Which martial arts type should i go for?

Question

Ive been really wanting to get into some awesome martial arts for a while... I love watching fights and the techniques people use. My friend's taken Muay Thai before and i was wondering if that was any good.

Im not a fan of boxing and such, and im not interested in step-by-step cookie cutter fighting like Karate. I want to learn real tactics i can use out of the blue if i were to get in any situation to kicks someones @$$.

No wrestling either, and i really dont want to get into any hard-core grabbing and pinning down (not fond of getting my face smashed to the ground with someones butt)

Is Jiu Jitsu good?

Please, i want to learn the most effective combat arts while its not too late!!

Btw, im a 13 year old girl... Haha, i know some of you are laughing at me :P But i seriously wanna kick some butt!!

Answer 1

LMAO I see all the UFC nutriders are out in force today, which is no suprise considering that the UFC just had a big event, and now they are ll on her complaining about who won, didn't win, or who will fight who next.

What you need to realize is that for many of these people. if it is not prevelant in the UFC thn it must be no good, and this is to be expected from them since the only thing they know about martial arts is what they see on tv.

I also seriously think you want to take martial arts for the wrong reason, because it is not to beat people up, it is for self defense. ANd that being said, any martial art if it is taught and trined well will teach you self defense. Judging by what you say you want it for, I can see an future in the local court system fo assault in your future, or at least getting kicked out of school.

Many UFC nutriders have no concept of the difference between street fighting and self defense, and there is a difference. Fighting should be a last resort.

Now Muay Thai, BJJ, Judo are all excellent styles, but so are karate and TKD if taught well, and in the end, the style you take will not fight for you, it will be up to how well you are taught and how well you train. The best style in the world is only as good as you are.

I am also sorry to tell you with your attitude about kicking ***, you are probably not going to last long in any good school, whether it is traditional or MMA, because you will probably be schooled about the right reasons for training, and your attitude will either change or you will be asjked to leave, or want to leave because you will be taught the error of your ways.

Answer 2

Hi.

I'll get to how you should decide on a type of martial art in a minute, first there are a few things to get cleared up.

Muay Thai is a good style however it's hard to find it taught as anything other than a sport.  This isn't to say that the sport version is no good it's just that it's taught to be used in a ring with rules and a referee, not on the street.

Jujitsu is also a good style but since you don't want to do wrestling then I'd stay away from it.  It involves a lot of ground work, along the same lines so does Brazilian Jujitsu and Judo.  All great styles but probably not what you're looking for.  Furthermore, grappling styles like Jujitsu usually fall short when it comes to self defense against multiple attackers.  Against one attacker it works better than most but you are left in a very vulnerable position if a second attacker enters the picture while you are on the ground trying to subdue the first.

I would also stay away from MMA, this involves a lot of wrestling or wrestling like techniques and again, probably isn't what you are looking for.  Furthermore it is a sport suited to competition and not self defense.

Tae Kwon Do is a great style however not always suited to self defense as it is taught as a sport more often then not.  Some schools will teach the self defense applications but they aren't always inherently taught so finding the right school is key (more on this further down).  It also relies heavily on kicking, so if you're into kicking and can find a good Tae Kwon Do school then this style may be for you.

Some of the very traditional styles of Karate do seem to be a bit cookie cutter if you only look at the surface.  Once you delve deeper into the styles you will start to realize how practical they really are.  Contrary to popular belief, depending on the specific style, Karate can be a very versatile, well rounded and practical type of martial arts.  I just wouldn't disregard Karate so quickly as it truly is a great martial art, be sure to look into it as well as other styles.

-----------

Now then...  What you should do is look around at all the schools in your area to find a style rather then deciding on a style and getting excited about training in it only to find out it's not taught in your area.  Try Googling your city name or area code and one of the following; martial arts, Karate, self defense, Kung Fu.  There may also be some schools that aren't listed online so checking the yellow pages is always a good idea too.

Once you have a list of schools in your area start calling or visiting them.  Ask what emphasis they place on self defense or any of your other martial arts related interests.  Some schools will even advertise themselves as self defense schools; these would obviously be a great place to start.  Ask about the style and what it's all about to see if it interests you.  Most schools will offer trial periods or introductory courses for little to no cost; I suggest you take full advantage of these.  Kind of like test driving a car before you buy it, always a good idea.

-----------

When it comes to deciding on a school once you've narrowed it down a little, try to pick a style that is right for you.  Just make sure it fits, if their training methods or techniques simply don't work for a 13 year old girl then obviously that school isn't a good fit.  However finding a style that works for you will probably have more to do with the instructors and atmosphere of the school.

