JKD or Tiger ?!

[AbuAnas]

if this is not the right place to post this. please move where it should be

Hi

I am an ex-karate black belt, stopped training for couple of years. Now I am planning to go back to the Dojo and practice Kung Fu.

I have two choices, but not sure what way to go :

- JDK
- Tiger style

I know each art, school and style has its pros and cons. Those who practiced one/both of the above styles, would you please help me decied which way to go ?!


Thank you.

 

[fanged_seamus]

In my opinion, the system is less important than the instructor. I'd recommend visiting each studio and spending some time watching their junior/senior instructors. If you like what you see, then your decision is easier.

Hope this helps....

Tad Finnegan

 

[7starmantis]

Instructor is deffinatly important! Yes, I would probably base most of my decision on that factor. However, if your looking for more of a self defense adn fighting art, I would go with JKD. If your looking for self defense but would like to learn forms, and things like that, tiger is very good.

But visit with the Sifu, he will make your decision, good or bad, for you just by how he acts and speaks.


7sm

 

[AbuAnas]

Well, sure an instructor is an important element of the learning process. And mainly I'll base my decision on him. I already visit one of the two gyms and see the senior instractor and had the chance to talk to one of the junior instractors, and he seems very devoted. And I am on my way to visit the other one.

But I would like to have an idea about the two styles and their pros and cons. I am not asking which is better coz I know there is no answer for such a question.


thank u for inputs.

 

[7starmantis]

The pros of JKD are dynamic "Street" fighting techniques. Well rounded, can be very lethal. White Tiger focuses on forms alot. Can be very lethal as well, not as straightforward as JKD though. However I am no expert in White Tiger, so I'll stop there.


7sm

 

[theneuhauser]

another vote for the "instructor is most important" camp.

thats what ive done here in phoenix, actually. im practicing modern wushu now and its neither as traditional or as combat oriented as what i usually like, but the fact is Jinheng Li is an awesome instructor. so im doing spins and flips and posing and im loving every minute of it!

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by 7starmantis

Instructor is deffinatly important! Yes, I would probably base most of my decision on that factor. However, if your looking for more of a self defense adn fighting art, I would go with JKD. If your looking for self defense but would like to learn forms, and things like that, tiger is very good.

I pretty much agree with this; see also our JKD and CMA-General fora.

There's more than one variety of tiger style; White Tiger is mostly just in San Diego in the U.S. I believe. JKD is modern self-defense that is relatively quickly learned but will lack some of the depth, forms, and formality that you may have liked about karate; kung fu will have those but will take longer to develop in.

What did you like and dislike about karate? What do you want out of the martial arts now?

 

[Nightingale]

don't just observe the teacher, observe the students as well.

 

[TLH3rdDan]

another vote for the instructor here... but also check out how the students interact with each othe and see if there is a good vibe in the class... next as far as your interests in the pros and cons it really does boil down to how much formality your looking for and how in depth of a style you want to learn... both styles are effective... and really it depends on the exact style of tiger they are teaching that would help with giving you a better overview of the style... as far as JKD its very straight forward and very direct and a lethal art... tiger is generally fast paced and very physical... as one my instructors use to say its like getting hit by a car... hope this helps some let us know what the schools were like after you visit them...

 

[sweeper]

well in JKD instructor is 90% of it, two diffrent instructors can be totaly diffrent, I know next to nothing about tiger kung fu (only what I have read and who knows how much of what I have read is acurate). My advise would be to practice both for a short time if posable, maybe go 2 or 3 months in each so you get a feal for the classes and sit in on the advanced classes to see what they are doing and ask if you can spar with some advanced people just for practice to see how they work things.

Because alot of jkd instructors have learned more than jun fan gung fu and alot of the time these other aspects are incorperated, and additionaly because jun fan is largly composed of techniques that have been imported and modified from various arts, it may not be easy to tell you what you will get in the class.. if you could post an instructor lineage it might help, also ask your jkd instructor just what aspects of jkd (and other arts) are trained so you know what you are getting into.

If your JKD instructor is like mine you may be learning more than one art (kali in my case with a little silat) and that changes everything. As to what jkd is genneraly like? wink of a mix of wing chun (in fighting) western boxing and sevate (french boxing, look it up off google if you don't know what it is) genneraly ground fighting and standing grappling ranges are trained to be areas where you probably don't want to go (though again it deppends on how you like top fight and how your instructor teaches) and if it's just jun fan you are learning I don't think weapons are trained, but I'm not 100% on that.. basicly speaking JKD is about efficiencie, directness, and speed. It's about ending a fight with the leaste expenditure of energy in the fastest way. there will probably be an emphasis on destructions and lead side attacks, alot of shin kicks and alot of lead straight punches to start things off, but it should go more in depth into boxing, kickboxing, sevate, and wing chun depending on your instructors back ground, some other common arts that are cross trained would be mauy thai, silat, kali, and BJJ.

Also a posable consideration for the JKD instructor would be their lineage, are they from a JFJKD person or a concepts person? may change little things, and maybe you wanted to train with one or the other but hsould change all that much. just make sure they have alot of knowledge or al you will be going is kickboxing with shoes on.

So basicly.. if you liked karate and want something like it, you are probably better off with the tiger, probably would be more simular (not knowing anything about tiger and not knowing your karate style/school I could be off). If you wanted something a little diffrent than the JKD might be a healthy change of pace.