I am 21 year old, if i want to learn a specific kind of marshal art or self defence what would be best for me?

Question

I am 21 year old, if i want to learn a specific kind of marshal art or self defence what would be best for me?

Answer 1

Jiu-jitsu :)***

Answer 2

You had better go to Thailand or Brazil.

Answer 3

Hi.

Well you don't really give us much to work with so this is going to take a little longer.  You used the words "self defense" so I'm going to assume that that's one of your goals.  Your age really doesn't make a whole lot of difference as most (not all mind you) good self defense schools will train people of any age.

I think you need to decide what you really want to get out of taking a martial art.  There are several possible goals and combinations there of...

* Self defense

* Art for the sake of art (some people take martial arts simply because they have an appreciation for this type of art)

* Fitness

* Sport (if you want to go to competitions and win trophies 'n' stuff)

* Because it's just plain cool

This list is by no means comprehensive...

Any reason you have for taking martial arts other that maliciously hurting other people is just fine.  I personally train for self defense primarily, for the sake of art and fitness as secondary goals.

If you are looking for self defense then try and find a self defense school.  All martial arts have techniques that are applicable to combat and therefore self defense; however this may not necessarily be their emphasis.  You don't want to have to spend years of training figuring out how to use what your learning to defend yourself, you want part of the learning to include how to use your martial art.

Self defense being the goal I would stay away from sport arts such as Tae Kwon Do and Judo.  They are both great styles but they are sports.  You may get lucky and find a great Tae Kwon Do school that combines other styles like Shotokan into their curriculum; if this is the case then a second look is warranted but be cautious that you aren't getting sucked into a belt factory.

If you are just starting out learning martial arts then I would recommend a style that is well rounded.  I would try to find a style that uses a lot of stand up combat but also incorporates some grappling.  The solution to every self defense situation is not to take your attacker to the ground and put him in an arm bar.  The reason being that while you’re tangled up with him on the ground if he has a friend close by you will get your face stomped.  So it is best to find a style that uses grappling in conjunction with other types of fighting... and I don't mean MMA, keep in mind MMA is a sport.

Some styles are great for self defense but don't use a lot of (if any) grappling.  This is fine, well rounded when referring to self defense simply means that you learn a solution to nearly every self defense situation you could find yourself in (within reason of course).

I would recommend you look for Chinese Kenpo Karate as I know this style very well (taught at Tracy's Karate Studios).  It is a self defense style that uses stand up martial arts, but often in techniques grappling is used.  However you rarely follow your attacker to the ground.  Usually just a quick follow up strike is employed before you can get back up to face your next attacker.  In addition to using Jujitsu it also combines some Kung Fu.

Or perhaps you could try one of its sister styles such as American Kenpo or Shaolin Kenpo.  

Wing Chun is great for combat but the specific emphasis they place on self defense I do not know.

Your best bet is to look around and see what's available in your area and to visit.  Ask if you can sit in on a class just to watch, if you like what you see then go for it.  Ask the owner of the school or instructor about self defense and see what they say.  Be cautious about contracts and/or guarantees about the length of time it will take you to go up in rank.  This could be a sign of a belt factory, though not always.

I can't really tell you what you should take as it is mostly personal preference.  What I like and what works for me might not be the same for you.  If a style is not working for you, you'll know it and you should have no reservations about leaving and finding someplace else.

So to break it down I recommend you look for:

Chinese Kenpo Karate

American Kenpo (or other like styles)

Wing Chun

It's a place to start anyway :)

Hope I helped and good luck!

Answer 4

ice hocky..

Answer 5

depends.... on a lot of factors. I will go according to body weight.

If you are a light-medium weight and are learning for self defense then Karate is the best.

But if you are a heavy weight than any form of grappling would do. Ju-jutsu wont work if you are a light weight -- imagine a 150 pounder throwing a 250 one (its just ridiculous) --ofcourse it can be done with thorough training, but I assume you are not aiming to become a master.

Also if you are a girl I believe Tai-chi would be the best form of self defense to learn. if utilized properly you can almost never get hurt though you wouldn't do much damage to the other person.

Answer 6

i advocate muay thai to any one wanting to learn self defence because a guy coming at u in a bar wont be expecting a over the sholder elbow smashing is eye brow into the back of his head.

Answer 7

there are schools that offer MMA, (mixed martial arts) my brother took a class that taught him Jujitsu ,aikido, and grappling . Also depending on your background and physique you might opt for a mostly or all Standing style like karate ,kung-fu ...  .  My brother was told since he used to breakdance he might be good at jujitsu, he laughed but funny enough it was true and he has won a few competitions.

Answer 8

u should practice 'SHITO-RYU' form of karate it is very helpful