Need some advice

Hello all, its been a while. Good to see everyone is still ticking.

I'm looking for some advice on what martial art to train in.

My background is mainly TKD, however for several reasons I decided it was not for me anymore and I moved on. To make a long story short, I decided to take up Judo again. It was a great choice, Judo is quite simply fantastic, and I wish I had rediscovered it sooner. Unfortunately I am beginning to have issues with my knees again(one of the reasons I stopped TKD) which means that I cannot do Judo as much as I wish. I have no intention of giving up Judo completely, I enjoy it too much, but considering that my practice may be limited to twice a month I wish to train in something else. I do have a few ideas to which arts may suit but I'd like to hear your opinions too.

In regards to my knees its best for me to avoid twisting motions, such as a base leg poviting for a kick (TKD), and deep stances. Too much of either will just strain my knees. I'm open to any suggestions in terms of arts(striking, grappling, weapons). I just want to be able to train well without being hindered by my knees.

So far this is all I am aware of in my local area(there may be more):

Judo
Aikido
Kendo
Karate (style unknown)
Iaido
MMA gym
- According to an aquaintance of mine the gym does have 'BJJ only' nights(BJJ,low impact on knees), but I have no idea of the quality, haven't visited the gym yet.

[In terms of non-Japanese arts, perhaps with the exception of boxing, I doubt that they are available since I'm living in a small city in Japan. Please keep this in mind.]

Thanks in advance,

Taizu

 

I would actually suggest that no well taught martial art should be inherently injurous to your knees. However, the nature of TKD sparring and Judo randori means that there's always a risk, but again, the better trained you are, the lower the risk.
If your knees are becoming painful after routine training, then you probably need to look at you weight distribution during the problem movements. Your knee itself shouldn't twist (it's not built for it), but due to poor weight engagement you're probably opening your knee up too much because you're not engaging your hips and ankles properly.
If you do any kind of martial arts (or indeed any sport), it's important to undertake maintenance and conditioning work on your legs. A foam physio roller is a MUST, and you need to be doing leg exercise such as squats, lunges and step-ups. It's a bit pricey, but I'd recommend you get a copy of Mike Robertson's Bulletproof Knees, it's a great all inclusive knee rehab and maintenance package.

 

mma in japan...
go check it out!

 

My first question is have you spoken to a doctor about your problem? My second question is what is the issue with your knees?

 

to add to what aiki said, have you considered a knee brace?

in terms of your original question, the karate might be useful if the instructor is sensible and limits your kicking practice (as should have happened with the TKD. it's not all kicks, anyway). afaik both the aiki and the sword styles should not be hard on twisting leg motion.

 

Hmm maybe. But the knee walking is too much for some people.

 

First off, IMHE, I think Ben has the right idea. No MA I can think of, or am familiar with is inherently bad for the knees....or hips.....or spine.....or ankle (etc) in and of itself. In fact I'll go one better and say that I know of no sport at all that is inherently bad for the body. Where things go awry is in the nonsense people put themselves through in the NAME of the sport. When I think back to my first years in MA I have to say I knew people who did some really, really STUPID stuff in the name of MA training. No big surprise that later in life their body started to show excessive wear-and-tear. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

I have fallen arches and my knee caps are slightly unaligned(can't think of the medical term). Yes, I have seen medical professionals on the matter. Quite recently I have gotten them checked over here and I've gotten the same answer as I did back home: That my condition can be managed through exercises/stretching and provided I'm not doing something that puts undue stress on the knee, will not prevent me from being physically active.

I have considered a knee brace, but I'm unsure if I require a particular one or if one in a pharmacy would do. The specialist I saw back in Ireland didn't make that clear. I suppose there is no harm in trying it out(sensibly).

I was considering the sword/weapon styles(ignoring Iaido) for the same reason you just stated. As for TKD the knees was a minor issue, though one that encouraged my decision to leave.

Apologies, perhaps I should have phrased my question differently. I'm looking for an art that the legs are used secondary such for power generation(eg: boxing) rather than being the primary excutors of the technique(eg: kicking). In my experience this type of technique/training does not strain my knees. In terms of suitability, boxing(or bjj) may be my best bet, however I doubt it exists here above the level of 'boxerise'(sorry for using that word!). And also being in Japan I'd like to avail of the opportunity to train in some JMAs. With the exception of Judo I'm quite unfamiliar with JMAs and the stresses they require from the body, hence I'm asking you guys about it.

I'll certainly give it a shot. Thanks. And I will take your technique advice on board.

 

both boxing and BJJ use the legs to generate power.

and being on your knees all the time might make it worse. it inflamed a tear on my MCL

 

Don't want to offend here, but must make the first point - a lot of knee problems are experienced by those overweight.

Right got that out of the way. As you say you have fallen arches, as do I, this will affect your knees, your hips and the rest of your posture/balance. So your knee problems may be the result of your arches, exacerbated by them or vice-versa.

'Managed through exercises/stretches' or 'undue stress' are vague terms that I have had to deal with. Exercise and stretching are paramount, exercise meaning use of the limb that incorporates the joint as opposed to 'weight lifting punishment', or 'tentative wiggling'. The danger you can have is that you are overprotective of the limb so don't expose it to typical stress. One of the best exercises you can do is swimming to build up the limb/s (again the surrounding tissues and not the bone).

A knee brace is a possibility, but bear in mind that the brace is called that for a reason, it is supporting your leg (not knee), its purpose is to keep you vertical. Your knee then relies on the brace to keep you upright, negating the need for the knee to perform it's function - so not a solution, but in some cases a necessity.

As for martial arts and other activities - where are you in Japan? With knee and foot problems then you will be wanting to stay away from kendo, but there are various other things to do...

 

@Mitch: Thanks for the advice. I'll certainly have a talk with my instructor. I don't want to reduce my Judo unless I have to. #

@Zaad: I never have any issues after a ne-waza class. But I'll keep it in mind.

HA! No worries. Thanks for your concern(seriously), but my weight isn't the issue here. It would be great if it was that straightforward.

I'm curious why you recommend staying away from Kendo though.

 

Maybe I should have said 'may want to stay away from' instead of 'will'.

The reason I said that is due to the footwork/movement in kendo, you get a lot of stress on the arches - so if you already have a problem there it may not help. Kendoka that have been doing it for a prolonged time also experience problems with their ankles/tendons (not everyone though).

Although having said that, if you feet can take it then you probably won't have to worry about torsion on the knee joint with kendo.

How about kyudo? That won't use your knees too much. But if you like Judo, it's not going to be in the same league

 

In that case I'll default to my standard advice. Go try some stuff out to see what you like.

 

Thanks all. Some good advice here. I appreciate it.