Jigoro Kano had actually started his training in jujitsu at the age of 17, but his instructor, Ryuji Katagiri, felt he was too young for serious training.

Judo is a martial art that was born in Japan, and it is now known around the world as an Olympic sport. Judo was established in 1882 by combining jujitsu, a form of wrestling, with mental discipline. That man was Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo as we know it today.

Judo became an Olympic sport in the Tokyo Games in 1964, and thus became universal.

Especially, cerebral concussions have often occurred in judo athletes. Pieter estimated the rate of cerebral concussions in young judo athletes as 2.38/1000 male athlete exposure and 2.92/1000 female athlete exposure. Furthermore, unfortunately, severe head injuries have often occurred in judo.

Judo training (more than judo competition) has a higher risk of knee injury, more so than many other martial arts. Swelling of the knee is the most common side effect when it comes to injuries sustained in tae kwon do, wrestling and judo.

BJJ allows more submission techniques than Judo. This includes leg locks, chokes, varied armlocks, and more. Also, as long as competitors are moving on the ground, the match remains on.

Despite similarities between the two arts on the ground, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses leverage and patience more there. In that sense, it is widely and accurately believed to be a more complete grappling art. But judo is the superior takedown style.

Anecdotally, Judo can be absolutely brutal on your body: After years of dedication to judo it gave me a black belt (first dan) and unparalleled skills at taking anyone down. That sport is probably the most tough on the joints ever, and to be competing in it will add 60 years to your body.

There are many factors that affect how fast you will get good at Judo, but we could say somewhere between 3 and 5+ years, depending on person to person, and the factors we mentioned above.

Judo does build strength and muscles as it involves being able to grip, pull, and throw opponents who could be stronger, bigger, and fitter than oneself. Virtually all the major muscles of the body are engaged, and it is incredibly physically demanding.

Yes. Judo can be used in a real street fight because it is a practical martial art and anyone can learn it. It uses the opponent’s strength against him, teaches ground work, and striking hard is not a necessity. This makes Judo very useful in a real fight.

No. If by “building muscle” you mean helping you lean out and get more wiry-strong, then sure, a bit. You “build muscle” by lifting and eating. Judo and other grappling sports tend to be high intensity cardio, which will help you lean out and lose fat.

Judo can and does work on people who are bigger and stronger but it is not magic. If the bigger, stronger person has some training it becomes much more difficult for the smaller person. If there is a huge strength difference then the smaller person is in big trouble even if they are highly skilled.

Generally speaking, the taller the better for Judo. You need to get your center of balance lower than yyour opponent, then pop him over (depending on the technique) with a throw. If you take two guys, same skill level and weight but different heights, the taller guy will usually have the advantage.