What martial arts do you practice? Do you have any recommendations? Advice for beginners? How did you get started?
Thanks!
I began training almost 20 years ago when I was still a major nerd programmer. With seven Karate schools in town, it was the philosophy of Aikido that hooked me.
My take on the philosophy is that we are all in this mess together and someone who is attacking us is reaching out for help in the only way they know how. They are damaged and need help. Hurting them will increase their damage and add more pain into the world. As a responsible person and martial artist, that is not my goal. Aikido provides non-violent ways of protecting yourself as well as your attackers. The founder called it the martial art of love.
It's also handy when someone you care about gets triggered, temporarily loses their mind, attacks blindly, and needs to be controlled without being hurt. (That's happened to me.)
Nobody mean or aggressive tends to stay in Aikido. It's taught cooperatively and is a very good environment. Nobody is out to hurt anyone in Aikido classes making it a lot of fun, whipping people through the air and having them laughing and coming back for more. It also seems to attract intellectuals. Many of my instructors had PHD's.
What it comes down to though, is the individual teacher, more so than the martial art. I would avoid teacher's who are on a power trip. Nice, confident, warm, instructors in any martial art are people I'm honored to train with.
I also highly recommend joining a yoga class.
John.
I suppose this can be achieved by practicing martial arts as well. The main thing is to have a regular exercise that you find meaningful.
I think it fits especially well for the HN crowd, because there's generally very little mystical bs that goes on, and although this analogy gets abused, it's basically human chess. There's a very analytical approach to learning jiu-jitsu as opposed to most striking arts (I also do muay thai and recommend that as well if the idea if touching people grosses you out) which are largely reflexive.
A note to those who are interested in starting: It is a highly technical martial art, but it's not going to feel like it at first. Other newbs who are bigger and more athletic are going to beat you most of the time. But if you pay attention, the smaller, less athletic upper belts will have their way with them along with you. Unfortunately, there is a steep learning curve. Stick with it and things get easier!
Programming for 8-10 hours a day can drive me insane, and it's very nice and therapeutic for me to hit the mats a few days a week. I get exercise, have fun, and am still mentally stimulated without thinking about technology or whatnot.
- John Danaher
The author was a top ranked chess prodigy (remember the movie Looking for Bobby Fisher?) and now is a Marcelo Garcia student (one of the top bjj masters)
Striking arts operate at a much faster pace so you really can't do that, the depth of the decision trees are much shorter, which is why I think bjj is more analytical and appropriate for most HNers.
I don't want to get into a flame war, but I personally don't find taekwondo and karate to be particularly realistic to fighting. Everyone has different motivations for training though, if you enjoy the fitness and athleticism of those arts, go for it.
I have fairly high level belts in several arts. My father put my in Judo when I was 4, jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo by 6. While there are some Karate styles that have become obsolete with more contemporary arts surpassing them (Kempo comes to mind). I believe that Taekwondo is still a very relevant art even for combat.
Taekwondo while extremely difficult due to the technical kicking requirements is by far the most superior kicking art. The problem is that it is not a rounded art. In combat you cannot rely on the fact that you will land the kick ever time and Taekwondo does not really focus on that fact, it has to be augmented with another art. Which usually in Taekwondo schools is Hapkido. The problem is Hapkido is inferior to Aikido or jiu-jitsu.
That being said, my son is now 4 and the first art I enrolled him in was Taekwondo. Doing so will allow him to develop superior kicking technique which take the body the longest time to develop and some people after aging are never able to achieve the limberness required to master Taekwondo.
I agree with you to the extent that Taekwondo on it's own does not round a person enough to be confident in a street fight. But as an augmentation to other arts it will give you superior leg work over any other art and is very relevant to modern street combat. In the few altercations, that I could not avoid getting into, 2 where ended by a single kick and both where head kicks that are only taught in Taekwondo, so it is effective you just cannot rely on it as your only weapon.
I think the opportunity to practice something with the analytical element discussed here is great. Really, all martial arts are highly analytical, but different martial arts afford different opportunities to use these skills. I think all martial arts (or martial art sports) involving competition have similar levels of analysis, but lots of martial arts instructors require you to reach some sort of physical foundation before teaching you any true technical aspects. So, as said, it all depends on what you want.
