Football player looking for martial arts

[CSAForeverLives]

Hey y'all I'm trying to get started in the martial arts but I was looking for some input on what style or styles would best fit my physical make-up. Im 16 years old and im extremely strong-especially in my legs- for my age height and weight (im about 5'9" and 165lbs and i bench 225, preacher curl 120, and squat 450...im so light bc i have 5% body fat lol )

 

I also have pretty good reflexes and I can take a hit from my time playing football. I've got a background in wrestling from school but I'm looking for a style that involves more direct blows and contact. I've asked a few people and they've given me some ideas such as Shotokan and Hapkido, one person said I would be good at Ninjitsu. Please reply with any styles you can think of that would flow with my aforementioned qualities along with a short description of what each style consists of. Thanks.

[CSAForeverLives]

Also, i forgot to mention that if possible I would like a style that incorporates weapons to some degree.

[STR33T GUY]

I think boxing and wrestling go together like ham and eggs. But I’m bias because I boxed and wrestled. I don’t know anything about weapons.

[delta1]

CSA, most people are either going to tell you to A) do what they do, or b)do what they saw at the movies. You need to find what suits you, both in the style and the class.

 

Don't worry about your physical build. Most martial arts can be adapted to anyone. Worry about what you want out of the art. You've said weapons and contact. But do you want a lot of tradition, self improvement, hard sport contact, or self defense? Do you want some grappling with the striking, internal principles, or maybe just a quick close quarters combat course?

 

Next it would help if you told us what is available in your area, and what your plans are. Are you pretty well set there, or are you moving to someplace like Fallon, Nevada (not many schools there ).

 

Also, take your time deciding. Look in on all the schools in your area. Take a few introductory lessons. See what feels right to you.

 

Let us know. There is a lot of good experience here in a lot of different systems. And we are a pretty helpful lott.

[searcher]

CSA, most people are either going to tell you to A) do what they do, or b)do what they saw at the movies. You need to find what suits you, both in the style and the class.

 

Don't worry about your physical build. Most martial arts can be adapted to anyone. Worry about what you want out of the art. You've said weapons and contact. But do you want a lot of tradition, self improvement, hard sport contact, or self defense? Do you want some grappling with the striking, internal principles, or maybe just a quick close quarters combat course?

 

Next it would help if you told us what is available in your area, and what your plans are. Are you pretty well set there, or are you moving to someplace like Fallon, Nevada (not many schools there ).

 

Also, take your time deciding. Look in on all the schools in your area. Take a few introductory lessons. See what feels right to you.

 

Let us know. There is a lot of good experience here in a lot of different systems. And we are a pretty helpful lott.

He is right you need to "shop around" for what is good for you. See what is in your area and go try it out. If it is not what you want then try something else. I played football from 7th grade up through college and I have found that several styles have fit nicely into helping me with my athleticism.

[SloMo]

Hey,

 

Delta makes a great point. SO many people get stuck on the "style". In my opinion, just about any style, if taken seriously and worked at, can be effective. So it's more of a search for you to find a school that fits you. Check out the instructor, the other students, the place they meet, etc. When you find one you think might be good, See if you can take a couple of classes. ( Most of the better places shouldn't have a problem with you trying a class or two ) Then decide if it's something you would like to consider.

 

As for weapons, different schools have different mentalities about it. Don't be in a rush to learn weapons. There is enough to worry about without throwing a weapon into the mix! But some schools introduce them earlier than others, which is fine.

 

In a nutshell, shop around. When you feel comfortable at a place it'll be the right one.

 

Good luck!

 

P.S. When you check out a couple of places, come back here and let us know what you saw. We might be able to help with some questions to ask and things to look for.

 

Mo

[WannabeChamp]

Also, i forgot to mention that if possible I would like a style that incorporates weapons to some degree.

Well those listed above deal with weapons. I like the idea of having having hands and feet as self defence weapons my self. But yah I'd suggest somehtign along the lines you listed above. Oh and don't get to bulky the saying the bigger they are the harder they fall is true.

[aefibird]

Have a look round your area and see what is available. If you give us a list of the martial arts in your location then we'll be able to tell you a little about each one.

 

As for starting MA, there's other things you need to consider, such as location of the school in relation to your house, price of training, size of the school, whether you'd just be training with those your own age or with all ages together etc etc.

 

I'd suggest for you to see if you can have a couple of trial lessons at each of the MA schools that you're interested in. Find out how much it costs per month, if there's a contract to sign, how much for any testing fees, if you have to have a specific uniform with the schools logo on it, etc.

 

Also, ask how many classes per week you can take - a school that charges (for example) $60 per month but only lets you train once a week won't be as good value as one that charges $80 per month but lets you train 3 or 4 times a week.

 

Finally, and this is important, it isn't the style of martial art that matters - it's the instructor. Better to train in a small MA school with poor facilitiesbut a great instructor than to train in a large well-equipped school with an instructor who doesn't really know what he is doing.

 

Check out any potential instructor's background:

 

How long has the instructor been teaching?

 

How long has he been training in the style he teaches?

 

Has he trained in lots of other styles (a possible warning sign if so - he might have not stayed with each style long enough to have a good grasp of it)?

 

Is the instructor or school registered with any organisation (not that is necessarily a bad thing if they aren't - some MAists don't believe in organisations)?

 

Also, if the school is one that has gradings and belts, find out the average length of time to get to blackbelt. If they reply that it takes about 2 years or less, then it's probably a "belt factory" type of MA school.

 

Good luck with your search for a martial art! I hope that you find something you like. Let us know how you get on.

[Grenadier]

I also have pretty good reflexes and I can take a hit from my time playing football. I've got a background in wrestling from school but I'm looking for a style that involves more direct blows and contact. I've asked a few people and they've given me some ideas such as Shotokan and Hapkido, one person said I would be good at Ninjitsu. Please reply with any styles you can think of that would flow with my aforementioned qualities along with a short description of what each style consists of. Thanks.

 

With your body build, I'm assuming that you have a low center of gravity. Jiu-jitsu would be a great match for you, and with your wrestling background, one would think that you would be very comfortable with it, indeed. With Jiu-jitsu, you would be focused on grappling, locks, and throws, and at the later ranks, incorporating strikes.

 

I do realize that you want more of a striking style, and if you are truly looking for one, your best choice would be to find a dojo that trains in both Jiu-jitsu as well as a striking art, such as Karate, etc.

 

There are also various types of Okinawan Karate that incorporate more grappling / throwing / locking than their Japanese counterparts, which may also be to your liking.

[Infrazael]

You're prolly used to brutality from your football experience.

 

OK, I've got the PERFECT COMBO for you. If you wanna learn something practical, efficient, and just plain sweet, consider the following.

 

Muay Thai (Thai boxing) + Brazilian Jujutsu. One of the deadliest combos out there, VERY frequently used by UFC/K1/Pride fighters. Why? Because it works, and you learn to knock peoples' brains out.

 

Muay Thai is basically boxing punches, coupled with headbutts (sometimes), elbows, knees, kicks, grabs, etc. Brazilian Jujutsu is submission wrestling, where you learn how to break bones and choke them to death.

 

Fun stuff.