Short and built like an ox....what styles should I look into

[theSaj]

Do styles favor certain body types?

 

I'm short, 5'5" male...225lbs, a bit overweight but NOT obese....

 

I tend to be a bit inflexible (something I hope to remedy to a degree, but I doubt I will ever be very flexible) however I also tend to be built like an ox. Very strong fingers and forearms. Good upper body strength.

 

Often referred to as "noneck" partly cause my 6ft+ 285 lb friend attempted to put me in a headlock while wrestling and just declared there was no neck to lock.

 

- theSaj

[Pacificshore]

hello and welcome to the forum. my initial thoughts were to look into any form of okinawan or japanese form of karate. example, goju-ryu or shotokan, both very powerful although there are soft elements to goju. the old adage was that it was made for a person with short stature.

 

obviously if you look into those 2 styles, you'll see folks of all size and shapes. then if you have a wrestling background, maybe a form of jujitsu or judo is what you want. if flexibility is an issue, or the amount that you will have, then i personally would try to avoid any style that emphasizes high kicks or very low stances, at least when starting out.

 

after awhile of training, you may find certain arts that fit you the best, or serves your purpose. shop around and make sure to ask questions, but most importantly make sure you find a good instructor. good luck.

[shotochem]

Hi Welcome,

 

I had to smile when I read your post. That was me when I started. I HAD the same exact dimensions. I have been training in Shotokan and find it to work quite well for me. It may not look as pretty while doing katas (forms) as the younger leaner more flexible ones out there but, it is quite effective. Guys like us are like a freight train, raw strenght and power. Shotokan is known for powerful punching and kicking techniques

 

though we tend not to kick as high or put as much emphasis on the more

 

complicated fancy kicking techniques.(we leave those to the kids ).

 

Whatever art you choose, your flexibility will improve with regular training

 

and you will shed the extra pounds. Ive shed 50 of them myself!!!

 

Go for it !!! Have fun !!!

[ninjanurse]

Shotokan Karate or JuJitsu complement your body shape/type well. Muay tai may also be a good choice.

 

[theSaj]

thanks for the encouragement and feedback...

[Radok]

Okinawan Karate, Muay Thai, or Judo would be the best.

[angel]

You must try Karate especially Shotokan. I myself practice Shotokan and i see loads of people built along your lines . And they are really successful. Dont worry about inflexibility youll get flexible

[karatekid1975]

I was going to say Shotokan, Judo, or jujitsu would fit you well. But it's totally up to you. If you like something other than what has been named, go for it.

 

I was NOT flexible (couldn't even reach my toes) when I started. In 2 and 1/2 years of training, I can do a split So it's totally up to you on how hard you want to work on flexibilty, ect.

 

At three years of training, I bored with splits LOL. Go figure

 

You really don't need the flexibility to be good at any art. Hard work is what matters most

[theSaj]

I began my first class last night of Ketsu-Ka (Ketsugu & Karate).

 

The school deals with a mix of karate, jujitsu, aikido, and judo...with a bit of boxing and wrestling.

 

On a side note, what the heck does bjj mean. I see it mentioned often around here?

[CloudDragon]

Baloney, Jam, and Juice... ok, just kidding, it stands for Brazilian Ju-Jitsu