Which Martial Art should I join?

Question

As I was in University and worked part time I had no time for sports, thus, I'm a little overweight, and tend to loose all this fat now that I'm graduated. There are all kinds of martial arts in my area which I can choose from: BJJ, TKD, traditional Jiujitsu, Karate, Judo, Sambo, Kung fu, Muay thai, and boxing. However, I am mostly interested in Tae kwon do, Judo and traditional jiu jitsu. As a kid I took TKD, it was fun and I learned a lot, its great for cardio, and I think its good for emergencies as I was really good at it. Anyway, my question is, which one of my top 3 would be better? In terms of cardio, fun, defence. ( I'm interested in defence quite a bit)
Any martial artists out there that can advice me?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Tradtional (Japanese, not Brazilian) JuJitsu might be for you. Correctly taught it is for hard combat, but it includes many Judo throws, takedowns, jointlocks, etc.

It's often said that jujitsu is Judo "with the sharp edges" put back on. It is *not* a sport.

Answer 2

Ok here goes, I am an instructor in TKD, and Judo. Judo or Bjj from a good school is great in an emergency. TKD tends to be a lot of show and no go, you catch one and throw him to the ground with force they tend to lay there. Judo uses, armlocks, grappling, pins, chokes, and throws. If you can find a traditional school they teach it with all the kicks and strikes still in it. It does not require a lot of strength, you are using body movement, and balance. Cardio, 3 minutes fighting on the ground seems like a year. Judo's real drawback is it takes a long time to get rank as it is an intensive sport and art.

Answer 3

As you specifically mentioned Muay Thai, I think you should take that. You will learn more if you spontaneously like your art. You can always train a couple of months and switch to something else if you don't like it. According to most people, Muay Thai is also the most efficient striking art, and it is physically very tough, so whether you look for self defence or a good workout, you'll probably like it. I have a background in boxing myself, and would recommend that if you want an alternative. It's equally good for physical workout, and many people say it's equally useful in a fight (you don't tend to kick much in a brawl anyway, though the Thai knees are pretty useful). Sadly, I guess rape defence would be useful if you're a woman and want to prepare for the most likely self defence scenarios. Therefore, I would recommend you to study some grappling as well if you're primarily looking for self defence. It's very difficult to strike out a much bigger opponent, but the size advantage diminishes on the ground, where technique becomes more important. BJJ would probably be extremely useful, as it focuses on ground fighting and teaches joint locks, chokes and more while fighting from your back. If you take a grappling art, however, I think you should combine it with striking. Maybe start with Muay Thai and then cross-train with BJJ after 2-3 years or so. It all depends on how much time you want to spend though.

Answer 4

In my opinion, of the 3 options you list, I would go with Traditional Jujutsu. It's more combat effective than the other two, and will still give you a workout. However, of all the choices you list, I would say karate as long as it is a good dojo with a good instructor. Stay away from McDojo's.

Answer 5

of your top 3 i would say judo but o\if your lookig for defence kenpo has literaly hundreds of self-defense technoques its a greta art also. I would also advise to stay away from TKD cuz its a flashy sport for tournaments not real life situations.

Answer 6

I am in Hwa-Rang Taekwondo Federation I love the sport.
Take TKD. Most people think its a wast of time and money.
But since you like it so much than go for it.

Answer 7

Do BJJ and Muay Thai both are extremely realistic and fun. Tae Kwon Do is to flashy and doesn't work

Answer 8

i do not suggest you do a grappling/wrestling art like BJJ or Sambo if you want self defence. Since people stress the realistic part, wouldnt the person who is having his arm twisted in strange angles yell over at his friends to start kicking your head in?

Answer 9

Go with the traditional Jiujitsu. Of your top three choices, it'll be the best style all-around.

Answer 10

Taekwondo is fast and that's what I like about it. It's also quite simple if you are a beginner but as time goes by, you can learn lots of advance, flashy kicks and you can impress people with. Taekwondo also helps with your mentality and concentration. You can also become a lot more flexible and meet a lot of new people too!