Judo vs. Karate

This week, I managed to get the Karate society to swap with the Judo society. A lot of people think they’re very similar but this is not the case as Joseph Perry and Michael Pearce found out.

Name: Michael Pearce

Society: Karate

What were the things you enjoyed about your Judo session?

Well it was quite different, so it was good to pick up some new skills. It was also really good exercise, and very physical. I really enjoyed the amount of partner work they do, I ended up meeting a lot of new people.  It was good how they have a range of abilities in the same class and this means that the more experienced can teach the beginners.

Bad things:

Coming from a Karate background, we show a lot of respect for the heritage of the sport. This is through bowing every time we get on and off the mat and a series of other things. I thought this was lacking from Judo a bit, because you can still show appreciation for the origins and have people turning up for the session.

You said you liked the paired work in the Judo, is that something you would like to add to your Karate sessions?

Well Joe was a bit unlucky in his session, because we usually do more paired work but because we were in a different venue there wasn’t that much room. Where Judo is 100% paired work, Karate is a mixture of individual and paired. Individual work helps you practise the different techniques, and then the paired work teaches you about distances and timing.

Would you go again?

Definitely, I thought their coach was fantastic – and I’m pretty sure he just won award for 50 years in Judo coaching.

Score out of ten?

10 – there was nothing bad about Judo it’s just very different from Karate.

Name: Joseph Perry

Society: Judo

What were the things you enjoyed about your Karate session?

I loved how strongly focused it was on discipline; in Judo there are a lot of throws where you can just hurl yourself into it. Whereas Karate you have to be so aware of your body because accuracy is everything. I would say Judo was a bit more of a scrappers sport so Karate teaches you how to be precise in your movements. I also thought that the coach was really good, although sometimes I got a bit lost!

Bad things:

It’s hard because they are so different and good in their own ways. But I didn’t like the theater that surrounded Karate,I understand that they have to be vocal because it adds power to each move but I thought there was a slight undercurrent of demonstrating your aggression, which doesn’t appeal to me.

Would you go again?

Yes

Score out of ten:

7 –  I was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to have a one-on-one fight but I think that’s because I was a beginner but the coach was great and I felt I learned a lot.