r/judo • u/xoknight • 21h ago
Beginner Are injuries this common?
Month 2 of judo since I picked it up with no martial arts experience.
Right now I have:
-cracked right toe bone (<not broken in half, just cracked> completely my fault, tried for a ko uchi and accidentally full force kicked my opponent in the shin)
-pain in left calf
-pain in right ankle
-lower back pain (from being slammed onto the tatami going up against a 100+ kg opponent)
-bleeding fingers
-pain in finger joints
-pretty sure I heard my right shoulder pop today trying for a tai otoshi and I lost all power in my right arm for a good 5 minutes, is back to normal now though
-pain in high left rib cage
Obviously have started taping my fingers and toes, and yes I have my cracked toe splinted and I am making sure to rest it and not agitate it. I am taking practices off recently to make sure it heals.
Just wanted to see if these types of injuries are common and typical in progression.
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u/FullM3TaLJacK3T 16h ago
Injuries are common in judo. It's a combat sport, so injuries are part and parcel of the game. But based on your full force kick to your opponent's shin comment, you might be going full on balls to the walls. Dial it back and see how you go.
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u/Libra7409 20h ago
Well, I think that's pretty tough for a beginner who's been at it for 2 months. There may be more injuries in the competition area. But im so much in the beginning? From my experience as a trainer, even in the adult sector, bruised ribs can happen - usually because the ukemi is not yet in place well and the person falls on his own arm when throwing. You can also accept the broken toe. But I find a dislocated shoulder and bleeding fingers worrying. That doesn't sound like good beginner lessons. That's my opinion.
My worst injury was a torn medial meniscus. A broken hand. Overstretched ankles. And my shoulder is now causing a bit of problems for ages. I currently have a broken joint capsule. - I am almost 51 years old and have been doing judo for 37 years.
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u/xoknight 20h ago
Yes, I think I have to agree with that.
It’s a club so there’s a mixture of primary schoolers and adult black belts, no in between.
Of course the adults cut me some slack and never goes 100% on me. They do kindly teach me the fundamentals and coach me, but it is quite difficult when there isn’t anyone else at my skill level that isn’t a 10 year old kid.
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u/Libra7409 20h ago
In my judo world, the other black belts should support you. Share your knowledge. This has nothing to do with the only beginner. Or with being nice. This is the politeness and willingness to help that I require. After 2 months with no previous experience, I would definitely assign people to a beginner as a Randori partner. Namely those who also teach in Randori and don't just go for it.
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u/bob_ross_2 yonkyu 20h ago
I can't speak for everyone in the sport, but this sounds familiar. My first couple of months were rough. It's because while getting used to the movements, falls, and physical demand, you're not doing it well or efficiently.
My fingers were always so sore from grilling too tightly and not allowing my grips to be broken.
Body was sore from taking falls wrong and landing weird
Neck hurt from not tucking my chin well
Fingers also bled from the friction against the gi around my finger tips.
Ribs hurt from the falls and from that much exercise, costochondritis is common.
Most likely you are going a bit too hard while learning the right amount of everything and how to fall well. I thought I was taking good breakfalls after a few months, but sometimes I'd still land weird on certain throws.
Work on taking and accepting falls if its going to happen. Use randori to practice, but also to learn what gets you thrown. Go for a throw you have learned and pay attention to the response. You'll get thrown a lot by being less defensive, but it'll help you get better at breakfalls.
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u/Otautahi 19h ago
What is your weight class and age?
Bumps and scrapes and muscle pain are normal for the first few months. But this does seem in the upper range.
How much training are you doing per week? And how much randori are you doing each session?
What are your goals in randori and what is the level of your typical randori partners?
1
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u/GlitteringWinter3094 12h ago
It’s a red flag when you say that you have been training for two months and someone much bigger than you “slammed you into the tatami.” Judo training is hard, for sure. But you shouldn’t feel constantly beat up. This is a recipe for burnout, injury, and eventually quitting. Judo training should be challenging, but you should leave every session feeling like you have a couple more rounds left in the tank. Otherwise recovery will be impossible. Sounds like your dojo is not doing a good job of easing you into the sport. Talk to your sensei, explain that you want to be a good student and train hard, but you don’t want to risk serious injury. You also shouldn’t be getting slammed hard as a novice. If they don’t understand this, it’s not a good place to train.
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u/Flashliteman sankyu 12h ago
Definitely, these types of injuries are common in Judo, I've experienced a lot of the same. However, if you are regularly full-force kicking your opponents' shins attempting to perform "sweeps" then that's an issue that you need to correct. Most people won't want to train/spar with you if that's how you approach ashi waza. Remember, it's a sweep motion not a kick, your foot/toe shouldn't leave the mat, this will also prevent injuries to both parties.
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u/miqv44 7h ago
The volume is uncommon for this short time of training. You might want to skip randori for longer and consider supplementing yourself with collagen and maybe even some calcium pills (not too many, dont take them daily unless you have like proven deficit. But those did help me in the past). I'm easily injured but I didn't have these many issues in just 2 months.
Find a thinner partner to do drills and technical stuff with in the dojo for now and skip randori. Talk to your sensei about your injuries as well so he doesn't push you too hard during classes at least for now. If that means you will grade for your next belt later- so be it. I've been a yellow belt for 14 months and I prefer that rather than another serious injury while being an orange belt.
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u/BackflipsAway 1h ago
I mean injuries happen, but all those in that little time? Is this just you or is everyone in the gym in the same boat?
I feel like you might be going at fight intensity instead of sparring intensity, like regular sparring should be relatively chill and technical rather than hard and painful, precisely because of the increased risk of injury when fighting at full throttle...
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u/Go0o0n ikkyu 21h ago
Yes, your fingers and toes will be constantly fucked overtime
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u/glue_drinker9000 16h ago
but bleeding and heavy pain with presumably light/medium intensity randori?
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u/tegularius00 21h ago
Have you done any other sports regularly? Do any strength training? Because if not, you've gone from being inactive to doing one of the most physically demanding activities there is - grappling with other humans.
So small injuries, aches, and pains are common when making that adjustment. They should slow down after a few months when your body becomes accustomed to the stress you're putting it through.
It's really worth dialling in on whether you're experiencing pain, or it's an ache or soreness. If you're in actual pain then you should speak to your doctor. But if you're sore, that's par for the course and something you'll get used to.