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Judo & Jiu Jitsu, with its spectacular throws, is one of the rare martial arts which can be used very effectively in a self-defense situation.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or an elite level competitor, you will always have a chance if a bully clinches up with you. Go to this website if you want to look at self defence classes

Today, many people in the street fight neglect the power of their opponent and use trash talk and challenging to intimidate and confuse.

Women with Judo for Self Defense

By nature, as Kyuzo Mifune wrote in The Canon of Judo, Judo practitioners should be calm and relaxed, waiting for the perfect moment to equalize the throw.

Judo is not dangerous from long-range, except some techniques of Kōdōkan Goshin Jutsu but if the distance between you and your opponent is less than your arm-length, you will have excellent chances of defending yourself.

A good Judoka never anticipates his action in a match, but his mind is as clever as a polished mirror which enables him to foresee precisely anything to happen and he displays freedom of his physique to cope with any change.

Such mental state and physical action are called sei or tranquility and do or action, sometimes they are called ju and go or tenderness and sturdiness, in and yo or negative and positive, etc.

“The Canon of Judo“. Book by Kyuzo Mifune, 1956.

PROS & CONS OF JUDO IN SELF DEFENSE

PROS:

#1 – The biggest pro of Judo is the look of their practitioners.

  • Judokas are mostly shorter, wider, and they don’t look dangerous.
  • You needn’t have big muscles to be successful Judoka but you need power, reaction time, and quickness.
  • Even the fat fighter can be quick and powerful!

#2 – 2nd pro is the way bully attacks.

  • Bullies rarely go for a punch, punch, and low kick combo.
  • In many cases, they will push you, grab your arms, legs, try to take you down, or wrestle up with you.
  • When you are lucky, they will try to punch you or kick you once and continue using offensive words.

#3 – The next pro is about fighting on concrete, slippery, or hard surface.

  • Judo fighters know to go down and work on the ground and pound and submissions, while a slam to the concrete means a KO and a serious injury to 90% of bullies.

#4 – The last is the center of gravity.

  • Judo fighters usually flex their knees, lowering their center of gravity.
  • This provides them more balance in the fight against an opponent who tries to perform a takedown attempt.

Judo powerful throws - Judo for self defense

Judo powerful throws

CONS:

#1 – The biggest con of Judo in the street fight is a hard time when you need to face multiple opponents.

  • Judo is designed for one on one fight, and one opponent can always come behind your back.

#2 – Another con is a vulnerability of Judo to low kicks, jabs, and straight punches.

  • Just take a look the fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Hidehiko Yoshida.
  • Judo fighter needs to be close to creating some damage to your opponent. You will at least have to clinch up to be able to win the fight.

#3 – The last con of Judo for self defense is when you try to fight against an armed bully.

  • If someone has a knife or a club, you might have a hard time blocking or evading his attacks.
  • Of course, if you see a gun, it’d better to run for your life :).