Any grappeling art students/teachers online?

Question

I'd appreciate it more if someone involved with Judo could answer, since I will be asking about it, but any info related might help.

What are Judo's essential targets during a fight, or the general "game plan"? I'm asking because Judo (and other similar grappling arts) is a totally different animal from what I'm used to fighting.

I take Yaw Yan, and a more recent addition, Muay Thai. It's a bit in my instinct to take out the legs, or just find a way to move in to the ribs. That's sort of what I'm looking for.

I'm pretty sure that each Judo practitioner would have his/her own personal strategy, but if anything, can I get a general outline of what a Judo practitioner would most likely do as priority during a fight? Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

Depends on your style.

Grip first and foremost, you want to get dominant grip right away and keep your opponent from getting his. Honestly a lot of places don't emphasize the importance of this, but it is a major difference between an elite Judoka, and your run of the mill Judoka. You grip up with a good Judoka, and you feel like a rag doll, unable to grab him anywhere, where he can manipulate you at will.

From there it depends on what your throw(s) is (are), and you go from there, obviously it is their center of balance you want to disrupt or move, so you move or make them move accordingly. For example if I want to throw a guy forward, I make him move in a direction, or throw him when he shifts his weight towards that direction.

I want to control a guy through grip first and foremost, I want two have two hands on him at controlling points and only let him get one if that, and to force that one he gets to be in a place where he can control very little.

Once I have control of him, everything else will follow. The same goes for the mat, I want to control him, whatever opportunities present themselves as far as submissions I take, but controlling him and getting him a position where he can do very little and I can do a lot is what I want.

During a fight, a Judoka is going to look to close the distance and get his grip first and foremost. If strikes are involved, it means feints, blocking, protection, and working approaches in off angles. But the close is quick, the grip is instant, and the throw comes straight off the grip, or in reaction to how the opponent moves...

Hope that is of some help... feel free to message me if you have any questions.