To answer the OP's question, I take a mixed martial arts class that combines muay thai/kickboxing with bjj and has a cardio class as well. It's very well rounded, and our instructors compete in some of the smaller MMA leagues like Bellator.
Overall, it's a great experience and amazing workout when you combine kickboxing and mid to high level bjj. Just note that early BJJ (your first 6 months or so) will not work you too hard until you can start to free grapple.
It's also good to be able to fight pretty much full-force in training as well - which you can't really do in a striking art.
A really cool thing about it is that, unlike most martial arts, it's not attribute based (eg: boxing, were you need speed and strength and weight) that it's possible to see 125lb players going against 205lb opponents and winning (or at least surviving)
It's very pragmatic, all the mystical components have been stripped out (it's actually a disadvantage in BJJ); in my opinion, the only other martial art that could go toe-to-toe with a BJJ practitioner would be a Muay Thai fighter - but then if the fight goes to ground (which is almost a given for almost any fight) then it's over.
BJJ is akin to playing Chess.
I am 155 pounds soaking wet and can compete with guys that are 200 pounds.
I have been training for about a year now and am a 3rd stripe white belt
Personally, I've been training Isshinryu for ~9 years. It's been great for me, in terms of keeping me in shape, relieving stress, and learning confidence and discipline. Isshinryu is a striking art, but we also practice judo and grappling to a lesser degree. I actually wish we did more of those two, because many fights end up on the ground, and I feel underprepared for that -- though many of the people I've trained with have learned judo or wrestling separately, so it's possible I'm better prepared than I realize. (The evidence is still there, though. I rarely won on the mats. =P)
As far as starting a martial art, just find a dojo and go. Most will welcome you to watch a class so you can get a feel for the style and the instructors. Your first few weeks practicing can be embarrassing for some. Don't quit. Nobody there is expecting you to know what your doing, and you'll adapt to the dojo's norms pretty quickly.
The main thing, though, is to find a teacher who knows what they're doing. Also important: make sure you respect them. As long as you have these, your martial arts training will definitely improve you. No guarantees about making you into an unbeatable street fighter, but you won't be disappointed.
- a relentless focus on safety
- something you enjoy (weapons vs striking vs grappling, etc.)
- instructor who communicates in a style you understand (I'm an engineer, so I use physics to explain concepts)
- senior students who help the newer students
Since effective use / sparring is really more about game theory, there really is no one "superior" art to rule them all.
My personal experience:
- Volunteer teacher for various youth groups
- 2nd degree kendo, co-captain of varsity team, regionally ranked in Japan
- 1st degree karate, varsity team
- beginner aikido
It's been particularly helpful in defending me "on the street" - it taught me to be really good at falling without hurting myself, which is an incredibly practical self-defense skill. It's come in handy many times on icy Michigan roads. I'm not looking to start a fight, and I've never been ambushed by ninjas, so striking arts haven't really appealed to me.
Capoeria looks like a lot of fun, too.
If that ain't a reason to pick up a martial art that trains falling... (Or you could have common sense. Either way.)
It's a Brazilian martial art which originated with the black slaves transported from Africa. In the 1800's, around 1880 or so, slavery was abolished, and due to massive former slave unemployment and gang activity, capoeira grew steadily more violent. It was soon outlawed, and any found practicing it were jailed. However, around 1930, a movement grew to found capoeira as a "modern" martial art, with a formalized training and graduation system, as opposed to a very advanced form of street fighting. Since then, it's been getting less violent and more popular throughout the world.
It's very different from the other martial arts. The closest Asian martial art would be Wushu; capoeira is equally "showy" at times, utilizing flips, jump kicks, and so on and so forth. A lot of the movements you see in breakdancing actually originated in capoeira. Headspins, 1990's, butterfly kicks, backflips, the "baby freeze" are all movements in breakdancing, but also find their place in capoeira.
