I have been in Judo for about a year now. Is it the right martial art for me?

I am a large guy. Built like a truck. I began with Judo as a way to get myself in shape mentally as well as physically while dealing with immense stressors. A close friend of my father is a Hachidan, so it made it a simple choice to join him in his workouts and meditation. Anyway, while I enjoy it very much, I am not sure if it%26#039;s what%26#039;s best for me. I was a heavyweight wrestler and football player in high school. I have always been very strong. Since judo is often about using momentum of the opponent to your advantage, I don%26#039;t often have the opportunity to use my strength to my advantage. Should I switch to another art? Should I crosstrain in another art? Thanks for your input.|||Judo is an excellent foundational art. Many famous westener martial artists started out with judo, eg Chuck Norris (while in the army) and Australia%26#039;s Richard Norton.


If you want to take advantage of your strength why not consider crosstraining in a strength based striking martial art? Karate, boxing and kickboxing are all styles that take advantage of ones strength. Afterall, if you can take out an attacker with a single strong punch to the jaw, then there will be no need for throwing and grappling.


Finally, if you enjoy your Judo training don%26#039;t give it up because it teaches excellent practical skills, however if you are considering training in another style, crosstrain in one of the martial art%26#039;s i mentioned for a while before you decide if you want to give up on Judo altogether.|||I suggest you should try muay Thai, and maybe start mma training. I%26#039;m not saying you should try and get into a mma professional bout, but since you already have a good judo game mma would be a great outlet for you. As for your strength you would be able to use it in mma combined with your judo techniques. You could always just spar with people in mma, or even help other people train for there fights. I%26#039;m pretty sure there are some gyms, or schools that offer mma in your city. If your having problems search the web for a school near you. Remember mma is fastest growing sport in the world. Good luck!|||If youv%26#039;e trained for a year and your still asking yourself that question.......|||no. i think not.


everybody can learn...apply judo...


its just a matter of your willingness...








well if you want, why don%26#039;t you switch to wrestling???|||Judo,Jujitsu or Aikido would be my recommendations.





You are using your strength to your advantage, you just don%26#039;t have to use so much of it.|||if you want to boxing can be fun you dont need to actually fight if you dont want to and you get to use your natural strength and wieght against the punching bag alot i hope that helps|||You might investigate jujitsu -- it involves a lot of ground fighting and submission similar to wrestling. You might like that. Brazilian jujitsu is really popular right now.





I am a Kung Fu addict myself.|||Depends really, the question is does the martial art you are practising really match your fighting style? Certain martial arts like ju jitsu, judo, aikijutsu, etc. doesn%26#039;t stress on using brute strength to conquer your opponent. It%26#039;s all about balance and using your opponent force to your advantage. In short this martial arts would enable even the weak to defeat the strong without any contest of strength. If you prefer to use your strength alot then you might want to consider other martial arts that suits your taste. However cross training is a good idea too because if you are thrown in a situation where brute force couldn%26#039;t take down your opponent then your judo skills will be your savior to winning the competition. Well, consider your options then go for the ones that you feel best for yourself. Best wishes in your martial arts life.|||Only you can truly answer that.





Lets try a dancing analogy, you learn the basics of a dance step and then you progress to more advanced steps and you end up finding the styles you prefer.





Cross training is an excellent idea, you might find a style you prefer.





Note the use of the word art, it is how you express yourself and maybe you are after a new way to do that.





I notice a lot of people mentioning being strong. Try tensing the muscles in your arm and punching a bag, and then try relaxing those muscles and punching a bag. Drop a pre-conceived idea of strength and find a new idea, maybe judo is right for you and you should look at the idea of momentum manipulation as being the strength to work on