Is karate a good martial art for me to start studying?

Question

I was thinking of taking boxing or kick boxing, but my mom showed me a karate school within walking distance from home and I'm considering beginning study. I am very fit and athletic, but have never done any self defense training. I'm looking for something that will help in self defense. Is karate the way to go? I asume it is more than just patterns and stretching and is there some serious strikes and training?

Answer 1

http://www.youtube.com/martialarm offers a training method I have seen at some gyms.

Answer 2

Speaking from 18 years of training an Okinawin karate style, and having survived an attack against me with a knife, yes karate is definetly excellent for self defense, if it is taught and trained in the correct manner.

The patterns(Kata) that you talk about are one of the most misunderstood prtions of karate. To the un-initiated they appear to be just movements mainly blocks, punches, and kicks, when in reality, if you have a good instructor, they contain all of the self defense of the style, including joint locks, throw's, sweeps, chokes, and clinch fighting, but you need a good instructor to show these applications to you. Many people who put kata down do not realize that at the higher levels once you have a better understanding of what you are doing, you practice the kata for each motion, not the whole kata. Kata are a way to condition your mind and body to react to an attack without thought, through muscle memory. It is no different then shadow boxing in boxing or kick boxing, but at the same time far more complicated.

In addition to learning the kata, you want to go to a school that actually practices the techniques within them against a live, resisting opponent. This teaches you how to actually apply the techniques. There are many excellent answers on here about what to avoid and also what to look for in an instructor and a school, just run the search feature.

For Sneaking and Malferds- No disrepect but you obviously do not know what true karate is, or what it can do. Most good traditional karate schools study and train heavily with how to use and defend against weapons, including knives and clubs. Also sneaking realize that just because a school has not jumped on the MMA bandwagon, doesn't mean that what they have always taught will not work today. These techniques are 100's of years old, and I have to tell you that a grab, punch, or kick today is probably pretty much the same as it was back then. There are only so many ways the human body can attack someone.

Answer 3

um it depends on the school. if it is a good school then karate is definitely the way to go. it surely will help you in self defense

Answer 4

I've studied traditional Okinawan karate for the last 14 years. We work a lot of kata (forms/patterns) and two man drills. Once in a blue moon, we'll spar.

If I didn't fully believe what we learn works, I would have quit long ago. Many people don't like to work kata - they think it's a waste of time, so they stay away from traditional karate. I believe kata is essential. It not only teaches you various techniques, but teaches you how to apply them in a street situation and conditions your muscle memory. . .sharpens your physical instincts. Many people don't realize this.

If this school you mentioned is a traditional school (no matter what style), I'd go for it. There's a lot of junk out there. I'm not a fan of UFC type MMA simply for the fact that they miss the entire essence of martial arts. While martial arts teaches you how to survive in a street situation, it's not ALL about fighting.

UFC barely scratches the surface of what you can learn while studying martial arts. They don't teach anything about body meridians, pressure points, skin manipulation, nerve strikes, etc. . .I'd reccomend staying away from the junk. Go with a traditional school.

Also, if your motive for wanting to learn martial arts is to beat somebody's head in, do every martial artist a favor and join  ballet class. That should never be your motivation. Make sure your heart and mindset are right before joining a martial arts school.

One more thing. Never, EVER join a school that promises you  a black belt within a certain amount of time OR a school that makes you sign a contract. Chances are, that school is junk and what you'll learn won't be effective on the street.

Answer 5

I found my training improved when I added some martial arts training. try the martialarm http://www.youtube.com/martialarm

Answer 6

I would go with jujitsu if you like a balanced kind of fighting style. karate is good but jujisu has less weaknesses. your more likely to be a better fighter in jujitsu. In fact jujitsu fits todays modern world because it teaches how to disarm an opponent, attack an opponent and grapple/takedown an opponent. it was used by the samurai of japan if they lost there weapon they resorted to jujitsu.

Answer 7

In all honesty if you want something to really help you with self defence I'd look more along the line of mauy thai.  I personally find it to be a more real world type of self defence, it teaches you how to take hits as well as throw them.  Also krav maga is brilliant, it is what the Israeli army use for hand to hand combat.  Check out some clips on youtube.

Answer 8

yes, it's the one i started with. if you get a good teacher then you will start with the basics. it is easy at white belt and as you progress it gets harder and more interesting. yes there are fatal and tak down blows. whne striking to those places you need to make sure the punch or jab is perfect. but that's more in jujitsu.

Answer 9

At its base, karate is a good art. However, it has been watered down a good deal by most schools. I find that karate schools are hit and miss. This is due to a couple of things. First off, many unqualified, inexperienced people believe that they can start a school. It takes many years to become a true master. Second, tournaments and tournament driven schools have trained many martial arts students to do fancy things that simply will not work in a real fight.

So, check this school out. See if it is showy, or if the teacher is about real life situations. There is nothing wrong with tournaments and showy, that can be fun. But do realize that some of that stuff will not work if you need something in a real fight.

Note to karate students: I am not busting on your art, I am just saying that there are many illegitimate karate teachers out there.

Answer 10

for serious self defense in this day and age you need to study how do defend from weapons.  

but just school yard abuse training it would be fine.

Answer 11

Im not going to start going into too much detail here but it just depends on which karate school you go to. walk in and watch a lesson or something if you want a bit more information i found a great site. i put the website on my sources.

Answer 12

it is a good style and if your lucky the school close to you will have a good teacher.most good schools will give you a free trial period so do a few classes and if its no good or you dont like it try something else.dont pay any up front fees or sign any contracts.

Answer 13

Absolutely, go for it, karate is just as good as any other form of martial arts, my kids are fortunate enough to go to a school that teaches Mixed Martial arts.

Answer 14

i take karate and believe me it is more than stretching

firstly we spar a lot which is such a workout ..and you get to practice kicks and punches..pretty much just fighting with other people.

we always stretch

some days we practice technique and how to do kicks and punches great, and sometimes we practice for speed and power etc.

we also do self defense training like grappling and some kinds of grabs

sometimes we just have workout days where we will do weights

its soo much fun

Answer 15

Karate is a great self-defense if taught properly. Go Check out the school.

Grim:   Not sure where you got the idea that jujitsu has less weaknesses. That is an opinion you might want to re-consider. After more than 40 years of serious MA training in both karate and jujitsu. I can say that all arts have weaknesses. However understand that the weaknesses are not due to the art, but what and how it is taught.

Answer 16

You should check out the school first and see how the classes are , because some karate schools are very traditional and do not complement themselves with modern approaches of self defense to keep in tune with the times. Many karate schools now a days put in some boxing and kickboxing concepts as well as at least some basic self defense moves for a variety of situations even with weapons. So do your research first and see if that school meets the requirements that your looking for , if it doesnt and you find it too classical for you , then your probably going to be happier taking boxing or kickboxing even if you have to travel a little.

Answer 17

To be honest with you it all depends on how strong you are for most discliplines of martial arts.   Having said that, there are few that I would reccomend for girls to take because they are more structured for control of an aggressor.  That is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tai Chi, and Judo.  I am not going to knock any martial art form though, they are all worthy of self defense.  Since its close to your house, go for it.