I did about 6 years of Judo as a teenager/young adult. It kept me in shape and made me tough.
Judo is not a martial art, its a set of rules and governing body (Kodokan) for competing in Ju Jitsu as a sport. Judo revolves around competition. The colored belt system used in other martial arts originates in Judo where it was (and still is) used to categorize competitors in tournaments by skill level. If you never compete you will never progress past white belt. Serious Judoka have similar training cycles to boxers or other combat sport competitors, including watching videos of upcoming opponents, traveling to train with top instructors around the country and cutting weight like wrestlers. Almost all top Judo competitors cross train some BJJ now. When I did it (late 90s) there was already a great deal of interest in BJJ as a competitive edge, but unless your were in LA, NYC or Hawaii there were no schools.
If you like grappling sports Judo is fun, although it takes a toll on your joints after a while. If you are more concerned about pure fighting skill you will need to combine it with a live striking art. Western boxing, kick boxing and Thai boxing all combine with Judo very well. One of the toughest people I've ever known in my life was a Judo blackbelt and former golden glove fighter.
Judo is not a martial art, its a set of rules and governing body (Kodokan) for competing in Ju Jitsu as a sport. Judo revolves around competition. The colored belt system used in other martial arts originates in Judo where it was (and still is) used to categorize competitors in tournaments by skill level. If you never compete you will never progress past white belt. Serious Judoka have similar training cycles to boxers or other combat sport competitors, including watching videos of upcoming opponents, traveling to train with top instructors around the country and cutting weight like wrestlers. Almost all top Judo competitors cross train some BJJ now. When I did it (late 90s) there was already a great deal of interest in BJJ as a competitive edge, but unless your were in LA, NYC or Hawaii there were no schools.
If you like grappling sports Judo is fun, although it takes a toll on your joints after a while. If you are more concerned about pure fighting skill you will need to combine it with a live striking art. Western boxing, kick boxing and Thai boxing all combine with Judo very well. One of the toughest people I've ever known in my life was a Judo blackbelt and former golden glove fighter.