Which type of martial arts do I Join?

Question

I live in rancho cucamonga ca, I am 25 years old and in good shape. I do not have a ton of money but I really want to join a martial arts class for exercise and confidence. But which one? kong foo.. judo.. etc? I tried kong foo a few years ago but did not give it much of a chance. I just read about all of the different types and what they stand for but I get overwhelmed because there are so many. So which one will be worth my time and money?

Answer 1

You like punching? Boxing. You like throwing? Judo, or Shiao jiao (spelling?) kung fu. You like ground grappling? BJJ. You like kicking? Taekwon-do. You like soft arts? Aikido, Tai chi, Bhagua. You like hard arts? Karate, lots of kung fu styles, Muay thai kickboxing, Kajukenpo etc. What do you like? what is there? Look at a class or two, and ask yourself "Would this work for me?".

Answer 2

JiuJitsu, to simply put it. JiuJitsu is a submission based martial arts. Featuring, chokes and submissions. The sport is fairly inexpensive depending on what school you attend.

Answer 3

Kajukenbo

1. It is real self defense

2. it is not as expensive to learn like the McDojo schools

3. The moves make sense, it has 4 ranges of combat

Kenpo and Kempo (diff. spelling) are very worthy too......

Answer 4

http://local.yahoo.com/results?p=martial...

It depends on your own taste. Try out different arts in your area, see which  one you like best. I like stand-up arts like Muay Thai/thai kickboxing, Kick boxing, karate etc

Others might like grappling like Combat Submission Wrestling, BJJ, Judo, sambo, etc

If you are not sure try martial arts that teach both stand-up and ground fighting, look for an MMA gym, pankration, combat sambo, kajukenbo, etc.

Answer 5

Good question, I think it depends on what is available in your area and what you enjoy, what will help you gain both physical and mental confidence.

Maybe you should visit a bunch of schools, try each of them out and see which one you like.  We can't pick for you, only you can.  Find a place that feels right.  See how you relate with the instructors and how they relate to you.

Any school worth p**p will allow you to take a free trial class or two.  Try out a few  and see what fits.  I am a Krav Maga instructor, and we give a one week free trial, to give people a taste of what we do, some love it, some don't.  The worst thing is to pay to be a place you don't want to be.

As far as self defense goes, if you excel in the art or system, you will be more than competent to defend yourself.