I've been doing Ishin Ryu Karate for the past 9 years, BJJ last 3. Quit one?

Question

I have a brown belt in Karate, blue belt in BJJ. Lately I've been getting injured more frequently in Karate, my instuctor is older now and sometimes doesn't teach class as often as I like. I'm thinking of quitting to focus on BJJ, but I don't know if it's wise.

Answer 1

Ok, getting away from the childish my art can beat up your art c**p...

Ask yourself what will make you a better fighter? A fighter does not pick wether his fight ends up on the ground or not. You have to be able to defend against the knife, strike, and grapple. If you are not progressing any more from your karate training, then perhaps it is time to find another type of striking art. I will say this... MMA does pretty good at combining the two if you find a good school. It will take a little bit of time to get used to but... more tools for the proverbial toolbox. And don't worry about who beats who... the fighter and the instructor both matter more than the art. I like to look at martial arts as joint locking, striking, grappling, and practical weapons. Figure out what is important to you, and train to be proficient as a figher based on that.

Answer 2

Isshin Ryu is amazing. Don't quit...especially after 9 years. But don't quit BJJ either...it's too useful.

Answer 3

dont quit either the more one knows that better one becomes.

Answer 4

I would say that it is really a decision only you can make. I mean you can get all the advice they want, or in the case of Anti thesis laugh at what a m***n he is for posting that video link, which does nothing to answer your questiion, but then again, he trashes any art that he does not do, unless it is prevelant in the UFC.  I have trained Isshin-Ryu for almost 19 years and i love the style. The depth within it is amazing, Just as their is in any good art.

Isshin-ryu fits me like a glove, and I am quite comftorable doing it, but you are not me. I really wonder why you are still at Brown belt though. Did you miss stretches of time here and there? Does your instructor just not test people? In the long run the belt doesn't really matter, it is what you get out of it.

I understand the injuries, because contrary to what many people think, a traditional Okinawin dojo trains very hard,with heavy contact. I would gather a big part of it is that with your instructor not teaching as much anymore, the loyalty you feel for him is not so much diminishing, as becoming secondary, and you probably do not have the same loyalty to whomever is teaching now.

Despite what many people think I have nothing against BJJ itself, it is an excellent style. the only thing I have a problem with is the "We are better then anybody else" mentality, which quite honestly is probably mainly due to wanna be's that don't even train.

After 9 years you should have pretty good standing self defense, so I really don't think you need to continue trainign in Isshin-Ryu for that, as long as you keep practicing on your own what you already know.

I guess you really have to decide what you want from your martial arts training and go from there.

Answer 5

no offense, but after nine years of isshinryu, you should have a 2nd degree black belt by now.

having a blue belt in BJJ after just 3 years is actually pretty darn good though.

if i were you i would stick with the one that you ENJOY the most. it is great that you have both striking and grappling skills. now you can just focus on the ONE that you LOVE the most.

get it?

Answer 6

Brazilian Ju Jitsu is more sport than practical fighting or an Art. In MMA the Blue Belts who crosstrain do well even against the BJJ black Belts who focus on BJJ, so you have enough BJJ to compete. Aside from competition BJJ has little to offer whereas Karate has much more Art to it.

As far as Karate taking forever to beat BJJ, no offense, but I know plenty that have disproven that, myself included. I was a bouncer and dealt with more than a few BJJ hotshots in LA. Then again I do Kenpo which is a hybrid art.

I'd say, in my opinion, drop the BJJ and find another Ishin Ryu instructor if your instructor is too old. You'll have far more knowledge.

Again, just my opinion.

Answer 7

Don't they teach you meditation in Karate?

This sounds to me like something you will have to decide for yourself.  In traditional Okinawan Karate you are not supposed to do any sparring anyway until you have had 10 years of training.  If you are getting injured, I would just stop sparring and emphasize kata and two person drills for a while until said injuries healed, and try to develop a pacifist mentality.

You can crack your bones again if you allow them time to heal first, IF you're crazy enough to get into again.  Personally though if I was you I would not quit either one.  With time and training, Karate can defeat BJJ, but, it requires intensive training in the stances, the Katas, and when you are done with those two in addition you need makiwara board drills in addition to the two person drills.  You spend so much time drilling and drilling, and then meditating and meditating, pretty soon everything, hypothetically, will start moving in slow motion.

Here's the thing though; to get to a point where Karate can beat BJJ is going to take a long *** time.  Myself personally, I did it, then had to stop because the school closed and to more or less continue my training, picked up a Kata manual and taught myself 10 katas so far, and I drill whenever I feel like it, usually 3 to 4 days  a week, the basics and the Katas, in addition to stances.  I feel I have decent form but all the same I would like a real school.

From doing tons of Kata, and remembering when I sparred, all I remembered from my formal training was, that Kata helped me more than sparring.  Now, I would not quit either one because if you feel like quitting, you are doing it for all the wrong reasons.  I haven't let lack of an instructor stop me, and I am thankful for the training I received when I was 12 through 14, because it helped me understand the Kata manual I purchased.  The rhythm of Katas is pretty much the same across all styles of Karate, some have even argued that there are no different styles.

Whatever the case......

Because it can take forever for Karate to beat BJJ, you need to have BJJ as a backup plan as a just in case scenario.  You can meditate for hours and reach spiritual enlightenment, and enter "the zone" at will OR, while you wait for that, you can take some BJJ on the side, which is arguably more practical.  If you lack Karate, any BJJ you attempt, a striker will rip your head off in an actual life or death thing.  However if you lack BJJ, and you make a mistake with your Karate what are you gonna do if you get taken down to the ground?

You need both man.

Myself I wish I could learn both Shotokan Karate AND Judo, personally I like Judo more than BJJ, but that's just me.  I like Judo's training approach much better.

peace out.

Answer 8

This might help make your decision.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JPuL4pjnXt0