Mantis vs. Tae Kwon Do?

Question

Which style would be easier to learn for somebody new to martial arts and for a person in their late 30's? Also, would the learning curve for mantis be too steep for an older person with no martial arts experience?

Answer 1

Tae kwon do would be easier because it's more available. Also, when scientists tested tae kwon do in "Fight Science," it ended up that tae kwon do is the best martial art to train your reflexes.

As for mantis, I don't recommend learning it because it is an advanced style of shaolin; normally you need to train on the basic open handed forms and the 4 basic weapons before learning it. Also, from what I know, mantis kung fu is mainly forms, so you won't get as much of a workout from it as taking tae kwon do. In tae kwon do, they normally make you do some conditioning along with learning forms/sparring.

Answer 2

in a strict traditional kung fu school you will do lots of "boring" stuff. like stance training. conditioning and such.

in tkd...you'll bounce around alot and be active. but i'd dare to say mantis is better for fighting.

if you want to avoid what alot of people would consider boredom. id stay away from staunch traditional arts.

Answer 3

Probably Taekwondo, because it is more common.  But, the bottom line is that it depends upon who your teacher is.

Answer 4

I studied mantis for quite some time, the classes i went to almost everyone in the class was in there mid 40's, there was even a 60 year old man in the class. I think with TKD and Mantis don't look at them as a self defense because the bottom line is neither of them will help you in a street fight until you've studied them for years. I would personally say go with Mantis you will deal more with low stances and hand movement, alot like tai ch,  there aren't that many kicks in mantis while if you join TKD you will be expected to do high flashy kicks and judging by your age you might not have that wide of range of hip movement.

I say go with mantis it is way more fun than TKD and it might be easier for you to learn.

Answer 5

tae kwon do is one of the easiest martial arts to learn so you will learn that a lot quicker.