Judo.. You will learn how weak you are and strive to be a better person, and it will build you up mentally and physically, you learn standing(Throws) and ground work (Grappling\ne-waza).
With BJJ the ground work is very much more dynamic i.e. more entries, defenses, and locks, but the foundation will always be the same regardless.
The key point to remember is that much like bjj as mentioned so far it is live sparring\training allowing you to learn attacks, defenses, and of course setting up your opponent
Physically and mentally it is demanding not only because of the warm-ups and training, but also you will have to learn *how* to do things differently, for example breakfalls, you will need to learn to fall properly when you get thrown (not if, but when), and its great when you can soften the blow instead of having your arm broken, or your shoulder messed up, or hitting your head and getting a concussion.
Look for a reputable school, and check it out, any school will give you 1 free class to get an idea of what you will encounter.
Just remember you will always have some people who are always better than you, dont worry about it, just get your self to a level where its not as easy for you to get subbed\ or thrown, but give and take, thats how you progress lock\flow, yin\yang,zig
zag LOL!!
Ok, you get the picture
Now get crackin!
MK9
I concur!
Judo is not the best art for everyone in every circumstance, BUT...it is better for more people in more circumstances, as its inventor Kano intended. Judo is not easy to learn. If you want easy to learn, go learn krav maga. Here's why judo is superior for most people over other arts:
1) it will make you extremely fit, and you can take that as far as you like. The more you put in, the more fitness you'll gain. 6 months of judo only, and I placed 3rd in my age group in a local 5k run.
2) it's better for self defense than most arts
A) judo was designed to be able to be trained daily, full force, against fully resisting opponents, without being injured. What you do in training is what you'll do in competition or real life self defense, and if you've spent 2 years throwing a single judo throw thousands of times against resisting partners, and perefected it, you'll do it. On the other hand, if you spent 2 years simulating a viscious kick to the groin, or eye jab, against padded, com.pliant opponents, you won't pull it off in real life.
B) judo has excellent standup, and very good ground/grappling. It's a complete package. For real self defense, the standup is the important part. In a life and death encounter, you NEVER, EVER want to go to the ground. And judo gives you an excellent base and balance, as you spend much of your training being taken down, or avoiding being taken down. No art has a base like judo, and staying on your feet is key to survival.
C) judo newaza/grappling encompasses everything BJJ does. Everything. Judo used to be 50% stadup, 50% ground. It's now more like 80%/20%. The ground aspect isn't taught fully in many places. But no matter, it's there, and if you ask, the sensei will generally oblige you with more knowledge. And that grounwork will serve you well in self defense if you do go to the ground. It'll enable you to know how to get to your feet, where you're dominant and mobile.
D) use of force. Foot sweeping someone who's being threatening, and pinning them, or armbaring them, looks totally different in a court of law than throat punchiing/eye gouging/kneebreaking them. When the situation demands, you can either gently dominate and control, or break their arms/legs/necks or choke/armbreak, etc. And a good judo throw is highly disconcerting to most people: "how the **** did I get down here?"
3) women. Judo is excellent for women. I am a brown belt, and I've been easily tooled by a 15yo 100lb girl (a black belt), and by the 2008 female US Olympic judo bronze medalist, who can literally rag doll me, body slam me, loft me over her head, she can take me at will. She's 22, 140lbs. I'm 36, very fit, and 190. Another young lady who is also a brown belt, and about 1.5 feet shorter than me, can genuinely toss me on my ass if I'm not very careful.
4) competition. Judo has very frequent local competitions, and it is worth doing, even if you suck. You learn much about yourself, and most people never get the chance to step into anything so visceral, a sort of crucible, but in a relatively safe atmosphere, and test themselves, or win. I have no doubt that the 15yo black belt who can **** my isht up, and competes regularly, will give a potential rapist a serious run for his money. Competition breeds excellence under pressure.
5) kano meant judo to be for everyone, and as such, it is the second most practiced sport in the world, after soccer. In addition, it's inexpensive. BJJ is $150-200+ a month average in LA. My judo club is $20/month. And that's top level training.
I recently started taking bjj. My new job is all evenings, and cuts out all judo classes. Bjj is closest to judo, as it is derived from judo, and will translate directly to judo when I return to it. If you want to get fit, or be an mma fighter, judo or bjj are fine. If you are at all interested in self defense,
Avoid bjj.