If the instructors are ineffective then it doesn't matter what style is taught, you will likely learn very little of value.  Also if the atmosphere of the school isn't conducive to learning self defense but is rather geared toward competition or something else, then again it won't matter what style it is that you are learning, you may learn very little practical application for it at that school.

There is hardly such a thing as a bad martial art; it is all in how it is taught and how you use it.  After all it is the martial artist that makes the art, not the other way around.  So don't disregard a style just because of a stereotype and don't jump feet first into one just because it's popular.  If it isn't the right style or school for you then you will never reach your full potential with it.

-----------

Since you asked for a suggestion I shall give you one. I train in The Tracy’s System of Kenpo (Karate); it is a versatile, well rounded self defense style that uses some Jujitsu and even Kung Fu. I enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone, but even so look into the school and style to see if they interest you.

I don't know how far away this is from you but it just so happens that there is a school teaching this style in Ontario:

http://www.actionkenpo.ca/

It’s perhaps a place to start looking anyway.

-----------

I hope this helps and good luck finding a school :)

Answer 3

Jujitsu is good.  Judo is also good but you'll get thrown to the mat a lot in training.

Brazilian jujitsu is the strongest form of jujitsu, but there is a lot of ground fighting (pretty much 90% of the system is ground fighting.)  It's got a different feel than wrestling though.  

A girls best chance against a guy is ground fighting.  Leverage, technique and balance are so much more important than strength in BJJ.

Find a school that teaches Muay Thai and BJJ and you'll be a 13 year old engine of destruction.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Chrissy, you really think you can beat people up with Tae kwan do?  One of the most incomplete (second only to karate) martial arts there is?  You've gotta be kidding me.  And two miles, although judo is a very good grappling art, if your girl can take you with it you might wanna get some training yourself or chrissy might come beat you up with some of those great kicks they teach you in tae kwon do.  Boxing and wrestling are the two best martial arts (jiu jitsu is up there too).  That's why almost all of the champs in MMA with the exception of Anderson Silva (who is inhuman) have a focus in  boxing or wrestling.  Mui thai is alright but it tends to teach you things that will get you points in a mui thai fight but won't help you in a street fight (they are very focused on the clinch).  I would suggest doing some overall MMA training, since it has become so popular a lot of all around MMA trainers have been popping up.

Answer 5

Im a 12 year old girl that LOVES martial arts. Im a second degree black belt in tae kwon do and have been doing it for 4 years. I realy think you would enjoy it! :)

Answer 6

So my li'l girl wants to kick some butts?

Judo can come in pretty handy... My gf knows judo and I can't mess around with her.

If you are really good in Judo, you can flip a 100-ton white elephant over your head with just a slight tug. That is, if you're good.

Seriously, Judo will be the best self-defense martial art--Karate should be your second choice; Taekwondo, third.

If you tire out kicking butts, try tai'chi, and get some peace.  

Hope that helps, little (to be) master.

Answer 7

Hi there. If you want to turn yourself into a fighting machine in the shortest amount of time I would suggest Muay Thai. I've done a lot of training in many different styles and I'd have to say that MT is the most effective stand-up style in the world. If you do a traditional style like Karate, Kung Fu or Tae Kwon Do you will be taught a lot of techniques that are "showy" and look fancy but would never really work on the street. Don't waste your time learning ineffective techniques.

I started off with stand up styles and just like you I didn't really want to get into grappling. But if you train in Muay Thai and a grappling style as well (such as BJJ) you will be pretty much unstoppable. I can understand that you want to avoid grappling styles, but to be a well rounded fighter it is good to have both.

Having said that, if you choose to stay away from grappling and stick with MT alone you will still be ahead of 99% of the population.

Also, make sure you have a good teacher. These days anyone can call themselves an instructor, it requires no formal qualifications. (In fact there are several shady websites that allow you to buy a black belt in their style). In my years of training and bouncing around between clubs I've seen some really apallingly bad teachers, so just make sure the one you pick is the real deal.

Good luck! :)

Answer 8

I'm a 13 year old girl and I took Tae Kwan Do (or however you spell it) for 3 years. I can beat up people if I wanted, but your not supposed to do that for no reason. Hehe. =D

EDIT: I agree Tae Kwon Do isn't the best kind, but I also have natural talent, so I could still hurt people. I quit the school I went to because it was a crappy karate school that wasn't fair.