How much time should be spent on Newaza?

When it comes to training Judo, most of your time will naturally be spent on your feet. Whether that’s whilst doing Randori (sparring), or Uchikomi (drilling), the bulk will be done with a focus on throws, trips, and takedowns. For Judo newbies, this term is called Tachiwaza and is focused on for obvious reasons. However, this begs the question, how much of your training should be spent on Newaza?

Again, for Judo beginners, this term translates to ground techniques. This involves pinning people in positions such as kesagatame, submitting people with chokes, and escaping bad positions. Whilst Judo is famous for its footwork, a lot of matches are won on the ground, so Newaza is still crucially important. Below, we shall assess just how important Newaza is, and how much time you should spend training it.

How much time should be spent on Newaza?

When training, roughly 80% of the time Judoka’s will spend on their feet doing Tachiwaza, meaning the other 20% of the time is used training Newaza. This makes sense, as Judo is about stand up training after all. However, this statistic differs from dojo to dojo. For example, in some cases, you may get a gym that barely does any ground work. This may be down to various factors, but ultimately the teacher and their own personal preference will dictate how much time is spent on these areas. These days, more modern dojos will sometimes devote more time to ground work compared to traditional dojos which suggests a shift in focus.

At the same time, this is also a personal question for the individual Judoka. For instance, if you just had a competition where your standup game was excellent but you struggled on the floor, then you may want to dedicate more time on Newaza. This could mean doing private classes on certain positions. Similarly, it could also mean doing an extra 10 minutes on Newaza when class has finished or before its begun. Basically, if you feel like you’re missing out on time spent on Newaza during regular class, then you should try and focus on it outside of these hours.

Is it worth learning Newaza?

If ever you’ve watched Judo in a competitive setting or trained it yourself, you will know the answer to this question is a resounding yes. As mentioned, the bulk of Judo takes place on the feet. However, there are still points and matches to be won whilst on the floor. Arguably, from a pure self defense perspective, Newaza is also very important.

This is because it can help you learn how to solidify positions and even escape and reverse bad positions if needed. As a result, it’s certainly worth learning. In short, by the time you’re a black belt you should be competent at Newaza as it’s a key part of Judo. If not, you’re doing yourself an injustice and your game will be less rounded as a result.

Should I cross train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to complement my Newaza?

Sometimes, Judo practitioners will cross train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to improve their ground game. Basically, BJJ was born out of Judo and applied many of its techniques and principles to the ground. The main difference between the two is that Judo favors standing whilst BJJ is based on the floor. Of course, the point scoring system differs massively too, and in BJJ, pulling guard (sitting down) is almost encouraged in some circumstances.

Nonetheless, if you train BJJ the ‘correct’ way with Judo in mind then there are only positives that can come of it. BJJ has some innovative ways to crack the turtle and will teach you a number of important sweeps, scrambles and escapes. Whilst these moves can all be seen in Judo, generally BJJ will spend more time going into the finer details of teaching them. In this sense, imagine trying to learn takedowns at a BJJ gym. Whilst they’d have a general idea, it wouldn’t be as good as a Judo dojo. This is kind of what the ground is in opposite of Judo’s stand up.

Having said this, just make sure that your BJJ training is Judo-based. There’s no point learning leg locks as they’re illegal in Judo. Similarly, some of the modern lapel guards will be fairly useless due to the 10 second rule in Judo which isn’t applicable in BJJ. Overall though, BJJ is great fun and should complement your Judo perfectly.

Conclusion

There’s nothing worse than seeing a Judoka with perfect Tachiwaza technique who looks completely lost on the floor. Because of this, it’s important to devote some of your time to learning Newaza. As stated, usually there’s a balance of about 80% Tachiwaza to 20% of Newaza but that differs from dojo to dojo. Remember, if you’re desperate to learn Newaza, then it may help to look around at gyms that are offering this as a big chunk of their curriculum.

In conclusion, most Judo gyms will spend time on Newaza, but at the same time this is Judo after all and with this in mind, the emphasis will always mostly be on takedowns and throws. Want to learn more about Newaza? Check out this comprehensive guidebook that focuses solely on submissions and pins from the ground.