Which martial art to start with?

Question

Hey all, I'm 21, 6ft6, 200lbs. I have never been involved in martial arts and it's something I've always wanted to do. I am in good shape, athletic build. My question is which martial art you would recommend for me to start out with? I want something that could actually be used in real life as opposed to competitions and exhibition matches. I was leaning towards budo taijutsu at the moment and krav maga. However, I dont seem to be able to find any schools in the area (College Park, MD) where I will be returning to school in about a month. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Alex

Answer 1

You're pretty big so you must you utilize the power of your muscles. I'd recommend Thai Boxing. If you're thinking about MMA, you'd like to study two kinds of discipline. One striking art, and a grappling art. Grappling arts such as Wrestling or BJJ are like "icing on the cake" if you already knew how to fight standing up.. If you want total control in a fight, you should be versatile in both a stand-up fight and a ground fight. Thai Boxing(Muay Thai) is very effective in combat sports as well as actual application. Plus, Muay Thai training adds more cardio and endurance for you. You're not only gonna be fit to fight,you'll also improve your cardiovascular health,too.

Answer 2

I see a lot of people suggesting Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), and I disagree. Muay Thai is pretty much pure striking, and so is best used by people who are quick.  Someone large like you would be better off with a martial art that involves close fighting- grabs, throws, ground fighting, etc.  Some examples are judo, SAMBO, jiu-jitsu, BJJ, and karate.

It so happens that there is a Judo Club in College Park.  While a lot of modern Judo is done as a sport and so it tends to emphasize throws, it is still a good starting point.  There is also a very good BJJ gym, Yamasaki Academy, in the area.

I personally study Karate at Polander Academy in Bethesda.  It's definitely more "applied" karate, and not competition stuff, and has grappling and some ground fighting.  Polander Academy also offers jiu-jitsu and modern arnis (similar to escrima).

Answer 3

start with tae kwon do

Answer 4

Hello Alex,

There are many martial arts out there that can actually be used in a real combat scenario.  Krav Maga is a very good choice, and they have excellent marketing that positions themselves as being a top selection for reality based combat.

If you are just starting out in martial arts, the best thing that you can do is actually try a couple of classes at different martial arts schools and see which ones actually fit your personality, desires, and goals.  Training can be vastly different between styles and schools.  So the best thing for you to do is expirement.  

Styles that I would look into are: krav maga, japanese jujitsu, judo, brazilian jiu-jitsu, aikido, hapkido, muay thai and MMA.

I also created a choose your style thing on one of my websites, check it out:

http://www.fightauthority.com/choose-bes...

Matt

http://www.fightauthority.com/

http://www.martialfighter.com

Answer 5

thai boxing is excellent to get started with im only 16 but ive been doing it for 3 years and it really helps with general fitness and strenghth :)

Answer 6

I have been asked a similar question before -'what is the best martial art', so I'll tell you what I told that person:

Any martial art will help you. You need to find one that suits you. Your body, your physical fitness, what kind of mindsent appeals to you, you need to consider a lot of things.

I've studied karate, MMA, escrima, and monkey kung fu. All of these are effective in their way. They all have strengths and weaknesses.

Escrima is my favorite by far. It's very easy to pick up, brutally effective, with it's own beauty that not everyone can see. You learn how to fight with your hands, with sticks, with knives, with swords, all kinds of weapons, the same techniques apply. It doesn't have fancy spin kicks/high kicks, hardly ever uses reverse grip (why have the blade pointed toward you when it can be that much closer to your opponent...) However, it's a 'low style', it's brutal, it's effective, it's not a 'nice' martial art.

Kung Fu gets you physically in really great shape but takes much longer to get a hold of. It is a very beautiful style, also very effective, with the bonus of an added spiritual component.

Karate and MMA for the most part are simple, easy to learn, effective, and -EVERYWHERE-. It's good to know some kind of grappling/throwing art, because most fights end up on the ground at some point. I suggest you learn as much as you can. Research a lot of martial arts and find what you like, and see what you want and what fits you as an individual.

Every person will say that their style is best. And every person is right.