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I'm weighing up these two martial arts, trying to decide between one and the other. Naturally I will go to classes and try out both (I've had a little taster of judo already).
Just wondering... what are the differences between the two in terms of health and personal growth? What kind of attributes do each develop?
If anyone could share their experience with these martial arts I'd be very grateful.
Thanks! :)
My experience is mainly around Karate (Black Belt 1st Dan), however I have done some Kung Fu and Judo after giving up Karate. I preferred Kung Fu over Judo because many of the styles transfer across into Tai Chi.
As far as Judo (and similar styles such as the Japanese art of Aikido) goes, I'm not really into martial arts that contain a lot of throws because you can get injured quite easily.
The best thing to do is to go and view some classes to see which you like best, also the way the art is taught is often down to the individual instructor so it is key (in my opinion) to find an instructor you like :)
Hope this doesn't come out to asinine, but I'm unsure what you are referring to in terms of "Kung Fu". I wonder if its like a wushu class, that goes over various aspects of general chinese martial fighting? It would probably be a good primer to see what styles you like and where you would like to focus.
Judo is a specific set of forms that specialize in ground work immobilizing. Judo is a good for upper body strength as there are lots of grapples, strikes, and throws.
For me I've never found Japanese martial arts very connective in terms of spiritual growth. but Judo would be good in confidence, I mean throwing a guy three times your size to the mat is good for self esteem. :)
Kung Fu & Wushu essentially mean the same thing, and refer to "Chinese Martial Arts" :) They have to make it so damn complicated don't they ;)
I was refering to Wushu as the Martial Arts competitive sport in China. :) Sorry if it wasn't so obvious in my post.Quote:
Zero
I enjoyed judo very much, but I avoid it now because there was too much damage... fingers, toes, joints, nerves, and a fair potential for severe damage [in my opinion]. Of course one can make very clear to any partners that one would rather receive gentle attention, then one need only worry about accidents.Quote:
Zero
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phact0rri
In my experience, that extra sized opponent would need to be moving, and have poor balance awareness to be thrown [or more likely tripped]. Also, one can be easily frustrated by bigger opponents whom stand their ground, or have some basic knowledge of judo.
I feel much more familiar with how a 'hands-on-struggling-tangle' with another person can go now though... which might be useful territory to explore. Judo is probably good for ambulance staff, as well as police.
The attitudes around the judo which I have experienced have been directed mostly toward fighting... and this is great if you want to enjoy relatively safe fights [I try to say contest, but I don't want to kid myself]. Had I time now, I would follow a course of tai chi or similar.
That's where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu comes in handy. It is based on judo but is perfected and involve the techniques that work well in real life. Also the training always involve sparring where your 'opponent' will try his or her best to get out of the situation. Not like the traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu I trained here where I live now, where even the orange belts had no clue of what to do when I gave them some resistance :)Quote:
whalespace
BJJ doesn't have anything to do with personal development, though, except for the fact that you can walk around not having to fear for your own safety.
As for being attacked by an armed person I would recommend krav maga.
Between judo and kung fu I don't know. Like someone said above I think it depends a lot on the trainer(s) and ways of training if you will like it or not.
In really depends on the OP's primary motivation behind wanting to do a martial art, I would have thought.
I have never done Judo, my own experience is in Karate (1st Dan) and Aikido, but I think it's fair to say that Judo is more geared towards being a an Olympic sport.
Judo is an olympic sport, and an excellent game against a well matched opponent, very satisfying from a full contact perspective. I know I have said this before in relation to judo but again, any soft tissue damage after the age of thirty is much more likely to result in osteo arthritis [or so I read].
Not all martial arts are external/hard forms. Judo however from what I know, it pretty much a hard form, more about fighting and defense than it is about personal growth and fitness.Quote:
Jiffy
I have successfully combined intercepting fist (Bruce Lee) Kung Fu and Japanese Judo. I mix in traps and chokes from Ju Jitsu, and some knee and elbow strikes from Gou Thai with boxing footwork. It seems to go together pretty smoothly, and you can mix and match all techniques fairly easily. It makes for creative workouts where I find new combinations by being in a certain position, and striking from there. In a match I do outfighting with Kung Fu, and then use boxing footwork to put me into position to throw my opponent. Most MMA fighters use Gou Thai and Ju Jitsu almost exclusively (because they are so devastating and brutal) so I have a basic understanding of those arts also. Because those arts are so direct Kung Fu seems to confuse them, and Judo awes them. This combination of styles also fits in perfectly with Tai Chi for a more gentle spiritual experience. So my advice would be to study both. While you study both arts, also read the I Ching, and the Tao Te Ching for spiritual insight.Quote:
fiamma
Not true at all. I studied Judo in a Buddhist temple. It was very much for personal growth, gaining spirituality, and one of the first things they teach you is to not harm your workout partner. Second, was how to fall and not harm yourself.Quote:
phact0rri
I have used the Judo fall many times unconsciously protecting myself in household accidents. For instance, the other day I was doing dishes and my wife had opened the dishwasher unbenownst to me. I stepped to the side, and over I went. Fortunately I flipped in mid air and did a good Judo roll and was unhurt (I had a sharp steak knife in my hand).
Also, Had I not known how to fall correctly, I would sure be dead now, because I went through a period of time two years ago where I blacked out and fell down, then had seizures due to having inhaled paint fumes. Only because my body knew how to fall safely, without me being conscious, did I survive.