# Tang Soo Do vs Shotokan with bad knees



## Bjjdad (Oct 26, 2019)

With a background in Yoshukai karate from 25yrs ago I started BJJ about 3 years ago with my son who is now 18. Next year after he goes to college I plan on picking up Karate again, but after 1 broke leg and 2 torn minscus due to BJJ/Judo .  I am trying to decide on Tang Soo Do or Shotokan.  My question is after watching the TSD forms I see a lot of spinning and jumping kicks in the belt testing. I am far from crippled but I dont want to repeat a injury. Any one here with bad Knees who is older and still in TSD? BTW I am a 49 year old grandad.

Thanks BJJDAD.


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## dvcochran (Oct 26, 2019)

Yep. I am 56 and have been doing TKD since 1982. I have had quite a few injuries but none to speak of related to the stresses and strains of jumping/spinning you mentioned. The greater key is to train correctly and within your limits, knowing that the latter should increase or improve. Just remember, time is your friend and it takes a Lot of training time to get conditioned and stronger/more flexible. 
 I have 7 plates and I forget how many anchors & screws in my left leg, and the Tib/Fib are about 12° out of place which does screw with knee movement/stability. The right leg was broken but healed without needing plates, screws, etc... and it just as strong as it was before being injured.

Oh, I forgot to start with the obligatory disclaimer that no one here is qualified to say whether you are good to go, so check with your doctor. If you get a clean bill of health you should go for it. 

There are quite a few similarities in the two styles. Shotokan will have spinning moves as well. I suggest you audit both classes for a couple weeks each and see which seems best for you. It is more about the class environment/instructor than it is the style.


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## Mitlov (Oct 26, 2019)

I'm 38 years old but I have a bad knee from a knee injury in my early 20s.  I've previously done Shotokan and I currently do Tang Soo Do (specifically Chuck Norris's offshoot thereof).  Start with checking with your doctor.  After that, it's six of one, half-dozen of the other, and will depend on your exact injury; neither is automatically better for people with bad knees.   The side snap kicks in Shotokan (yoko keage geri) were murder on my knees, because it made them want to yaw in a direction they're not supposed to:






As for spinning kicks in Tang Soo Do, so long as I'm spinning on the ball of my foot instead of a flat foot (gripping with both ball and heel), I don't find it places a lot of torque on the knee.  That said, if you plant your standing foot on a spinning kick instead of rotating on the ball like you're supposed to, there's some potential for stress on the knee there.


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## MetalBoar (Oct 27, 2019)

You might consider spending some time doing a good strength training routine that works everything in the legs before you start your next art. The vast majority of knee stabilization is done by the muscles surrounding the joint and strengthening those muscles can go a long way towards preventing further injury and reducing the discomfort caused by existing injuries. As the owner of a small gym focused on strength training I've worked with a number of clients who came in with serious pre-existing knee problems and increasing the strength and muscle mass in their legs made a huge difference for all of them. In some cases they were no longer symptomatic and all of them experienced significant improvements within 6 months or so, sometimes much sooner. Of course, if you haven't been cleared for that sort of exercise and/or are not able to work with someone qualified to instruct you, I would recommend really doing your research before starting a program on your own.


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## Bjjdad (Oct 27, 2019)

Thanks so much for the info guys, everyone brought up good points to look at. At my current BJJ gym I do try to be selective with who I roll with due to the past injuries. New folks are notorious for going full speed and trying to use all muscle and are very spazy. I never thought about the spining kicks and the science of it. In Karate I did do a spinning back fist while sparing some but it was a slow controlled rotation due to the power it can have. I will look at both but as of right know I think I would enjoy the challenge of Tang Soo Do.


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