Judo does a really trash job in conditioning compared to wrestling. Technique is one thing, but having an integrated conditioning routine like wrestling is really important and a lot of places don’t have that.
Another thing is sports aspect of Judo has led to the martial arts being diluted significantly. Same is the issue with TKD and Karate.
In wrestling, matches frequently last the entire 6 minutes, making superior conditioning a significant advantage. In judo, superior technique often ends the match within the minute.
That would make sense if the top Judo practitioners are not doing strength and conditioning. But they do strength and conditioning workouts equal to what top wrestlers do.
They do it because technique can only get you so far, especially in competitions where everyone more or less has equal level of skill.
There are also comments here saying that outside USA conditioning workouts are part of training. Which again indicates that strength and conditioning plays a really important role.
Conditioning certainly matters at the highest level of judo, but the ruleset doesn't emphasize conditioning to the same extent as wrestling. In judo, matches can end very quickly through superior technique, and skilled judokas often finish their initial matches within seconds. No amount of conditioning can compensate for a significant technical skill gap. In wrestling, however, competitors typically battle the full six minutes, meaning stamina matters more.
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u/ChurchofMarx Jul 06 '25
Judo does a really trash job in conditioning compared to wrestling. Technique is one thing, but having an integrated conditioning routine like wrestling is really important and a lot of places don’t have that.
Another thing is sports aspect of Judo has led to the martial arts being diluted significantly. Same is the issue with TKD and Karate.