Yes definitely, Krav Maga has gotten me so much more experience in making quick reactions and being competent in fighting, at least in terms of sparring.
Regarding jiujitsu, I’m not very familiar with Japanese JJ, so I can’t necessarily speak a whole ton to the differences. But what I get from reading around and a little from my instructors is that JJJ tends to be very traditional with more techniques focused on self-defense, while BJJ tends to be more fluid and flexible with new techniques while also being more competition-focused (so non-lethal). I feel like this fits with my experience with BJJ, as most of the schools I have tried for it tend to be focused on competition. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t schools that teach BJJ primarily for self-defense. There are two I can already think of and one that I have been to.
Right off the bat I would imagine I would prefer BJJ just because those who teach it tend to be constantly seeking new implementations, having it evolve to today’s scenarios. But I would also prefer it to be self-defense focused. I enjoy competition, but usually only for the sake of experience. But again, I’m biased as I have never tried JJJ.
In terms of budget, I would say, yes martial arts can be expensive, so unless you have the money to spend and the time to put in, you’re better off sticking to one martial art at a time. I’m currently planning on cutting off my MMA here this coming January as I’m looking to spend less and because I have already achieved my black belt. Of course, black belt is only just the beginning of training. But since I’m young, I want to broaden my experience and find which martial arts I would like to specialize in and stick with. But anyway, I think you will find that one martial art is enough anyway since if you want to truly get everything out of it you need to spend a good amount of time each week doing it. As Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
But if you are eager to try out a bunch of different martial arts at once, then you might find a reasonable price at one of those MMA gyms that have several different teachers that you can switch around with. But just a note, I find those gyms usually have lesser quality teaching and the instructors are usually younger. Just always be critical of what people are offering, most people just follow some script their teacher taught them and actually couldn’t fight anyone even if they wanted to.
The best martial arts places in my opinion are the small, hole-in-the-wall places, taught by an old guy that could kick your ass if you are disrespectful.
The places with fancy window art of smiling kids and adults in their gis and look like they are making money usually are because they have good advertising not because they actually teach something useful. Look for knowledge, not flashy moves. From what I’ve found, the best moves, you don’t see, they just happen so quick and simple, then boom, you’re on the ground.
