Starting judo randori and groundfighting

[dangermouse]

Hello
Have recently started judo and am loving it. I really like randori and groundfighting due to the realism and opportunity for learning involved. However, i sometimes feel awkward fighting people who i hardly know and who usually seem to be great people. I guess this is due to me having a non-confrontational, and to a certain extent non-competitive nature. This is`nt a major problem or anything, I was just wondering if anyone out there has had a similar experience and would like to share their stories. I`m sure it will get more comfortable with time and increased familiarty with these training methods.

[Chapel]

Most people you are going to fight in real life are going to be people you don't know.

Anyway, it might be helpful for you to remember that everyone in the class is there to learn to defend themselves and/or have fun. So, fighting with them in a responsible way (so no one gets hurt) is the best way to help them.

[N.B]

Yeah I had that big time. It all disappeared (to some extent) after we we doing some non-contact one step sparring in TSD and the lady I was partnered against (who clearly had no such reservations about punching people) smacked me full on in the face. She said sorry but I think she enjoyed the doing it a lot more than she was sorry.
I thought 'o.k, you're getting that back at some point went we spar.'

By the way, welcome to the forum! Where did you get your name from, are you a Gnarls Barkley fan?

[JackG]

With judo since its more of a sport cocentrate on having fun and being skilled not doing the most damage but still try of course just think of it more like a game of tennis rather than a fight - remeber judo is the - the gentle art

[Torre]

The "gentle" part is debatable when you are the victim of a shoulder throw or armbar, though

[The End]

Free sparring against people you don't know is good because, as someone mentioned earlier, in a street fight, there is a good chance it will be against someone you don't know. When you know little or nothing about your opponent, it helps you learn to overcome the fear of the unknown and how to handle the stress of such a situation. Also, it often teaches you not to underestimate your opponent. There have been times when, by looking at someone, I thought: "Man, this guy looks tough." only to be able to pretty much dominate him and at other times thinking the opposite and having myself a reality check when he turns out to be a much tougher opponent than he seemed he would have been.