Capoeira is played to music and singing on the traditional instruments. A berimbau, drums, and a pandeiro (tambourine). The speed of the game (the fight) is set by the music. Finally, capoeira is a game of strategy: it requires quick thinking, because every movement by your opponent can be countered and used to gain the advantage. At higher levels, the fight becomes a mental one - you must anticipate what your opponent will do before he does it, and, at higher levels still, you can lead your opponent to do what you want him to do, so that you know in advance what will happen.
It's a very dynamic martial art. It's beautiful and incredibly fun, as well as incredibly tiring. It really does a wonderful job of combining "martial" aspects with "art" aspects: some styles of play emphasize fighting and defense, while some emphasize beauty. Some do both.
Here are some links to videos of capoeira games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51q1VB_dDik http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQl3iInVd0Y
Feel free to email me for questions. My username at gmail. There are multiple groups; I would suggest joining Abadá capoeira if you have them near you, as that is the largest and most organized group, from what I've heard.
Do you want to be 'badass'? Do you care whether there is a philosophy side to it? Do you want to have a grading system (belts, for instance)? Is it important to have a 'pure' art - or would a school that 'takes the best from different arts' sound better? Can you just sit on the side at a school to watch a lesson (call first so they can suggest a suitable lesson)? Do you want to be able to demonstrate to your friends? Do you want to be able to do a 'form' (solo, regimented practice)? Do you want to be taught 'weapons'?
Is the school run for love or money? Are the other students people who you feel comfortable with? Can you respect the teacher(s)?
Of course, other people have asked all the above questions better : http://everything2.com/title/Things+to+consider+when+choosin... - but I must emphasise the importance of making sure the school is right for you ...
As someone else here mentioned, it's a soft style in that it's less about striking than speed and timing.
It also consists of mental training: quieting your mind and removing unnecessary thoughts and distraction (it's been described as "meditation in motion").
Some downsides: it takes a long time to get to any level of proficiency, it's non-competitive (so unlike fencing, there are no tournaments to compete in), and only really useful in defense.
As with any martial art, the critical thing is to find a good teacher.
The best advice might be to visit several dojos of the different forms people have mentioned here, and see which one suits you best.
You might not even think of Tai Chi as a martial art, and that's because although Tai Chi is in fact a martial art, it is also something of a meditative practice akin to yoga. Similar to the aikido suggestions below, Tai Chi is not a striking art, but is mostly about redirecting the opponent's energy, as well as moves that hinder or disable the opponent from attacking you in the first place. Tai Chi focuses on sensitivity and receptiveness rather than force or strength, so even if you do it for years, you won't come out of it looking like Bruce Lee, which may or may not be a positive for you.
I don't have a lot of experience with other martial arts, aside from a few random Karate lessons when I was young, but I've been going to a local Tai Chi class for about 6 months now and I highly recommend it.
But one thing that I've heard, and I kind of agree with : I don't recommend Tai Chi to anyone. If someone wants to do it, then I'm happy to point them in the right direction. But I don't want to push people into something that they're only going to try because I've persuaded them. They've got to have an inkling that it's something they'd enjoy.
I had previously do some Jiu Jitsu (cool), and Aikido (v. nice). But what's kept me doing Tai Chi is the fact that my shoulders don't get dislocated so often (YMMV - but it's notable that many of the students at my school are musicians that have consciously chosen a martial art that won't damage them).
Another point is that while one can feel 'dangerous' more quickly doing other martial arts, that is usually an illusion : being an over-confident beginner is much more likely to get you in trouble. Tai Chi students doesn't suffer from that so much - since for the first few years, they're only directing traffic in the park :-)
I originally started in 1999 because I figured I needed some external activity to take my mind off my startup - and the health stuff has been a pleasant side effect. Mostly I do Push Hands now, with a dash of mornings in the park helping others 'tuck in'. ( ChuTaiChi.com )
Tai Chi has been a great experience for me as well. I think because of its strengthening and stretching, balance and control as well as low risk of putting me out of work with an injury. It has been awesome for my lower back.
It can be very calming and has a spiritual side which you can explore if that's your thing. Tai Chi contains the roots of all other chinese martial arts so you could use it as a stepping stone off the couch.
I personally hope more people will find and benefit from Tai Chi. I've been looking at starting up again. Anyone have any recommendations for a good teacher in San Francisco?
