styles/schools

[Jmarr]

Two different gyms in my area teach different styles of martial arts. One offers Judo, Hapkido, and TKD whereas the other offers JJJ and Aikido. I honestly have no clue what Hapkido is all about... I guess I'm just wondering what the difference is in these styles and which gym I should train at for a more practical martial arts education. Any help would be appreciated :)

[Ari Bolden]

Its a tough one. Hapkido is similar to aikido but has more strikes involved. Judo you can't beat for throwing, although aikido's throws are pretty cool. TKD...don't bother.

But, hands down (if it is a good school), JJJ for PRACTICAL self defence.

[Ryan]

CAUTION TO ALL NEW MEMBERS




Ari hates TKD :D

[Ghosted3]

Ari is not the only one, you can also throw contemporary Go Ju Karate on my list as well.

[BadKarmaRising]

Which ever way you go, you need to find a school that incorporates a lot of free sparring into the training. There's a world of difference between understanding the mechanics of a technique and actually executing against a trained, resisting opponent.

[Hadaka Jime]

answering what gym: i would say the second 1, JJJ is a very good martial art, and has a lot more then people think, and aikido is pretty effective also, very painful joint and wrist locks in both stlyes from the 2nd gym... and you get a great self defense lesson from JJJ, probably the best type of art you can do for self defense and has a lot more ground game then people think... you'll look like ari in no time with gym 2 :D i think he holds a blackbelt in both arts

gym 1 if you do decide to go there, hapkido is close to the same thing as akido, and judo is the best art for throws hands down, you will be an animal at throws in a few years of judo... this also has some ground game (basic BJJ armbars to basic chokes) some judo teachers do a lot of BJJ stuff some do very little, but judo has an okay self defense class as far as weapon work and disarming knives, you will also probably work with sword disarming to, it's cool to learn because judo is the way of the samurai and they will teach you a lot on that culture and use the swords now and then, but the knive disarming is going to be the extent of self defense you learn in judo, so in gym 1 you get a limited self defense game but great throws, and don't bother at all with TKD


the only karate i have seen that is practical is shodokan karate, my cousin takes it and he has a very defined striking system, he is a blackbelt in the shodokan, but as far as TKD i'd say it is one of the worst styles of martial arts out there, there is something better than it in every category, JJJ is the best for self defense, BJJ is best for ground/competition submission wrestling type style, and there are much better styles of striking in muy thai, and certain karates are good, TKD to me is just decent at everything, i would rather take capoeira and look cool and not be effective at all, because TKD is just as worthless and doesnt even look impressive, (not all TKD or capoeira is worthless, there are a few good players in each martial art, i think stephen bonnars spinning kick/punch game is TKD and there is a style of capoeira that is good in MMA, called "Axe Capoeira" but it's more just GNP wrestling with some flying stuff)

and for the record capoeira looks awesome haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtmM4iTALE
FTW

[Herm]

and for the record capoeira looks awesome haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtmM4iTALE
FTW
whenever i see capoeira this quote comes to mind...

"They're break dance fighting" - Will Ferrell as Mugatoo (sp?) :D

[Ari Bolden]

Hey Brett:

I think you may have gotten your judo and aikido mixed up a bit. Aikido does a lot of jo waza (staff), bokken waza (sword) and tanto waza (knife) in its system. You're bang on with the throwing aspects and ground work of judo, but weapon work is almost non existant in judo.

Just for everyone's benefit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapkido
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu
look what I found..lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submissions_101

[Ryan]

Hey Brett:

I think you may have gotten your judo and aikido mixed up a bit. Aikido does a lot of jo waza (staff), bokken waza (sword) and tanto waza (knife) in its system. You're bang on with the throwing aspects and ground work of judo, but weapon work is almost non existant in judo.

Just for everyone's benefit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapkido
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu
look what I found..lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submissions_101

Ari- this could be its own thread and sticky. I think that is a very good idea to break down the different styles

[Tallsilkyslim]

Not to get off topic, but TKD is great for the elderly and small kids. For those of us interested in REAL self defense, dont kid yourself and avoid at all costs.

[Ryan]

I am sure TKD has its place in TKD tournaments and general health for a heavy person in need of "fun" exercise. I am sure its not all bad but I can see how you feel it is a crappy martial art when it comes to practical fighting and self defense. Like I told you all before, I have a co-worker that swears up and down that TKD is the best art in history. I don't blame him for his bias, I mean, look at us. We are all ground fighters whether it be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu or wrestling and I am sure nobody can convince us otherwise that BJJ, JJJ or wrestling isn't the best form of martial arts out there.

