Fu Man

Good luck with your Judo classes. I am a Judoka newbie as well. Judo is pretty fun, and very good exercise too. Ted

The funniest martial arts fight I saw was between a Drunken Kung Fu vs. Karate clip. Ted

Wing Chun is a very practical martial art. Good luck with your training. Ted

I attend Karate classes three days a week, and Judo classes two days a week. Ted

If you have never trained in martial arts, I would hold off on cross training for a while. Learn the basics of one martial art before moving to another. However, if you have studied martial arts in the past, cross training should be okay. Shotokan and Jeet Kune Do have a lot of cross-over. Both martial arts primarily deal with stand up fighting (kicks, hand strikes, etc.), although Jeet Kune Do does have more grappling to my knowledge. In my humble opinion, if you wish to cross train, select a martial art that primarily focuses on grappling techniques, such as Judo, Jujitsu, Akido, etc. Regarding training, depending on your lifestyle and current physical condition, 3 hours of training per day can be quite hard on the body overtime. Plus, you need to let your body rest to prevent burning out. I would recommend at least 2 off days a week from training. Or, at least implement very light workouts on certain days. Basically, you do not want to over train because it will slow down your progress. When I studied Tae Kwon Do years ago, I practiced hard for 2 or more hours everyday for the first 3 years. Later, I became extremely ill (not training related, though) and was hospitalized. I had to stay away from training for one month. When I returned to training, I was shocked at how much more flexible and stronger I had become. Furthermore, my kicks and strikes were quicker and more powerful. In other words, my body was grossly overtrained and I needed the rest to recover from previous workouts. I hope this information helps, but it's all subjective. Ted

For stand-up fighting, why not Isshin-ryu Karate?Right now, I am studying Isshin-ryu Karate and Kodokan Judo. It's a good combination, in my opinion. However, Brazilian Jujitsu and Isshin-ryu Karate is just as good. Ted

Yeah, I agree. I appreciated my instructors for not promoting me until I was truly ready. However, as a green belt and onward, it felt rather strange beating up some of my black belt friends that took training at other schools. Ted

I am studying both martial arts, Isshin-Ryu Karate and Kodokan Judo. It provides a nice mixture of striking and grappling. Nevertheless, Isshin-Ryu Karate is my favorite of the two martial arts. Ted

I earned a black belt in Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do many years ago. It about me about six and a half years of continuous study to do so. My instructors were very old school! However, after a 12 year layoff from martial arts, I am a white belt again in two martial arts, Isshin-ryu Karate and Kodokan Judo. Ted

I earned a black belt in Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do many years ago. It about me about six and a half years of study to do so. However, after a 12 year layoff from martial arts, I am a white belt again. I am currently studying Isshin-ryu Karate and Kodokan Judo. Ted

Isshin-ryu Karate is a great no non-sense martial art that contains both hard/external and soft/internal characteristics. It's not flashy, but it's practical and effective for self-defense. I studied Isshin-ryu Karate years ago and left the martial art to study Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do, which I continued to study for 8 years. After a 12 year lay-off from martial arts, I recently resumed martial arts and decided that Isshin-ryu Karate, in addition to Kodokan Judo, was more suitable for my innate physical attributes. Ted

After studying Tae Kwon Do for 8 years, and then taking 12 years away from martial arts, I am back into martial arts. I currently study Isshin-Ryu Karate and Kodokan Judo. Ted

Thanks for the encouragement, Kicks! It feels kind of weird being a white belt again, but I am determine to become good at both martial arts.

Thanks for the information. I live in a suburb of Detroit, which is quite far from Saginaw. I attended the Karate class today, along with another Judo class. I am extremely happy with the classes and instructor. I believe I will be a student there for a very long time. Nevertheless, I still want to learn Hung Gar or Wing Chun, especially Wing Chun, in the future. Maybe when I earn black belts in both martial arts, Karate and Judo, I will pursue one of the aforementioned CMAs. Thanks again, Ted

Thanks for the warm welcome.I decided to pursue Isshin-Ryu Karate again, along with Kodokan Judo. Although I really wanted to practice Hung Gar or Wing Chun Kung Fu, I did not find a suitable school in my area (at least not yet). The Karate and Judo instructor is extremely hands-on and motivational. Plus, I can train six days a week if I choose at a great price per month. I am really excited to begin this new journey in martial arts.

Hello everyone, Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful forum. My name is Ted, and I studied Tae Kwon Do (Ji Do Kwan) for 8 years during a 12 year period of time, as I took some time off for other activities. At 34 years of age and 12 years of martial arts inactivity, I am seeking to pursue the martial arts world again. Although I love TKD, I have never been a very flexible person. This innate problem has only become progressively worst due to weightlifting, lack of stretching and aging. Therefore, I am seeking a martial art that is more focused on self defense, fundamental and practical techiques, hard and soft concepts, hand strikes and low kicks. I am currently seeking to join either a Hung Gar or Wing Chun school. However, to my knowledge, there are no Hung Gar instructors near my residence or place of work. I have visited a few Wing Chun schools, but I do not believe that I have found the right school for me in order to make a long-term commitment. Most of the schools trained either too soft or not enough days of the week. But, I am still on the lookout for such a school. I really had my heart set on learning Kung Fu. To make matters more interesting, a person I met at a bookstore invited me to visit an Isshinryu Karate and Kodokan Judo school near my place of work. According to this person, whom also trains at other schools, the training is pretty hardcore. I have spoken with the instructor and plan to visit the school today, for Judo, and tomorrow, for Karate. Actually, prior to studying TKD, I studied Isshinryu Karate and hated it. I left due to the non flashy-ness of the martial art. Yes. I was young and dumb at the time. Now that I am older and wiser, I appreciate the training a lot more and would love to pursue it again if I am unable to find a good Kung Fu school. Also, Isshinryu Karate trains many of the same attributes as Hung Gar and Wing Chun, which is simplistic and fundamental techniques geared towards self defense. Furthermore, it's a bonus to be able to study Kododan Judo at the same school with the same instructor, if I choose to take a grappling art as well (more than likely I will do so). Ted