Fencing vs Judo
Fencing and Judo side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Fencing | Judo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | — | Japan |
| Created | — | 1882 |
| Founder | — | Kanō Jigorō |
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | combat sport, martial arts and Olympic sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 108 Olympic events recorded | Yes – 64 Olympic events recorded |
| Notable practitioners here | 3202 | 3052 |
| Top countries of practitioners | France, Italy and United States | Japan, Russia and United States |
| Equipment and weapons | foil, épée and saber | judogi and tatami |
| Belt ranks | — | Yes |
| Weight classes | — | Yes |
| Energy use (MET) | 6.0 MET (Fencing, general) | 11.3 MET (Judo) |
Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled saber), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these disciplines. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with the opponent with one's sword.
From the Wikipedia article Fencing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Judo
Judo (Japanese: 柔道, Hepburn: Jūdō; lit. 'gentle way') is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally. Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎) as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (乱取り, lit. 'free sparring') instead of kata (形, kata; pre-arranged forms) alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. A judo practitioner is called a "judoka" (柔道家, jūdōka), and the judo uniform is called "judogi" (柔道着, jūdōgi; "judo attire").
From the Wikipedia article Judo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q12100, Q11420. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.