can use underhooks, overhooks, and clinching. You also need to put aside everything you have learned about the starting positions and initial moves. These will not help you much since you’re dealing with a totally different sport with new rules and score system.
You always started your Judo sparring using your hands to grapple. Now you need to unlearn that and learn other techniques. It might be difficult since you’re used to feeling that rough texture in your hands and to some degree, it became associated with your mental game as well. So put aside your Gi and start sparring without it. See how far you can go using those other techniques before you subconsciously start looking for a non-existent Gi to grab.
Bad Positions
The throws of Judo are legendary. You know how to grip your opponent, heave, and throw them down. And of course, the opponent will do the same to you. Your shoulder probably still aches whenever you remember that forceful throw you received a few years back. And that’s the whole point here. It’s those bad throws and how when they fail, can leave you vulnerable.
Failed throws often backfire spectacularly. While in Judo you might have time to recover and get yourself up and ready again. But in other MMA sports that fraction of a second where you are vulnerable is all the opponent needs to take you down and finish the match. Think about your exposed back when you attempt a head and arm throw that doesn’t go the way you had planned it.
That’s another situation where the underhook might come in handy and help you when the throw fails. If you have noticed we have mentioned the underhook along with other Judo techniques a lot. That’s because they are powerful weapons in your arsenal that you need to take full advantage of. Apart from the Gi part, almost everything else you learn as a Judoka will help you become a better MMA fighter.
The Strike
Grappling and shaking your opponents by the roots is one thing, but the ability to deliver powerful strikes that take them down and give you a great advantage is a whole different ball game. While Judo will make you a master of the first, it hardly prepares you for the second part. And you need both. You need the sparring with the throws and the strikes.
Of course your opponent will not let you get near them so easily. Once you come within arm’s reach that’s when the kicking and hitting start. You’ll be punished heavily before you lay your hands on your rival. So if you plan to take them down Judo style, you’d better be ready to pay a heavy price for it.
Or you could just learn how to strike and give your opponent as much as you get. This not only will help you get close to the opponent but the strikes will actually create an opening for you to get a clinch and build on your advantage.
To say that Judo builds your defense techniques alone sells the sport short. As a Judoka you have an ability to size up your opponent from a standing position and throw them off balance by attacking their centerline. Few other disciplines are just as powerful as Judo in this respect.
The bottom line is, if you have a strong background in Judo, then you are more than qualified to start down another MMA sport and use all the techniques that you have learned from Judo to become a successful MMA fighter.