BJJ or Judo in MN for Beginner

[MNWild83]

Hey,

I am a 22 year old looking at possibly joining a BJJ or Judo Dojo near the Twin Cities in MN. I am a pretty lanky guy, but I consider myself fairly athletic. I am not looking to get into MMA or anything. I just want to stay in shape and be competetive. Thanks for any information any of you can offer on how to get started.

 

[Q mystic]

Hey,

I am a 22 year old looking at possibly joining a BJJ or Judo Dojo near the Twin Cities in MN. I am a pretty lanky guy, but I consider myself fairly athletic. I am not looking to get into MMA or anything. I just want to stay in shape and be competetive. Thanks for any information any of you can offer on how to get started.

Judo. says the judoka. It is a blast.

 

[MortgageKing]

I used to train at Warriors Cove. Its a good school but it was too far from me.

I now train at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. They seem to be on a little higher playing field than the Cove in my opinion. THey also have a NHB class that is run by Sean Sherk. They offer Muay Thai as well.

The instructors at MMAA have much higher BJJ credentials as well.

I have only been going to MMAA for a couple of days but I can still see these differences.

I dont think we have any outstanding Judo gyms here. If you find one let me know, I wouldnt mind trying that out for a while.

 

[MNWild83]

Thanks for the replies guys. Anyone else have experiences at the Warriors Cove, MMAA, or anywhere else? I actually was looking today and found that Pat Miletich has some classes that are actually taught where I went to middle school. Any other opinions?

 

[Gsoares2***]

if you takedowns and slams take Judo.

If you like the ground game and want submission skills take Bjj.

 

[MNWild83]

From what I have read on these forums, BJJ sounds more interesting to me, but then again, most of the threads are about BJJ. Like I said, I am a fairly lanky guy, and would like to get in shape, learn to defend myself, and do something competetive.

 

[LearnAsILive]

I've only just started up in Judo (2 classes) and think it is incredibly fun... the submission/choke side seems to be highly overlooked thus far on Sherdog (Although throwing is a crucial part, of course). I've never taken a BJJ class, so cannot compare.... sorry.

 

[morganfreeman]

Just find the best club in your area. I really don't know much about what is available in the twin cities area, but if you are just learning to grapple, your options aren't just limited to bjj or judo. Unless you are particularly interested in a style, check out as many clubs as you can before making a decision. I know there were a few people posting on this site who trained catch at a place in mn called bisson grappling (I think that is what it is called . . .). At the end of the day, if you have access to a top notch judo club with international level competitors, you are probably going to recieve better training than if the only bjj club you have access to is taught by a purple belt, and vice versa. You live in a relatively large city, so I don't see the need to rush or commit yourself to a particular style until you see what's available to you. I enjoy judo more than bjj personally, but I've moved around alot, and I've trained at good bjj clubs over shitty judo clubs on a number of occasions. If I was living somewhere where the best club taught sambo or catch wrestling, I wouldn't hesitate to train there. The only way to find out what you will enjoy is to go out and see what is available to you.

 

[MNWild83]

Thanks for the replies. Also, I have had MCL tears in the past, as well as having bowed knees. Does having bad knees eliminate me from participating in one art over the other?

 

[Foul Breath]

No bad knees makes no difference on either of those two. They are about the same on knee wear and tear. But I recommend Judo because you learn will learn both ground AND stand up abilities. BJJ is mosly just ground work. Judo offers more variety incase you knees hurt.

 

[MNWild83]

bump . . .anyone else from the MN area with experience in some of the different places? Thanks for everyones replies.