advice on what might suit me

[MunkyBoy]

Hi folks, i am new here and need some advise.

 

i have no martial expierence and am 19 years old.

 

i am not too strong, but not weak either. not too flexible but not stiff either, not too skinny but not fat either and not very athletic. i am about average height (175 cm) and my weight is about 75kg.

 

i am looking for an art that suits me. i plan to do it all my life, but who knows...

 

what is important to me:

 

1. i want to get fitter. the art should deliver a good workout everytime i go to class -> more flexibility, cardio and strenght.

 

2. i want to be a good fighter, meaning i dont want to get my butt kicked, but kick the butts of others. and i want to be able to mess someone up, if needed, but not too much harm if not necessary.

 

3. be able to defend myself against 2 or 3 attackers.

 

so much for the beginning. what is not important to me, but doesnt do any harm is:

 

1. belts - i dont care what color the piece of cloth around my waist has, but a beltsystem is nothing bad.

 

2. competition: tournament fighting aint important to me.

 

3. ancient weaponry: i dont need to learn all kinds of spears, swords, staffs etc...

 

this is what comes to my mind first... if theres more i'll tell you guys.

 

so thanks for listenings - every advice is very appreciated.

 

thanks in advance.

 

MunkyBoy

[Drunken Monkey]

this is going to sound like the most rubbish general reply but the only way for you to find out what is "best" for you is for you to go and try a few lessons.

 

you might think one is completely wrong for you but for all you know, it might be the one that you'll ENJOY the most which, at the end if the day is more important.

 

most places will let you sit in on a class or have one or two taster classes.

 

so get out there and try.

 

no amount of words of wisdom from us guys and gals here can compare with your own personal experience.

[TangSooGuy]

A lot of the stuff you say is important to you is pretty common to all martial arts once you get to a certain level, so i agree that your best bet is to vist as many schools in your area as possible and ask questions, seeing which school you think fits you best.

 

If you want to avoid tournaments, that may be one of the first things you need to ask about. Some schools (and even some organizations) base most of their training around competition, and some even require students to compete in tournaments. this is usually not indicative of whether or not a style on the whole isn't good for you, just that a particular school or organization might not be.

 

If you really want sound advice on a direction to persue, ask yourself:

 

Are you interested in a primarily striking/ kicking art, or a primarily grappling art?

 

Are you interested in full contact, light contact, or no contact sparring?

 

Are you more interested in a primarily external art, or a primarily internal art, or one that attempts to balance the two?

 

How much are you willing to spend? -may limit your choices somewhat

 

Are you intersted in formal training with set hierarchies, disciplines, etc, or a looser, more informal way of training?

 

Do you want to train alongside kids, or have the opion to tran exclusively with adults? - again may limit youroptions, although most schools will have different class structures to choose from

 

Do you want to do jumping/ flying techniques, or would you rather stay rooted to the ground?

 

Are you interested in forms/hyungs/kata practice, or would you rather avoid this aspect? (Avoiding them is a mistake, in my opinion, but there are cases for the other side as well)

 

Is who teaches the class important to you? In some larger schools, it will be more junior black belts teaching many of the classes, rather than the studio owner. Always meet the instructor you will be training with and watch them teach before signing up.

 

When are you available to train? -another limiting factor on your choices in some cases.

 

Answering some of these more specific questions may help you narrow which styles you want to choose from.

 

If you are indifferent to these aspects, and just want an "effective" style, go visit every single school you can, until you find the one that suits you best.

[krunchyfrogg]

Balance both membership price, and proximity to the school. Whatever is closest and cheapest is probably best for you.

 

Don't sign any contracts without trying the class one or two times first.

[hajime]

if you want to strike then Karate or Ju Jitsu.

 

but don't think you will be able to fight 2/3 people for a long time!

 

they will get you fit, teach you to fight and defend yourself.

 

remember also that while you might think you want to fight people the stronger and tougher you get through training the more pathetic it feels to fight an untrained fool who you would probably seriously injure

[Darce]

Do you want the style to have a good philosophy, too?

[Hybrid]

The first thing I think you should do is find what is available in your area. You know, before getting too interested in an art and finding the nearest dojo is 60+ miles away.

 

Anyway, I would look for...

 

Muay Thai

 

Krav Maga

 

Jeet Kune Do

 

Kyokushinkai Karate

 

Kenpo Karate

 

Hapkido

 

Kuk Sool Won

 

Kick Boxing

 

Boxing

 

Good luck.

 

And like everyone said, make sure you find a good teacher and whatnot.

[hajime]

also watch out for 'god like' instructors without humour. My instructors were skilled, fit, fun, patient etc. Very nice men to know. they weren't bullying, shouting know it alls and always said running away was better than fighting even though I'm sure they could have killed anyone with ease

[MunkyBoy]

the art should consists of hard stuff like punches, strikes, kicks, knees etc mixed with soft stuff, like joints, maybe a throw or two etc. philosophy is not important, but doesnt do any harm neither.

 

primarily striking and kicking would be good. as to sparring... whatever fits the purpose. i wanna learn street applications, no-contact sparring wouldnt be so good i guess.

 

whether the art contains kata or not does not matter. an art can be good with as well as without them.

 

i made a few researches and this is what is available in my area:

 

judo, JiuJitsu, Shaolin Kempo, TKD, Wushu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Aikido, Boxing, Capoeira, karate, kendo and iaido.

[Hybrid]

i made a few researches and this is what is available in my area:

 

judo, JiuJitsu, Shaolin Kempo, TKD, Wushu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Aikido, Boxing, Capoeira, karate, kendo and iaido.

 

Well, not kendo or iaido unless you plan to carry a sword around (Iaido is fighting without drawing the sword I think so.. I dunno about that).

 

TKD, wouldn't really go with (especially if it's WTF).

 

Karate, wushu, aikido, tai chi etc. need to know what style.

 

Boxing and JJ- Best ones so far IMO.

 

Capoeira- Don't know much about this art, watched a documentary on it, didn't see anything too special... except the razor blade between the toes thing... that's effective I bet.

 

Of course, it all depends on the school.

 

Just my opinions.