what martial art should i choose?

[Grand master K]

Hello!

I am new to http://www.karateforums.com and I am 13 years old. I'm from Sweden and I have a question. Which martial art should I start? I want to start a martial art with kicks, throws, punches, vulnerabilities and also in arms when I get to about blue belt. I've been thinking about Krav Maga, Ninjutsu, Kung Fu, Hapkido, jujitsu and Muay Thai. Right now I do not know what to begin. I am looking for tips.om you want to know something just give a question. thanks for the help!

[ps1]

I'm quite partial to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

[tallgeese]

Me too, ps1, but it doesn't quite fit his parameters.

First up, welcome aboard, K! As to what you're looking for- kicks, punches, weapons work... you could look to see what Okinawan arts are in your area. Most traditional arts will do at least the basic weapons of that lineage. I have no, and I mean zero experience with Ninijitsu, maybe worth looking into as well although I think authenticity will be an issue.

For my money, for what you've listed as options, and if you are interested in more modern application, Krav would be a good choice. You'll spend time with knives, guns, and club. Plus, if you find a good school, you'll have some good unarmed training to go with it. Again, really do some digging into the background of any Krav school you find. There are awesome ones out there. And there are not so awesome ones.

Good luck and keep us posted on your search.

[Montana]

Me too, ps1, but it doesn't quite fit his parameters.

First up, welcome aboard, K! As to what you're looking for- kicks, punches, weapons work... you could look to see what Okinawan arts are in your area. Most traditional arts will do at least the basic weapons of that lineage. I have no, and I mean zero experience with Ninijitsu, maybe worth looking into as well although I think authenticity will be an issue.

For my money, for what you've listed as options, and if you are interested in more modern application, Krav would be a good choice. You'll spend time with knives, guns, and club. Plus, if you find a good school, you'll have some good unarmed training to go with it. Again, really do some digging into the background of any Krav school you find. There are awesome ones out there. And there are not so awesome ones.

Good luck and keep us posted on your search.

Agreed! I remember the days of early Ninjitsu in this country with Stephen Hayes....not pretty in my opinion. A whole lot of B-Ninja movies at that time, and a whole lot of phony "we dress in black and say we're ninja" schools popping up all over the place. I found one dojo that quite literally had pasted fire cracker wrappers hanging on the walls as certificates.

No kidding!

What you need to do is look at the shools, take some free classes, talk to the instructors (they'll all tell you they''re the best by the way), see how the classes are run, costs for uniforms, classes and tests..and do they use contracts? Kind of take it from there. I imagine your parents will need to get involved, and so they should be since they're paying for it, plus they have to pay the medical bills if you get into some shoddy dojo that is totally crap and frought with poor instruction.

[Grand master K]

thanks for the tips! it is a school near where they train Hapkido. He who trains them with have the highest belt in Sweden. So it seems interesting. I actually have a friend who trains there and I have a friend who trains Krav Maga and one other are practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has also been practicing Ninjitsu.

[bushido_man96]

I agree with Montana. Check out your local schools, talk with the instructors, and find out what each offers. Travel time, price, and class availability will all likely consider into your decision, as well, so check them out when talking to the instructors.

Welcome to KF, as well!

[senseikellam]

I would suggest a school that focuses on combining more than one form. For example, Shotokan has lots of kicks and punches and Akido which uses very little strength and basically uses the attacker's own body against them by redirection of the attacker's force. At my school we have one night a week devoted to Akido.

[MMA_Jim]

Really guys?

Seriously kid- you're from Scandanavia and you want to learn how to throw hands. Muay Thai hands down. European countries have a particularly strong following in muay thai, so you should have no problem finding a quality school

[tallgeese]

Really.

Did you check his requirements? Kicks, punches, takedowns, weapons. MT is great, but last time I checked I didn't see a ton of guys in MT doing weapons training. Or takedowns for that matter. Same argument for mma, which I 'm a big fan of, but again, not alot of knife training going on in those schools.

It's about matching his wants to what's out there. Not force feeding him our preferences.

[MMA_Jim]

I see kicks, punches, and throws- all taught in muay thai. Where does he ask about weapons in his post?

For what he asked, yes Muay Thai is his best option.

Really