Judo or Wrestling Which One Is Better?

Wrestling and Judo are two of the most exciting martial arts to learn. Both disciplines foster a high degree of fighting expertise in their practitioners. Great! You’re probably wondering, What do Judo and Wrestling teach?

Wrestling and Judo teach their practitioners a variety of fighting tactics, such as hand-to-hand combat, takedown techniques, strength and speed enhancement, explosiveness, footwork, mental focus, concentration, and other fantastic things.

The rest of this post will go over exciting aspects of Judo and Wrestling to help you determine which is best for you. We’ll look at their self-defense flexibility, technique effectiveness, MMA presence, and other fantastic stuff. Keep your eyes peeled!

Are Judo and Wrestling the Same?

Judo vs Wrestling

Judo and Wrestling are two distinct types of grappling martial arts that are practiced all over the world.

Judo focuses on standing combat using a variety of throws and authoritarian body control.

On the other hand, Wrestling stresses takedowns, body control, and ground grappling.

Kano Jigoro founded Judo martial arts in 1882 after practicing Jujutsu to resolve some technical weaknesses. However, Wrestling dates to the ancient Greeks (708 BCE).

Furthermore, unlike Judo, where practitioners dress in kimonos, wrestlers dress in singlets for training and competitions. Indeed, the regulations of wrestling and judo competitions are quite different from one another.

For example, An Ippon (throwing the opponent on his back and controlling him for 20 seconds) or two Waza-ari (half Ippon) lead a Judoka to win a fight.

Instead, a wrestler may win a battle by achieving a pin (holding an opponent to the mat for two seconds).

Otherwise, if the pin is not attained, the wrestler wins by major decision, collecting more points than the opponent achieving successful technical falls, and so on.

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Judo or Wrestling Which One Is Better for MMA?

Many mixed martial arts observers believe that Wrestling is regarded as the new foundation of the MMA sport. Yet, Judo is also essential in enhancing the quality and efficacy of many mixed martial artists.

Judo practitioners develop aggressive physical attributes and a strong sense of balance and control. Furthermore, Judo throws are very effective in outclassing any opponent, even heavier ones.

Indeed, Judokas are well-versed in the technique of combat management. But unfortunately, they emphasize submissions less than other martial artists and do not possess solid striking capabilities.

Aside from that, Wrestlers have significant experience in understanding body control, clinching, and Wrestling takedowns, all of which are useful in MMA combat.

Furthermore, they know how to handle a battle even if they do not employ striking or choking methods.

Briefly, Wrestling has a significant edge over Judo regarding MMA. Wrestlers unquestionably have a distinct advantage over opponents by using great grappling techniques.

Although a combination of Judo, Wrestling, and Muay Thai can be far more effective for mixed martial arts. 

Judo or Wrestling Which One Is Better for Self-Defense?

Wrestling and Judo are two outstanding grappling sports with numerous practitioners worldwide. In addition, combat abilities taught by both martial arts help defend oneself in self-defense or street fighting situations.

Wrestling teaches its practitioners how to control an opponent’s body and clinch and takedowns, all of which are essential skills for self-defense. But unfortunately, it does not provide instruction on how to strike or submission holds techniques.

Furthermore, Judo practitioners learn how to throw an opponent, maintain balance, manage distance, and other essential concepts helpful in self-defense.

However, they emphasize building a ferocious standing game and do not emphasize submission methods. Aside from that, they do not have striking techniques.

Judo and Wrestling are more effective combat sports in one-on-one fighting against tough opponents. However, when defending oneself in self-defense or street combat scenarios, Judo martial art outperforms Wrestling.

In contrast to Wrestling, which requires higher strength, Judo is a more technique-driven sport.

N.B.: The best method to defend oneself in a street confrontation is to avoid fighting and instead search for other ways to solve the problem.

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Which Is More Effective for Takedowns, Wrestling or Judo?

Judo and Wrestling are two great grappling martial arts. They are used in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts to develop a savage standing fighting game using various takedown techniques.

A Wrestler can implement numerous takedown techniques to bring an opponent to the mat. For example, he can effectively attack the opponent’s body using double leg or single Leg takedowns, body fold takedowns, arm drag takedowns, etc.

Aside from that, a Juduka can implement numerous throws to bring an opponent to the mat. He can effectively attack an opponent’s body using a Hari Goshi Gaeshi, O-Soto-Gari, Ko Soto Gake, Uchi Mata, etc.

Judo is highly effective than Wrestling in taking down someone in gi jiu-jitsu training or street fighting. However, Wrestling is more effective than Judo in taking down someone in mixed martial arts and no-gi jiu-jitsu

Final Thoughts

Wrestling and Judo are two types of martial arts that enable their practitioners to attain exceptional physical and fighting skills. In this article, we examined the effectiveness of Wrestling and Judo to determine which is best for your necessities; here is a resume:

  • Wrestling is a more practical mixed martial arts choice than Judo. Although numerous Judokas, most notably Ronda Rousey, have found significant success in MMA.
  • Judo and Wrestling are more effective against opponents in one-on-one combat. However, since it is more techniques worthy, Judo martial art is better than Wrestling for self-defense or street fighting.
  • Judo a Wrestling have a broader range of severe, quick, and efficient throws and takedowns.
  • Judo and Wrestling assist their practitioners in developing a fantastic standing game, self-confidence, explosive strength, and a fantastic problem-solving attitude.

Which is better, Wrestling or Judo, in your opinion? Why is this so?

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