Granted, ground fighting is not as effective as Muay Thai or boxing in a multiple person attack but in that case most people simply go for survival techniques anyway.

[Hadaka Jime]

Hey Brett:

I think you may have gotten your judo and aikido mixed up a bit. Aikido does a lot of jo waza (staff), bokken waza (sword) and tanto waza (knife) in its system. You're bang on with the throwing aspects and ground work of judo, but weapon work is almost non existant in judo.

broke that quote my bad, but no i have friends whos judo teachers actually do work with weapons, i don't know much about aikido but i didn't think they worked with weapons as much, but i am positive that many judo teachers have some work, considering judo is/was the preferred samurai fighting style and was used when they lose there weapon in combat or were attacked while unarmed etc.. i don't think they have staff work, but i am positive they have knife and sword works, atleast all the teachers i know do, i guess certain teachers do and don't to an extent

[Ari Bolden]

Hey B:

The art in question is Japanese Jiu Jitsu...the art of the samurai. While I have no doubt that some judo places may use it (there is a goshin form of judo), its the styles of JJJ that you are describing.

Also, Ryan, JJJ places ALOT of emphasis on multi person techniques, moving, circles and such. Here is a movie of what it looks like and what some of the JJJ stuff looks like that I study:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vib4tjKnQY

Roy Dean is a FANTASTIC martial artist and we share a lot in common. He is both a JJJ black belt and a BJJ black belt under Roy Dean.

[gunnsjmg]

Thought I'd throw my two cents in. In my opinion TKD is pretty useless in real combat situations and MMA. There are a few strikes given the right person that may be a little effective. What it is good for is exercise, flexability and coordination. It's fun for kids and can teach diciplin. Also the flashy kicks look pretty cool and I'm sure executing them is close to being as fun as playing capoeira. Capoeira, as long as you're flexible and in ok shape, is a lot of fun. As far as which gym I'd choose, I have to go with JJJ and Aikido. For me though, my perfect gym would concentrate on BJJ, Muay Thai, and wrestling. If they also incorporated a lot of boxing that would be a bonus.:D

[fisica]

Well there is a lot o tkd haters here.All of the style you mentioned are in my opinion good.But the best way to choose is asking if they offer free lessons. Then try them all a choose for yourself.I personaly think you should try tkd it´s very good if your into sports.

[Patrick Reynolds]

Not much to add, except to say that you should see whether the trainers are any good and whether you enjoy learning from them.

For example, I did Judo as a kid with a really old school type of instructor who spent about 90% of the class doing strength and posture training and taught new techniques very slowly - I have very unhappy memories of standing in a typical judo stance on the toes for about 15 minutes without moving every class, with the instructor walking up and down making sure everyone was standing correctly, down to the toes... followed by squat walking around the room in circles for another 15 minutes... in about a year I can only remember being taugh the seionage throw, scarf hold, and side control. However, I really enjoy JJJ and BJJ now because of the instructors.

Also, I tried TKD as a kid also, but can't really say I learnt anything worth defending myself with. Learnt a few kata and some basic punches or kicks in the air. No sparring or paired training even to inject some realism. I've got a friend who does some other type of TKD though which involves a lot of sparring...

[Hadaka Jime]

Hey B:

The art in question is Japanese Jiu Jitsu...the art of the samurai. While I have no doubt that some judo places may use it (there is a goshin form of judo), its the styles of JJJ that you are describing.

Also, Ryan, JJJ places ALOT of emphasis on multi person techniques, moving, circles and such. Here is a movie of what it looks like and what some of the JJJ stuff looks like that I study:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vib4tjKnQY

Roy Dean is a FANTASTIC martial artist and we share a lot in common. He is both a JJJ black belt and a BJJ black belt under Roy Dean.haha woops ari yeah your right i was trying to say explain the goshin form of judo... but i should have trusted you being that your a black belt in JJJ and would know a little something about it:p i like all of the arts of the samurai and the life and culture they had in japan... i look forward to seeing a lot of JJJ multi person attacks also, sounds awesome, thanks a lot ari... haha sorry for not being clear and good job clearing everything up!