Newb

[NetBelleAnie]

I'm an 18 year old female who looks like a 14 year old, weighs 115 lbs and is 5'5". I've taken ballet between the ages of 4 and 14 and ride horses several times a week. But I have always wanted to practice a martial art, for protection and fun. Suggestions?

[Bruce WillPete7]

Heh, im an 18 year old male who looks like a 14-16 year old, im 115-120 and im 5'5''. ive wrestled, and i go camping every year and want to learn the martial arts for mostly the same reasons you do . K weird comparison aside.

Hmm, well you could do it my way and just watch alot of martial arts videos and read many documents such and sort of teach yourself a few techniques.

But the more practical thing to do is scan your area for any nearby Martial arts clubs. Ask friends or family and they may know someone who takes martial arts. You have taken ballet so your flexibility (if you still have it) should be very useful in any martial art. You will gain a way to defend yourself, have fun at the same time, and who knows maybe find out a little about yourself and life in general while your on your path to rightesnous!

hope that helps

~Peter

[TSDforChrist]

Well, it depends on what your emphasis is, and where your natural proclivities lie. With the flexibility from ballet, I would suggest a Korean style (but, then, I'm biased), such as Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, or Soo Bahk Do. Be careful, though, and make sure you are at a traditional-style dojang, not one that emphasises point sparring and tournaments if you are looking for protection. Nothing against those dojangs, but there is a large difference between martial art and martial sport. Other suggestions for you would be Shuri-ryu Karate (if you can find it) and perhaps kempo. Korean arts will take advantage of your (assumption here) leg strength and flexibility to a large extent, giving you a natural advantage, but any art can fit the practitioner. I would strongly caution you against learning from books/videos if you have had no prior experience. It's not impossible, but it is very difficult to do properly. You live in an area that is sure to have some instructors, so, please, get someone to teach you how to do it right rather than learn bad habits. Anyway, I hope this helps and if you have any other questions, there are many here who are willing to be helpful.

In Christ,

Master Phil Stewart

4th Dan Tang Soo Do

[scottnshelly]

My advice is to look for a good Instructor and school; place very little emphasis on the style. If you have specific goals or reasons for wanting to get started then we can discuss different styles. With just protection and fun in mind, you could learn any Martial Art. If you lean more toward the protection you should find a serious Instructor that teaches self-defense or a self-defense oriented Martial Art. If you lean more toward the fun aspect then you could look for a school that has lots of games, is family-oriented, competes in a lot of tournaments and has a lot of colorful uniforms. It would be impossible for us to tell you which Martial Art you would benefit most from or to list all of the schools in your area, so I would recommend getting your yellow pages and visiting some of the schools to determine which would be better for you.

If you need more specific advice, let us know. Good luck.

[NetBelleAnie]

sadly I've lost a lot of my flexibility from injuries (quads), but yea. I know there are a lot of instructors/dojos in the bay area, (but from ballet and hrse experience) finding a good one is important, so suggestions on that?

[Bruce WillPete7]

It is almost garaunteed that almost every MA dojo in your area will be good in one way or another. You said you were looking for one that would teach you self-defence, while being fun at the same time. So heres a little way to narrow it down. Do you/ Have you watched many martial arts movies? Any that you like in particular and find interesting? (maybe some that you went OOH and AHH to?) Picking a particular style isnt as important as the goals you want to achieve from it but if you want something that will interest you we first have to see what you know and what you may like.

[y2_sub]

Join kyokushin ..

Just kidding , search for the best dojo , best instructor , martial art that suites you the most and just do it , wich you luck

[scottnshelly]

sadly I've lost a lot of my flexibility from injuries (quads), but yea. I know there are a lot of instructors/dojos in the bay area, (but from ballet and hrse experience) finding a good one is important, so suggestions on that?

It’s difficult to stereotype a good Instructor/school. No matter what I suggest as a sign of a good Instructor or school someone could argue. I’ll attempt to do so any way:

Good Instructors have a presence about them, almost like they are unapproachable, yet they are approachable.

Good Instructors will be more than happy to discuss with you your goals from Martial Arts and how you can achieve them at this school.

Good Instructors are able to explain everything that they do instead of ‘do it this way because this is the way we do it.’

Look for an Instructor that can explain their style and lineage to avoid finding someone with self-appointed credentials and made-up techniques.

Good Instructors will be open minded to new techniques, rather than limiting your knowledge to just one possibility.

You usually leave a good school with a feeling of confidence and feel like you are improving.

Bad Instructors will want to talk about prices and contracts more than the curriculum.

Bad Instructors will give belt tests on a regular basis regardless of how much you’ve developed since your last test.

Bad Instructors don’t know the reasons behind techniques.

Bad Schools have way more kids and really young Black Belts and very little underbelts and adults.

You usually leave a bad school worrying about having to buy a different belt every other week, a new uniform with lots of patches and paying for a belt test in addition to outrageous monthly fees.

[Bruce WillPete7]

Nicely done Scottnshelly, very nice.