How Easy/natural Are Judo Throws To You?

Hi, I haven%26#039;t started my judo classes yet, but a friend of mine (the one who got me into judo) taught me Seio-Nage like in 5 minutes.


So after that I told a friend and we decided to practice this Seio-Nage. We were both able to do it, and it felt really cool to lift my friend who is taller and bigger than me, with little effort, just feeling the leverage. Lifting, actually feels better than kicking or punching.


So then I told my friend %26quot;lets practice self defense, so throw a punch at me, and I will do the Seio-nage%26quot;, so he did, and I lost balance and tripped and we both fell. So we came to the conclusion that this need practice and perfection in order to make it work in self-defense. Or else I%26#039;ll make a fool of myself.


So the question is, how natural are throws to you right now?, can you do throws quickly without falling?, do you think you have the right balance and technique to make this work in a real life self defense situation?.


How long did it take you to feel this confidence?|||Well obviously certain throws suit certain people, and experience is key.





Quite honestly getting over the initial awkwardness of throws is probably the hardest part of Judo. You have to do a lot of things that are counterintuitive and it takes a lot of practice to get it down to where you do it naturally.





Hence the reason that when you are just doing it, you are probably doing it more effectively, then when you up the speed and intensity, certain parts are off.





There is a big difference between kata (throwing against a still cooperative partner) and randori (doing it full speed against a resisting partner). Split second adjustments need to be made to put yourself in the right places leverage wise.





It comes with time, and different people take different amounts of time. Not to mention some throws come easier to people.





I have seen people struggle with a throw for over a year, then do another throw (sometimes a more complicated one) in a week and can be slamming people with it. I have also seen some people who can grasp every bit of the throw while the opponent is still, and just take forever to actually do it in randori.





It really depends, you find which throws work best for you, and those are usually the ones you can throw easily in both randori, and in static exercises.





Pretty much every Judoka has 2 or 3 %26quot;Money%26quot; throws, that they can throw without fail, from multiple angles. While they have competence and can throw other throws, the ones that fit them best are their money throws, and quite often they change.





When you can make a throw work in Randori, against a resisting skilled opponent who is aware of the throw and it%26#039;s defenses, and yet you still slam him with it, it is safe to say you will have no problems in a self defense situation.





All that it takes to make a throw work is to figure out how to work it through Randori (sparring). Once you got it there, it is yours.





I have thrown people in self defense (somewhat while working security) many many times. It was my confidence in the technique I garnered through success in Randori and tournaments that gave me the skills on how to use the throw, how to feel when it is there and apply the kazushi to off balance your opponent and make it work as a unit.





Good luck, find a good Judo school or a good black belt to show you what you are doing wrong.





Throws take time to develop, and learning timing and how to execute it.





Honestly what people don%26#039;t realize is all techniques are this way. Punching bags, the air, kata, is all pretty much worthless unless applied against a live resisting opponent so that you can learn timing, and accuracy.





A lot of people are fooling themselves thinking that techniques they can pull off against cooperative still partners is going to work when it goes full speed.





All techniques are the same, if you want them to work you gotta spar them as fast and as hard as you safely can. It is the only way to learn timing, and get the actual feel of the technique, what it feels like when it is right and what it feels like when it is wrong.








Sorry for the book but you get the jist. If you need any further elaboration feel free to message me.





Good luck!|||dont try to throw him with the hand he%26#039;s punching w/..close the gap, clinch him up, and once you%26#039;re in grappling range you can attempt the throw.





ps. seio-nage isn%26#039;t a very good self-defense throw.|||Although I am not a Judo practitioner at all, and I defer entirely to those who are Judo students, you are asking the age old question of all new students - %26quot;how long does it take to........%26quot;





The truth is, it will take as long as it takes :) No-one can really give you an answer as everyone is different. Everyone learns at a different pace, in a different way, and external distractions can slow down progress, while internal stimuli can speed it up.





All that you can, and should, do as a new student is listen to your instructors, train earnestly when in class, practice concientiously when you are able to, communicate honestly with your instructors, and take one step, one technique, and one day at a time.





You will have great days, average days, and poor days....but that is part of the journey. Don%26#039;t try to rush it, don%26#039;t try to put artificial time tables on it, don%26#039;t try to compare yourself to anyone else. Just enjoy the journey!!





You%26#039;ve also learned a valuable lesson. No matter how easy things are when practicing with a willing partner, things become a thousand times more complex when dealing with an unwilling opponent :)





Good luck to you





Ken C


9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do


8th Dan TaeKwon-Do


7th Dan YongChul-Do