Your Advice Please: Beginner, Which Style for 'me'?

[Raze]

Hi All

 

(Sorry if this is in the wrong section!)

 

I've been thinking about getting into martial arts for almost as long as I can remember however the right oppourtunity along with not having the time hasn't been so... until now. I was just wondering what your thoughts would be on recommending a style for me. Based on my physical and mental state...

 

I am 28 years of age although I look alot younger (now I'm not looking for compliments, just making this point so you get an idea about me). Looking young isn't always a good thing, it makes people think they can 'bully' you or take you less seriously.

 

On top of that I am quite thin, which again adds to the 'people thinking they can 'bully' me' bit. I would say I am quite 'fast' but not strong (although I am not a complete weakling!).

 

To the outside world, people see me as confident and self assured, however in actuality I get scared at even the thought of a 'fight'! But saying that, If someone was attacking my family I would definately not run away!

 

Again I am not looking for any compliments but I think I would be quite suited to a style that required 'brains' as well as I think I could 'think' if need be. (I dont mean to slate any styles by saying that but just emphasising that I doubt I would be suited to a style that just required me to get the most hits in.)

 

This is probably pointless, but, I think I'd prefer one to one tuition as I would feel 'stupid' in front of others.

 

If you've reached this far I would be greatful for your thoughts or advice.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Luckykboxer]

I do not know the martial arts climate in the UK, so i fear i am not of much help.

 

I am a big believer in the Kenpo system if you have a good instructor, but i dont know if you have anything like that there

[muaythaifreak]

I recommend Muay Thai. Big surprise huh?

[BJJShotoshe]

Hey,

 

I would recomend Shotokan Karate. It has a lot of mental and physical challenges in it. Shotokan karate is just the perfecting of ones' character. I think this would be a good start. I know that it is not a bug surprise that I am recomending shotokan, afterall, thats what I study. I would also recomend Tae Kwon Do. That is also a good start. And believe me, I do not like TKD at all (not dissing it or anything, just personal preference). I hope I helped out. If you would like more infornmation, just ask.

 

In Truth and Honor

[karatekid1975]

I wanted to move this to the intro section, but you do have a valid question for the "getting started" section. You would get a lot of help there.

 

My question to you would be, what are you looking for in martial arts? Self defense, sport, fitness, mental side, ect? That will help us help you better.

 

I started MA for the self defense part at first, but I got into the mental side, so each person is different/changes.

 

Also, what is near you, as far as schools go?

[markusan]

No one can tell you what is the best style for you, and I don't think its so much about build or iq, rather spirit. Go to a few classes and try them out. Don't worry about style so much as the quality of the instructor. Make sure you feel comfortable with them and that their technique is good. Also look at the spirit of the dojo. It should be positive, and people should be co-operating wit eachother and with respect for everyone at evry belt level. They should look like they're working hard, but having fun.

[aefibird]

First of all, welcome to Karate Forums!

 

Well, I'd suggest trying to find out what's available in your area before trying to decide which Martial Art you want to do. There's no point setting your heart on a particular style, only to find out that the nearest club to you is 150miles away.

 

However, it may be worthwhile deciding if you'd prefer a primarily 'striking' art (such as karate or kickboxing), or if you feel that grappling (such as Brazilian or Japanese Ju-Jitsu) art would suit you better. Also, what about weapons? Some styles have extensive use of traditional and modern weapons training and some styles do not touch on it at all. it doesn't necessarily mean that one is 'better' than the other, rather it is that all martial arts emphasise different things - all of them have good and bad points.

 

Here's a little about my main styles:

 

Shotokan karate is a Japanese martial art that is primarily concerned with infliciting the maximum amount of damage on an opponent using striking techniques, with almost every part of the body used for defence and attack. Within Shotokan you'd also learn sweeps, throws and some ground defence, although that is generally reserved for medium to high grade coloured belts. Shotokan has had a bit of a 'bad press', as it is probably the most popular style of karate in the world today and therefore it also has a sizeable percentage of 'McDojo's' and incompetent instructors. However, with a good instructor, Shotokan is a very effective and useable style, despite what some people might say about it. It might suit you, as there's a lot to think about in it, especially when studying kata.

