What style of martial arts should I do?

Question

What martial art style will teach be best for me and teach me how to fight real good I'm 14 and 5 6 but I'm strong and built (Was one of the strongest in my middle school) weigh 150 and I can bench press about 150 last time I checked (Which was a big deal in my school)

Answer 1

I'm a little taller and lighter with a lot of more expiereince. I think you should take a grappling art such as BJJ or Judo. Your strong and have a good size. So if you bring your opponant to the ground and have that sort of skill, youre virtually un-beatable.

Answer 2

Ok so we have all of the MMA afficionado's weighing in so I will too. I want you to go to this link:

http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt...

It is Judomofo's profile, one of the people that answers on here with much experience. He has 3 questions that are martial arts quizes that anybody with minimal training should be able to answer. Do you see any of the people who have answered here answering these questions? he left one up all weekend, so not seeing it is not excuse.

The fact is that most people who answer what style questions such as yours have no training themselves, they just like to recomend stuff.

Most top contributers here, and consiquently the people that have actually answered these quizes, will essentially tell you the same thing, that style does not matter as much as where you train. Shotokan and Shorin-Ryu if taght and trained correctly are both excellent for self defense. All of the UFC fans, and MMA's posers and wanna be's will tell you that it is the only way to go, but my question is, what are the odds that you will be robbed by a skilled ground fighter? Yes you should at least know how to sprawl to avoid a take down, or to get back to your feet.

My suggestion to you is:

1) Locate all of the schools in your area.

2) Go to www.bullshido.com or do a search on here for finding a good school and what to avoid. There are many ood answers already here. Bullshido has a nice list also.

3) Visit each school and watch more then one class and compare what you see sgainst the list, and ask questions.

4) Pick the school that has the best instructor, that trains the most realisticly, that you can afford, and you wont go wrong.

Answer 3

What do you mean no MMA?

MMA is mixed martial arts, using mroe than one to fight or defend. That means you can continue a fight if you get taken down, or if your standing.

For full practical self defence, the three top contenders would be Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Muay Thai Kickboxing and Krav maga, Krav maga wont be available to be taught to you (or i very much doubt so.) due to it being mostly a middle east special forces defence thing.

Muay Thai is a sport made for actual 'fighting' rather than show and point combat like karate or Tai Kwon Do. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu focuses on ground game, you get them down to make them hurt, its considered one of the more 'useful' martial arts.

If you're doing it simply for fitness. Karate, Judo, TKD are all valid option.

Secondly, the ''ammount you can bench press'' means very little once you get to a certain point. I guarantee someone your age, smaller, weaker could easily take you to the floor if they had any training in Jiu Jitsu or muay Thai. Strength is by no means everything, sure it helps. But main focus? no.

Answer 4

No MMA? lol well I mean, if someone like a wreslter took u down in a fight (which people loving doin. Cuz they want to mount you and make you wish u were never born) so Id take MMA, be an all around good fighter, and be able to punish from any angle.

But if you want to do one martial art, trust me, go with Muay Thai. Muay Thai is a wrecking machine stand up style, and it kicks karate in the ***. Getting into a fight with a muay thai fighter is bad news for anyone

Answer 5

If Kenpo is within your drive/location stop in and watch a few classes to see in person if that is something you'd like to try. Check some of these guys out on youtube.com  Frank Trejo, Frank Soto, Larry Tatum, Jeff Speakman and Ed Parker.

I ve been a Kenpoist for just over 11 years now and wish I had started with it 30 years ago.

Answer 6

Hmm.. let's see.  You're small, but strong.  Probably fast, or you can be trained to be fast.  And you're still young.

The answer is: I have no idea.

You sound like an athletic individual who'd be good at whichever style you choose, and pretty much any style will work for you.

You need to find out what schools are in your area and check them out.  Most schools offer some free classes so you can try it out before you sign a contract, and you can see for yourself if you like the school or not.

Having said that, I do have a few suggestions; if you want to learn how to fight, be warned that some schools focus more on sports competitions or on forms than actual applied knowledge.  Also keep in mind that if you want to get good, it will take you several years.

Some styles you may like include Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo (if you can find a good school- most are c**p), Muay Thai, Juijitsu (I'd avoid Judo, unless it's paired with something).  Aikido is good too, but I've heard it takes awhile to learn.

Answer 7

Krav Maga - not a true martial art but a self defense system based in one of the "hottest" spots on the planet, the arab israeli conflict which has lasted decades. This self defense style is based on the reality that death is all around you and you have to protect yourself effectively or be killed.

It is mandatory for all Israelis in the military to take the basic training. It is absolute self defense not a martial art, if you want a chance to really survive an attack this is one way to go, battle tested in one of the hairiest places in the world to be a soldier.

Defense against multiple attackers, weapons, knives, guns, etc. If you have a Krav Maga school near you go check it out and see if you like it. Ultimately you have to choose the "system" or school you like best, every school/dojo has a different personality and it has to match yours as well.

Good Luck in your search for your "style"

Answer 8

To learn how to fight well, you must be prepared to learn how to keep from needing to fight. This is the greatest victory. If you can find an instructor in the traditional Okinawan styles or Filipino styles, you are fortunate. Shorin-ryu is excellent, as well as goju ryu, uichi ryu, and the style I teach, Isshinryu. The Filipino stick and blade styles also have empty hand techniques as well. The combination of Okinawan and Filipino styles is hard to beat. Stay away from the new fad of mixed martial arts. It is a sport. The last thing I want to do is get on the ground with someone, as today they usually have friends around. I have taught for 22years, and have found that I can consistently teach my students to hold their own against anything else.  As for learning, I learn more about my styles each day. The process goes on and on. If I can never learn all there is to know about the styles I teach, why try to mix many styles together when there is no hope of mastering even one. If you would learn more, go to www.shadowhawkblades.com and follow the links to my school sites. Feel free to contact me in whatever manner you choose if you have more questions.

Answer 9

why pick one martial art??? do mixed martial arts (MMA) in case you didn't know thats ufc fighting. if you want to see more youtube it lol

Answer 10

Depends on what you are hoping to achieve. TKD and Karate are the best for discipline and focus. If you are hoping to get means of self defence, street fighting or lima lama(samoan martial arts) is what you want to learn. Personally, i would start out with TKD for basic martial arts concepts, and then move on to more complex martial arts.

Answer 11

Shop the school and instructor not the style.  I say this for a couple of reasons.  First not all traditional styles fight; a Shorin-ryu group being one of them so it depends on who that school may be affilated with.  Also some schools teach more the sport and point fighting aspects and while that is fighting it is not the same thing as some other types that might better prepare you for the streets.  If you make your decision based on what you are looking for you are more apt to be happy and stay with it than if you are not.