Generic newbie question

[ChuckieT]

Hi guys, I've been thinking for a long time about incorporating martial arts into my training regimen. While I have a general idea of what I want out of my training I'm having trouble deciding between the many styles out there. (There's so many choices!)

I've figured that I'd like to initially start with a style that is more focused on striking and footwork and if I can handle it, I'd like to participate in a grappling MA like BJJ. It's the striking style that I'm having trouble on deciding though and I'm hoping you guys can provide me with some insight into what styles will be best for my needs.

Just a bit of background information so that you guys can help me:

1) I took TKD back in the day...when I was really young for about a year. Lol.
2) I'm a weight-lifter who has been training hard for 3 years. The reason why I'm wanting to train in martial arts is increase my flexibility and core strength so I can further my lifts. That and I think martial arts will help contribute more to my functional strength.

Also though, is there any good resource out there I can use to find good schools in my area (Silicon Valley) and what factors should I be looking at to make sure it's a good school when I go in to look at the place? I'd hate to get into a school that is basically a "black belt factory." I want a real martial arts school without all the fluff.

[crazyjoe380]

DEPENDING WHAT U WANNA DO

FOR DEFENDING URSELF THEN ... TAKE SOMETHING PRACTICAL.
JAPANESE JIU JITSU

IF U LIKE ACTIVITY .. BOXING


SOME SCHOOLS DONT OFFER GOOD MIX...


THINK IF U WANNA STRIKE OR GRAPPLE

STRIKING SCHOOLS = MUAY THAI BOXING, REG BOXING.. GOOD PRICES


GRAPPLING = BJJ, SHOOT, SAMBO ................ EXPENSIVE


CHECK UR CASH IF U GOT IT ..THEN DO UR THING.. IF NOT START OFF WITH STRIKING

LEARNING HOW TO STRIKE IS AN EXCELLENT BASE AND SHOULD BE THE FOUNDATION OF UR STYLE.. U DONT EAT ON THE GROUND OR CRAWL WHEN UR OUT ON THE STREET... SO WHY START GROUNDED.. STRIKE THEN GROUND ....... CAUSE IT'S FUNNY JIU JITSU GUYS WHO LEARN STRIKES 2ND USUALLY SUCK AT IT.. THEY GO BACK TO WHAT THEY KNOW.. GRAPPLING..
STRIKERS WHO LEARN THE GROUND GAME STAY GOOD AT STRIKES AND ARE GOOD GRAPPLERS..

TDK SUCKS.. DONT TAKE THAT UNLESS U WANNA IMPROVE UR STRETCHING.. BUT YOU CAN GET BEAT UP KICKING PEOPLE .. TDK KICKS ONLY UPSET ME..BUT THEY DO NOTHING. LOL

JUST MY 2 CENTS

[ryanhall]

If you want an MMA school, just find someone reputable. If you want self defense, visit this site: www.sammyfranco.com, look under the articles section, and read the "choosing a school" one. It will answer your questions.

[James Bullock]

I also recommend Richard Dimitri's site....www.senshido.com

Regards,

[Cain]

I still get confused, when people talk about tkd == kicks..and rant on about how bad tkd is.. please? if you have no facts on the matter, just don't comment

[Kirves]

Originally posted by Cain
I still get confused, when people talk about tkd == kicks..and rant on about how bad tkd is.. please? if you have no facts on the matter, just don't comment

My guess (notice, a guess, not something I claim to know) is that the reason tkd is bashed is twofold:

1. There are lots of tkd McDojos around, i.e. dojangs that only care for the money and not quality of teaching. This gives a bad name even for those tkd schools which aren't like this.

2. People who don't study tkd themselves, get their ideas of tkd from demonstrations and tournaments.

2a. It is very common that in a demonstration, most of the time is used showing how fancy kicks tkd has. So, even if tkd has a lot more to offer, that is what they keep showing people and people make up their minds based on what they see.

