Which Martial Art to Study???

[skinny2]

I'm brand new to the board and do not know much about the various martial arts. My question is about which MA to choose? I've done a few searches but was hoping that somebody could point out a source that would generally describe the various disciplines, suggested reading, etc. to help me decide which one to study? I appologize in advance as I'm fairly certain that this question is commonly asked.


Thanks

[mpg9999]

http://www.kickboxing.com has some good info on styles.

-Mike

[smith&wesson]

Kickboxing is not bad (it gives you a feeling for strikes). To me it seems like a good beginning

[jaykay]

It completely depends on you. What do you want to get out of a martial art?

To be honest, when I started the Martial Arts I was hunting for a Kung Fu school. I found my current school (Ju Jitsu/Pankration) and fell in love with the style. I had never heard of anything like it.

Also it depends a great deal on what schools are available around where you live.

So what *do* you want to get out of a martial art?

[skinny2]

I guess I'm generally looking for something that will give me good self defense skills, but that is such a broad statement that I don't really know where to start.

At first thought, I think I may be interested in Kung Fu, but there are alot of TKD and Karate opportunities around (I live near Olympia Washington). There are also some mixed courses, and it is my impression that they don't stick with any one style.

I guess what I'm hoping to find is some broad description that will help me decide. Is that realistic to find? I'm guessing that all MA disciplines have their advantages/disadvantages, but is there a place that can sort of sum all of this up? Unfortunately I don't know anybody in the area so I'm relying on the information that I read on this forum.


Has anybody else been in my same position or did you just pick one and go?

[Szczepankiewicz]

good self defense skills

What do you know about self defense?

[butcanuwrestle?]

If winning real fights consistently is what you're looking for. I suggest you study the arts that have proven to work. JJ, boxing, thaiboxing, and of course Greco & Freestyle wrestling. Mastering the wrestling game, while learning the other arts well will undoubtably make you one tough sob to beat!

Just ask Randy Couture or Matt Hughes?

[skinny2]

To be honest, not much. In my life I've had little need to have to defend myself. That said, the world continues to be a more dangerous place and if the time comes, I'd rather have some options rather than just trying to run like hell...I'm not as young as I used to be (38).


Martial arts were something that always fascinated me, and possibly like others, watched the occasional movie. I like the idea of the discipline and the talent that goes with it. I could also use the muscular conditioning.


Why do you ask?

[Nick]

...

Even though they aren't defense oriented, I'd say you should go with Muay Thai or Brazillian Jujitsu. They are practical styles. There are very few Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do places out there that will teach you well.

Later...

[RAB]

Where are you located at? There might be some qualified people here in the forum.

I'm partial to FMA as a well rounded form of self-defense. You might consider judo or a form that will start you off with falling and rolling. The reason is as we get older, the need to be loose and limber, becomes more apparent. Basic exercises such as falling and rolling will provides you with loose joints and conditioning through body impact.

Sincerely,

Richard

[skinny2]

I'm located south of Olympia Washington about 30 miles. If somebody could recommend somebody or a place to check out that would be ideal.

Are there any additional items I should consider? Thanks in advance for everybody's input.

[HuSanYan]

hi skinny2

either do a search on the web to see if you can find martial arts schools/clubs in your area or try the yellow pages phone directory, there are often clubs advertising in there by area.

Have you looked into JuJutsu? (Japanese, that is), it is a very good and very long established form of self defense with no fancy messing around.
It (although many different styles within the label of JJ, known as ryuha) mainly consists of throws, joint locks, take downs, blocks, strikes & kicks, it will also teach you to fall and roll. The art of JJ consists of circular movements and is well known for using an opponents force against them rather than meeting force with force.

You mentioned Kung Fu, this is an enormous subject as there are just so many hundreds of styles, some of which consist of very fancy and somewhat flowery moves which can be quite ineffective in a real situation. However, this being said, Wing Chun, sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a very good MA and consists of direct linear strikes, kicks, elbows and a wide repertoire of hand deflections / blocks. this style is also very good for using an opponents force against them and does not require brute force, there are some very clever techniques indeed in this style, do a search on the web, there are countless sites dedicated to this.

You may get many answers that point you in the direction of Muay Thai (thai kick boxing) and / or BJJ Brazilian JuJutsu (mainly ground fighting), these are very effective styles but DO need very serious conditioning and I think its an important point for you to think of your age, not that 38 is old by any stretch but do realise that as we get older we bruise easier and take longer to heal, now this is something to think about if you have to get up for work of a morning, because with Muay Thai & BJJ you are expected to take a lot of pain in the training/conditioning.

These 2 styles are Martial/Combat Sports more than they are MA's, and also happen to be very "Fashionable" or "In Vogue" at the moment, especially with the younger folks.

Just something to think about, hope it is of some help

[adacas]

ever look at kajukenbo? It is kinda hard to find a school in your area I guess. I know of three at seattle and one in wilkeson and one in tumwater. You can look for schools at kajukenbo.org

[skinny2]

This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get, general descriptions of the various options.


Forgive my continued ignorance, what is Kajukenbo? Tumwater is not too far so that may be an option.

Thanks again

[Strepto]

Go take a look there

http://www.martialartsites.com/styles.cfm

Chose a style from the dropdown menu. Then you get to read about the style and if you click on the Style History tab it will give you some historical info about the style.

Have fun reading!