My recommendation to any newbies is to get past the awkward beginning stage as fast as you can...otherwise you will not progress smoothly.
When I started I went to 4 classes a week. In 3 months I still knew very little but I wasn't feeling like a n00b and embarrassed. I got over the hump.
Its sad that it sort of evolved into this slow dance. Read up a bit about how Yang Luchan and his sons used to train. They didn't get the nick name "Yang the invincible" for doing ballet.
I really, really recommend that you read up on Systema and try to find a local chapter. Or if you're in Toronto, come by for a free lesson. Vlad (the head instructor worldwide) will be more than happy to show you the ropes.
I've been thinking about tai chi too, for somewhat different reasons. It sounds like they might dovetail kinda nicely.
The style itself is a soft style, relying on speed and sensitivity to deflect the opponent's attacks and triumph. A lot of the training is partner-training, a lot of it is playing role games. As you get better, we also work on the psychology and tactics of the fight. I've been doing it for a long time, and I have never gotten bored with it - there's always people who are measurably better than you to serve as a reminder of what you're striving for. In many martial arts, once you hit a certain plateau, there's not much difference between someone who trained for five years versus someone who trained for 10 - here, the difference is clear as day.
The other thing I really enjoy about our school is a very well structured curriculum - you always have very specific goals and targets to work on, you get tested every 3 months, and the teacher always keeps track of where you are at and that you're making progress.
If you're in the SF Bay Area, send me an email (my username @ gmail), I can give you an introduction or an invite to class.
Most martial arts schools offer free or discounted introductory lessons. You can attend a class for a month or so to decide whether it's something that suits you.
How WT compares to other martial arts (that I have any familiarity with):
Aikido - softer, more traditional teaching style, so it can take a lot longer to get good at it. Similar concepts in terms of deflection and redirection of opponent's attacks; not as aggressive as WT.
BJJ - focuses on tournament-style fighting with certain rules - great for locks and ground fighting, but there's a reason that most people who take BJJ also take Muay Thai or another striking art at the same time - BJJ doesn't cover those areas well, if at all.
Muay Thai - amazing cardio, amazing for working on your balance, but more brutal and simple, not much technique or sensitivity involved.
Krav Maga - another very physically strenuous workout, but focuses on a set of very simple techniques. Not much depth to it, after six months or so you probably know most of what they have, after that it's just about getting stronger/faster.
What. Have you ever been thai clinched? Have you ever had your kick blocked, shin on shin?
I probably spoke rashly though, I don't really know enough about it to make generalizations like that. I take it back.
It's easy to forget what real muay thai is, because of the mindless training we condition our bodies to. Hitting the pads or hitting the bag is not fighting. Coach always use to say, "be conscious of your body at all times. pretend your pad holder is your opponent. otherwise, you're just masturbating...hitting something to make slapping sounds to feel good about yourself."
training != sparring != fighting
Like real life for instance.
The appeal to me was the sifu (Ng Chun Hong) was an older kung fu master who had trained since his childhood. This guy had forearms like iron bars and could easily have kicked my ass with a blindfold and one arm behind his back. The training was old-school tough - my first few weeks were simply 2 hour sessions of squatting to train my leg muscles.
There's a few different goals you could have with martial arts: Fitness/athleticism, competition/camaraderie/sport, philosophy/balance, and/or practical self defense. Of the last one, there's also a few considerations. A highly trained martial artist in any art is going to fight very well, but how long do you intend to train and when if ever do you think you'd need to be proficient?
For me, I don't care about the sport aspect, the fitness aspect, the competition aspect, or the philosophy aspect. I sometimes travel through dangerous places, and I needed training that would get me proficient to protect myself in a variety of common situations. I researched into this some, and if you want rapid proficiency at self defense - to the exclusion of the other elements I mentioned - then I'd recommend a martial art that's been refined and taught by a successful military.
The two that I was deciding between to learn first are Krav Maga, the Israeli Army's martial art, and Systema, the Russian one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_maga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systema
I was in Los Angeles which has the flagship American Krav studio, so I studied there and enjoyed it a lot, and I feel capable of defending myself in a variety of situations after only a few months of training. Eventually, I'd like to round myself out by studying a variety of martial arts, but for very practical fast learning curve self defense (to the exclusion of philosophy and sport) I was looking at Krav and Systema.