2b. The rules of normal tkd tournaments give more points for kicking the head than kicking the midsection, thus the fighters try to kick the head often. Usually the rules also prohibit face punching and/or give less points for punching when compared to kicking the head. Add to this that usually low kicks aren't allowed. Now, what the spectators see is that the tkd fighters dance around with their hands hanging around (as there's no use for them staying up guarding the face as the opponent won't be punching the face anyway) and lots of high kicks. Even if this isn't what tkd really is, it is what the public sees in tournaments and tend to believe it is what tkd actually is.

To make my point clear, see this video clip (click here to download) for what I mean: the tkd black belt keeps his hands down all the time without much regard to guarding his face and he keeps kicking high all the time. That is what the tkd people show in demos and tournaments, so it is hard to believe someone claiming that is not the case.

Notice, I'm not bashing tkd here, just trying to explain why it is reasonable for some people to feel the way they feel about tkd. And BTW: I suggest you right-click on the vid link and choose 'save as' because it takes a while to load the file.

[ChuckieT]

In terms of cost and what MA is more expensive I think I'm willing to pay a bit more money for something that is worthwhile and fits my needs more. I'd rather get my money's worth ya know?

1. There are lots of tkd McDojos around, i.e. dojangs that only care for the money and not quality of teaching. This gives a bad name even for those tkd schools which aren't like this.

That's EXACTLY what I'm worried about getting into. The last thing I want to sign up for is a school that isn't serious about its training.

I suppose my best option is to find a few bundle of schools I'm interested in in the Yellow Pages and just try to sort things out when I look at the school? It's a pretty difficult process finding a MA school.

[crazyjoe380]

Originally posted by Cain
I still get confused, when people talk about tkd == kicks..and rant on about how bad tkd is.. please? if you have no facts on the matter, just don't comment

oh so now i'm ranting?



your mom is ranting about how small your dad's dick is...


TDK SUCKS



i took it before it was weak.. it's nothing like muay thai..
get off my dick..

[ramus]

kicboxing or hapkido will work fine.

[ChuckieT]

Yeah I'm thinking I'm going to settle on some form of kickboxing like maybe Muay Thai. Does that sound okay?

Also what signs should I be looking for when I'm searching for schools that would indicate that the school is more focused on kickboxing for "fitness?" I don't want to end up in some glorified cardio kickboxing Tae-Bo fluff.

[JKDude]

Try Jeet Kune Do.

-its kicks like muay thai, but with MUCH MORE developed hand work (thanks to wing chun, boxing, kali, dumog).

-has infighting (kali again, pekiti tersia)

-has groundfighting (jiu jitsu + southeast asian goodies)

-has weapons (kali again x2, fencing, modern stuff)

-very little tradition (like uniforms or even hand protection

-the best jeet in the world can be found in California.
*how i wish i lived on its coast*

ENJOY!!

[ceasarx]

If you are looking to further your physical training I woul recomend either Karate Muay Thai or Jeet kune do. Even some forms of Kung Fu would work. Boxing and Grappling are the best cardio workout you can get in my opinion. But then a expert

[ChuckieT]

I checked in the yellow pages and can't find any schools specializing in Jeet Kune Do. Are you sure there are some in the Silicon Valley area?

Regarding Muay Thai:
I found this school in my yellow pages. What do you guys think of this school?
http://www.akakickbox.com

[ceasarx]

Looks good but I would recommend going there and checking it out first. Stop by a few times, check out prices and see if you can get a free class to get a feel for the atmoshere. most good schools will be more than happy to see your interest

[ChuckieT]

Oh boy, here I go digging up threads. Since I plan on signing up into a martial arts school in a few months I've been rethinking some of my initial choices.

While I think Muay Thai may be a fairly good choice for me in terms of a striking art, I have found that too many of the schools in my area seem to be focused on the "cardio kickboxing" kind of theme. I did look up Hapkido as someone had suggested and found that the closest school is about an hour away. Any other striking style suggestions?