Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions on which type of martial arts classes I should pursue?

Question

I'm not looking into UFC fights or anything. I am just looking for something that would be fun and give me a good workout while teaching me effective/practical self defense.

Answer 1

First find out what is available in your area.

Second sit in on a class at each school that looks as if it might be interesting to you.

Third pick one for yourself.

Just picking a martial art beforehand is a very poor method because the SCHOOL and the TEACHER make all the difference!

Any martial art will suffice for self defense provided you can execute it better than your opponent can execute their method.

Answer 2

Hi.

Fun is rather subjective and a workout is usually a given in any martial arts training.  How good it is will very from school to school so you may have to do a little searching to find everything that you are looking for in one school.  I’ll get to self defense.

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Instead of choosing a style and getting excited about taking it only to find out it's not available in your area, you should look first for a school. However, practical self defense being one of your criteria you can narrow down you options quite a bit. I'll get into this a little bit as we go.

If you don't already know of all the schools available in your area type into Google your city name (and/or area code) and one of the following; martial arts, Karate, Kung Fu or self defense. Not all martial arts studios may be listed on line so also check the yellow pages.

Now call or visit the schools that interest you the most. Ask questions about what they do there to see if it interests you. Ask about the emphasis they place on everything you are interested in. Since you are interested in self defense and fitness then ask about their curriculum and if (and how) it is geared toward those goals.

If it seems like it would be a good school from talking to the instructor(s) then this warrants further investigation. Ask to sit in on a class to watch and see if it's something you'd like to do. Observing a class is one of the most important things you can do, it can tell you a lot about a school. Everything from how a class works, to how well the instructors and students interact, to what emphasis they place on whatever you are looking for.

Most schools will offer an introductory course or a trial period which is usually free if not very cheap. I suggest you take full advantage of this. Kind of like test driving a car before you buy it, always a good idea.

Just make sure that you like whatever style and school you choose. If you don't enjoy it then it's not a good fit and you will never reach your full potential with it.

It's also important that you work well with the instructors and your fellow students. If you don't work well with the instructors then they won't be able to teach you effectively and you will get little benefit out of your training. Similarly, if the overall atmosphere of the school isn't conducive to learning what you are there to learn then you will also not get much benefit out of you're training.

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There are self defense schools and even self defense styles that you could look into. Styles of Kenpo (Kempo) Karate usually fall under this category and tend to be among the best for self defense. They are also usually quite comprehensive containing concepts from several different martial arts (Karate, Jujitsu, Kung Fu, etc...)

Since you asked for a suggestion try looking for a Tracy’s Karate Studio.  They are self defense schools and I would recommend them to anyone.

It's a place to start looking at least but you may not be able to find one of these.  Even if you do you may not like it. This is fine, it doesn't matter how good it is, if you don't like a style or school it won't matter how good they are.

Any style has techniques that are applicable to self defense but they aren't always taught that way. This is why finding the right school and instructor(s) is so important. They will be able to take a style in where the self defense applications aren't inherently taught and teach you those applications.

In other words, it doesn’t matter what style you choose as long as you like it and it's a good school with good instructors.

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I know this all may seem like a lot of work and a lot to think about but if you are able to find the right school it will all be worth it.

I hope this helps and good luck finding a school :)

Answer 3

I think the most practical advise I can give you is to check out some clubs in your local area. Most martial arts focus on either stand-up skills (kicking and punching) or ground fighting (chokes, holds, throws). I imagine from reading you may have a preference for one of these two. My advise would be just to try out several clubs. Go for the one which makes you feel welcome and where you leave with the best feeling about the instructor and class in general. Before you start you would be wise to inform the instructor of your reasons for learning and how that matches what they teach.

Answer 4

Look up local martial art academys..

if you want somthing fun a good work out and good for practical self defense your going to want to look for a Hapkido, Tang soo do, or BJJ class... find out the price then go in and check it out.. if its really not what you wanted then stop going and look for somthing else.. dont get into any tuition contracts untill you know its what you want

Hope this gives you more comfort in your decision

Answer 5

Karate, muay thai, judo, all of these are good ones.  Alot of places where I live let you sit in on a class and then you can take a free one to see if you like it, check in your area and see if any are avaliable. If you live in the Albemarle NC area check out Ms. Kitty's school of Martial arts, we always offer a free class and no pressure.  Contant me for more info.

Answer 6

if your into self defense, tae-kwon-do would be good