Regular boxing also seems to have a quick learning curve - I don't know if it's true, but I've that pure boxers will be ahead of the learning curve of most martial arts that use punches and kicks for about two years before the martial artist passes the boxer.
If your goal is to get fit and also learn how to kick someone's ass, start boxing.
Don't get me wrong, martial arts are a great discipline, but I've never ever had a workout session in any sport or martial art as intense as my boxing practices. Hitting the bags or sparring with someone tests your stamina/endurance real quickly.
Our dojo held an initial advanced class in American poleaxe hachetry, but the defensive sparring suit didn't work very well (sorry, Chuck, hope you get out of the hospital soon). American medicine is really the best in the world: they can re-attach entire _limbs_ these day!
Honestly, this discussion is inappropriate for HN and went downhill from the get-go. It's a question that dozens of other more appropriate forums have discussed ad nauseum.
A good master will make any martial art learning experience great. A poor one will ruin any school.
Go watch a class - are the students training diligently, treating each other respectfully, and being taught firmly but carefully by their instructor?
The master sets the tone, culture, and norms of the school. In a sense the master is the school.
I've been training Hapkido in Melbourne, AU (www.hkd.com.au) for the past 12 years, which ticks all the above boxes.
Congrats on everyone so far avoiding the 'martial' as 'marital' typo :)
Soft (use the opponent strength) vs Hard (punch and kick hard!)
Traditional (deep historical background, traditional forms that have been taught for hundreds of years, at least some sparring without any equipment, spiritual dimension) vs Modern (sparring is almost exclusively done with equipments, more acrobatic moves)
Martial Arts vs. Combat Sport. I don't want to get too much flak on this one, but IMHO, the more rules you have, the more it looks like a combat sport. Which is perfectly fine if this is what you like!
Each school will favor some of these dimensions over the others, even among the same style (e.g., karate, kung fu, and even boxing vary widely across schools).
But the most important aspect is probably the teacher. If you are afraid of your teacher, if you are stressed every time you are on your way to the school, it won't do you any good, because clearly, you are not going there to become the next Bruce Lee or to learn how to save your family from burglars.
Most schools do not train eskrima as aerobic exercise, as might be typical of other arts, but generally are strictly technique and drill oriented. If you're looking to lose a lot of weight through martial arts training, another art might be better suited. But if you want to learn basic, effective techniques for self-defense and can handle the exercise and fitness aspects on your own, then I highly recommend looking for a good school near you. Doce Pares is a very well-respected organization that I can't say enough good things about.
I think saying one style is better than the other is like saying orange juice is better than apple juice. I think you need to find the style that suits your body type and personality. Any school worth their salt will let you at least try a free class. You should try the class. Also another important factor is the skill of the students regardless of style. You should pick a school where your classmates will challenge and push you. Trying out the class will also let you see if you will get along with those people. After all if you are serious you ilk probably be spending a lot of time with them. Location is another factor. Ideally it should be close so that you go often.
I recommend, especially for the brainer types, a well rounded martial art like ninjitsu, aikido, gong fu, qigong. Something like Boxing or BJJ will give you the physical fitness that you can get from most forms of exercise, but they lack the mental and spiritual refinement that comes from practice of a "true" martial art. The emphasis on art there implies that it is a true art form, taking years of discipline and practice to grasp just the basics. Ninjitsu is deadly efficient in combat, combines spiritual refinement (meditation, mindfulness, discipline), survival techniques (herbalism, meteorology, etc.), combat techniques and strategy into a complete package.
The most important thing is to do it for the fitness, for weight loss, or for something else goal oriented that isn't belt levels or rank. Make sure to set attainable goals, meet them, re-evaluate, repeat. I went into taekwondo wanting to lose some weight. I lost 30 pounds. Then I wanted to make the competition team, so I started training harder, running and doing interval training. Last year I won 1 gold and 1 silver medal in competitions. My current goal is to be able to do single leg squats.
Just keep mixing it up on yourself. You would be surprised how motivated you will find yourself even outside of class.
