which martial art is the most focused on kicks?

[SrDrew]

Been looking into a few different martial arts lately, I've been into soccer/basketball/tennis/biking so I know how to move a little, but I've never touched a martial art before in my life.

 

Could anyone give me suggestions on which martial art they think I would like the most, I guess the biggest points for me are:

 

-fairly good amount of exercise (running is getting boring).

 

-more kicks than anything else, if possible.

 

-a 'stand up' style, I want something where I can have some fun and don't have to be rolling around on the floor with some guy taking elbows to the face all day, also not as interested in holds/grapples as I am in standard kicks/punches.

 

-more combat that 'art', if that makes sense, I'm not looking for anything like a Yoga class or one of these aerobics classes pretending to be a martial arts class, but I also don't want to go as far as the really brutal ones (Krav Maga?).

 

-I guess I also would like to avoid having to go to school/work with black eyes etc every day, but if that's inevitable then so be it.

 

don't know if this matters but some personal info:

 

5'10"

 

170 lbs

 

in fairly decent shape now, seem to be built more 'bottom heavy' (legs), if that makes sense, legs also seem disproportionally long to body/arms (I have never been able to touch my toes straight-kneed in my entire life no matter what shape I was in), hence the focus on kicks, which may be a bad idea, I have no clue about this stuff.

 

I wasn't expecting it but there are actually a surprising number of martial arts places in my area, I think I have it narrowed down to kickboxing or Tae Kwon Do, but there could be ones out there better suited for me that I have never heard of.

 

Any assistance would be appreciated =]

[YODA]

Tae Kwon Do

 

 

[dafabe]

if you want to learn fancy kicks then Tae Kwon Do, if you want to learn to fight then take up mauy thai, there are lots of kicks in that to, but is is more about damage and power than what looks good.

 

 

[SBN Doug]

I would say Tae Kwon Do. Would you feel more comfortable in the organization that focuses on defense, or sport?

 

Check some threads in the "Korean Martial Arts" section for more info.

[Bon]

Wheeeeeeee!

 

TKD, kicks galore.

 

 

[karatekid1975]

Hey Drew.

 

You are perfect for TKD. Lotta kicks, plus it'll help with "touching your toes". But make sure you find a school that's legit. Watch out for McDojangs (money mill schools). There's a lot of those in TKD, which give my school and a few others a bad name.

 

 

[Pacificshore]

Sounds like the majority is for TKD. You could also look into other Korean styles like Tang Soo Do, as they too emphasis kicks. If you have any other Korean styles in your area take a look at their classes to see if that is what you are looking for!!

[CTpizzaboy]

Korea styles main emphasis are on kicks. Your best bet is to look at a Taekwondo school. There is not much of any other kind of korean art you can find, unless you live in the big cities. Taekwondo focuses on the sport aspect, but you will learn how to defend yourself and work on footwork. Nothing more than getting a side kick in the ribs to get the sense of combat. But they wear pads and in a real fight you don't have that option. If you want more octane, go into Mauy Thai which is a true contact sport. Yeah you'll get a black eye or a couple of bruises. Hard to find though. Good luck.

 

 

[ZeRo]

i agree with everyone tae kwon do is best for kicks that look good. if thats what you want? if not do something like muay thai very affective kicks but not alot of them.

[tigerstyle18]

Yeah I agree, Tae kwon do for fancy kicks, Muay Thai for practical kicks.