I’m fairly new to Judo, but have a fair bit of experience with aikido and a bit with BJJ.

At the club, they only do throws on big crash mats. Never on the tatami, which I’m very comfortable with.

I’m struggling with this, as I find the footwork almost impossible if I have to look where the crash mat is as opposed to just going in for the throw.

I am very happy to be thrown on standard tatami. I’ve done it for years.

Is this normal in judo? Surely you need to learn to break fall by using the tatami?

Last week I kept missing basic throws as I was away from the mat by about 30cm. If we didn’t use them, I’m sure I’d be throwing better.

And Happy Birthday, professor Kano!

Kano's voice:

'Long lost recording of Kano shihan speaking English in 1936' : r/judo

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Jigoro Kano practicing Koshiki no Kata (Uke Yamshita Sensei)

Jigoro Kano Kito Ryu no Kata koshiki omote full version

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Jigoro Kano teaching Uki goshi (his tokui waza)

Jigoro Kano-Uki goshi

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Bio:

Stunning Photo of Kano Jigoro and His First Students from 1886 : r/judo

Kanō shihan’s First 35 Years – The Kanō Chronicles – The Kano Chronicles© 嘉納歴代©

The early Years of Jigoro Kano written by Nicolas Messner (in 10 parts) - with great Photographs also from the Kodokan Institute : r/judo

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Teachings:

Jigoro Kano's Summary on Judo : r/judo

Teachings of Kano Shihan - (USA-TKJ) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TRADITIONAL KODOKAN JUDO ®

The Historic and Philosophic Origins of Kanō Jigorō’s Jūdō Philosophies: Seiryoku Zenyō Jita Kyōei (Best Use of Energy / Mutual Benefit) – The Kanō Chronicles®  – The Kano Chronicles© 嘉納歴代©

Quote from Jigoro Kano: "The most important object in Judo training is to develop speed and free movement of the body" : r/judo

On the Importance of Ukemi by Jigoro Kano : r/judo

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Quotes:

Words of Kano Jigoro Shihan.pdf

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Note:

Origins and Roots of Kano's Thoughts on the Principles and Methods of Judo : r/judo

What was new in Ju Jitsu with Jigoro Kano's Judo? : r/judo

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I suppose you have your links too to add to this list.

Thanks for Judo Kano Shihan!

What can you advise me

Tips for keeping your own knees safe from osoto as uke? I think I'm familiar with how to do the throw safely as tori, and I use it successfully in randori (I'm nikyu). And I feel safe as uke with most people who can actually consistently throw me with it in randori. But I get nervous with newer folks, either in nagekomi or if I let them do it in randori. I am familiar of course with the concept of accepting the fall. At the same time, I worry that if I accept the fall in a position where our knees have locked with each other (the bad beginner osoto where the contact is mostly back-of-knee to back-of-knee) then I will be reducing my muscle strength at a time when my muscles might be what is protecting my knee. That is, I might be letting myself do a backwards twisting fall which is one way that knees get hurt. Do you try to actively pull your leg off the mat if you accept the fall? Is it a good idea to try to rotate your knee, and if so which way? I can imagine cases where I would want to rotate my right leg clockwise as uke to turn a sideways osoto hacking at the joint into more of a harai, but I can also imagine cases where I might want to rotate it counterclockwise to make it a safer rear fall. I guess the question is, it seems to me that accepting the fall by going limp is probably a bad thing, so maybe I want to actively fall, but how to do this in this throw?

For about eleven years from 2014 to 2025 Judo Reddit had "Whitebelt Wednesday with this Intro:

It is Wednesday and thus time for our weekly beginner's question thread! =)

Whitebelt Wednesday is a weekly feature on r/judo, which encourages beginners as well as advanced players, to put questions about Judo to the community.

If you happen to be an experienced Judoka, please take a look at the questions posed here, maybe you can provide an answer.

Speaking of questions, I'd like to remind everyone here of our Wiki & FAQ.

I'd like to remember that those weekly threads are a great source of Knowledge both for Beginners and Instructors!

Just type "Whitebelt Wednesday" into the search bar and you will get great information for many questions on many topics of Judo mainly focused on beginners questions. There are often 50 to 100 comments.

Note:

whitebelt wednesday - Reddit Search!

Is it true that you can get hurt when using crash mat.

The tori maybe?

Cause the coach says and stops us from using it, but allows when its ura nage counters.

I have a suspicion it's cause he down want it to degrade by throws.

He just says there a chance to get hurt. I don't believe this.

The bigger they are the harder the fall as they say. Also the older they are the sorer they wake up.

