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theSaj
White Belt
White Belt

Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 12
Location: New Haven, CT
Styles: Kung Fu San Soo, Krav Maga

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 1:19 am    Post subject: Short and built like an ox....what styles should I look into Reply with quote

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
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Pacificshore
Black Belt
Black Belt

Joined: 26 Mar 2002
Posts: 1698
Location: West Coast
Styles: Chinese Kenpo/Kara-Ho Kempo

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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shotochem
Pre-Black Belt
Pre-Black Belt

Joined: 29 Dec 2001
Posts: 901
Location: New York
Styles: Shotokan, Kempo, BJJ, Baby-Do-Jitsu

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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 !!!
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ninjanurse
KF VIP

Joined: 13 Feb 2003
Posts: 6154
Location: Upstate NY
Styles: TKD;Shotokan;JuJitsu;Tai Ji

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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


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Tae Kwon Do,Shotokan,Ju Jitsu,Modern Arnis
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theSaj
White Belt
White Belt

Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 12
Location: New Haven, CT
Styles: Kung Fu San Soo, Krav Maga

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for the encouragement and feedback...
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Radok
Brown Belt
Brown Belt

Joined: 23 Apr 2002
Posts: 601
Location: Florida
Styles: Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-do

PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okinawan Karate, Muay Thai, or Judo would be the best.
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Many people seem to take Karate to get a Black Belt, rather than getting a Black Belt to learn Karate.
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angel
Yellow Belt
Yellow Belt

Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 59

Styles: karate

PostPosted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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YELLOW BELT Shotokan Karate Ka 5th Kyu
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Karate is for Self Defense not Offense
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karatekid1975
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Joined: 26 Mar 2002
Posts: 4588
Location: Upstate NY
Styles: Tang Soo Do/TKD/jujitsu

PostPosted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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theSaj
White Belt
White Belt

Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 12
Location: New Haven, CT
Styles: Kung Fu San Soo, Krav Maga

PostPosted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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?
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CloudDragon
Purple Belt
Purple Belt

Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 579
Location: Missouri, USA
Styles: Karate, Jujitsu, Kenpo, Taekwondo, Kendo

PostPosted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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