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

[Tez3]

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]

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!

 

[jks9199]

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!

Unacceptable from your training partner. I hope to hell that the seniors in the class/club have addressed it thoroughly.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

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]

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]

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.

 

[tkdwarrior]

I think breakfalls or ukemi is a must in any martial art.

 

[Chris Parker]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.