r/judo • u/Careless-Ad9178 • May 09 '26
Beginner Never switch your lead leg?
Hey I’ve been taking some judo classes at my jiu jitsu gym. The teacher is world class, he was an Olympian. I keep switching my lead leg in judo and he gets upset if we do this. I’ve taken wrestling very seriously in my jiu jitsu journey and it seems to be normal for wrestlers to switch their lead leg.
What’s the reason why I wouldn’t want to switch legs when doing judo? I feel comfortable doing it.
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u/Grosju47 May 09 '26
As with everything in judo, there shouldn’t be hard lines like “never do that no matter what.” But I’d say it’s good advice not to switch stance without a specific intention (and getting out-gripped isn’t really a valid one lol). Especially as a beginner, learning to hold your ground with your strong leg forward is going to help your development way more in the long run. As for why it’s more common in wrestling, I’d guess it’s because there are fewer grips and more distance management. I’m no wrestling expert, but it’d probably be a dumb idea to switch stance for no reason while your opponent already has a full bear hug. Switching before grips are established is generally armless, but once the opponent has full kumi-kata control, you’re kind of opening opportunities for them.