Which martial art should I study in?

Question

I've been into taekwondo before and I didn't much care for it at all. It seemed more leaning towards showing off than anything and everyone there treated anyone but higher belts like **** and the instructors seemed to encourage it. Perhaps it was a bad place to learn but from Taekwondo demonstrations and such I don't see me of a practical use for it.

Which Martial art would teach me how to use my whole body Not specializing in grabs, punch, kicking individually but teaches as a whole if that makes sense.

I mean; when it comes down to real life self defense I'd like to be able to know exactly what to do in any situation rather than have to work my way to set myself up for a specific maneuver of sorts.

I'm not interested in weapons too much but in combat I always viewed speed and endurance over brute power.

Knowing this which martial art should I look into?

Answer 1

Boxing/KickBoxing/Wrestling !!!!!!

Answer 2

I tried two styles of karate. They were boring as h**l now I'm in MMA. Never been in better shape.

Answer 3

The fact is that most people on here will respond to this question with:

1) The style that they train.

2) The style that their kids are in.

3) Answer based on what they see in the UFC.

The fact is that any style if taught well and trained realisticly, with progressive resistance will serve you well for self defense. It is all in how it is taught and trained, and also what fits you as an individual.

Disregard the statistic that 90% of fights go to the ground. This is a distortion on a statistic in a law enforcment study on altercations with officers. This is a statistic based on people who have to restrain suspects with minimal damage. It has been distorted by the Gracie's to premote their style. I even asked a question about this and here are the responses I received.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

No one was able to back up these statistics, even with the original study. The fact is that the number of self defense situations that go to the ground (not talking about ego driven street fights) where both people can still continue is much lower. Enough said about the UFC fans and wanna be's answers.

Not to say that these style's will not work, but what happens if you have more then one attacker? BJJ goes out the window.

Some styles that tend to incorperate all ranges of fighting (Striking, Grappling) in one style are Japanese Ju Jitsu, Hapkido, Combat Sambo. Okinawin karate IE Shorin-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Euchi-Ryu. Isshin-Ryu have a lot of standing grappling techniques and submissions including locks and chokes. If you don't have one of these in your area then you may have to go with a combination of style's.

More importent then any style though is how it is taught and trained. In the end a style or styles cannot defend you, you have to defend you using the style. There are many questions on here on what to look for and what to avoid in a school. Just use the search feature.

I hope this answer helps.

Answer 4

I also studied Tae Kwon Do (3+ years)... then took a break for many of the same reasons (showmanship, attitude, etc). Although i can't point you to the best martial art (as its really more of an indivdual fit with a school and master that you should look for), i can tell you that i too searched for about 2 months to find another school. During that time i took classes in Karate, Akido and Kung fu which were all available to me in my area. I ended up sticking with Kung Fu for several reasons - 1) it taught practical fighting techniques - strikes, ground work and grappling, 2) it taught weapons - staff, short staff, sword, etc --- as early as the second level belt and 3) it taught tai chi as both a meditation and a fighting form. I felt all of these things left me more well rounded as a fighter, and kept me interested.

Answer 5

In all honesty, the most practical would be Brazilian jujitsu. More than likely a street fight is going to be anything but a technical boxing or kickboxing match, its going to be ugly, and will most likely end up on the ground.  Brazilian jujitsu is more modern and is all about practical self defense. The majority of a bjj lesson is "rolling"(sparring) so you will get a lot more time to actually gain experience. On the ground you will be able to dominate and control you foe without taking a lot of damage, in a dominate position you don't even have to attack, just hold the position until the jerk cools down, but if you have to, you can end the fight really quick with a choke or lock.

Answer 6

taebo

Answer 7

I'd suggest either,Japanese Jiu-jitsu, Aikido,Wing Chun or Boxing :)***

Answer 8

definitely ju-jitsu

or even wrestling for adults if you can find it

in UFC wrestlers usually win (and that's about as real as it gets for a fight)

Answer 9

If you are looking for something that is real life self defense and practical. I would say either Krav Maga or FMA (Filipino Martial arts IE: Arnis/Eskrima, Kali). I have discovered that FMA uses bits & pieces from other disciplines and uses those techniques or even streamlines those techniques. There are kicks, punches, joint manipulation, wrestling and boxing. Its very street as most of the traning you can do with your sneakers.

The unique thing about FMA is that you train with a weapon first then go to empty hand. All other martial arts start the other way around. Check out arnis escrima silat on youtube.

Answer 10

For self defense, it might seem a little trendy but Krav Maga is what you'd want. Look it up, it's serious stuff for real life self defense.