 

My other primary style is Aikido (although I can't train at the moment ). This is also a Japanese Art, but it is solely concerned with self defence. I've heard it described as the only purely defensive martial art. In Aikido your aim is to immobilise your opponent through the use of joint locks, sweeps, throws and some strikes, although striking in responce to an offensive attack is usually used in conjunction with another move. The techniques are designed to cause maximum pain to your opponent whilst inflicting mimimum damage - any pain felt by your opponent should dissipate as soon as you release them. it is not intended to provide lasting damage, just enough force to enable you to restrain an opponent. That's why it is a favoured method of many police forces, including the Japanese Riot Police. Aikido requires a lot of thinking and can be very difficult to grasp at first, but I feel that it is an excellent martial art and I'd recommend it to anyone!

 

On a final note (blimey, this post is turning into an essay! ), I'd caution you against only having private lessons.

 

Firstly, schools in my area that I know of that offer private lessons (my own clubs included) will not accept anyone for private lessons until they have been to a minimum number of regular classes (in my karate instructor's case it is 8 classes, in my aikido instructor's case it is 12 classes).

 

Secondly, if you only train with one person then you are limiting yourself to only practising techniques against that one person. When starting out in MA, I feel it's a good idea to practice with many different people of different body sizes and who've had different experience.

 

Thirdly, you said that you'd feel 'stupid' in front of others - well, we've all been there, all been beginners. Even the greatest martial artists in the world have had to start as beginners. If you make a mistake then, chances are your classmates wouldn't have noticed anyway (they should be too busy concentrating on what their doing to watch a new person!) and secondly, everyone makes mistakes when starting out in MA - from your mistakes you learn and grow as a marial artist.

 

Good luck in your search for a club. Which area of the country are you from? We've got quite a few Brits on here - someone may be able to recommend good clubs in your area.

 

[Raze]

Thank you all for your help and direction. (Thanks Aefibird for the essay, I read every word!).

 

Here are some answers to the questions you raised...

 

Purpose? Self defence but the other aspects such as fitness, mental agility etc will be an appreciated bonus.

 

Area? South Wales, Nr Cardiff.

 

Style? Many of the styles mentioned by you guys seem to be good 'allrounders' I was hoping to find a style that would best suit my pyhsical size - is there anything out there that was designed specifically with 'thin' people in mind? I don't think I'll ever be a 12+ stoner (I'm 10 n ahalf).

 

Does anyone know any dedicated instructors in South Wales? As many of you mentioned this is of high importance - I'm sure once I 'choose' a style I will then try to find an instructor who I feel I will 'get along' with the most.

 

Oh I nearly forgot, Weapons? It's not a priority so a style that doesn't need them to be effective would be best suited.

 

Thanks once again for all your help and I'm sorry if I'm coming across really stupid!

[ramymensa]

Size and weight shouldn't be an impediment for anybody. There are of course some qualities that could help you more, but it comes to the skill and the way you use what you've got. For striking tall people should have an edge, although I've seen fantastic fighters that are not tall and still they know how to use this in order to win. Grappling arts are said to be best for short stoky persons because they have the gravity centre closer to the ground and are more balanced. Still a tall skinny person could give them a lot of trouble with proper technique. So don't limit yourself from the start.

 

I'd advice you to look for different dojos in the area. Visit all of them. Talk to the instructor and see a class. Eventually you'll get fond of one. Then start.

 

Things I'd look for:

 

- area. Id the dojo close or far.

 

- money ... how much? what do they offer for that? is there a contract? is it OK?

 

- instructor ... is he ready to talk to you, answer questions or is he just a screaming monkey? You need a person that is calm, understanding, smart, a good teacher, a good martial artist and so on. They are not that hard to find.

 

- are you allowed to see a class? Then you'd want to look for: the sensei's presence in the dojo (is he teaching the class or the high ranks). You pay for HIS instruction not others; are the students beating each other and making fun of the beginners? Or are they supportive and nice? Are they injured a lot? Are they sparring safely or go to hard?

 

and many other things ....

 

Maybe others would fill in the blanks ..

[aefibird]

There's a lot of good karate dojo's in Wales - their kumite teams are outstanding.

 

Click here or here or here for some more info on Martial Arts in Wales.

 

As for a martial art suited to all sizes - most martial arts are suitable for all body types. If you pick a grappling MA, then contests are usually categorised with weight divisions - same with a lot of striking arts.

(Thanks Aefibird for the essay, I read every word!).

 

Aww, thanks! Glad to know that somebody reads my posts all the way through!