beginner needs advise

[Icetuete]

hey everybody!

 

my name is bernd and i am 17 years old. i think of learning a martial art and so far the best choice seems to be taekwondo. most important to me are the mental aspects and physical fitness. in how far is TWD better at these aspects than other martial arts? according to which criteria shall i choose an association? are there certain exercises a beginner could do at home to prepare for training, before i REALLY begin with a martial art? what equipment do i need?

 

hope u can help me!!

[sk0t]

you know this question is like comparing apples and oranges. There is no "ONE" best martial art. It is personal and individual on a level that most cannot even grasp.

 

TKD is the most physical art. Not physical in the fighting sense, but physical in the body sense. It requires that you be in fantastic shape, and flexibility is important as well... Dont get me wrong that other arts are physical as well, but the requirements for the kicks and such are incredible.

 

It you are looking to get into shape then TKD is the way to go. If you are looking for a technical art that is realistic and philisophical and then I think you are looking in the wrong direction, although you can find a TKD school that is technical and prolly one that is religious or mystical or anything if you look really hard.

[Icetuete]

i indeed wanted to get into shape. selfdefense and breaktests etc are cool stuff as well but are not that important to me. until now i didnt really do a martial art. does it make sense to change the MA after a having done tkd for a certain amount of time? and whats the deal with the exercises to prepare myself? at the moment i cannot join an association yet and i dont want to waste the time until i finally can.

[KoreanTiger30]

Choosing martila art can be a tough choice because there are alot ot choose from. If you are looking toward TKD there are schools out there that teach a more philosophiical of martial arts in the TKD style. Especially if those school are still members of the old KWAN. I would try to find out that too maybe a JI Do KWan school because I know they are heavy in a more mental training way at least thats the way at some local school around here. If you want some serious combat training with a spiritual aspect i would aim for Hapkido or Kung Fu.

[sk0t]

I am not too keen on the philisophical part of the martial arts, because i am more of a scientist (BS in BIOCHEM, working toward PhD) but whatever you are into is cool. Hapkido if you are interested I would recommend finding a school that deals with Combat Hapkido, (http://www.ichf.com) because they are practioners of a modern art that doesnt involve philosophy or ancient training, they are for practical application only...very nice system.

[Icetuete]

combat hapkido indeed sounds not bad, but it is too much self defense and too few getting into shape and everything.

 

i never heard of Ji Do Kwan and dont think there is a school around.

 

kung fu is cool - thought of trying out, but probably too much punching, while tkd is in a way too much kicking. i saw a tournament fight of and none of them performed a punch.

 

regarding my question whether its better to change after having done tkd, combat hapkido wouldnt be the right choice AFTER tkd because i'd do this for shape and hapkido does not need atheltics.

 

i dont understand why tkd is held in such low esteem in this forum. as a beginner i think it suits well for me.

[sk0t]

You know I think that regarding TKD in low esteem shows that people have a lack of respect for the martial arts. BJJ stylists feel that their art is the best...and while I do not want to get into the age of battle of what art is better I would like to say that people who hold TKD on a lower level then anyone else have not taken a good round kick to the face and felt the effect, or they have not take a nice punch (yes TKD involves punching) following by a lightning fast side kick...

 

Tis better to be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove any doubt...

[TJS]

thugtkd..there are so many flaws in your statment i dont know where to begin...alot Of BJJ'ers may bash TKD but Why put it all on them? alot of other people point out things about TKD

 

Many people Think critisizm is "bashing" TKD can be alot of things but generally it is not one of the more effective self defense stlyes...and there are several reasons for that.

[Icetuete]

it probably depends on what tkd school u visit. self defense plays an important role in tkd and it is hard to believe that everyone who believes that its an effective style (including trainers) is an idiot/a bad martial artists. any martial art, when mastered, is more than enough to beat a brutal no brain just brawn, either half-drunk or not.

 

this did not belong into the topic - i know. my questions were how to prepare myself and whether its good to start tkd to gain physical fitness

[niel0092]

true TJS. It's not any one group in particular. I think what happens though is that we get critiqued (SP?) quite often and vigorously (SP?) and it tends to get people on the defensive. Not right or wrong, just what happens.

 

The key here tkdthug and others is to take these critisisms and learn from them. Something I know I should do more.

 

So Icetuete, TKD mental aspects are going to depend on the instructor and how much they value that side of the art. The physical aspect ie getting in shape, is going to be very good at most schools.