Is judo/jiu jitsu right for me?

I was thinking about training in one of them. Problem is, I've never done martial arts, so I don't know much about them. I know that body structure helps in any sport (ie, tall people for basketball). I'm about 5'8", 175lbs, somewhat wide-framed. Is this an appropriate body structure for these forms, or would something else work better for me?

Is judo/jiu jitsu right for me?
Hello,





I have tried jujitsu, karate(both shodican and shito-ryu), judo, maui thai and ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is by far my favorite martial art because of what they get into and the intense physical workout.


Your size would be good for judo but you must understand that judo is almost completely useless in any real life situations but it is a fun sport and less painfully then jujitsu. Jujitsu however is more affective in real life but its a lot rougher and more intense. I would recommend shodican karate as a good starter martial art for your size.
Reply:You should try them out to see for yourself. Take a free class.
Reply:with jiu jitsu, it really doesn't matter what build you are. Just youtube marcelo garcia. You do seem to have a good judo build. short, stocky, low center of gravity. Jiu jitsu is more technical on the ground, judo is more technical with throws.
Reply:With Ju-jitsu your size and frame can be accomodated, go along and try it I'm sure you will love it, i'm only 5'6'' and used to training with all the tall people as my centre of gravity is lower so throwing was very easy for me
Reply:judo is like boxing in that its reasonabley generic and most dojo's teach the same stuff and its good stuff





ju jitsu is totally different like kung fu there are many many many variations of ju jitsu so i cant really comment on that as almost every dojo is different





HOWEVER i think that doing a combination of judo and ju jitsu wouls be very good if you can afford to do that i would eve say a combination of judo and akido would also be good as it would give you a very good understanding of grappleing and the way the body works





(that is if grappling is your aim)
Reply:I don't believe there is any "right" body type for grappling or wrestling or jiu jitsu. I have seen excellent competitors who were very lean and ones who were built like fire hydrants. Generally, as you become more and more proficent in your technique, you develop a game that matches your body type and other strengths.





Unless you are very muscular, 5'8" and 175 sounds a little portly. I compete at 175 and am 5'11". I tend to be about the average height for that weight--though I have certainly grappled guys who were both an inch or two shorter and taller. Still, if you are a little chunky, do not let that discourage you from trying a grappling art. If you get really into it and train a lot, you will become lean and mean in short order.

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