MovingBuddhist3

I'm moving to Japan, and I'm trying to find a good form of Martial Arts to take up. I'm good at techniques involving kicking and flexibility. Can anyone give me any tips? I'm interested in Judo, Kendo, Tai Chi, Jujitsu, and Aikido.

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

Greenthink

If you were to study Judo in Japan, all the Judo people in the U.S. would be VERY impressed. When you came back it would be a prestigous feather in your cap. But you will get your butt kicked alot too. If you are in Tokyo find the Kodokan, home of Judo.Judo would fit right in with Jui-jitsu and Akido because judo practice is for real with all full contact, it gives a good foundation for other sports and makes you a formidable opponent.All martial arts will admit judo as a foundation.

krys

If you are into empty hands try to locate a place where TaiKi Ken is taught.....
This is a very good combative internal martial art, have a look at:

http://www.taikiken.org/

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Krys
MINDANAW SILAT ASLI

MovingBuddhist3

The thing is Krys, I'm not sure what empty hand is. Is that just no weapons or is it no hands used at all. I'm just really pathetic with upper body strength. I'm still thinking just to do Aikido and Tai Chi. Maybe just a little bit of Judo.

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

Nothingness

Try to find a discipline that puts your posture in advantage. The next step is to train like you are posessed. The next step is to make sure that you have enough rest for your body to replenish, then train again and again. It doesn't matter what you learn, you will be good.

m.artist

well i doubt u will find any tai chi schools there( as it is chinese and you know how they are about each others arts) but i would look for kyokoshin style karate or goju ryu style. hmm... if u want to learn swords, go for battojutsu,kenjutsu, iaido, kendo is good but they teach that to the junior highers though. it would be kinda funny. don't get me wrong, i want to learn it too. aikijutsu sounds pretty good. and if u really want to, (me personally anyway) would look for a good ninjutsu dojo. but again, that's just me.

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"Before you open your mouth to speak, please make sure it's an
improvement upon the silence."

krys

Empty hands means without weapons.... Taiki Ken is an internal art like Tai Chi but you will learn to fight very quickly.... it is very effective, a Japanese version of a famous chinese martial art called YiQuan. Kenichi Sawai the founder of Taiki Ken was Mas Oyama's mentor...
As for Taiji I heard there are some good instructor in Japan but couldn't give you any names..

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Krys
MINDANAW SILAT ASLI

MovingBuddhist3

You guys really should get AIM. :-D. That way we don't have to chat through a forum. :-D. Ok. I like to kick, use staffs and long swords, and move slowly yet effectively. I'd like to be able to gain Spiritual as well as Physical strength.

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

MovingBuddhist3

What do u mean by use my posture as an advantage?

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

Nothingness

e.g.: If you are short and bulky, you should not join WTF TKD. If you are extra lean and tall, you want to join TKD and not Judo. If your upper body is well built and strong, some grapplings can be good for you. If your legs are long, get something that involve kicking.

An extreme example will be someone in a stature of a sumotori trying to learn TKD with its all high kicks.

It's also important to find the arts that fit your character. For an example, if you are testosteron-ladden and very aggressive, it's not a good thing to join an Aikido dojo (unless you also consider "character change" or catastration as the part of training) .

I hope this helps.

MovingBuddhist3

Ok, I'm 5'10" or 11". I have strong flexible legs, an average torso, but a retarded left arm. So I need an art that doesn't involve my left arm. :-D

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

AlexJitsu

What? You don't need any muscle to do Martial Arts (except stamina). The whole purpose of martial arts is so you don't have to be buff as hell to kick the bully's ass at school.

chris davis 200

There are lots of good Iaido schools in Japan - go check them out.

Kyokushin or Goju Karate would be good for what you describe - Taikiken is a superb system if you wanna be real tough!

At the end of the day mate - I think it is just a personal choice - look at a few different dojo's, check out a few different people n have agood time.

How long will you be staying in Japan?

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"Be alert. Be alive in the moment. Don’t imagine anyone who comes and asks you to ‘push’ or ‘spar’ will keep to a format, or even stay barehanded" my ba gua teacher !!

MovingBuddhist3

I'll be in Japan for 3 years. I'd rather not be tough, I'd rather be gentle. I don't like to harm things, I just want to study the martial arts

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"Ek sorpet taludat yan e thek kiddandat- Eks e tek la thon rek kon ekstet kiddandat nakto~"

Nothingness

If I were you, I'd be seriously gathering information about Aikido. Best of lucks.