Help me please if you can!

[melonhead]

I want to learn a martial art but didn't know where to post this thread. I want to learn a martial art but don't know which one to learn heard Jeet Keen Do (think how spelt) is good. I'm a 16 yr old guy who lives in the UK. Which is best martial art to learn to get fit and defend myself against local idiots who try to beat me up cause I don't talk like them or walk like them. And would books or videos/dvds be better to learn from?
I did learn a bit or karate cause went to some classes years ago but had to give it up cause couldn't afford it.

Thanks for any help people give me.

[Spookey]

Hey Melonhead

Several styles could prove beneficial to you...I practice Taekwon-Do (ITF), Muay Thai, and Judo!
You may wish to try www.itf-information.com...several UK posters whom know firsthand a number of quality instructors (possibly could refer you to view a class and see what you think)!

TAEKWON!

[m.artist]

well since it's apparent that u have more than one guy after u i wouldn't suggest muay tahi cuz that's usually against one person....i would suggest jeet kuned do, kenpo karate. or maybe ju-jitsu....but it all depends on what u want to learn and who and what ur defending ur self from....but the ones i mentioned above should tip the scales in ur favor a lil bit more though...after a lot of training of course

[IPON]

I want to learn a martial art but didn't know where to post this thread. I want to learn a martial art but don't know which one to learn

Unfortunately, it is difficult to help becuae we do not know what is available to you. I would say to find a good boxing gym and train. I do not know your physical condition but boxing will provide valuable punching techniques and conditioning. Many really good gyms will have Muay Thai, personally I would stay away from the "Kickboxing" classes becuase often time they are just watered down TaeBo. After about 6 months you should realy notice a difference in your confidence and skill if you are training hard. During this time I would research MA that are local for you, so you can find a home to train.

[johnnyada1]

I think jeet kune do but there are not may clubs in england (where I live) but if you can find one great. Boxing is great but hard also where do you live I might know a few clubs.

Books and tapes cannot make you a blackbelt but can aid your training and increase your knowledge.

sounds like you need a geoff thompson book

[melonhead]

i'll have to look into all ones you have all suggested and see which one be best i live in wolverhampton in west midlands in england.

who geoff thompson?? lol

[Sasami2000]

My 3 steps:
1)Do NOT try to learn from books or videos. If you do not have any previous experience a book or video will hurt your ability because there's a 99% chance you'll be doing it wrong. You need someone to teach you, someone that will make sure you are doing everything correctly. Besides that, most of the books and videos out there are crap.

2)Take boxing lessons from a friend or a gym because it will give you instant skills to be able to use right now. They'll teach you the moves, and then automatically put on the gloves. Taking martial arts first won't give you any real good moves to use on these bullies, nor will they let you start sparring at white belt. So boxing will start defending you from the idiots, as well as prepare you for the martial arts.

3) Once you have a few good moves from boxing to keep the idiots at bay, look for a martial art to really improve your skills. Take your time and find something you like. Go to your local dojos and try it out for awhile, ask questions, and then decide what is best for you. Personally, I love all the martial arts because they all have something unique to offer. If you like punching then head for a Wing Chun school, if you like kicking then head for a Tae Kwon Do or Muay Tae school, if you like throws head to an aikido or judo school, if you like grappling head to a ju jitsu class, if you want a little mix try a form of Karate or Jeet Kune Do.

[JKD-Escrima]

Yes deffinitely boxing is the best place to start.
It has an excellent footwork system, and developing the muscle memory early on is invaluable. Best system in the world for conditioning by FAR. I have never seen any athlete near as well conditioned as a middleweight boxer. (heavy weights can get fat).
Especially in England, considering that's where modern boxing origionated, it should be no trouble to find a good gym and coach. As long as you put in the effort and have a good mindset, you will be fine.

[Uber_Tap]

I'm on the boxing bandwagon 2. As far as the multiple attacker theory goes, I hear a lot of guys say this style or that style will work, but lets be realistic. No matter what martial art you know, if more than 1 person is attacking you, you're probably going to carry an ass whoopin'. My advice, learn some boxing skills, and find some friends.

