I recently moved from the US to Japan. Nearby is a martial arts facility where they teach different about 5 different arts with different teachers on different days. Aikido, kendo, shorinji kenpo, judo, and nihon kenpo. Now I have always been interested in training judo to further my grappling but i have heard some great things about nihon kenpo. I know that it's also very rare to find. The judo is 3 three hour classes a week for $20 a month! I'm not sure of the price for the nihon kenpo but i think it will also be pretty cheap. Has anyone here trained nihon kenpo? And if you had to choose, which would you pick and why? BTW i will also be training at an MMA gym. I think i will be able to do that 2 times a week here. I'm getting hooked up for free so i have to take what they will give me.

Why is this even a question? Clearly if you don't make the right choice here, you're an idiot.

Judo and MMA, to give you a direct answer, will go well together.

Ben

When in Japan train Judo. Its really that simple.

YouTube - nippon kempo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJU7Ab4Xz3M)
YouTube - Nippon Kempo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIhaxBWBIo0)

Nihon kenpo doesn't seem to be a bad style.

When in Japan, do as Japanese do. Japanese do Judo.

I've trained in shorinji and nihon kempo...not bad at all, but focus on your judo more while in japan. Take advantage of that school though... Pick up different techniques as you go along.the more the better!

One thing to keep in mind is the teacher. It would be great to learn Judo in Japan, but if you got a crappy teacher then it would be a waste. Check out the classes and see if either teacher is good. If they are both on equal playing ground then go with the judo.

YouTube - nippon kempo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJU7Ab4Xz3M)
YouTube - Nippon Kempo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIhaxBWBIo0)

Nihon kenpo doesn't seem to be a bad style.

Hell yeah, that looks like fun! Kind of like Kendo without shinai?

All the stoppages to award points was annoying, though.

Ben

Yeah the stoppages are annoying, but it is fun, sanda but not!

Yeah, Nihon Kempo is not what Americans think of when they think kempo.

One thing to keep in mind is the teacher. It would be great to learn Judo in Japan, but if you got a crappy teacher then it would be a waste.

A crappy judo teacher? In Japan?

Tell me, how experienced are you in Judo?

All the stoppages to award points was annoying, though.

I suppose the ikken hissatsu/ippon mindset is still strong in JMA.

A crappy judo teacher? In Japan?

Tell me, how experienced are you in Judo?

I'm not experienced at all...Are you saying all Japanese judo teachers are perfect or that all Japanese who are black belts in judo are autmatically great teachers? Japanese Judo may produce great students with great techniques, but that doesn't automatically qualify them as a good teacher.

My point:

You admitted that you are not experienced with Judo, and as such are not aware of the way it is taught in Japan.

So let me enligten you. Judo is so common, so well known to so many people (it's a subject in their high schools), that it is outright impossible to have a crappy teacher show up and actually set up a sucessful school, much less accomplish anything in the way of tournaments, etc.

I would like to know just what you mean by "crappy teacher". From cults to money-grabbers, anything that you mean would 99.998% of the time be unrealistic for conditions and attitude towards Judo (and any other MA for that matter) in Japan.

Migukclaus does have a point the Japanese teaching approach tends to be through osmosis rather than individual instruction as in the West and also the language skills of the head of the dojo and the other students is likely to have an impact on how 'good' the coaching is.