Hello, I am a short stocky (5'4 172lbs) person who has been an athlete in the past. Now that I am older and in college and cant dedicate myself to a sport like football as I did in high school i want a new hobby. I weight lift regularly, so i hope that goes well with karate (im sure it does). I spend a lot of time practicing my hobbies too btw so lack of time/dedication isnt a problem unless it takes like 20 years to master. I would like advice on what styles are good for short people? im interested in learning strikes and take downs/grappling. I am open to one style that includes both or different styles that cover each one separately such as judo combined with kyokushin or something. Any advice is greatly appreciated because I know next to nothing about karate but am very interested. Also I enjoy brutal training and want these styles to have full contact training.

Secondly, after what amount of training can you begin to enter local tournaments? I would like to compete on some small level someday possibly.

Thank you!

i apologize i was lagging when i hit submit and clicked it a few times and now have 3 threads. I have been trying to delete the other two but cant find a delete option under edit/delete

Also, i read in the rules it said there is no "what is the best thread" so im saying im asking the best for my body type, which i think is allowed. sorry for the confusion

i apologize i was lagging when i hit submit and clicked it a few times and now have 3 threads. I have been trying to delete the other two but cant find a delete option under edit/delete

Also, i read in the rules it said there is no "what is the best thread" so im saying im asking the best for my body type, which i think is allowed. sorry for the confusion

Yeah, it's cool if it's a legit question of "what art fills my needs". If you look at other forums, you find a lot of style bashing of arts that suit many of their practitioners perfectly. This leads to trolling and general stupidity, which is of no benefit to anyone. You'll find that here, any question asked in earnest will be responded to in kind.

Anyway, welcome to the forums and to the world of martial arts. I hope that you find joy in both.

I spend a lot of time practicing my hobbies too btw so lack of time/dedication isnt a problem unless it takes like 20 years to master.

20 years to master? More like 20 years to start being taken seriously

What is your position on self defence techniques, and how much would you like them to be practiced in your style? And you're not that short, so I don't think it matters here . Have you thought about MMA?

Hi guys, since we've already got a thread going on this, I'm going to close this one and redirect you over there:

http://www.karateforums.com/what-style-should-i-decide-to-practice-vt42868.html