What martial art would you advise that I do?

[Girl With One Eye]

I've been doing kickboxing for over a month now, it was really easy to get into and didn't feel intimidating. My boyfriend studies Jiu Jitsu and he really enjoys that but it's more grappling than contact.

So I guess it depends what sort of things you want to do. My first lesson was free, so I would advise that you try out a few and see which one clicks better with you.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I'm thinking of taking up a martial art, but haven't decided on anything yet. Can you guys help me out in deciding a good one to do?

Just pick one and have fun with.

If you want to learn to fight, pick boxing, boxing is very good for learning how to beat up other people. As for the rest, just have fun.

 

[Slycne]

Kenjutsu, as it not only can involves certain elements from Ninjutsu and several other arts. It is Japanese sword technique, or at least one of them. I've only been doing it for a couple of weeks, and I'm not being taught by a certified person, but it's pretty damn awesome. The sword techniques can be used without a blade as well, so it's easily transferred to self-defense.

That's an odd school your going to. Because Kenjustsu isn't a Japanses sword technique per say, it's a blanket term for all schools and styles of Japanese swordsmanship. It would involved elements of Ninjutsu, or any style, to the to the extent that they each employed proficiency with a sword.

While this place might in fact be perfectly harmless, it's a good lesson in keeping an eye on where you're training. There are a lot of placed looking to ring in students for the money and are more than happy to advertise with flash, see mentioning Ninjustu, instead of substance.

As to thread topic: most places should let you sit in or watch a class. I would recommend seeing what a few places offer and find somewhere you're going to be comfortable with and focus less on a specific styles.

 

[. . . sleepy . . .]

The trick to learning a martial art, specifically in selecting a style, is to make your decision based on the teacher. I have studied various martial arts for the past sixteen years, and what I have found is that a good teacher can take a style that would not necessarily be your first choice and turn it into the love of your life, just as a poor teacher can take even the style you are most naturally compatible with and turn it into a chore to learn.

As Musashi Miyamoto says, "There is no one way to salvation, whatever the manner in which a man may proceed."

In a fight, a winner is determined not by the art, but by the artist. Similarly, in a school, the quality is determined not by the art, but by the instructor. So shop around.

 

[Lawyer105]

Only one thing I'd like to add here. Most people have already covered the major martial arts and the whole fitness / self-defence debate.

I'd strongly suggest you consider the law and regulations in your area, especially if you are aiming for self-defence. In many places, there are limits on how far you can stretch the concept of self-defence.

The very last thing you want to do is learn something for self-defence, get attacked, and end up in court being charged with assault with intent 'cause you broke both his arms, one of his legs and blinded him in one eye or something.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

Take Taekwondo only if you enjoy kicking. If you can trust my word, it's not the best self defense out there but is very enjoyable for sport.

 

[FolkLikePanda]

Boxing is good as it really builds your stamina and sometimes a kick against someone is easily countered.

Taekwondo gets really flexible and nimble. Though I would do this along with Kickboxing so that you can build your speed, flexibility and flight with TKD and build up Power and technique with Kickboxing.

Jujitsu helps countering and knowing how to damage someones joints if you manage to floor them and is also good if you like taking the fight to the floor.

Jeet Kune Do is good at stopping the fight before its even happened, as its the "Way of The Intercepting Fist" and is used to attack an opponent as they are about to attack you.

 

[RustlessPotato]

Depends. Do you want it to do it purely for the art form or purely street fighting ? Because I find if you enter an eastern martial art with the mindset of "Oh my god i want to be able to punch dudes", you'll get a lot less from it than if you'd do it for the art behind it. If you want some heavier stuff, I'd try Krav Maga or some Muay Thai. I practice Muay Thai to be able to be more efficient in the event I'd get attacked, and Kokodo Jujutsu purely as an artform. But try and get as much from different styles and arts as possible.

 

[Patrick Buck]

Drunken Boxing.
Why?
Because drinking is fun. And punching things is fun. And being punched hurts less when you're drunk. Ergo: Drunken Boxing. *Big tick*

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Wire-fu.

It looks awesome, and as a side benefit you can move to Hong Kong and become a movie star.

 

[Batou667]

Rather than trying to decide on the "superior" martial art, be more realistic and try to find out what martial arts club in your local area is the best. I'd sooner be taught Tai Chi by an energetic, charismatic and inspiring instructor rather than some flavor-of-the-month thing by a money-grabbing hack.

