Is judo effective

Answer 1

Yes it is, as every Martial Arts. The important is not what martial art you practise but how are you able to face a danger. Practising will give you some advantages, reactivity, speed, timing, appreciation of space, behavior ... . But those are common to every martial art. Fighting is more a question of human than technics.

Answer 2

I certainly believe so, yes. Have a background in judo and boxing myself, and judo throws can be pretty effective, especially against an opponent who doesn't expect them and doesn't know how to counter. You get a decent amount of groundfighting skills as well, which is useful for both attack and defence if you end up on the ground.

Just keep the following in mind:

1. It takes time to get really effective with judo throws, which are somewhat complicated to execute compared with, say, a straight punch to the face. Expect to spend more years training judo than boxing, muay thai etc before you can feel really confident.

2. Judo is not so good against multiple attackers or a lone attacker with a knife. You're pretty likely to end up entangled on the ground with your opponent or locked in a clinch, and you don't want to be there if you're dealing with more than a lone unarmed assailant.

3. If you want to train judo for self defence, you should combine it with a striking art. Not only will it give you more options. It will also help you block strikes, getting used to strikes to your body, and improve your overall speed and movement. All of this makes it much easier for you to get into the clinch, which is where you have to be to execute your throws.

Answer 3

Yes, you can hurt people badly in judo. That is why you must learn how to fall to avoid hurting yourself and your opponent.