Seeking Short- and Long-term Advice

[Bushido Brown]

I'm at the very beginning of what I intend to be a long-term study of martial arts. I'm trying to decide exactly what to pursue; to determine what will be best given my short- and long-term goals. To do that, I'll try to describe my current thoughts on the matter and solicit any advice you (the reader) might be willing to give.

I'm 25, fat, and just emerging from a quarter century of very sedentary living. I have never been in a physical fight, nor have I seen (in person) a fight involving any sort of mortal danger. I studied shudokan karate for about three months before decided that my physical condition was insufficient to seriously learn martial arts for combat (along with some fairly serious social anxiety, but that's another story )

Ultimately, I'm looking for the full range from studying martial arts: character development, health, martial ability, etc. In the short-term (over the next year, lets say) my focus is strongly on health and character; fitness, mobility, self-confidence, etc.

My thought is that studying Chinese martial arts may be the way to satisfice both my short- and long-term goals. I could begin with a study of taijiquan (or something similar) over the next year as I loose weight via other means (diet, exercise, etc... I've already been working this part). Then, when I'm in a condition to really practice something more martial, I could add or transition to a harder sort of kungfu with the idea that, taiji and some species of praying mantis boxing (for instance) have more in common than taiji and greco-roman wrestling (such that studying taiji has greater instrumental value).

This is all in contrast to a plan of beginning a study of aikdo for the next year before adding a study of some sort of karate; quite likely shudokan.

Having visited several local martial arts schools, I have found what seem to be excellent places of learning for each of the aforementioned styles. The nature of Chinese martial arts themselves seem to be more conducive to my goals. However, what makes me so reticent to commit to that is the fact that I find Chinese culture significantly less accessible (and perhaps appealing) than that of the Japanese.

Being somewhat bookish, my first instinct when getting involved in something new is to read about it. I don't read or speak Mandarin or Chinese. However, even in translation, I find most books about Chinese martial arts (and related practices) to be incomprehensible. There is a huge body of seemingly common knowledge that is opaque to me. Pinyin, being less that super helpful in terms of pronunciation, makes reading difficult as the only thing that I know about the proper nouns is that I don't know how to pronounce them. Japanese, on the other hand, is generally easy to pronounce for English speakers, as almost all of the sounds of Japanese appear in English. I can pronounce (more or less) 'Tokugawa' as I read about the development of modern karate. 'Xiang Xin Zhi Nei Gong Yun Dong' is little more than a string of characters and thus difficult to remember or follow. All of this is to say that the cultural opaqueness is extremely off-putting to me. I could learn to read and speak Japanese over time; I will never read or speak Mandarin. Could I study a style and techniques, the names of which I'll always struggle to say? The prospect disturbs me (though friends seem not to see why this would matter... maybe it's just me).

So... I would ask for thoughts or advice on the situation. Given what I've described, I would love to hear from those with insight or experience (either one is good ) as to what you think might be the best way to achieve my short- and long-term goals.

I'll also apologize for how disorganized this post is... I've gotten very little sleep over the last two weeks. End-of-Semester is a crazy time when you have to deal with students, grade exams, and all of that stuff (I'm a grad student).

(Also, I do realize that my username would become overtly ironic if I pursued kungfu )

[JusticeZero]

Well for one thing, Taiji, taught correctly, can be very martial. Taiji, taught incorrectly, is neither martial nor nearly as helpful as it could be. One person on another board I read commented that he started doing Mantis for fighting and Taiji for health, but now does Taiji for fighting and Mantis for health.

Second, I tend to prefer the idea of going for one core art, then STICKING TO that core art, and supplementing it as needed. There is an unlearning process required to switch schools.

I wouldn't be too dazzled or intimidated by the heavy esoteric concept level in chinese arts. At the end of the day, Confucian legalistic examination and study and European 'let's take it for a spin and see' will... more or less accomplish the same thing. That said...

...In the short-term (over the next year, lets say) my focus is strongly on health and character; fitness, mobility, self-confidence, etc.

In all honesty, with what you explained, I would think that, if the instruction is okay, you will achieve these best by continuing with the Shotokan and hammering away at it in spite of your abilities or current lack thereof. Remember, anything that is worth doing, is worth doing badly! The things you want are not achieved through doing easy things, but rather by doing hard things.

[MasterPain]

If you want to learn combat, make sure the school spars and grapples. Theory is wonderful, but without application it's just theory i.e. junk.

Being fat and out of shape will make things challenging. Just do what you can, push yourself and eventually it'll get easier.

Social anxiety is a real pain. Find a small school with friendly people. If it's real bad, speak with a doctor.

[tallgeese]

I'll second MP on his assessment. Regardless of art, given what you've stated, I'd look for a small and friendly school. The atmosphere and the way the personalities there fit with yours will be much more important, at least at the outset, than even the kind of art you pick or it's nation of origin.

It's pretty easy to get a vibe off a school during a short visit or trial period. Each club also has a sort of "group think" that dictates it's priorities and training standards. See if it matches yours. Also, a few trial lessons will give you a feel for the personalities that are large and frequent at the club. See if you can function and fit with them. The more you enjoy going ot class, the more likely it will be that you'll keep it up.

Find that first, early on, with you stated goals, about any art will suffice. Once you start to meet your fitness goals and overcome the initial nervousness of training, you'll be able to shop around with a better idea of what you want.

If cultural stuff is important to you, you're probibly looking in the right direction with arts from Asia. If you're concerned about vibe, consider a traditional BJJ school as well. If you walk in and there are surfboards on the wall you'll probabaily have an easy transition into socializing with the group. A caveat, stay away from mma if you look in this direction. I'd guess the vibe will be wrong for you. But a laid back BJJ school is pretty easy to fit into.

Groinstrike, who hangs out here, famoulsy told me once while working out that I'd become a jiu-jitsu hippie. It happens.

Just thowing the suggestion out there based on the social aspects you mentioned. But if karate is really what you want to do, go with MP's advice and look for the smaller, friendlier club.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[bushido_man96]

I would be less concerned about your take on the language and culture of the styles you observe and more concerned with 1) what you will be learning as far as self-defense goes and 2) whether or not you are going to actually enjoy your time in it. The language and all that will come over time as you get more familiar with things.

Its good that you've got some goals in mind, too. That will help you to focus on what you want out of a school. Now, make sure you go check out the schools in your area to see which fit your wants and needs. I say this because you may have some preconceived notions about what an Aikido school or a Kung Fu school will be like, but every instructor is different, and you might be surprised by what you see (pleasantly or otherwise). So that's my advise to you; go check them all out, and then make your decision.

Good luck to you!