Looking for an Art..

SilverLink · White Belt

Hey People... After doing much thinking (and getting virtually nowhere), I've decided to ask you all for help... You see, I'm looking for a Martial Art to Join... I'm not sure which one though... I used to be in TKD, but that was about 5 years ago and I barly remember it!!! PLus (to the best of my recollection), I'm pretty sure this place focused mainly on the Sport aspect... Not really for me... So I was wondering if you guys could give me some suggestions with + & - to the different arts... Thanx!

_________________
The past cannot be changed,
But the Future can be shaped,
And with faith and dedication,
Happyness will be yours.
It is Now and Forever Shall Be.

Deirou Kuzan · Yellow Belt

go to kickboxing.com and read through the different arts. no one here can tell you what art you'll like or what aspect of the art is good or bad, cuz it'll always be an opinion.

_________________
Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures. - Dalai Lama
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*I am Hiya, just changed my name*

G95champ · Black Belt

Any traditional form of karate such as Shotokan will give you a base that will let you take it any way you want. Meaing work on the Art, Fighting, SD, sport, and so on.

If you are into fighting and don't care much about the art go with kickboxing or BJJ or somehting.

What schools do you have arround to choose from is the big question?

_________________
(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

Deirou Kuzan · Yellow Belt

oh by then way i do TKD but the place i go to focuses a lot on self defense. it really depends on the school, but seeing that most TKD schools are sport, i think it all comes down to what you want out of martial arts, and what your prefer(such as kicking, or punching, or grappling, etc). if you want to become spiritual and stuff take aikido, if you wanna get fit do something like cardio kickboxing, if you want self defense do something like wing chun or muay thai (actually any art will help you with self defense). anyway i kno this isn't much info, but hope this helped a bit cya.

_________________
Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures. - Dalai Lama
==========================
*I am Hiya, just changed my name*

Pacificshore · Black Belt

My suggestion is to ask yourself what it is you want to gain from your training. Next, check your area for the types of Arts being taught. Since I am partial to the Kenpo/Kempo Arts, I will provide some background.

The Kenpo/Kempo Arts are various. Some of the big ones are Parker's American Kenpo, Professor Chow's Kara-Ho Kempo, Kajukenbo, and Shaolin Kenpo just to name a few.

These Arts focus on Self Defense training. They also offer Kata and Weapons Katas to an extent, some more than others. Some may even offer grappling that has been incorporated into their system. You can also train for sport if you want, or stick to just plain 'ol SD.

The main thing with any Art is to make sure that you find a good instructor, and you are having fun in your training. And you are getting out of it what you want. Good luck!

SilverLink · White Belt

Heh. Thanks people.

There isn't too much around me that aren't "mcdojo's", and I'm not really into grappeling... I thinkj I might go with akido or a traditional form... I think that interests me the most... Thanks again!

_________________
The past cannot be changed,
But the Future can be shaped,
And with faith and dedication,
Happyness will be yours.
It is Now and Forever Shall Be.

KickChick · Black Belt

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace wrote an article once in I believe BlackBelt mag about how to go about choosing a martial art. In it he explained that no one wakes up and decides what type of martial art to get into. You learn about those different systems only when you join a school and start reading books and magazines. He explains this is unfortunate because too many people end up studying an art that is not particularly well-suited to their body type and personal goals. Although they often find out whether they are gifted in the art they've selected or they should have picked a different style during their first three months of training. He suggests saving yourself some wasted time by reviewing the following guidelines for selecting a martial art.

"Because judo concentrates on throwing techniques, it is a good choice if you have a short, squatty physique. You won't be punching or kicking, so you'll have to rely on maneuvering close to your opponent, getting under his center of gravity and tossing him into the air and onto the mat. Judo is also a good choice if you are tall and lanky and don't want to wrestle or get down on the ground because you've got too many limbs in the way. However, even if you are highly skilled, you will have trouble keeping a shorter opponent away from you.

If you are small, you may want to study jujutsu, but you must not have an aversion to going to the ground, rolling around on your back and getting covered with sweat-both yours and your opponent's. While you struggle to get your opponent into position for an armbar or choke, you will probably have to crawl between his legs and under his arms and contort your body in all sorts of directions. Having sustained a back or neck injury could preclude you from doing that.

Taekwondo is best-suited for you if you're tall, slender and flexible. Those qualities will enable you to execute fast high kicks all day long. However, if you're heavily muscled or significantly overweight, you may find that your legs get awfully heavy after a while and that your kicks become slower and slower. You may also have to contend with poor endurance and flexibility.
(Note: Not all TaeKwonDo schools are "sport" and geared towards just competitions. Find a more traditional TKD school in your area .... ITF schools)

If you have a strong, stocky build, consider practicing shotokan or shorin-ryu karate. Those arts will allow you to showcase your strong hand technique and stances, and you can become very successful in competition and self-defense once you master them.

Wrestling is a good choice if you are compactly built, strong for your size and have a good sense of balance and movement. "

Availability is key and location .... Good Luck!

coltmakai · Yellow Belt

Most importantly is to know why you want to take classes:

health reasons
self-defense
competition
etc..

spinninggumby · Purple Belt

But Kickchick, what if I am short and slender (i.e. beanpole wimp. 5'8-5'9)?? What art is right for me?? You didn't cover all the bases

Just messin with ya LOL

_________________
'Conviction is a luxury for those on the sidelines'

William Parcher, 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND'

BlueDragon1981 · Red Belt

The best thing is to go and look at the schools around you. Bigger isn't always better. Look at the school around you that has what you think as a quality instructor and students. Watch at least 4 of the classes and see how the class is run. Next ask if you can take 3 or 4 classes free. This makes you sure your going to like the way the instructors teach.

Often times the medium size class with the medium prices are the best option. Try out different place though and tailor what they do in what you think the martial arts are.

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