TKD and Jiu-Jitsu

[frightmaster]

Hello all. I am thinking about going from Tae Kwon Do style of martial arts to Jiu-Jitsu. Has anyone done this? Was it a difficult mental change for them? I want to clean up my all around fighting abilities and I do not have much wretleing experience. Thanks

[Izzy331]

wats up... well Im not exactly in TKD but Im in muay thai and i trasitioned to jiu-jitsu. Ummm well it looked a hell of alot easier and it has more flow to it. IF you dont know ANYTHING about jiu-jitsu, you should probably practice basic positions like guard, side mount and all that and practice on breaking out of other peoples guard and getting a good position before you just go out there and do it. Learning a move isnt enough, you have to be able to use it and practice the techniques before you go out there. When i first started all i knew was how to pass guard , an arm bar and rear naked choke, and that worked fine.

[DokterVet]

By "Jui-Jitsu" do you mean japanese/traditional jiu-jitsu or brazilian jiu-jitsu?

If you mean the latter, I made a similar switch from karate to shootwrestling. Grappling is counter-intuitive in many ways, but your instructor and training partners will teach you everything you need to know.

But be prepared to take an ego hit when realize just how bad you are when you start grappling.

[JWLuiza]

I do TSD and Jujitsu at the same time and find them to be complimentary. Movement principles are related, but... well the above poster was right, you will feel like a white belt again.

[scottnshelly]

I studied Tae Kwon Do for 15 years. I just took my first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class this week. It is a lot different.

The hardest parts for me were: 1 getting used to not knowing anything and 2 not bowing all the time.

After being in TKD for so long, I got used to knowing “everything” and being a teacher. I was weird to be called the new guy. I can’t remember the last time I had to say “go easy, I don’t know anything” and “this is my first class, can you elaborate.”

I’m not sure if it’s common among BJJ schools, but no one in this class bows; I am used to bowing 25-50 times per class. There was also no formal start and end to the class.

There are a lot of similarities, but more differences. By all means, if you have the opportunity, you should take some classes. It will make you a much more rounded Martial Artist.

Disclaimer: I am in no way a qualified representative of BJJ as I have only had one class. The statements made in this post about BJJ were from my limited experience in one school; each school is different.

[SubGrappler]

Its a good choice you made, and Philadelphia has some of the best BJJ schools in the US- lucky you. Did you eye up any of them yet?

[shogeri]

I have, and feel it's a good choice.

Good luck!

[karatekid1975]

I do TSD and Jujitsu at the same time and find them to be complimentary. Movement principles are related, but... well the above poster was right, you will feel like a white belt again.

John's right. I do TKD AND Jujitsu (traditional). And I agree that they compliment each other well.

But, like everyone said here, be prepared to be the noobie. The two styles are simlar in some ways, but VERY different in others (I'm just a white belt in Jujitsu myself).

[Jiffy]

I went from doing only Shotokan Karate for about 9 years, to doing Jiu Jitsu as well. I found it a bit of a difficult transition because they are soooo different, but boy did I learn heaps, and it got easier. Best thing I ever did for my Martial Arts!!!

[frightmaster]

I have, and feel it's a good choice.

Good luck!

This is exactly what I am looking for. May I ask what BJJ school you have looked into andwhich you sleected (private message is fine). I do not want to hinder any school or practioners...I am in Philadelphia and I have not looked into any JJ schools at all. I am testing for my BB in TKD in March this year and I am focusing on this for obvious reasons.

I am not an EGO person to begin with. In fact I live the phylosophy that someone always knows more then me. I know I will run into them some day. I just think the 2 would work well together. In the future I would like to get into personal security/bodyguard and I know they both will help me if needed (which I hope I would not).