I want to learn a martial art, which one???

Question

im thinking of doing karate, i want a martial art where you spare and have compititioins

Answer 1

Depends on what your objective is. And people that tell you Karate, Kung Fu, without giving you a specific style are not very knowledgeable.

If you seek to stay in shape then that's one thing.

If you want self-defense that's another.

if you seek spirituality that's still another.

of you wish to lose weight

Or a mix of both (defense and staying in shape).

Personally I think Goju is awesome for self defense, staying in shape and the spiritual side. It is a form a Karate.

Or try Capoiera which also is good for self defense, staying shape and spiritual.

Another option:Jeet Keen Do (Bruce Lees Creation).

But with all styles consider adding some JUDO for great defensive throws and escape moves.

ANother great style is Four Winds Gung Fu (Kung Fu), a style created in the Caribbean.

Answer 2

I'm in a weaker version of karv kava. i like it a lot first because after this level in my training i will go to the full out training. karv kava is a very lethal  martial art but i think it is worth is because some of the benefits are improved strenght and improved reflexes. but i think the best benefit is self discipline

Answer 3

Okay.. sparring and competitions covers karate, judo, and taekwondo as well as others.

Now you need to pick a school.  Different teachers teach the same things in different ways, so visit some different schools, check out the different styles, and see which one(s) you like.  Make sure you ask about monthly dues and any testing fees or special events that you are required to pay for.

Answer 4

I'd suggest Muay Thai, both for it's combat effectiveness and for the fact that it's just a lot more fun than Karate or TKD (personal experience). Plus, you'll have a leg up on both those arts because neither emphasize knees and elbows like Muay Thai does.

Answer 5

For A.M.- How can you say you did a style, and recomend it, when you don't even know how to spell it, and aren't even close considering the way it sounds. There is no v in Tai Kwon Do.

That being said TKD is noted now days for having more schools that train for sport then for realism, although a good traditional school will have more then adiquate self defense.

As for the question, Many karate schools now days focus on point sparring and competing in tournements. There are many styles out there that this has become their main focus.

Be aware that if you are looking for self defense, most of thes e schools will not really prepare you for real life. It all comes down to what you want.

Best bet is to ask at the school if their main focus is on realism or on sport. There are some that have a good balance between sport karate and realistic karate but not many. They are few and far between.

Edit for Bobby- Yep keep trying to convince anyone who will listen that BJJ is the only good art out there, maybe some of the un enlightened will actually beleive you lol. How come younever post when people ask about technique's and how to do them, the only time you post is when there is a what style question? Can you explain?

Answer 6

Taekwon-do - the art of hand and foot - lots of sparring - patterns - best for self defence and fitness - it is a full contact sport - have a look on youtube

Answer 7

if you onl;y want to compete then Tae Kwon Do is best.

It's pretty lame in the real world and only suited to being a sport.

if you want to do something more useful and interesting, then Muay Thai is the business.

Not for the faint-hearted though. Be prepared to deliver and receive a few knees and elbow to the head.

Answer 8

karate is the best!!

Answer 9

karate is good.  personally I would take a look at what professional fighter train in because you know they train in arts that are proven fighting systems.  The consensus in mixed martial arts is they train in muay thai, boxing, wrestling, and submissions (judo, jiujitsu, sambo, ect...)

Answer 10

tekvando(dont know the spell) cause u can use your legs much more

in karate, all u use is your hands and since the punches with the legs are much harder,i'd think u should select that one

i did both of them and i love tekvando, makes u much more powerful

Answer 11

Krav Maga best in the world

Answer 12

Tae Kwon Do is good for developing a base for developing your technical aspects(precision + discipline). After doing that for a while I'd reccommend Muay Thai for standing and then Jui Jitsu for your ground game(if you wanted to become more than a one trick pony that is). But there are many different options open. Many martial arts have sparing and competitions. My advice is to feel it out and figure out what you would like to do. That way you won't give up.

Answer 13

jiu-jitsu

Answer 14

jiu jitsu - perferably Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. the most down to earth martial art there is.

forget TKD. when are you ever going to throw a tornado kick in a street fight? you could only ever do that if the opponent was a complete p.ussy.

if you want to learn how to actually fight and defend yourself -choose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).

but if you just want to look cool in front of your mates choose tae kwon do or something like that.

im not saying TKD wont help you in a real fight but you would be only able to use like 10% of the moves in a real situation.

just watch the ufc and you'll see that real fighting is all about BJJ or other ground grappling systems

watch the vidoes to see the effectiveness of BJJ and some of the history

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WlYD-j9GSvo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UVCKEbiEJNc&f...

Answer 15

No martial art is better than another.

Sheessh.. Haven't you guys watched Jet Li's "Fearless"?!

Just kidding.. Kind of.. But first of all I want to thank you for perpetuating the never ending "my style is better than your style" war.  Lol.  If you're new to martial arts, this is war you'll soon become very familiar with.  It's one that I used to very much be a part of, constantly bashing and discouraging practitioners of other systems and styles.

The fact of the matter is, as my instructor would say, "no martial art monopolizes the truth."  While some are better in some ranges, others will excel in a others.  I'm quite certain, however, that most martial arts institutes will have a counter for another institute's "best technique."  And vice versa.  But the fact of the matter is, everyone will always be able to counter everyone in one way or another.  So what's your best bet?  LEARN EVERY SINGLE MARTIAL ART KNOWN TO MAN!! ... and of course the numerous variations of those arts with their variations and so forth..

Lol.  Ok.  But now to answer YOUR question!  If sparring and competition what you want to do, then your best bet is to google (or Yahoo! of course!!) competitions in your area.  Do your research and see which competitions best suit you.  By this I mean, do you want to leave the event with a busted face or do you want to leave with a bit of dirt on your gi and a pretty ribbon? These competitions range from MMA to kickboxing to light contact sparring to form and weapon demonstrations.  The sky's the limit.

In regard to which martial art you should train in, I wasn't really kidding about learning everything.  The crème de la crème of the martial arts world all cross-train.  What do I mean by this?  They understand that not every fight you encounter is going to take place in the same fashion.  For that reason, one must be prepared to take on any situation--from long (kicking) range, to mid (boxing) range, to trapping and grappling range.  The academy at which I train is forced to title differing classes in order to apease to the general public, but we utilize methods and techniques from any system that works.  My training uniform has 6 different logos on it.  My instructor's uniform (who trains at the Inosanto Academy) has about 20 different logos on it.  What does this mean?  In my opinion we're well versed.

If you decide to agree with me on this one, you'll probably run into the argument that "a Jack of all trades is an expert at nothing."  To this crowd I say, I may not be considered an expert at any given range, but I am proficient at every given range.  You may excell on your feet, but I can take you to the ground.  If you like the ground, I can stay on my feet.

There is no better technique.  Just better fighters.

The end.  =)

Answer 16

Fencing

Most Karates (Ask. Could be McDojo or Belt factory)

Some Chinese martial arts (If they do sanshou or pushing hands. Ask)  

Judo

Jujutsu

Brazillian Jujitsu

Boxing

Kendo

Tae Kwon Do

Savate

Muay Thai

Answer 17

Taiji,it also good for health.

Answer 18

if you want to spar I would say Muay Thai.  If it's karate you like try a school in the USA-NKF. They have the support of the US Olympic committee