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14 Responses to “What kind of martial arts should I take?”

1. happypitbull on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   If a fun way to stay healthy is your primary motivation I would steer far away from anyone trying to push their martial art style on you because by their self assessment it is the most "realistic" martial art for fighting. Many such styles are highly anaerobic compared to alternative choices for martial arts.

   What you want is a martial art school with a training regimen that is going to emphasize a lot of cardio vascular oriented training in conjunction with some degree of strength training.

   Eric's suggestion about Muay Thai is certainly qualified for that, but a Muay Thai Kru (master instructor) might not be available in your area.

   For all the flack it takes, there are many dojos in the Tiger Schulmann karate franchise that actuall provide quality training for the kind of experience you have in mind. It is however very much a martial arts business so you can expect the fee structures for tuition, testing, uniforms and equipment to be relatively high compared to other martial arts schools. The quality of training and instruction does vary from dojo to dojo though as it is quite a large operation and the bigger a franchise gets the harder it is to ensure uniform quality control (and I have seen some TS dojos that were substandard).

   Alternatively you could try a school that is geared towards olympic style sparring competition like some Taekwondo dojangs or Judo dojos. The training at such schools, regardless of how some may feel about the effectiveness in actual self defense, is undeniably high in cardiovascular training and can be very fun.

2. stranger person on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   do karate. other styles are not realistic tkd has to many kicks and they leave you open judo jujitsu bjj only focus on one attacker. but if you have ever ben in a real fight you will know that you are always out numbered. karate has both hard and soft style this makes it practical on the street. martial arts are fun but you need to remember that they could also save your life.

3. Eric on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   Well what is available near where you live? I could say Judo but then there might not be Judo schools near where you live.

   But I say do Muay Thai Kickboxing. You use your hands , elbows , knees , legs and feet.

   It's also one of the best trainings to keep you in shape

4. Big Ron on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   It depends,

   Self Defense: Karate (Kyukoshin or similar style, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, or any standup art

   Training to compete: Kickboxing, Muay thai, Judo, BJJ

   For Fun: Tae Kwon Do, Capoeria (youtube if if you have never heard of it, its a easy martial art to fall in love with)

5. Abhi D on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   since you said you wanted to have fun and stay healthy and wanted to learn a martial arts there are a couple things you should consider:
   1)whats close by
   2)whats in your budget
   3)does their schedule match up with yours (most martial art classes are at night during the weekdays all over the USA)

   My recommendation is tae kwon do, I am talking from experience here because I currently am training in it (despite me being biased hear me out). My reasons why:
   1)It will help with flexibility more than any other martial arts, ask any martial artists and they will say that in general Taekwondo improves flexibility more than any other martial arts. Flexibility is something that gets harder to gain as time goes on but become more and more important to avoid injuries from even daily activities as you get older.
   2)It helps cardio- since you want to stay healthy cardio is key more than even strength, you will naturally lose muscle mass as you age, but having good endurance can carry on for life, and taekwondo is a martial arts that can be carried on till the day you die if you so choose. If you need to stay healthy TKD is the best bet in terms of longterm cardio and short term cardio as you will run a bit, kick a bit, and do different types of drills a bit making sure nothing ever gets stale, I personally hate working out in gyms because it is too monotonous, in TKD its keeps changing and you can push yourself as much as you want but you have a support system of friends you train with that will make sure you do not fall behind once you train for a couple of months and catch up with the color belts.
   3)Injuries- in other martial arts you are going to get hit in the face and body during sparring in such a way that you will be sore, and get cuts on your face, etc. like you see in boxing, or UFC(which is a combination of many sports, predominantly mui tai, karate, kick boxing, bazillion jijitsu, etc.) whereas in Olympic style TKD sparring you have gear that allows you to hit hard but not get hit hard, the injuries are minimal to other sports, that is why some other martial artists look down upon TKD.
   4)More potential- TKD is a martial arts that you can practice effectively from 4-104 unlike some martial arts like mui tai where once you pass a certain age it can become hazardous to your health. Also if you become really good at it you could go to the olympics, you never know.
   5)Bone density- Over last summer I participated in a summer program for high schoolers at Johns Hopkins University, at this program one of 30 students were selected by lottery to get a free DEXA scan. I was selected and my bone density was measured. According to the technician that explained to my class the results my bone density in the lower half of my body was off the charts for someone still in my age , my hips, knees, and other joints were especially dense. A lot of taekwondo is focused on the lower body, this explained my immense lower body bone density. Since many elderly people are hospitalized because they fell and broke their hips in the shower or something like that taekwondo could be a preventive measure since it could help increase bone density in your hips. Also many people have knee surgery and TKD could help avoid that aswell.
   6) I don't know about how fun other martial arts are, but sparring in TKD is the funnest thing I do on a daily basis, its exciting to watch and be a part of once you get down the basics, and it allows you to be creative and energetic in and highflying, versus other martial arts like wrestling where you are making short abrupt movements based on power and skill rather than what TKD uses which is an equal combination of strength, speed, flexibility,skill, and intelligence.

