Karate or Judo

[BadgerFu57]

I am looking into taking up Judo or Karate twice a week to supplement my current grappling training. I have many reasons for training in these arts, and being a cage fighter is not one of them.... so for now, the MMA arguments about which is better than what need not apply.

I have access to a good judo club and a good karate school, as well as some good kung-fu/tae kwon do schools in my area.

I have it pretty much narrowed down to two schools, one is a judo club and the other is a kickboxing/karate academy.

One of my main interests is sport. There is a fair amount of competition these days in both judo and karate, so that makes it difficult to narrow it down based on that. Having experience with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I would think it would be easier to do well in Judo tournaments.

Also, I don't understand Karate tournaments. I get the impression that you're supposed to hit without making contact with aggression but without intent to injure (yes a mess of contradictions). I don't get it. What is karate tournament fighting all about?

The main reason for taking up the second art would be mostly for fun. Judo would be similar to BJJ and both would complement each other well. Karate would be quite different, which could be fun as well as it presents a new challenge.

I'm sidelined for 3 weeks with torn ligaments in my ankle (football injury), and I'm trying to make up my mind what to do.

I am also thinking about possibly doing BJJ, Judo, and Karate all at once.... although I would be limited to Karate once a week (which is fine with me, I would just be doing it for recreation). However, the club I would be doing it at meets at the Community Center. How do I tell if it's a good club or not and how do I check up on the instructor's credentials (other than asking him, which I play to do sometime this week anyway)?

The schedule would look like this if I go that route....
Mon, Wed, Sun :BJJ
Tues, Thurs: Judo
Fri: Karate

[EmptyneSs]

take judo, judo is awesome

[Hardball]

Since you are already in grappling I would pick the Karate. Judo would add some throws to your grappling arsenal, along with some sweeps, locks and joint manipulations but you should already be getting that if you study grappling. {BJJ}

The best case scenario is to study all three but you should at least get your black belt in one system before branching out so much.

[BadgerFu57]

I will have my blue belt in BJJ shortly which is somewhat equivalent to a black belt in some martial arts systems.

Judo and Jiu-jitsu are like Macaroni and Cheese.... I wouldn't call it branching out. Grappling is grappling, the only difference is the way competitions are scored which puts emphasis on different techniques.

Karate.... yeah, that's branching out.

[koto_ryu]

I will have my blue belt in BJJ shortly which is somewhat equivalent to a black belt in some martial arts systems.

Judo and Jiu-jitsu are like Macaroni and Cheese.... I wouldn't call it branching out. Grappling is grappling, the only difference is the way competitions are scored which puts emphasis on different techniques.

Karate.... yeah, that's branching out.

I agree, go with the karate. You'll get some good striking skills into the mix which will supplement you with exactly what you need.

[jules]

go with judo, solidify your gi-game

[BadgerFu57]

What are my chances of getting injured in Judo? That's one of my concerns... since it's all in the name of fun and recreation, I don't want to have any serious injuries. I can deal with bumps and bruises, but I don't want to get any nasty ones that will sideline me for more than a few weeks. I would think serious injuries are more common in Judo....

[jules]

as long as you know how to break falls i see no real danger in it. BTW how long a have you been doing BJJ?

[Hardball]

[QUOTE=BadgerFu57]What are my chances of getting injured in Judo?

Judo is very roughhouse. If you plan to make brown or black belt you will be injured along the way. It's how you deal with those injuries that will make or break you. If you are going to play McDojo; then maybe you'll be o.k. Breakfalls will toughen you up after several months of doing them but when you start to uke for throws like kubi nage, uke gosh, koshi, ipon, and agoshi...............it's rough. Those are your first hard throws that you learn. The soft throws are not so bad to uke for. Also, you have to toughen up your wrist because you will be uke for wrist locks also. Ouch.

If you survive you will be a better martial artist. Guareenteed!!

[BadgerFu57]

I've been doing BJJ for a little over a year (plus wrestling experience in junior high, and I am somewhat naturally athletic) and I am decent at breakfalls. My current goals in BJJ once I get healed are to improve upon my finesse so that I can go to the next level.

I concur that Judo is roughouse,. I don't really want to get injured, especially since I am just coming off of a football injury. That's probably my biggest worry.

