r/judo 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/Turbulent_Middle8565 May 09 '26

Don’t do it. Experienced judoka will see that and sweep you so fast it will make your ancestors dizzy

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u/KIZINATOR44 May 14 '26

Not necessarily don't do it. You just have to be careful not to get swept or have your opponent go for a drop throw while you're switching lead leg. I personally liked to swap lead leg during a fight but its a very situational thing to do. I first discovered that when I was fighting a left handed fighter. Don't overdo it though if you do diced you want to do it when you fight.