What to start doing?

[euphoric]

Hi guys,

I am 28 and I am interested in learning some type of martial arts...

Can someone tell me the difference between Karate and Tae Kwon Do?

I live in Boston

Thanks

[mal103]

They are spelt differently...

It's probably more important to find out what clubs are near you and what they charge, once you have this information then ask if you can go along for a trial lesson.

Be wary of any club that pushes you to pay out loads of money early on. Not common but they are out there...

If you then try a few then assess what you think, speak to other students, speak with the instructors. I would put all of this above trying to decide which style to learn.

I am of course bias towards Shotokan Karate as we train well and very hard in our style and enjoy the benifits. We have recently had 2 TKD guys join us and were a bit surprised at the way we train.

A lot of it is in the club\Sensei\etc.

If you enjoy one style over the other then you will benifit more in your MA training journey. More important to just get training!

[Harkon72]

Mal is right, go to each club, have a look. Do the students look happy? Is there a good mix of grades? Has anyone stayed with them for a long time? There are many questions you should ask yourself. If you can afford them, go for it. Beware those clubs that offer more than a week for free or free uniforms, you don't need to be under any obligation. Good Luck!!

[ps1]

Beware those clubs that offer more than a week for free or free uniforms, you don't need to be under any obligation.

I give my new students 6 weeks free with a gi included. There is no obligation to sign up for anything other than a typical month to month tuition payment schedule. Of course, there are other offers, but those benefit both me and the student. I think it's more accurate to point out that you should ensure you're signing up for something that you are sure about, especially if there is more than a one month commitment involved.

The answer to your question is a little tough. Tae Kwon Do and Karate are sometimes very similar. Other times, very different. Karate is a very generic term and has many many styles. As others have pointed out, the best thing is to try each place out and decide what you like.

As much as you may want to, don't just try out one place. Even if you think it's great, you may find later that it's not what you really want. I suggest trying out at least 3 and as many as 6 schools. Even try something you wouldn't have considered as they may surprise you.

I'm a prime example of that. As a Kung Fu black sash in high school I wrote a ten page paper on why brazilian Jiu-jitsu is ineffective. Fast forward 15 years and I'm a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who owns his own academy. I wish I had known how much I would love it at the time. That was my fault for not trying it out when I had the chance.

Anyway, keep us updated on your progress. Good luck!

[cheesefrysamurai]

I think its really important to know what you want to get out of it.

I know for me, I didnt want anything like point sparring. I wanted traditional, street effective (IMO). The quality of the instructor mattered to me as well.

I made a list of all the schools near me - immediately eliminated the super commercial ones - eliminated the ones with systems that were competition based besides judo. So then I had a list of schools I would consider, I then researched the senseis and Researched their senseis. I didn't want to dedicate myself to something that might be fly by night. Im too old for those kinds of risks.

I nailed it down to a couple of schools, doing a but more research one seemed to be one obvious choice

[DWx]

Both are really broad terms. There are a number of different styles of Taekwon Do and even more different styles of Karate and each style will offer you something slightly different.

The best thing to do is to work out what you want from a martial art then find out what styles are in your local area and see if the two match up. Then go along to a few classes and see if you like the instructor, if you like how the classes are run, like the other students etc.

I'd take a look at some of the other posts in the "Getting Started in the Martial Arts" section as there's loads of good advise there.

[sensei8]

The laymen's answer...

TKD has more kicks than most Karate...a lot more.

[Howard]

Hi guys,

I am 28 and I am interested in learning some type of martial arts...

Can someone tell me the difference between Karate and Tae Kwon Do?

I live in Boston

Thanks

The basic difference between Karate and Tae Kwon Do is country of origin.Karate was originated in Japan and Okinawa while Tae Kwon Do was originated in Korea and people use hands more in karate but Tae Kwon Do players do the use of foot more than hands otherwise there is no difference between them.

[bassaiguy]

If you are in Boston there is excellent judo, Yang's Chinese martial arts academies and high quality Shotokan Karate at JKA Boston and at Boston SKA Dojo. I don't know about TKD, but it seems like there is Tae Kwon Do everywhere. If you're looking for adult classes make sure that you are specific with the instructor about your desire so you don't get stuck in a mixed class with the eight year olds.

I love traditional karate and if I were in your area I'd hit up either the JKA or SKA dojos, but that is completely a personal bias.

[sensei8]

Hi guys,

I am 28 and I am interested in learning some type of martial arts...

Can someone tell me the difference between Karate and Tae Kwon Do?

I live in Boston

Thanks

The basic difference between Karate and Tae Kwon Do is country of origin.Karate was originated in Japan and Okinawa while Tae Kwon Do was originated in Korea and people use hands more in karate but Tae Kwon Do players do the use of foot more than hands otherwise there is no difference between them.

Solid post...[ten times better than what I babbled about]!!

Edited July 25, 2013 by sensei8