I read this on
another forum:
Quote:
Whats up folks you can read this for yourself in the black belt magazine March issue with Dan Inosanto on the Cover. OK OK no one freak out about reading this magazine. If you cant find it ill retype it as they have it on page 123.
Jimmy Pedro says: In his 5 tips on fighting MMA from the guy who has 0 MMA fights from what I know and could find out.
#4 You should learn Judo
judo is the best remedy for martial artist looking to prepare themselves for action in the ring or on the streets because os the breadth and depth of its take downs and mat work. Frankly, judo's treatment of both skill sets trumps those of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wrestling. In certain situations Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wrestling have their strengths, but when it comes to being a single, comprehensive art judo RULES. Privately many Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts will agree; in fact many of the most successful ones come from a judo background. Need proof? watch a few MMA matches in the company of a skilled Judoka and ask him to point all of the missed opportunities for the foot sweeps while the competitors are struggling for position against the fence or ropes. Sometimes the openings are so obvious the it hurts to just watch. Further more judo can give a fighter a weapon for taking down a opponent who's familiar such as the double leg takedown.
Caution: If you take up Judo dont expect instant gratification. It takes a lil longer to perfect a throw than it does to learn a triangle choke.
Caveat: If you're a mixed martial artist make sure you train at a judo facility that accepts you and your style. Also make sure the offers hard core judo classes. If your unable to find such a place, you're welcome at my club.
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It is sad that Jimmy Pedro seems to have jumped the shark with this message. Who has Pedro trained in MMA? He certainly hasn't competed in MMA.
I'm a brown belt (sankyu) in judo and I like judo, but a lot of judo's problems is the "do" part. "Do" means the way, as in the way of life. Some judoka get so attached to judo as THE WAY that they end up looking down on every other way. They forget that not everyone is the same kind of person. Even in judo, different people have different tokuiwaza (favorite techniques). A taller person might prefer ashiwaza (mostly foot sweeps) while a shorter person might like koshiwaza (hip throws). So he should know that different people need different styles. Nobody is the same.
To suggest that only one way is the best way - as a way of life - is quite frankly against the spirit of judo. Namely it violates the principle of maximum efficiency with minimum effort. Even using his premises (that I also reject), which makes more sense: spending 5 years becoming proficient enough at throws to use them in an MMA fight with a possible shot at finishing the fight or 3 years to learn the "easier" sankaku jime (triangle choke) and absolutely finish fights. Obviously using his own statements, learning BJJ is more with the spirit of judo than learning judo itself!
It sounds like Pedro drank the Kool-Aid a little too much. Pity. The only absolute answer that I know of in martial arts is that personal preference is very important. Not everyone has the same attributes or the same strengths or weaknesses. Not every situation calls for the same type of thinking. So you shouldn't expect any one person, school, camp, style or philosophy to be absolutely correct. Bruce Lee said it best: be like water.
As an aside: I mean, beyond the GIA tapes, I find most BJJers more open to cross-training than most judoka. Saulo insists his students at his BJJ University do judo, for example. Pablo Popovitch has a wrestling class at his school IIRC. Many BJJ schools seem to add wrestling and judo programs to help their BJJ, but I hardly ever hear wrestling or judo schools adding BJJ to their curricula. We are an exception at Team Balance Pittsburgh - having been invited to share the facility with South Hills Judo. I wish more judoka in the States were open minded.