For the last several years i am practicing Iaido, which is generally speaking, the martial art of drawing, striking, shaking off the blood, and sheathing back the sword.
It has no practical use as a martial method,and is highly ceremonial. I find it to be the most demanding martial art i ever practiced in terms of mental requirements. The simplest forms take years to master, it is a humbling and often frustrating experience, I highly recommend.
I probably dont recommend it to newcomers, you have to come to Iaido, after you have some understanding of life (and some martial arts as ultimate simulator of it)
I'd say finding a place to train with students I knew and got along with and an instructor I liked was the most important thing for me. I tried out a few classes at different schools before settling on this particular one. I liked the emphasis on cooperation, incorporation of tai chi practice, and that the leader of the school spent a lot of time with new students like myself, making sure we mastered each technique.
Avoid most schools of Karate (Kenpo especially), Capoeira, Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, and most of Kung Fu.
In any case, there are bad instructors to be found for every art. Caution is in order.
I don't understand how you got upvoted on this one.
I'm sure there's plenty of Shotokan dojos that don't have such a good sensei though. YMMV.
The real thing that should be said is that every martial art style is practical and what really matters is the quality of the dojo at which you study. I've studied the same martial art in two different school and can say that the quality of the school is by far the most important factor.
Personally, I'm doing it for the physical training and the sense of accomplishment more than practical fighting abilities, since I don't plan on getting into a street brawl.
Aikido didn't really feel like exercise to me (I barely broke a sweat in training), but it's a lot more focused on energy and focus, which is also cool. Judo is great if you are short and stout, but I'm too tall and skinny. Muay Thai was a little too harsh and physical.
For me, Tae Kwon Do and Karate combine strength/stamina/flexibility training with the calm, focused side of things that I also like about martial arts. Tae Kwon Do focuses almost only on kicks, while Karate includes both kicks and punches. I have really stiff legs, so Tae Kwon Do actually turned out to be great training.
The beginning can be the hardest part to get through if you start in really poor condition, so my advice is don't give up! You will get stronger and surprise yourself if you stick with it.
Overall, learning to have control over your body and move swiftly, powerfully, and efficiently is a great feeling. Martial arts groups also tend to be open, supportive, and a great source of stress relief, in my experience. Good luck!
Then I switched to MMA and basically got my ass kicked (and kicked a few asses) for the next year but I figure any pain I get in the ring/dojo is one I won't get outside of it. With boxing as my base it was an uphill battle to learn everything else. It's easiest to have BJJ as your base and learn the rest from there. But I did learn a lot and felt pretty good at the end.
Wing Chun was a decision to try a more traditional style but one I felt had a lot of promise for being very practical and boy was I right. They are very efficient and it's basically learning a few moves that they have decided are the best and doing them a thousand times. Everything in it has a point and a reason.
In the best case scenario you will choose an art that you will have the best opportunity for regular partner sparring/training/drills to apply the martial aspect. The drills and forms practiced by themselves are just an abstraction and vehicle for learning. You need to interact with someone to understand an opponents and your own energy and potential.
By all means go to whatever different classes are available. Good teachers will usually let you sit in and test the waters before you take the plunge. Take them all for a spin. The right one will find you.
Some of the things to look at:
- If they have been teaching for a while, have they taught anyone to the point where that person became a teacher? A lot of people call themselves Sifu's - but technically, a Sifu means 'grandfather', which means it's someone who has taught someone else to be a teacher, preferably more than once.
- How long do their students stay with them? Do they keep progressing, or is there a high turnover rate? Is there a good spread of skill ranges in their classes (indicating that new people are joining, and old students are sticking around to progress), or do all their students seem to max out at a certain phase (if they have been teaching for 10 years, but none of the students in their class have been there longer than 2, that's a bad sign).
- What's their teaching style? Do they explain things in detail, or are they more of the 'do as I do' school? Do they leave you to figure it out on your own? Do they invite questions? Do they give meaningful answers, or fall back on mysticism or tradition as explanations?
- When they give an explanation, try to actually test it and apply it with another student, and if it doesn't work, keep pushing the teacher until it makes sense. A good teacher will tailor the answers to the student's understanding level, you should never leave class confused or unclear about the proper application of what you're learning - if you are unclear about what you're training, you are wasting time, because you can't actually tell whether you're training the right thing, and thus, you can't tell if you're improving.
