how to pick the right discipline?

[2_eclipsed]

hi all, iam new to martial arts and was wondering how one would go about picking the right type of martial art for them.

i have about 3-4 different types that iam interested in learning. the thing is i would like the pick the one best suited for me.

does n e one know of n e books that i can read in depth about all the different types of martial arts.

also what should i look for when pick one.

[obiwansbane]

ok im just going for 3 types here in my analogy of course there are hundreds more to choose from...

Karate - a hard style, lots of snappy movements, mostly straight forward linear attacks, very traditional with forms, belt rankings, philosophy may also be a part of training etc, yet u may find a school that goes to tournaments and also teaches weapons... this is preferably the best choice because you learn a little bit of everything along with some measure of actual fighting training.

Kung fu - a softstyle, motions are much more circular with a lot more flow and grace to them, once again very tradtitional... weapons are taught, these weapons are native of China and are usually bendable, such as the tai chi sword, spear, wind song, broad sword etc this usually involves some degree of flexibility

Any Form of Boxing - seems to be the route more and more people are taking.. straight forward, deals with hard solid attacks while keeping an optimum defence against ure opponent.. not too sure how it works but training is geared towards fighting

The other two of course do as well seeing as it is a form of defence, but it takes a certain amount of aptitude on both the teachers and the students part to take self defence from that... in forms bunkai can be explained and shown, but sometimes students do not really grasp what it is that is being taught so half of their training (Kata) is lost on them... that is why if you feel that you cannot put a deal of thought and stuff like that into your training, you should go for something i see as more to the point such as boxing, muay thai, kickboxing etc

if anyone can correct me on this please do but this is how i see it...

if u can give us the options that u have maybe we can give u a more indepth look

[lordtariel]

There's a variety out there to choose from. If you're into grappeling, you might go for Aikido, Judo, or Jujitsu. If you're after a striking art you might want to go with Karate, TKD, or one of the various other hard styles. If you're looking for pure self defense you might want to look into a MMA.

I haven't come across any one website or book that has a good description for every art. The closest is probably the wikipedia, and you have to take everything there with a gain of salt.

My advice is to check out all of the different options and see which one excites you the most. Check out the instructors and make sure you have a legit school. If you have questions about a particular art, list it here and someone on the forum is bound to be able to fill you in.

[2_eclipsed]

the two main ones iam interested in r muay thai and hapkido. i am very interested with different aspects of each, which makes my decision even harder. the thing is once i pick one i just want to stick with it.

the other one i was looking into but not as interested in as the two io have already listed, is Jujitsu.

also if n e one knows of n e great schools of n e of the disciplines i have just list, please let me know so i can check them out.

school must be in or around the toronto area

[JackCrevalle]

Many schools offer a free first lesson and almost all allow spectators. You might want to try each school you are interested in.

[bushido_man96]

If it were me, I would go with Muay Thai.

[elbows_and_knees]

Karate - a hard style, lots of snappy movements, mostly straight forward linear attacks, very traditional with forms, belt rankings, philosophy may also be a part of training etc, yet u may find a school that goes to tournaments and also teaches weapons... this is preferably the best choice because you learn a little bit of everything along with some measure of actual fighting training.

at an advanced level, karate is not solely linear. it's quite fluid. shotokan may be an exception to this.

Kung fu - a softstyle, motions are much more circular with a lot more flow and grace to them, once again very tradtitional... weapons are taught, these weapons are native of China and are usually bendable, such as the tai chi sword, spear, wind song, broad sword etc this usually involves some degree of flexibility

there are hard, linear styles of kung fu, and those which accentuate both. The taiji sword is not a bendable (flexible) weapon - it is a straight sword. flexible weaons include the meteor hammer, three sectional staff, chainwhip and rope dart, to name a few.

Any Form of Boxing - seems to be the route more and more people are taking.. straight forward, deals with hard solid attacks while keeping an optimum defence against ure opponent.. not too sure how it works but training is geared towards fighting

that is why if you feel that you cannot put a deal of thought and stuff like that into your training, you should go for something i see as more to the point such as boxing, muay thai, kickboxing etc

if you don't put a great deal of thought into your fighting and training, I would suggest you not box or train muay thai.

if u can give us the options that u have maybe we can give u a more indepth look

yes, definitely. What is available in your area?

[elbows_and_knees]

the two main ones iam interested in r muay thai and hapkido. i am very interested with different aspects of each, which makes my decision even harder. the thing is once i pick one i just want to stick with it.

the other one i was looking into but not as interested in as the two io have already listed, is Jujitsu.

also if n e one knows of n e great schools of n e of the disciplines i have just list, please let me know so i can check them out.

school must be in or around the toronto area

I personally would pick muay thai. What are you looking to get out of the martial arts? knowing that can help you to decide. Is the jujutsu japanese or brazilian?

[2_eclipsed]

it's brazilian jujitsu. i went to that place yeasterday, and iam not as exited about it. it's seems that they have too much emphasis on ground manuvers, and it appeared to me that they weren't really practicing as hard as i would like to.

i would like to learn a little, so i can take care of my self, but mainly just want to find something to keep me active. so now it seems that it's down to either hapkido or muay thai.

iam really exited to go to see Siam #1(muay thai school) i talked to someone that attends there at it seems to be exactly what a looking for.

great workout, play rough, and learn to hold ur own.

i still have to find more info on the hapkido school, but one draw back right off the bat is that it is about a 30min drive from my house.

n e other in depth info on hapkido or muay thai would be great, ive already read the wikipedia.

also i would like to thank u guys for all the replys and trying to help me out.

[TheUSPS]

If it were me, I would go with Muay Thai.

BEEN MEANING TO SAY GO BEARS!