[eagle]

i'll have to look into all ones you have all suggested and see which one be best i live in wolverhampton in west midlands in england.

who geoff thompson?? lol

hello
first of all is it in my oppinion wrong to start learning an defence art because you get trouble with people that don't like you.
If I can advice you not to start any art or defence system just go to an athletic school and do some fast run so your speed will increase and if you have trouble walk away from it or run away if you can.
The time your mind is clear from this troubles then you will feel if you really want to learn any defence art.
Remember it's not importent to be strong but to be smart
good luck and avoid fighting

[Half-Asleep]

if u can find a good kickboxing place i'd say start there, but if u don't know how to tell if it is good or not kos as IPON mentioned some aren't heaps useful then prolly just do boxing for a while, although it is only used for one on one fighting, u will learn to punch hard and in most cases well so u will be able to do stuff straight away and generally if u hit someone hard enough and enough times they learn to stop annoying u, out of conditioning.
although i do have some major problems with boxing such as some of the punches u are taught i have heard can't be done without gloves kos the gloves support your wrists and without them u will just hurt your wrists and also u have no lower body defence leaving u open to lower body attack and u have no ground fighting skills. That sed boxing skills are better than nothing. (Don't hear me bagging boxing it has its use and it does teach u to fight well)

after u have learnt a bit of boxing and u can defend yourself to some degree then i would suggest taking up something else like ninjutsu and or jujitsu, if u have the money studying multiple arts is good possibly even keeping boxing and taking up BJJ (brazillian Jujitsu) or something. You might also consider Goju-Ryu karate, or hapkido.
Just have a look around u'll find something u like and that works.

[darrianation]

What are your goals for learning MAs (sport, self-defense, exercise, or just to look cool in front of your friends)?

Sport- Full contact or wimp contact? Full contact I would go for Muay Thai. Why? Very hard contact plus the use of knees and elbows and nothing is like the MT round kick. Boxing no kicks but still badass.

Wimp- Try Karate or TKD. For Karate the best Kyokuskin (spelling bad?). For point karate take what ever.

Exercise- Get a membership at a gym that provides training advice as well as cardio equipment, or get taebo tapes.

Grappling- Bjj, Judo, Submission wrestling. Or better yet take a mixed martial art that will give you both striking and grappling skills.

Self-defense- I think the best-organized systems out there are Krav Maga, JKD, MT and boxing. I also subscribe to the philosophies of Geoff Thompson and Sammy Franco among others (get their books/vids).

Look cool for your friends - Looser!

[Aka Kaze]

Wrong!

Karate and Tae Kwon Do are by FAR not wimpy. I guarantee you, if you take a GOOD karate/TKD class and get a GOOD instructor, you will be able to hit harder than you ever could before. Although, it does take a while to develop, but by the time you get to about an orange belt you'll be pretty good. You wont be a bad ass, but you'll be able to defend yourself. The only problem is, is that most people out there don't know what they're doing. Thats why boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, jeet kune do, etc. are so popular nowadays. Try to get a class thats not so focused on sports competition, (not that sports competition is bad, but focusing just on tornament tactics won't help you as well). You need a sensei that will work on actuall street defense. But listen, no matter what style you take, you wont be an ultimate bad ass in six weeks, it takes time to learn how to fight. Also, the only way to learn to fight is to fight. You HAVE to spar. If you have any other questions on karate/TKD just ask me. I'm not saying they're the best, but they are good systems, if you get a good teacher.

[Aka Kaze]

Also, both full contact and point sparing are good. If you do full contact, you will undoutedly learn to fight faster, but you can get hurt a lot. If you do point sparring, you can take you're time and not get hurt as often.

[TNT]

You may tell me to keep my 2 and quarter cents and I mean no disrespect...just passing on what I was told.....but when it comes to street fighting all my senseis, including the one that I train with for boxing will tell me that boxing is out on the street. When we train, he'll teach us strikes that would be considered illegal in the ring, but he knows they may come in handy in a street fight.

I'm on the boxing bandwagon 2. As far as the multiple attacker theory goes, I hear a lot of guys say this style or that style will work, but lets be realistic. No matter what martial art you know, if more than 1 person is attacking you, you're probably going to carry an ass whoopin'. My advice, learn some boxing skills, and find some friends.