But none of that bothers me except for two throws - Seoi Nagi and O Goshi. Do you ever get used to the feeling? I dread the lessons these throws feature in.

I have two gyms near me

One seems more relaxed and smaller but the instruction is extremely technical coaches are constantly correcting details, they have structured curriculum, they drill a good amount but they really seem overly injury conscious and do light randoris, super controlled situational randori, they just dont seem to resist much in randori

Another gym feels like a wrestling gym, non stop drilling grip fighting rounds , randori with both standing and newaza rounds but not much instruction maybe they go over a move for like 5 minutes but it just seems like its very heavy on randori, everyone in there is of course nice and not wanting to hurt each other but they do go pretty hard.

Some dreams can’t be chased at home.

They called it the birthplace. We went to find out what that meant.

What we found there wasn’t what we expected.

One dream. One journey. The road to 2028.

YUME
Premieres 11.06.26 on YouTube.

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Starring Emma Bragg, Viktoria Evdokimov, Rhadi Ferguson Jr., Marley Garland, Paige Han, Kaiya Johnston, Janelle Lynch, Leana Nelson, Ekaterina Petri, Chloe Williams, Christopher Round, Heidi Holz and Matt Goulette
Directed by Christian Bergara · Cinematography by Adam Kim
Produced by High Noon BJJ & Judo and MASTERS — Martial Arts for Social Good
Black Wolves Studios × Wonny Media

Hey y'all!

Since my last post I have developed a deep love for the art of judo and have been cracking at it nonstop. Sadly I've had to take breaks due to persistent back pain from heavy lifting. This led me back to the occasional bjj because its "relatively" low impact for my back.

Since then, I've been looking into No-Gi bjj and find it quite fascinating, and generally would love to hear everyone's thoughts on it as a form of art and practice.

Essentially:

1. what led to you trying out no-gi bjj?
2. how is the crossover from gi gripping of judo over to no-gi

bjj and if there are any adjustments required?

Thanks ahead in advance y'all and apologies if this is a frequent question being asked. Cheers!

Hey everyone,

Looking for technical advice from taller judoka and coaches on executing Uchi Mata against shorter, stockier opponents in Kenka-yotsu (opposite stances), specifically using a traditional clavicle-level lapel grip.

The Setup & The Bottleneck

I am taller than most of my training partners. To manage distance defensively, I keep my tsurite at mid-collar height with my forearm framed across their chest.

While this frame works great defensively, it ruins my offensive entry:

• The Space Trap: When I initiate the entry, my forearm and elbow get trapped low against their torso. Instead of closing the chest-to-chest distance required for (hip-style) uchi mata, the frame keeps them separated from me.
• AC Joint Traction: I have a prior acromioclavicular (AC) separation/injury on my left side. When entering against heavy or low-postured opponents from this mid-collar grip, my arm ends up bearing the sheer downward deadweight of uke. It feels like the joint is being pulled apart vertically, completely killing my power.
• Why not high collar? Taking a grip behind the neck solves the leverage issue immediately, but I want to master the mechanics of the classic collar grip without sacrificing my structural defense prior to entry.

Questions:

1. Tsurite transition: What is the precise elbow path to transition a defensive chest-frame into the offensive entry? Should the elbow flare, dive under the armpit, or rotate tight to the sternum?
2. Angle of attack in Kenka-yotsu: How should my lead foot step relative to a shorter opponent's lead foot so that my torso rotation—rather than my shoulder/arm—generates the elevation?
3. Solo mechanics (Tandoku-renshu): I drill at home to internalize movement patterns before randori. Are there specific band drills or shadow steps you recommend to engrain the elbow collapse and hip loading without loading the AC joint?

Any video links, mechanical cues, or personal adjustments would be greatly appreciated.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/eb7mH48qsuM

Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/episode/7IdHXzj50WSaWjnLxEMkJm

In this episode of Tatami Talk, we welcome back Dr. Chris Round (/u/rapton1336) head instructor of High Noon Judo out in Alexandria Virginia. We discuss our thoughts on the The U.S. Olympic Trials, the world championship and yuko. Chris then talks to us about his non profit Martial arts for Social Transformation, Ethics and Rights (MASTERs) and why you should consider donating to them.

Things Mentioned this Episode:

https://martialartsforsocialgood.org

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro / US Olympic Trial Qualifications / Yuko

56:25 Martial Arts for Social Good

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Also listen on Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, Google Play Music and Spotify

As someone who is just a spectator, I'm curious what you guys think of the concept of using a KC pit for Judo Competition. I find walking out of bounds extremely annoying when I watch and I was wondering whether this could help or if it would massively increase the risk of serious injuries from not landing right. What do you think?

