Why I Chose Judo over BJJ

Why Judo over BJJ? People often ask me this question why I went this route and it's a fair question. I actually even chose traditional Jujutsu over Judo. In this clip from a larger livestream, I talk about the challenges and goals I defined in order to make this decision, as well and offer some guidance when making this choice yourself.

Full Live Stream Discussion:

#jujutsu
#bjj
#judo

[ZhongXina]

I am so glad to hear another person let alone a YouTuber who prefers Japanese Jujutsu and Judo over BJJ.

[jackhayes]

As a black belt in japanese jujutsu myself i am so glad to here that you had such a positive experience of our art and are as fond of it as you are. I also really appreciate that you acknowledge what the art truely is as i feel like there are now a lot of jujutsu dojos that just teach what is basically aikido. It means a lot, so thank you.

[gregory]

When I got back to the states in the 1980's it was a striking comparison. In Japan, there is a Judo Club at every school/university. You can find them within a reasonable area in a commercial district. In the States, it wasn't hard to find one, if you even could. But there was always a Taekwondo school or a Karate one. Of course, it wasn't until the '90's that BJJ came around, so no BJJ school. Now, I can drive down my street and find one or two BJJ schools. It amazing how things have changed.

[kavika]

It's a family of disciplines. Grew up with Judo. Danzan Ryu Goshin Jitsu. Now rolling with BJJ guys. I think that glass is full. Learning Hawaiian Lua. Want to learn Samoan Lima Lama. Filipino knife fighting. Bucket list is getting bigger.

[Docinaplane]

I originally did JJJ. With a background in wrestling, submission grappling was perfect for me. Sport BJJ is, imo, lacking in realism compared to serious BJJ.

[benjudd]

This is what I do Japanese jiu jitsu. It’s a fantastic cross over into any art, while emphasizing body mechanics and resistance based technique training. I’ve used it in bjj classes, judo classes, striking classes. Good entry into tons of other arts.

[sebastienbelanger]

I trained in kenpo and now I switched to Goju-ryu. It's incredible how Goju-ryu boosted my kenpo technics.

[carlfjnon]

Always love your take on things. My own journey lead me towards BJJ as it was a specific gap I was trying to fill, as I had no grappling experience at all. Keeping in mind I moved from an older American Kenpo school to a Kenpo 5.0 school, so it was a gap I needed to fill quickly, as the Kenpo 5.0 school has me testing through the syllabus all over again. The best part has been that the 5.0 grappling has bled into my BJJ, and my BJJ is bleeding into my 5.0, and what was once a scary place for me sparring, is now a place I am a lot more comfortable.

[nisbenyricardo]

I have done all three (Bjj, Judo, and Japanese jujutsu) and I can say if you choose to learn any of them you will have fun, you just have to know what you want out of the art. Judo is very sport focused for throwing. In my opinion their isn’t a better art to learn for gi throwing techniques. However it is very likely you will get injured. It’s best to do while your younger. And at least at my school their was more kids than adults in the class. Bjj can be sport or self defense oriented it depends on the school. I have only done sport bjj. We spent a lot of time ground grappling. If you tap early their are less injuries than judo. I had a blast every time I train. Even if I get tapped out. You will see a lot of people in their 20s/30s in class. It’s the best martial art for ground grappling. Also most schools will have Muay tai / kickboxing classes so you can learn striking too. JJJ is almost entirely self defense focused. It is good for both kids and adults. It is easy on the body. In my opinion if you just want to know how to defend yourself it is a good choice. However it isn’t great if you want to see how you would do against a resisting opponent. The training methods tend to be your partner stand still while you do your series of moves. Pick one of these arts and have fun.

[Shadowman]

Judo/Japanese Jiu Jitsu does nothing but improve your martial arts training, they're excellent! Good stuff. 👊🥋🇯🇵

[ronnieteulon]

I trained in karate for about 12 years and jjj for about 20 years now . brilliant combo . There is a lot of over lap in jjj an bjj

[camiloiribarren]

I was wondering why Dan chose Japanese jujutsu and this is a great response to that question.

Hope to see a History of Bajiquan, like the episode of XingYi Quan

[Hookandhalf]

I’m Brazilian jiu-jitsu through and through and I really respect how you were looking for a certain puzzle piece! Love that vibe. 🙏🏼

[dougfowler]

This is so great to hear, as I started the same. Tried BJJ, was looking for Judo but no schools in my area. Coming from Shotokan and Muay Thai background, found Budoshin JJJ and have been very happy with the large amount of judo throws that are incorporated into the system. Thanks for highlighting JJJ.

[KatoCoyoteCombatWorkshop]

In my experience JJJ schools are more booky and technical than BJJ schools which comes at the price of live sparring. We did kickboxing pad work, takedowns, and ground grappling. I got the best instruction on how to triangle choke and guard reverse I ever got at a JJJ school but we never really rolled there. There was a big focus on "grab my wrist" counters which I really did not care for. JJJ also seems to be marketed as self defense more often than BJJ and attracts a different kind of crowd. There was one guy there with a similar athletic tall build that I enjoyed training with but the rest were very skinny women I was afraid to hurt and overweight men who had a personal vendetta against my ribcage and farted all class.

I'd tell you if you want to learn techniques and drill them in a deep detailed level that JJJ is for you but if you want to overcome resisting opponents then BJJ or Judo are better options. I believe BJJ or Judo will make you a better fighter while JJJ is a great supplement to a base art.

[primeplays]

Training the sport aspect has many benefits. I trained in Kajukenbo since I was a child. I started judo in my 30s and my physique is almost at a point to when I was in my early 20s. I definitely can make some flexibility gains but judo has really helped my strength and explosiveness.

[vedder]

I think you touched on a very important concept. Seek out what you want to learn and what you’re interested in. That way you will have a lifetime of fun and learning.

[timkittle]

Dan: I loved hearing this. My chodan that I earned in1997 was from the American Kyuki-do Federation, which incorporates Judo, including the ne waza. I prefer this over BJJ (which my current school, Christian Karate Academy, offers alongside Tang Soo Do), precisely for the reasons you cited (I also am a sankyu in Kodokan Judo through Sensei Rick Olstad and Osensei Phillip Porters organization). Love your channel!

[keithwestmoreland]

I am absolutely so proud of you..with ranking in daito.ryu aiki jujitsu..shindo yoshin ryu jujitsu...tenjin shinto Ryu jujitsu. Kito ryu jujitsu kodokan judo. Yoshin ryu Aikido.. the combination of Kempo and Jiu-Jitsu is a marriage made in heaven if you remember the story about the Chinese coming through japan after the Mongolians took over China a samurai noticed some Chinese soldiers practicing so he asked what it was they told him it was kempo ..sorry chuan fa... please keep up the great work I love what you are doing
.

[enderbykarate]

all systems are from the same tree, different branches, its the instructors that give you the feeling of being part of a larger family if they are welcoming like in your experience, awesome