Self taught Judo?

[RedFox89]

I was at the library yesterday and saw a book on teaching yourself judo. Since there are no judo classes around where i live, is it possible to be fairly well versed in judo from teaching yourself?

 

[ItsArun]

No.

A book/video can never cover the intricacies of grappling; it cannot cover the fine details that only a trained instructor can englighten you on through observation. Such resources are a good supplement for existing training, so long as your training is already legit (with diverse training partners and a qualified coach).

 

[kidrobot]

def a NO. one more time NO.

 

[krazykarl312]

I don't think you'll be "well versed" just from a book. You might get a few throws down depending on how good the book is. I think it'll be more beneficial if you had someone to practice on so you can experiment with the throws.

 

[RedFox89]

alright, thanks.

 

[TSD-Bulldog]

No. Too dangerous if you are not supervised and taught the fundamentals. You or someone else will likely get injured trying the throws if you cannot execute them properly, safely and with the ability to successfully break throws. Again, No.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Get the book and get a partner at the very least if you cant find a school.

 

[EmeklioCrocough]

you can learn something, but it wont be near as good or as much at a club.

it wont hurt to familiarize yourself with the sport, how things are scored, terminology and basics.

if you are a wrestler or a bjj guy, you will understand more of whats going on, and might be able to pick it up. as a judo guy, when i see techniques of bjj or wrestling on the internet, i find they come in handy, and i can do them when i try when we spar in class.

if you train already you might find somethings interesting. if you dont train period, it will be kind of hard, but it doesn't hurt.

 

[EE6_TBOIO_MATb]

Hey man,

there's nothing u can't achieve if u don't put ur mind and ur will.

Didn't u hear of this little boy from Banglasesh who became president of the USA ?

 

[The Sickness]

you can pick up some technique from a book, but there is only one way to get good at anything. DO IT. You don't become an olympic swimmer reading about swimming...

 

[Rip-Rabbo]

No.

You may learn to "know" a bunch of techniques by appearance, but you won't be able to DO them well.

Nobody ever asks if you can learn wrestling from books. :icon_chee

 

[Spoonman7]

books and dvd's and magazines have great value once you have established basics, no book will break down techniues lke you need when you are first starting.

 

[UrbanSavage**]

If you're already grappling or doing BJJ or something, I'm sure drilling techniques you learned from a book could throw some new things into your arsenal, but if you're starting from ground zero, I doubt you're going to become great at judo just by reading a book.

 

[Gregster]

Instructional materials are a training aid, not training. That goes for BJJ or anything else.

If you're an experienced martial artist who has mastered the fundamentals, understands the nuances and subtleties of technique, and can critically analyze what you're seeing in some DVD that is geared to your level of skill, they can be good ways to analyze techniques from a point of view other than the one you have during class (that being the point of view of a guy with his face mashed in to the mat. You may also pick up helpful drills or approaches to training that might help you tweak your game a little.

But to start from Square 1 with tapes, videos, booklets, an so on? There are few worse mistakes you can make, quite frankly. Whatever it is you're trying to do-- get out of some dudes' guard, hit your tee shots straight, trap a soccer ball while it's in play, sink baskets from the free-throw line-- at some point you will need to spend time doing it under the watchful eye and experienced tutelage of a coach or trainer. Otherwise, the most you can hope to accomplish is develop a repertoire/ arsenal of crude, middling technique riddled with mistakes you couldn't correct because you didn't know they existed in the first place, and which you will also now know how to apply where they are appropriate and do the most good.

It only gets worse if your prayers are answered and a proper Judo/Jujitsu school comes to your town and opens its doors to people eager to train. If you've been doing the "self-taught" thing long enough prior to this, you can probably count on spending many irritating, frustrating, and maddening weeks or even months unlearning bad techniques and purging them from your trainig.

 

[Rinksterk**]

I taught myself TKD once. When I joined a school I was better than half the people there. I quit after a month.

 

[Ahee. GX]

Think of it as swimming. Doesnt matter how many books, and videos you watch on swimming and instructionals, if they put you in the sea for the 1st time, your gonna drown or have a hard time.
You will never know what it feels like to throw someone, till you throw someone and have someones weight on you. Theres always ways to improve yourself, but ull need some basic lessons first. and then stuff like books and instructionals can be useful.

 

[KenTheWalrus]

No, you can't teach yourself judo from a book. You need an intelligent body as well as an intelligent mind and the only way to do that is to work with a partner so you can learn what it feels like to know a throw using your body.

Besides, I have yet to read an instructional that encompasses every nuance for every body type. Working with a pertner teaches the mind and body how to adjust to your specific needs. -ken

 

[ItsArun]

I think he got the point.

 

[blanko]

the thing i am concerned about is not about you learning the ability to throw somone but the ability to throw them properly and safely.

 

[EmeklioCrocough]

I think he got the point.

lol