Annette! I’ve been a practitioner and teacher in Muay Thai as long as I have been doing BJJ. It’s awesome your gym offers both. My advice is to enjoy yourself or why bother. Everybody is different so what you find difficult may not be what others find difficult. Universally though you will find there is a different type a cardiovascular load on the body while standing and throwing strikes. Be prepared to be tired. Adding more Muay Thai classes during the week will likely mean less BJJ at first while your body gets used to the training. Muay Thai is a great choice to become more well rounded and only helps you improve your physiological abilities in BJJ. Happy rolls.

Judo is even better for improving your BJJ game. I come from a wrestling background and have been to a handful of actual Judo classes. Maybe another beltchecker member will have the full experience to answer your questions on Judo.

I used to train in both Muay Thai (several years of training) and Judo (I earned a 2nd dan before a serious shoulder injury ended my training). Both arts are a lot more “grindy” than BJJ. You spend a lot of time in Muay Thai doing pad drills until the point of exhaustion and in Judo doing repeated uchi komi (throw set ups). Both arts also do quite a lot of intense sparring. Physical fitness is very important for both arts. Also, make sure to take care of your body both before and after training. Nutrition and hydration are essential. I suggest that you tape your fingers before judo practice and that you grip as lightly as you can to preserve your joints. Both arts will help you develop a strong standup game, and both are very explosive, which is a nice complement to BJJ’s relaxed, methodical pace. They will also give you a “secret weapon” in BJJ class. You’ll soon notice that you can outpace and out-throw a lot of people who normally give you a lot of trouble on the ground. They might still eventually catch you on the mat, but you’ll dominate the standing game and make them play more defensively, which is always a good thing. Plus, I think it’s essential to be well-rounded as a fighter.

Matt D’Aquino has some good resources on judo throws for BJJ. He is a former judo olympian and a BJJ black belt, so he does a great job of hybridizing the arts. He also has a lot of no-gi modifications for judo throws that are very useful.

Both arts are a lot more “grindy” than BJJ.

That would be my main concern. Starting judo and/or muay thai young, all good. Starting them as an adult, especially past 35, I wouldn't recommend it. Both judo and muay thai are really hard on the body, much more so than BJJ. Teenagers and people in their 20s, if somebody is in good shape and generally recovers well from training, no problem. Judo and muay thai are definitely going to make you more rounded.

Hi all! I'm planning on starting Judo and Muay Thai, while still primarily focusing on BJJ. My goals are to be well rounded in my martial arts skills - my standing game is just... Ick. Not where I want it to be, and my striking skills are nonexistent. My current gym offers both in addition to BJJ, so I'm thinking of taking advantage of what's available. For those of you who do the same training in addition to BJJ, what advice do you have for a newbie coming from a BJJ background? What's most difficult for a BJJ practitioner to get used to? Which skills transfer well from BJJ? Do these martial arts detract from BJJ training at all? BJJ is still my main focus and I'm not looking to detract from my BJJ training schedule.

Go for it! I've been doing Judo on and off the last couple of years. I definitely have a love hate relationship with Judo. For as many similarities as it has with BJJ, it probably has twice as many differences. You stated your gym offers bjj and judo, so perhaps the judo is a blended/tailored version for bjj. But if they are practicing Olympic sport judo, you may find the cross over isn't as neat and easy as you would have liked. The obvious difference is the rule sets. The emphasis of groundwork vs standing is obvious and needs no explaining. However, the standing throws of judo don't necessarily translate to bjj. Rule sets create strategy, and since rule sets almost negate all ground work in judo, you can go 'full send' into a takedown with no regard of being submitted or reversed after landing because it doesn't matter. as long as their back hits the mat first, i win. For example, even if i over do it and we tumble across the mat after the throw and i land on bottom, doesn't matter because i still won. Not a good idea for bjj where the clock keeps ticking. Additionally, the gripping strategy is a bit different when you consider the possibility of leg grabs and the million different illegal grips of judo. Regarding leg grabs specifically, over the back gripping which is common in judo is a bit risky in bjj due to the level changes available for single or double legs. Beyond that, there are many, many more differences, but all this doesn't mean you cant find judo useful for bjj. It's an incredible and fun martial art where randori/sparring often feels like chaotic and intense fencing while standing on a tight rope, one mis step and it's over. It's exciting and fast paced compared to bjj. I really enjoy it and i do it twice a week currently on top of bjj 3-4 times a week. I only wish i hadn't waited until i was in my 30's to start judo, as the recovery for judo is much harder on the body than bjj if you do lots of randori. I can roll every day for hours, but randori for hours every day, no way lol.

You might be interested in freestyle judo: http://www.freestylejudo.org. They have a much more open ruleset that allows unconventional gripping, leg attacks, and unlimited time on the ground. They also have a no-gi division. They are also very open-minded when it comes to cross-training in BJJ, wrestling, sambo, MMA, etc. Some Olympic judo schools will let you use freestyle rules during randori if both partners agree, though I'd be careful about asking to do this until you have a good feel for the school since some instructors are only interested in Olympic rules.

You are soft and have weak mind

Who let you off the Rocky IV set? :P

If someone tells Judo hurts there are to possibilities: First - you are doing something wrong; Second- You are soft and have weak mind. Good Judo training doesnt hurt and you should have abillity to safety fall. Of course it's easier to sit on butt and roll, but it doesnt mean other sports are only for younglings

However, the standing throws of judo don't necessarily translate to bjj. Rule sets create strategy, and since rule sets almost negate all ground work in judo, you can go 'full send' into a takedown with no regard of being submitted or reversed after landing because it doesn't matter. as long as their back hits the mat first, i win. For example, even if i over do it and we tumble across the mat after the throw and i land on bottom, doesn't matter because i still won. Not a good idea for bjj where the clock keeps ticking. Additionally, the gripping strategy is a bit different when you consider the possibility of leg grabs and the million different illegal grips of judo. Regarding leg grabs specifically, over the back gripping which is common in judo is a bit risky in bjj due to the level changes available for single or double legs. Beyond that, there are many, many more differences, but all this doesn't mean you cant find judo useful for bjj.

Depending on your goals you can supplement BJJ training. If you want to just roll in the academy and have a good time, just BJJ is good enough. If you are looking to do some competitions (and get serious with it). I would defenitly pick up some stand up art, like judo (translates well to BJJ) or wrestling. If you are looking into MMA or self defense, picking up some striking art like Mauy Thai would be interesting too. You dont want to be the person that forgets all its jiu jitsu after being punched in the face or kicked in the leg. You have to realize that even though you are a blue belt in BJJ (and at least have a good grasp of its basics), you are a white belt in both Judo and Mauy Thai. So focus on the basics in those arts as well. Especially judo has a steep learning curve, where learning to fall and balance should be your first priority.

I've been teaching judo at a BJJ school for many years, basically since before the inane changes made by the post 2000 Olympic committees when they got their grubby paws on it. I teach sensible judo the way Kano envisioned it and it is wonderfully applicable to BJJ in both standing and groundwork. 'Freestyle' judo as it is currently called is a lot closer to what judo is supposed to be, and 'Kosen judo' when not in a team competition is also basically BJJ with no leg locks. So unless you are specifically looking to compete in 'Olympic rule' judo competitions, there is no reason that judo can't be completely applicable to BJJ.