Which form of martial arts would you recommend?

Question

I am 17 and my friend is 16. We would like to join a club for matial arts. I did Tae Kwondo when I was 7 but only for a month so I guess it doesn't count.

Which one would you recommend??? =]

Answer 1

depends wut u like to do. Personally i love taekwondo. Love using legs. It builds alot of strength and flexibility in ur legs.

Answer 2

I am not going to recomend any style over another, because I do not know you and I do not know what is availible near you. Rather then style I am going to advise you to pick the instructor and school carefully.

There are many good answers on here about what to look for in an instructor and school, and what to avoid. Just use the search feature, or if you want E-mail me and I will send you a list I have made up, since thsi question comes up often. Once you know what to look for and what questions to ask, visit all of the schools in your area and watch a few classes at each. Some will even offer free trials, so take advantage of that. Base your decision on the most knowledgible instructor and the school that trains most realisticly, rather then on style. I am sorry to say if you can't do this research and legwork, you are probably not going to have the drive to train anyway. remember that any style if trained and taught correctly is good.

Good luck!

Answer 3

It depends on what you are trying to get out of it.  What is your goal?  Work out, compete, self defense.

I teach what we term a reality based system of karate that takes into consideration punching and kicking to infighting to groundwork.  

Visit a few different classes and styles and ask a few questions after determining what you want and then make a decision.

Answer 4

If you are interested in self defense then you need  to be sure that whatever school you choose practices their techniques under resistance and that the techniques they teach are applicable under pressure.

If you don't pressure test your techniques then your chances of being able to use them in a self defense situation go down dramatically.

Any Martial Art will improve your fitness and give you discipline, just like every other good physical activity. My personal recommendations would be anything from the following list: Boxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, Wrestling, Judo, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.  Those will be the easiest to find good schools in. Other arts have good schools and good instructors, but the bad schools frequently outnumber the good in things like Taekwondo and Kungfu because they became so popular in the 70s and 80s. The important thing is to visit every school you are interested in, talk to the other students, watch a couple of classes.

Remember this is an investment you are making that may cost you several thousand dollars over time. Make sure you are happy with your decision by doing your research now.

Answer 5

gung fu personally i prefer. But its hard to find a good quality place these days.

Answer 6

I believe that boxing is the best because for any fight, its the STAMINA that counts. Boxing improves stamina and strengthens the body. Moreover when u blow somebodies face, its the maximum u hurt somebody. Martial Arts are also good but they are not as sporty and easy learn like boxing.

Answer 7

Ask yourself a couple of questions and then decide, are you looking for survival or sport arts.  Are you looking to train for MMA or combat ?

Once you answer these questions, you go choose your school.  See if they will let you try before you buy, find out who they are associated with.and most importantly how do you feel about the school, is it going to give you what you are looking for ?

Answer 8

I wouldn't recommend any martial art over another as they are all different and develop different abilities.  It depends what you have in your area and whether or not you think you would enjoy it.  All of them will help with self defence and developing/maintaining physical and mental fitness.  Personally, I am a karate-ka and only took it up because the club I go to go round "door-knocking" to recruit members and my son, husband and I could all go to the same class together.  I didn't expect my son or myself to continue for very long but we both enjoy it so much that we are still there 7 years later and I am an assistant instructor!

Most clubs will allow you to attend a class or two before you part with any cash to join so if you don't like one try a different one.

Answer 9

im gonnna assume most places around you will offer maybe a week or two free, just try all the places you seem interested in and then make a decision. Thats what i did and i love it and im glad i didnt stick with the first place i found haha

Answer 10

If you are a girl, Aikido or Judo.  Most martial arts were designed by men, for men, and rely on a lot of power.  Unless you're an ogress and posses such power, don't go near those things nevertheless you DO need self defense.  Aikido relies entirely on physics, although, mastery of the art requires EXTREME dedication.  To pull on a punch, at precisely the right moment during a fight, without the attacker being aware, while at the same time being in the exact foot position to execute the throw, requires quite a bit of practice.  If you want something easy to pick up, that will negate the strength advantage of a male attacker, try Judo.  Many women have used Judo very effectively in the past, and a Japanese woman in San Francisco holds an 8th Dan rank.  That basically means the Kodokan in Japan considers her more skilled than Masahiko Kimura.

Look him up on youtube.

I do not mean to offend, but the only physical endeavors in which women can beat men, are physical endeavors reliant on physics, and proper form, rather than power or speed.  In the sport of Volleyball, girls can easily beat guys, because its all about finese, and you don't need too much speed to move around your given side of the court.  Its all about team work.  However in American football, the scene changes completely.  Karate, was designed for guys built like tanks; many Okinawans are human tanks.  Tae Kwan Do was designed by tall men, for tall men.

And if you can not find any of those, you should consdier Wing Chung Kung Fu, or Fujian Crane Style Kung Fu if you can find them.  Both those arts were developed by women, taking into consideration their physical limitations.

peace out.