Which martial art should I take up?

Question

Okay.

I Have a problem here: There is 3 choices for me.

First of all, Aikido, 2nd Wing CHun kung fu, third karate.

Okay.

I will probably not take Karate as there are no joint lock probably and I did it before.

Can anybody who is skilled in martial arts tell me which one would be the MOST effective.

Can any Aikidoka tell me how good Aikido worked for them?

Why does so many military online people of self defense have something against Aikido and said they have black belt in it and tried it?

Is there punches in Aikido?

Will it also teach you how to put force onto an attacker?

Sould Wing Chun be better in self defense rather?

I am going to South Africa in a few months and need to take up one of them for self defense.

Please tell me.

I want to enjoy it, and be able to defend myself.

I am not sure whether I should do kung fu Or Aikido.

Please also tell me why you say which art is great for self defense.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Those martial arts scream 98% of landing a McDojo. Plus there are Katas you must do and such,Train MMA or Boxing.

Answer 2

Hello Wikus,



In my opinion, i would suggest you to take up Wing Chun and i am saying that because this martial art is a Kung Fu system that combines attack and defense simultaneously. When somebody try to punch you, you will block his punch (straight or hook) with the one hand and with the other hand you will hit him on his face or breast or kick him. Also, in Wing Chun you learn many kicks, blocks and ground techniques.. So, i vote Wing Chun Kung Fu.

I found a useful web page with many information about Wing Chun 's history, techniques, forms, videos, movies etc. Go to http://www.wing-chun.ws

Answer 3

I would say do Aikido. You use your opponent's weight and momentum against them. There aren't really any strikes except to distract or throw the uke. I think it's very effective and some of the techniques can cause great pain. I don't understand why a soldier would get a black belt in an art that they don't like. Especially when it takes around 8 years to get a black belt (or hakama) in Aikido. Some Aikido techniques can get pretty nasty for the uke. Wing Chun is also good, but I haven't really trained in it that much so I can't say much about it. I think Aikido would be very good for you. Also, depending on what style of Karate you take, there may or may not be joint locks.

Answer 4

well im probably biased but i do mixed martial arts and ive tried other martial arts and i find MMA the best one and much more practical for stuff liek self defense!

Answer 5

Go where ever the best teacher is.

And... um... there are 'joint locks' in Karate.

Answer 6

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9315/te... <--- take a look at this and decide for your self.

Answer 7

Wing CHun kung fu!!!!!

Dude!

Seriously... Wing Chun Kung Fu

.......

It also uses weapons..

like arnese, and etc..

and Im a brown belt at wing chun kungfu and you know what?

other martial arts ask me to fight for them in a sparin competition..

like there was this one time, a tae kwon do master asked me to fight with them... and... its happend quite alot of times..

I got free tae kwon do trainings for fightin with them.. haha

and with wing chun, you dont have to use force... you use the force of the attacker.. you sorta like dance around their weak spots..

my friend does aikido.. and he's quite good..

so if you dont want wing chun......

karate not so much... cuz you have to use strenght most of the time..

and btw.. in wing chun you'll end up being flexible...

Im a dude and can do the splits...

haha

and with all the skill and moves aside, wing chun kung fu's uniforms are extremely awsome...haha

Answer 8

No joint locks or chokes in karate? This will come as a huge shock to my instructor who teaches them all of the time. I'll have to tell him that he can't teach them anymore because our style doesn't have them. Ok I am being funy, however the fact of the mater is that karate does contain joint locks, however if you took it befoe an were not shown any the instructor is probably not very skilled and the school is probably a McDojo.

Disregard William P's chart, as it is something he found, and even thouh it is not accurate, he use it to push his Ju Jitsu agenda.

David I is just out there and lying throuh his teeth, which hopefuly you can see.

As for your two choices, for self defense, choose the one that trains most realisticly.

Answer 9

Karate, it's both a sport and an effective self-defense art if you are taught by a good teacher.

Answer 10

Please note our dear comrade William P in developing a chart to mislead people into his art has again missed the mark. There are striking techniques in Aikido (Atemi waza), discussions of which can be found in different texts and in numerous online articles. Googling "aikido atemi waza" should give you a better idea. Please realize that these people who focus on rank (Black belt in X!) are telling you about as much as when I tell you I have a brown belt that matches a pair of dress shoes in my closet. This might suggest skill, but does not offer proof of it.

The best option you have is to visit both schools and see which instructor would better help you. Explain your situation (that you're going abroad shortly and would like to feel a little safer) and see what they have to offer. Just because something exists in an art doesn't mean you'll learn it from that instructor. AIkido stems from aikijutsu, which is a branch of jujutsu. Both have strong and long lineages which  have a lot to offer you in terms of self-defense.

Best of luck. Train hard!

Answer 11

If my most effective you are referring to a self defense situation I’d say Karate.  Think of it this way; is someone your size or smaller going to attack you?  Perhaps but more likely you’ll be forced to protect yourself from a larger opponent.  I have never practiced Aikido but have serious doubts about someone being able to toss around a much larger opponent.  What are you going to do with Wing Chun when one of these 250lb guys off of the latest Lock-Up episode is intent on taking your head off?  On the surface Karate seems simple but it is a very effective self defense art.  First, though it takes time to develop, Karate masters have developed an unbelievable ability to balance themselves in an onslaught resisting getting knocked down.  Second, Karate masters develop simple techniques like the reverse punch into debilitating strikes aimed at vulnerable targets like the solar plexus and short ribs.  Third, a true Karate master also trains his body to receive abuse.  In a fight you will get hit, period.  Traditional Karate doesn’t deny this.  It’s hard to hurt someone when they are used to being kicked, punched, or struck with a board while concentrating on performing their technique.  Like I said, on the surface you don’t realize this but a Karate master is tough as a pine knot.  They are difficult to hurt and in the process of trying to hurt them they will land that one technique that the common person will not be able to take.