Judo vs. Wrestling
Quick answer
Judo and wrestling both rest on gripping, throwing and controlling an opponent without strikes. Judo is fought in a jacket and can also be won by an elbow lock or a choke, while wrestling is fought in a singlet without gripping the clothing and forbids locks and chokes, and freestyle in addition allows attacks on the legs. Both are Olympic, wrestling since 1896 and judo since 1964.
At a glance
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | – |
| Origin | 1882 | 19th century (present form) |
| Founder | Kano Jigoro | – |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Point fighting | Point fighting |
| Olympic status | Current Olympic sport | Current Olympic sport |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | No |
| Rank recognition | by federation | no ranks |
| Attire | Gi required | Wrestling singlet |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | Forms optional | No forms |
| Relative cost | low | low |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 5 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 104 | 1 |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Wrestling was among the disciplines of the ancient Olympic Games from 708 BC, but today’s Olympic styles arose only in the nineteenth century. Judo was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882 in Tokyo. Mutual influence is documented in the Caucasus: Georgian judo was influenced by the traditional jacket wrestling chidaoba, and Azerbaijani judo links the Kodokan with local wrestling.
- Around 2000 BC: tombs at Beni Hasan in Egypt with 220 and 122 pairs of wrestlers.
- The nineteenth century: Greco-Roman wrestling arises in Europe, and catch-as-catch-can in Britain and the USA, the basis of freestyle.
- 1882: Kano Jigoro founds the Kodokan.
- 1896: Greco-Roman wrestling at the first modern Games, and freestyle is added in 1904.
- 1964: judo appears at the Olympic Games for the first time.
- 2013: in February the IOC votes to remove wrestling, and on 8 September it reinstates it.
Technique
- Throws (nage-waza) and groundwork (katame-waza) in the judogi jacket.
- An ippon for a throw onto the back ends the match, and a hold wins after 20 seconds.
- Locks only on the elbow, chokes allowed.
- Gripping below the belt and grabbing a leg are penalised by the IJF with a shido warning.
- Takedowns, throws and control on the ground in a singlet, without gripping the clothing.
- Greco-Roman style forbids holds below the waist, while freestyle allows attacks on the legs.
- UWW points from 1 to 5, victory by fall or a lead of 8 points (Greco-Roman) or 10 points (freestyle).
- UWW rules forbid chokes, the forearm lock and holds that threaten a fracture or dislocation.
Gripping the clothing is the foundation in judo, and in wrestling the UWW rules forbid it. Attacks on the legs exist in freestyle and in American folkstyle, and judo penalises them just as Greco-Roman style does.
Training
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Main form of sparring | randori at various intensities | live wrestling against resistance |
| Other practice | uchi-komi, falls (ukemi) | we have not found a description of methods |
| Measured load | randori 4 × 5 minutes: heart rate 174–183 per minute in brown and black belts | VO2max of international wrestlers about 53–56 ml/kg/min (Sports Medicine 2002) |
The figures describe advanced judoka and top wrestlers, not ordinary club training. We have not been able to document the ratio of technique, sparring and conditioning for either of them.
Progression and ranks
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Student grades | 6 kyu: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown belt | has neither belts nor grades |
| Master grades | 10 dan, red-and-white belt from 6th dan | do not exist |
| Path | belts and competitions | UWW age categories: U15 (14–15), U17 (16–17), U20 (18–20), U23 (19–23), seniors from age 20 |
| Who recognises the level | Kodokan and national federations | competition results, in the USA also the school and university system |
| Age of the first black belt | from age 15 in the United Kingdom, usually 16 in the USA | not used |
A wrestler’s level is shown only by results in the categories, while a judoka also has a belt. We have not found in the sources the minimum times between grades in judo.
Physical load and risks
- Olympics 2008–2016: 9.6 injuries per 1,000 minutes of competition (BJSM 2021).
- Pocecco et al. (2013): most often the knee, shoulder and fingers, about 70% of injuries when thrown by the opponent.
- Olympics 2008–2016: 4.8 injuries per 1,000 minutes of competition (BJSM 2021).
- Kerr et al. (Journal of Athletic Training 2018): high school 2.38, university 9.28 injuries per 1,000 exposures, concussion 5.9–15.9% of injuries.
- 1997: three university wrestlers died during rapid weight loss (MMWR 1998), and the NCAA then banned saunas and airtight suits.
- Herpes gladiatorum: at a camp in 60 of 175 wrestlers (Belongia et al. 1991).
Who it suits
| Judo (IJF) | Wrestling (UWW) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest international category | IJF events from age 15 | U15, ages 14–15 |
| Veterans | categories up to over 70, no chokes from age 60 | categories over 35 |
| Women at the Olympic Games | since 1992 | freestyle since 2004, Greco-Roman men only |
Several American women wrestlers started with judo, for example Clarissa Chun, the 2008 world champion in freestyle.
