Which Style?

[Wheezy]

Hey I'm thinking about starting Martial Arts again and I have 2 choices.

1) Tae Kwon Do *TDK*

and

2) Karate

I'm wondering which style would give me discipline and something I can use as a sport/fitness thing and also something I can use for self defense thing to protect my friends and myself.

Im kinda leaning to TKD because their school is closer to me but I also really wanna stress on the style, and if karate which style of karate? *Shotokan, Gojo-Ryu.. etc*

I'm not looking for the best everything killer style just a style that would fit my interest or what I'm looking for. Thanks

[mya]

I would say Karate- Shotokan.

Shotokan should provide you with a better comptition thing. And GoJu tends to be a harder style witch might not be what you intended.

Also have you ever considered Judo ?

[Wheezy]

Hmm I haven't considered Judo, but I dont think there are any Judo school close to my area, and whats the difference between Shotokan and GoJu ? and other styles? thanksz

[bat in a birdless village]

Out of those two, I lean toward karate. The problem that many face with those two styles is those are the two martial arts that make the most McDojos. If you are new to all of this, a McDojo is a school that has little kid black belts, promises you a black belt in two to three years, and charges lots of money every time you turn around.

Find out about timing for belt levels, age limits for ranks, and very importantly how much they charge. Do they make you sign payment contracts? If so, leave. Also, they may want to charge you testing fees, yearly association fees, they may double the number of belts (typically around 7-8 belts doubled to 16 belts); if they do that, they double the number of times you pay testing fees.

In my personal experience, taekwondo schools in my area are notorious for all of this, but I know nationwide karate schools can be just as bad.

Make sure you hit all of your YMCA's and community centers while shopping for a school. There are some great schools hidden in places like that.

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[UseoForce]

Before you ask any more, why don't you tell us exactly what styles are available near you and then we can help.

[Wheezy]

Ok thanks guy, to open up more options I live in Albany/berkely Area of California..

I know one TKD school where my friend goes to, but its really suspicous... They have a 1yr contract which you can cancel at any time, belt fees, and 120$ per month or so...

So Lemm look in the yellowpages..

West Wind Karate School = Ultimate McDojo from reviews*They dont tell you which style they teach*

Academy of Martial Arts = Wing Tsun Kung Fu

Kuk Sool Won

Raph Gacie JJ

Wen Wu School of Martial Arts = Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin Kung Fu *Internal Version?*

Aikido

Cardio Kickboxing

Tae Kwon Do *Alotta ALOTTA schools*

Capoeira

Kojosho Karate

Oakland Karate= Shaolin Kempo Karate, Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts *what ever the hell that is*, Another Cardio Kick boxing

Shorin-Ryu Karate

TG Taekwondo = Taekwondo

Choy Li Fut

Iaido Traditional Japanese

Shotokan Karate

Okinawa-te Budokan

Isshinryu Karate

Cuong Nhu Karate

Seido Karate

TaekwonDo-Karate?!?! wtf?

Bunch of other crap that doesnt have a website/Too many to list.. and I bet atleast 1 or 2 is a Mcdojo

oh btw does any one know what Keishinkan karate-do is? thanks

[UseoForce]

You're really lucky to have so many choices. Here's my rundown:

You said self-defense training is a priority, so you can eliminate those styles/schools that do not have "hardcore" training methods. By that I mean hard sparring/grappling and physical training. Good styles that fit these conditions are (Ralph) Gracie Jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, judo, and Muay Thai. You didn't mention judo, but I'd be stunned if you couldn't find a judo school near you. These styles are also great for sports/fitness. Some styles of the karate styles you mentioned may have have good hard sparring, but most probably do not.

Capoeira is a great workout, but I wouldn't suggest it for self-defense.

Some would say Wing Chun (Tsun) is a good choice for self-defense. I, personally, would disagree unless the instructor teaches with excellent training methods.

The rest of the styles you mentioned are more geared toward mental/internal development.

[bat in a birdless village]

Check out the Oakland Karate one, the shorin-ryu karate, and the shotokan karate (my opinion). Those sound okay, but you can never tell from a phone book.

I would not pay over $60 per month if I were you.

Did you call your YMCA's and community centers?

By the way, "mixed martial arts" is a term almost as common as taekwondo these days. It almost always is refering to the type of fighting used in UFC and Pride.

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[bat in a birdless village]

By the way, the Ralph Gracie school is something you need to visit--just to say you did.

He is amazing. In fact, here is some video of him:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search=gracie+ralph&search_type=search_videos

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[bushido_man96]

If it is an Olympic style TKD place, you will get good drills and fitness levels. If it is more traditional, then that and the Karate place may be a toss up.

If you like to kick, try TKD. But you will still learn how to kick at the Karate place, too.

The most important thing to check out is the instructors. That could make your decision right there.