I finished my judo beginner course (10 times total practice) 2 weeks ago and have now been in 2 regular classes. At the end of our beginner course there were 6-7 of us students and 1-2 teachers so it was easy to get guidance and learn the new moves. However, now in regular classes there are 30-40 students who are much higher rank and I'm the only white belt. The thing we are practicing for the rest of the year all seem to be mostly orange, green and blue belt techniques. Basically we are shown a movement I've never done before and then expected to practice it with a partner without any help. Last 30 minutes is also randori practice and I have no idea what I'm doing. There's no chance for me to practice for the yellow belt exam either what will be in december.

looking for something similar

it would out line foot placement and movement for basic throws

So I think I’ve been to 4 sessions now. I’m having loads of fun, but I have to admit being dominated by another white belt did indeed discourage me a bit. Any tips?

Right now I think I’m struggling with grips, off-balancing and like getting in the right position to use a technique. I’m athletic enough I think I can defo do a few basic throws, but it’s like I can’t get to the point where anything is an option while continuing to give me opponents opportunities on me. Anyone had similar issues?

to all the experienced dudes out there :

to progress the quickest, do u think a beginner should focus on sparring same-level partners at the start, or should he always spar ones who r better?

how big should the gap be, to find the sweet spot between learning from a better fighter & just getting mauled?

had my 1st training yesterday. sparred a couple experienced guys. got shit on, as expected.

i feel like u may not learn much if the gap is too big, especially when ur a complete noob.

so what would be the best sparring-partners selection approach, to progress the quickest?

which approach fastened ur progress the most?

For context, I am 15 years old, 1,89 m (around 6'2 I think?) 72 kg (158 pounds).

Hi everyone, this post is mostly addressed to other people on the taller, skinnier side so definitely continue reading if you belong in this group. The last few months, I have been struggling a lot in randori and competition. This is obviously not completely due to my height but the main thing I noticed is that whenever I ask for advice from my coaches it doesn't really seem applicable to me? In practice, I've noticed 3 things:

1. During randori, I often noticed I get pulled down by my opponent, due to the height difference, should I try to keep my back upright? To me, working from a slouched posture hasn't really worked but I struggle with staying upright.

2. Crossing the distance has proven to be difficult to me, I have the bad habit of stiff arming but even when I am relaxed, it feels like my arms get in the way of movement, and keep me from getting close enough. How do I close the gap?

3. Hip throws are annoying, in one hand, dropping low enough to do one myself is hard, on the other hand, it is very easy for other people to get under my arms and throw me, should I keep trying or should I focus on other techniques?

Of course any general advice from other people is always welcome.

Edit: thx everyone for the advice, I have tried the deep back grip and it feels so much better, the switches too, ko and o soto gake, sasae tsurikomi ashi, it's all so smooth.

Starting from the knees remains my biggest issue with ne-waza. Invariably across all gyms that I’ve trained at, so much time is wasted in this position and I think it reinforces bad habits when ground work is initiated in shiai. Shintaro Higashi’s video on this should be watched by every coach.

Another aspect I don’t see mentioned often is that starting from the knees becomes a test of strength rather than technique. Trying to push someone over with only forward force usually leads to them trying to push their fist into my throat in most of my randori. It’s antithetical to Judo ideas of staying relaxed and using off-balancing.

That’s annoying, but more dangerous is pushing someone’s weight over their own knees (much like taking the back by dropping backwards). A lot of the time, I sit to my butt to minimise that risk.

I enjoyed this from Josh Beam. I think more judokas should try going against BJJ in stand up. I’ve had similar experiences where it’s a lot harder to get my judo going when their single leg is a legit threat

So basically, the lifting part of the throw (tsurite), driving up and towards you, helps me with the understanding of kuzushi and that the right elbow placement is a game changer. And how kuzushi (in my opinion) is all physics and body mechanics at the end of the day (even tho I don't like physics). Implementing these things into randori really helps me, and I think I progress faster because of these principles. For example, pushing the head for O-Soto-Gari to where you want or pulling up and towards you for Tsurikomi-Goshi. Let me know what you guys think. I'm a white belt. I have been in Judo for 7 months, but I have such an undying love and passion for this Martial Art.

everyone in my dojo is 10 - 30 kg above me (yes, this is an issue on my side since i'm currently sitting at 61 kg lmao). am i still supposed to be able to get decent throws in randori or it is somewhat normal if i always struggle?