Children
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest competition age | for example Australian Judo Victoria from age 6, IJF events from age 15 | the lowest UWW category is U15 (ages 14–15), we have not found a limit for younger children |
| What is forbidden for children | Judo Victoria: under 15 locks and chokes, under 9 also sutemi-waza | Wrestling Canada for U15 and U17: suplay, salto, full nelson, west point ride |
| Match length | Judo Victoria 2–3 minutes | UWW U15 and U17: 2 × 2 minutes |
| Weight | we have not found a rule | NFHS: loss of at most 1.5% per week, body fat at least 7% for boys, 12% for girls |
| Injuries in youth | Polish study (1977–1980): injuries in 5.7% of youth, 22.5% of adults | CDC (2005–06, high schools): 2.50 injuries per 1,000 exposures, second after American football |
Self-defence
- Randori against full resistance in standing and on the ground.
- Throws, holds, elbow locks and chokes.
- Strikes only in kata.
- Live wrestling against resistance in the takedown, the clinch and on the ground.
- Without gripping the clothing, locks and chokes.
- The rules forbid strikes and kicks.
Both sports train against real resistance without strikes. Judo additionally covers locks, chokes and self-defence kata. We have not found a source that would evaluate self-defence in wrestling.
Practical use
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-defence forms | kata Kodokan goshinjutsu and Joshi-goshinho | has none |
| Professional use | we have not been able to document it | we have not found army or police use |
| Older age | review of 23 studies (Sports 2023): less fear of falling in some | UWW veteran categories over 35, we have not found a study |
| Fitness | 10 advanced judoka, randori: heart rate 174–183 per minute | VO2max of top wrestlers 53–56 ml/kg/min, a description of the elite |
The studies describe advanced athletes or narrow groups. No general conclusion about suitability for adult beginners can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | since 1964, except 1968 | since 1896, except 1900 |
| Olympic disciplines | 7 weight classes for men, 7 for women, mixed team | Greco-Roman style, men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle |
| Adult match length | 4 minutes | 2 × 3 minutes with a 30-second break, NCAA 3 + 2 + 2 minutes |
| Decision | ippon, two waza-ari, hold for 20 s, submission | fall, technical superiority of 8 or 10 points, otherwise total of points |
The Filipino Fernando Garcia competed at the 1964 Olympic Games in wrestling and in 1972 in judo. Sandra Bacher was on the US Olympic judo team and became world champion in wrestling in 1999.
Gear and costs
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | judogi: heavy cotton jacket, trousers, belt, in IJF competition white and blue | singlet of smooth fabric prescribed by the UWW |
| Footwear | barefoot | light wrestling shoes with ankle support |
| Protective gear | we have not found mandatory protection in the rules | in NCAA university wrestling a mandatory headgear with ear guards |
| Relative costs | low | low |
Availability and organisations
| Judo | Wrestling | |
|---|---|---|
| World federation | International Judo Federation since 1951, Budapest | United World Wrestling, formerly FILA, the name UWW since 2014, sources give the year of founding as 1912 or 1921 |
| Other organisations | Kodokan in Tokyo | in the USA USA Wrestling since 1983, university wrestling is run by the NCAA |
| Recognition of level | grades by federation, the Kodokan awards grades to judoka from all over the world | there are no grades, results in the categories count |
A judoka moving to another club takes the belt along, a wrestler the competition results.
Switching and combining
- Throws and standing work against resistance carry over.
- Get used to fighting without gripping the clothing.
- In freestyle, attacks on the legs are added.
- Unlearn locks and chokes.
- Takedowns, control and conditioning from live wrestling carry over.
- Learn grips on the judogi and falls (ukemi).
- Unlearn grabbing the legs, which the IJF penalises.
- Learn elbow locks and chokes.
The left column describes the move from judo to wrestling, the right one the opposite direction. Clarissa Chun, who started with judo, called it a good foundation for wrestling.
Forms and terminology
Judo has ten kata recognised by the Kodokan, for example Nage-no-kata with fifteen throws practised on both sides and Katame-no-kata with fifteen techniques on the ground. Wrestling has no forms and shows technique only in the match.
Training culture
- The centre is the Kodokan in Tokyo with five main dojo, including the women’s and the boys’.
- Japanese terminology and the principles seiryoku zenyo and jita kyoei.
- The Kodokan women’s section has operated since 1923.
- In the USA wrestling rests on school and university teams, and the first intercollegiate match took place in 1903.
- Alongside the Olympic styles live folk wrestling traditions, Turkish oil wrestling is the national sport of Turkey, and the Kırkpınar tournament has been held since 1362.
- The NCAA Championships have been held since 1928.
Common misconceptions
- Sport wrestling under the UWW is not the same as professional wrestling, which since the twenties has moved towards pre-arranged matches and entertainment.
- Wrestling does not mean only the Olympic styles: kurash, pehlwani, schwingen, shuai jiao or ssireum are folk wrestling traditions whose rules the UWW does not administer.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is judo a kind of wrestling?
No, they are separate sports with their own federations, the IJF and the UWW. The American Academy of Pediatrics handbook, however, places judo closer to wrestling than to the other martial arts.
Is grabbing the legs allowed in wrestling?
In freestyle and in folkstyle, yes. Greco-Roman wrestling forbids holds below the waist, and judo penalises grabbing a leg with a shido warning.
Where are there more injuries?
At the 2008–2016 Olympic Games there were 9.6 injuries per 1,000 minutes of competition in judo and 4.8 in wrestling. Other studies measure differently and do not allow a direct comparison.