6. gargoyle on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   first off the style does not matter its the instructor. Good instructors can be found anywhere my best sensei taught a healthclub gym. Here is how I evealuate a dojo

   is it convienent it should be relatively close and match with your schedual

   is it a good price- prices can run anywhere from 60-100+ a month but then you have to evaluate the price. 2 classes 45 minutes each twice a week is not worth paying over $100

   Do you like the instructor

   how does the class mesh with each other I they trying to beat the sh*t out of each other-or is a more family atmosphere can you get a long with them

   then is it fun? do you enjoy yourself?

   I would just start with the closest place and just explore till you find something you like. No 1 style is better than another.

7. Zaid A on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   animal kung fu

8. Colby on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   well personaly i do MMA/renshikan
   but it depends on you go down to your local MMA classes and chose1 u like

9. Chaos 13 on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

   it depends on of course your budget, schedule and location but also on your personal style\preference since i do a style of kung fu called choy lay fut i of course suggest choy lay fut, Muay Thai is great too

   Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu: PROS- great long range, good short range, good speed, great power. excellent for multiple opponents, good for single opponents CONS- not rich in grappling, requires lots of conditioning, wide strikes leave you open.

   Muay Thai: PROS- uses all parts of body, excellent speed, great power, great short-mid range. CONS- lots of conditioning little grappling.

   Karate: PROS- excellent power, good kicks, great body strikes CONS- stiff* (karate seems too stiff to kung fu guys kung fu seems to loose\fancy to karate guys), lots of so-so schools (but also some very good schools)

   Tae Kwon Do: PROS- great long range, excellent kicks, great Stamina CONS- Balance issues, little grappling, lots of so-so schools (but also some very good schools)

   Northern styles of Kung Fu: PROS- excellent multiple opponents, good speed, great power, excellent long range, good grappling CONS- wide strikes leave you open

   Southern styles of Kung Fu: PROS- great speed, great power, ok grappling, excellent short range, great self defense, CONS- poor kicks, very short range.

   Brazilian Jujitsu(BJJ): PROS- INCREDIBLE GRAPPLING (seriously they're good at that stuff) excellent take downs CONS- ok stand up, poor for multiple opponents

   Judo: PROS- incredible take downs, Excellent grappling, pretty good for multiple opponents CONS- ok stand up

   Capoirea: PROS- COOLEST SHIT YOU'LL EVER SEE, unpredictable, great kicks CONS- must be EXTREMELY fit

   sry if its too long

10. arthvader on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

    You could either go for an external art, which is best if you start relatively young, or you could study an internal art, which you will be able to practice all your life and you can begin at any time.

    Chinese martial arts emphasize natural movement, so that is a plus. Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido both sound good for self-defense. (No matter what people say about Tai Chi Chuan, it is learned best and fastest when it is studied as a complete martial art.)

    I have a friend whose hands are crippled with arthritis from hitting boards and bricks. Maybe it wouldn't have happened if he had trained diligently as though he were a professional athlete, but you don't have to worry about things like that with the gentler arts.

    The benefits of Tai Chi Chuan, when studied diligently in its entirety, are supposed to be:
    * Grace and balance
    * Flexibility and maintaining your range of motion
    * Energy
    * Good health
    * Mental clarity and focus
    * Good self defense skills
    * Spiritual development, but I'm not so sure about this one. But just because I haven't experienced it myself does not mean that it cannot happen. I'm just a rank beginner, you see.

    Other internal Chinese martial arts include, if I understand this correctly,
    * Ba Gua Zhang
    * Xing Yi Quan / Yi Quan
    * Liu He ba Fa
    * Meteor fist

11. spidertiger440 on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Honestly, find a good school, not a good style. The quality and frequency of your training are what matter.
    Avoid contracts and paid rank testing.
    Look for a clean school with disciplined people.

12. McEd on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Well there are many martial arts, just pick what you like. The ones that i love are judo, bjj (brazilian jujitsu), regular jujitsu, wrestling (some of it is used in martial arts) and grappling. It seems like a pretty healthy mix. I am kinda lucky because my dojo teaches all of them, in kind of a mma mix.

    Here is my breakdown on the arts

    Judo- main focus is throws
    BJJ & JJ- main focus is ground work (i.e. very strong guard position)
    Wrestling- dominant moves, even focus on ground work and takedowns
    Grappling- main focus is submissions

    I know the focus of the arts may very from dojo to dojo, but that is pretty much the breakdown at mine.

13. sparow2121 on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Well it depends if u wana do grappling and on the ground fighting then brazilian jujitsu is best but if u wana do something with weapons i would suggest mabey Kendo or if you like to keep moving and have nice flowing movements like dancing then do Capawara or if u would prefer an all rounder then do Karate

14. Sankaku_girl on May 17th, 2009 8:57 pm

    Try judo.. I think it will suit you the best. It will help you to have fun as well. It's a really good sport. It builds your physical ability and gives you self defense. Plus the throws and grappling techniques are cool. You will defeinitly enjoy them..

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