 

[AngloDoom]

Honestly, if you're wanting pure fitness/defence I'd just go for something like European boxing. Lots of conditioning, available in basically any town or city you're bound to go to, highly practical self-defence, teaches you to take a punch, requires little experience, and I'd say the quickest road to getting better at keeping yourself on top in the kind of fight you're likely to end up in in a bar.

Personally, the only reason I don't do boxing is because I don't like the idea of having my face hit on a regular basis.

If you're doing it for pure enjoyment, then best to sample all the sports in your local area (usually for a first free trial session) and then just go for the one that made you happiest - even if it was just for the group of people involved.
You shouldn't worry so much about the 'this vs. that' mentality of martial arts - it is (or at least should be) unlikely that you'll ever have to use any skill you develop on a regular basis unless you live in a terrible area and it's even less likely you're going to fight someone who's trained in a martial art themselves.

 

[Tay051173096]

Tai Chi can be very relaxing and flows.

It also teaches you how to break arms and elbows...

Peaceful monks my arse.

 

[Dead Seerius]

I took Tae-Kwon-Do for 6 years and really enjoyed it. It's a pretty well-rounded experience as far as defending and attacking go. And while not all establishments offer weapon training, I myself learned how to use nunchucks and the staff. (To be able to use nunchucks at the age of 12, TKD was the shit.)

Plus, it's a pretty popular martial art form nowadays so you'll likely find a place that teaches it with ease.

 

[roushutsu]

I used to take Tae Kwon Do. If you like kicking, then you'll like TKD as there's a lot of kicking going on. There's also forms, which I personally loved doing far more than actual sparring. I've seen a few people do weapons training with it at competitions, which I always wanted to learn (particularly staff), but sadly no one at my school taught it.

 

[dangoball]

It really depends on what you expect of it and what kind of person you are.

If you like to be on the offensive and want only self-defense - Krav Maga
If you prefer to defend and want only self-defense - Systema
If you like to be on the offensive and consider it a fun way to learn to fight - karate / Muai Thai / kickboxing
If you prefer to defend and consider it a fun way to learn to fight - judo / jiu jitsu
If you do not like to attack but want to be able to defend self - aikido (why hasn't anyone mentioned it yet?)
If you're looking for a variety in you fighting and be able to defend self - bujinkan (composed of 9 styles: 6 are ninjitsu, 3 are samurai schools)
If you're only looking for a fun hobby involving fighting - kendo (martial sport, not art; derived from kenjutsu)

The best thing you can do is to try it yourself. I personally tried Systema, Krav Maga, aikido, bujinkan and kendo and know at least one person to each art I have not tried.
I personally stuck with kedno (which I also tried first), because it's fun and a good way to improve self. Not the best when fighting starts but you'll still have a bit of an advantage over someone with no training. And it's also very safe to practice.

Also be prepared that most martial arts can be quite boring when you first pick them up. Patience is a virtue

 

[Mordekaien]

I would say, try out a few of them, then go for the one that you find fun.
If you don't find it entertaining, then all these advices are for naught.

There really aren't bad styles, only people who train bad. So, while I don't think I can recommend you something, I would definitely encourage you to go and try out something, see if you like it.

 

[Loonyyy]

First you should find out what classes are available in the area, get a list going. That's where I'd start. Then you can choose your preference. It really varies depending on the instructors. Lot's of places will likely let you sit in on or do a trial session, so I'd look around for one that you're comfortable with. For example, my brother and I learned TaeKwonDo, but we had 3 different instructors.

The first was a traditionalist and he had us bowing to the Korean flag etc dozens of times every practise. Not much fun. He also believed in full body contact all the time for all members. Not a good thing (Some places may do light contact or sport style sparring with guards-good places should not allow inexperienced members to participate in contact, it's irresponsible).

The next one was a class at the local YMCA. It was good, but it had more of a focus on fun and exercise than technique, and many of the students stuffed around, leaving class kind of disordered.

The one we ended up attending was had 2 hour sessions, a large group of experienced members who acted as tutors and leaders, and the class was divided up into groups based on rank/experience and what style people wanted (Sport or traditional). They had a full range of equipment, guards, paddles and pads, so you could practise connecting with blows.

So I think the key thing to your decision should definitely be how the class is run, that's the biggest determiner of how much you'll get out of it and how much you'll enjoy it.

If you want self defense just carry a knife. The pointy end goes in the bad guy.

I know it's joke, but bad idea. Too easy to get yourself stabbed, and blood (Yours or theirs) is like, really hard to wash out. Wear steel caps-a lot harder for them to use on you, and great for cracking knees.