Karate does have nunchakus and cool looking kicks. It might not be as bad apple for "reality fighting", but it seems like fun. I still have 15 or so days left in a cast to decide.

[Hardball]

Maybe you should come back to Judo later in life.

[BadgerFu57]

I think that's a good plan, Hardball.

Can anyone give me information on Karate tournaments.... what it's like, rules, etc.

I know in BJJ there are mixed opinions about sport grappling tournaments, but I've participated in a few and had a lot of fun and learned some new things, which is what it's all about for me. Of course I like to win, but fun and learning are important.

The different styles of Karate available to me are:

-Shihan-Ryu with Kobudo, Kendo, and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Instructor holds 5 Godans.

-Tae Kwon Do/Chuk Kun Do (so it's Korean, but this is what a world champion kickboxer/karateka teaches, although I've never heard of Chuk Kun Do, I thought he did Tang So Do). Instructor holds 4 world kickboxing championships, 3 Middle weight karate championships, a 1st degree under Chuck Norris, and a 3rd Degree under Mike Dillard.

My background isn't karate, so if anyone has any supplementary info on tourneys and styles, or just wants to troll for fun, all is appreciated.

[koto_ryu]

I think that's a good plan, Hardball.

Can anyone give me information on Karate tournaments.... what it's like, rules, etc.

I know in BJJ there are mixed opinions about sport grappling tournaments, but I've participated in a few and had a lot of fun and learned some new things, which is what it's all about for me. Of course I like to win, but fun and learning are important.

The different styles of Karate available to me are:

-Shihan-Ryu with Kobudo, Kendo, and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Instructor holds 5 Godans.

-Tae Kwon Do/Chuk Kun Do (so it's Korean, but this is what a world champion kickboxer/karateka teaches, although I've never heard of Chuk Kun Do, I thought he did Tang So Do). Instructor holds 4 world kickboxing championships, 3 Middle weight karate championships, a 1st degree under Chuck Norris, and a 3rd Degree under Mike Dillard.

My background isn't karate, so if anyone has any supplementary info on tourneys and styles, or just wants to troll for fun, all is appreciated.

The Shihan-Ryu sounds the better of the two to me. Check out both though and see which one feels right to you.

[BadgerFu57]

I've called and called and called and no answer from the Shihan-Ryu. It looks like I'll be going to the Karate/Kickboxing place. I've visited there once before, and have talked to the owner a few times. He lifts weights at the same YMCA I go to.

Before I make any decisions (still more days in my foot/ankle cast) I was curious about Karate tournaments. Eventually I could see myself doing kickboxing/boxing. If I went that route, I would want to use karate tournaments as a stepping stone. (Of course I just want to learn karate first, but I am a person who enjoys competition). I understand that some tournaments are "no-contact", some are "semi-contact", and some are "full contact." Does anyone have personal experience with these and/or comments on them? I don't think "tap-fighting" would be right for me, but something like full-power to the body with control to the head might work.

[BadgerFu57]

I found a TKD school near my house, it's about a 10 minute walk away.

As I entered, I was bombarded with trophies and medals. I also saw a kid who looked to be about 7 with a black belt. It is a WTF school, and both masters seem to be very competent and experienced in Tae Kwon Do. There are no long contracts. There were a few striking apparatus', but not as many as the karate/kickboxing academy. The instructors were very friendly. One has a degree in Tae Kwon Do from Kyung Hee University (I was skeptical that those even exist but I looked it up on the internet and Kyung Hee University does in fact have a Tae Kwon Do degree program). He is also a 3 time National Champion in Sparring in Korea. He has a 5th degree BB in TKD and a 5th deg. in Hwal-Bup. The other instructor has a 6th degree BB with 30 years experience. He teaches weapons and kung-fu as well.

As I understood it, in WTF sparring is full-contact.

I've heard mixed things about the WTF and Tae Kwon Do tournaments, but if anyone has experience, I would like to know about it.


While I think it sounds fun and great, I don't want to practice a martial art that is pointless in real-world application or that will teach bad habits. Since I am pretty ignorant concerning striking arts, I am open to advice.

(Note: I know you MMA buffs will say Muay Thai or Boxing, but FOR NOW, I want to do something fun that will improve fitness and teach some self-defense skills without having to worry about serious injuries. I just don't want to do something that is counter-productive to becoming a complete martial artist later on down the road.)