- Invite a couple of their students for a coffee and pick their brains about their experiences attending that class. Listen for things they say as well as what they don't say.
Good luck.
As for my goals, I would place fitness first, and increased mindfulness/mental clarity second. I like the idea of something very traditional, but don't have anything against more modern arts.
I'm 6 ft and 210 lbs. Should probably lose 20 lbs. Out of shape, but not terribly so.
Thanks for all your help. I've learned a lot from this discussion!
Some forums were already suggested. If you're interested in learning about traditional martial arts I highly recommend http://www.karate-budo.com/. It's a small forum and they don't approve everyone (or, they didn't when I joined; not sure now). But the people there are serious about their martial arts.
Others have mentioned researching the schools. I'd recommend researching the Sensei. Find out who he trained under and research that person as well.
My $.02 worth.
If you want to learn to defend yourself and/or get fit, box, wrestle, do Muay Thai, Judo, Brazilian Juijitsu, etc. That is, something that's practiced live against people who aren't cooperating. The downside is that the techniques will also be done to you.
On the other hand, if you want to put on strange clothes and raise your self-esteem by hanging out with a bunch of dudes in the same strange clothes, almost anything will work. Aikido, Ninjitsu, and similar arts are very popular among computing types as they offer the promise of combat effectiveness without being pounded on in the same way you'll experience if you come up in a 'live' art.
I've been practising WT for about 6 years. I basically changed from "the guy who punches like a girl and can't take a hit" to "the crazy guy who just took down someone twice his size". Our organization (Avci WT System) is also being practiced by German Special Police commandos, so I can say it is based on practical applications & dirty fighting rather than "just dojo" action.
If you really want to get competent in a real life fighting situation you should definitely go for a heavy contact martial art such as muay thai, krav maga, wing tsun etc.
Also carrying a kubotan as a keychain helps a lot.
For sport and limberness Taekwondo is a good choice, as well if you want to compete at some point but dont like the idea of getting pummeled, Taekwondo is the largest point sparing art. Point sparing is not fighting, it is a sport where you achieve points for landing a strike, it is fully padded and once a blow is landed the opponents reset and start over, it is similar to fencing. Just keep in mind, it does not prepare you to be a well rounded street fighter.
Aikido is an awesome art that is very effective in street combat. You do not see it in UFC style fighting because it focuses on small joint breaks, pressure points and a good deal of stuff that is outlawed in the sport of MMA for obvious reasons. None the less it is extremely effective and can be deadly when mastered. It is also the art that takes the longest to achieve mastery.
Kung Fu is very philosophical and is one of the oldest arts, some of it is not as practical as more contemporary arts but it has value in exercise and meditation.
Honest opinion, I think that Judo, Kempo and most of the other arts are not well rounded enough to focus your time on. Jiu-Jitsu covers Judo and more, Boxing or Taekwondo or better striking arts than Kempo and its joint techniques are inferior to Aikido or Jiu-Jitsu. Most of the other Karate based arts kind of fall into the same trap, other arts have surpassed them.
The only other ones I can think of are muay-thai which is a good boxing art, I think Taekwondo has better kicking form but muay-thai has better hand boxing and knees and elbow strikes.
The other would be Jeet Kune Do which was Bruce Lees art and combination of disciplines. It was a very interesting art but the reality was that it was 1. unfinished and 2. all of the masters are deceased so the art has for all intents and purposes died. While Lee documented it, learning technique from a book never suffices for the real thing, and all of the masters today have learned from the reconstruction of techniques in the book.
That is true even for the "old-style" Gracie school, which tends to focus primarily on jiu-jitsu as self-defense and "no-holds-barred fighting" (a.k.a. street fighting) rather than MMA or even BJJ competition.
I think live sparring is one of great things about judo and BJJ.
One I think of immediate is a isolated wrist flip a technique that results in the dislocation of the wrist, elbow and shoulder in a single technique, but cannot be applied in a manner that the opponent is afforded the ability to chose to submit, therefore it is not an applicable technique to MMA competition. There are a lot of these "instant" techniques that result in too much injury for it to be acceptable in MMA.
My point is while BJJ or MMA are exceptionally good arts for defending ones self (some of the most contemporary) the competition aspect of the art has, like Taekwondo has caused a hyper-focus on certain techniques. Nothing wrong with it, just wanted the author to have full disclosure.
You can have the utmost confidence defending yourself on BJJ knowledge, far more than say Taekwondo it is a well rounded art, and MMA competition is as close to the real thing as you can get without creating grievous harm to everyone who enters the ring. Like I said though, I just wanted to ensure he had all of the facts.
This includes but not limited to: Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo. And depending on the quality of teacher, some styles of Karate, Tae kwon do.
I train in jiu jitsu and muay thai. Some people like the more spiritual / philosophical side of martial arts, which is totally acceptable and understandable. I've never tried any of it myself, but if you're into drunken monkey, 5 animal styles kung fu, go for it.
However, I'd hate to train something for years and only embarrass myself when push comes to shove and its time to employ that martial art in a no rules street fight.
Krav Maga is probably the best multi-assailant self defence martial art you could do. It only takes a few months to learn the basics and after that you should be able to defensively handle yourself sufficiently in a fight against an armed assailant or with multiple unarmed assailants long enough to get away.
Capoeira is great fun but really really works you out. It's set to music and is very athletic. I only did Capoeira a couple of times but enjoyed it (then I did my knee in and haven't been back since, but want to once I've shifted a few pounds).
Oh and one final tip, going once or twice a week is not going to make you Bruce Lee. If you want to get really good, you have to practice at home.
Served me pretty well self defense wise too, been in a few scraps at clubs / pubs and things have generally worked out quickly, and in my favor.
It's more diverse than american kickboxing. I didn't want any of the other martial arts philosophy, just a hard workout for the body.
Tai Chi, Iaido, and kata-focused disciplines are more "art". Jeet Kun Do, Muay Thai, and combat-focused disciplines are more "martial". All are worthy, it's more a matter of what your goals are.
Please stop by if you are around. First lesson is free and each 1 hour lesson is just $15. Cost effective..
e.g. site:bullshido.net dojo_name_here
Sadie Nardini's power yoga (Youtube)
* Hard training. You want to be pushing yourself to the limit. Fast-paced classes (a lot of doing, not a lot of talking). The long explanations do help a little as a rank beginner, but overall, throwing a technique a few thousand times is the best way to get good.
* Not too commercial or money-oriented.
* Not cult-like.
* Still, you want good respect and discipline. The former keeps people safe, while the latter lets classes run efficiently. People should be aware that the reason for the discipline is efficiency and safety, and not because the instructor wants to be worshiped.
* Not too competitive. Even full contact sparring when both people respect each other and are trying to not hurt each other is safe. Even no contact sparring with both people trying to score at any cost is tremendously dangerous.
You should also see that what they teach makes sense. Funny looking stances? Probably not too good. Hands up in fists guarding head, knees bent? Probably better.
I'd advise you to switch schools after about 2 years. That's about enough time to pick up the basics. Go into the new school with an open mind. You'll feel like they do things differently, wrong, and you won't like it. In time, you'll appreciate about half of what the old school does is better, and about half of what the new school does is.
Cost doesn't correlate with quality. Size, to some extent, helps. You want more people to practice with. Avoid things that focus on sport (this is especially prevalent in Taekwondo schools, but there are good ones, and bad ones in other styles). You want good form for a fight, not for scoring points in a match.
Crudely speaking, styles fall into two categories: grappling and kicking-punching. There are schools that do both, but I've never seen one that does both well. Pick one and go with it. If you've gotten good at it, you can eventually try practicing the other. Starting both at the same time usually doesn't work well. They work very differently, and your body will learn better in series than in parallel. I'd give 2 years as a minimum time in one before starting the other, but more may be better.
When evaluating schools, ignore ranks and titles. They're mostly self-appointed. A tenth dan in one school may be equivalent to a brown belt in another.
It's also useful to look at the abilities of students after given periods of training. This may be hard for you to evaluate, though.
Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of the Bujinkan... and a 5th Dan...