how does one pick a karate style?

Answer 1

1. Determine what's available in your area.
2. Do a little reseach about each. Some may appeal to you
more than others.
e.g. aikido is much different than tae kwon do. maybe you'd be
find kendo more interesting. hmm, guess I'm talking about marital arts in general not just karate.
3. Go to each school you are interested in and watch a class.
Be sure to find out if the instructor you are watching usually
runs the class.
do you like the way the instructor runs the class?
what are the other students like?
4. Try it out. Maybe you can work out a trial deal with the school, maybe they offer a free class or two. But avoid any year long contract if you can possible help it.

Answer 2

Depends on what you mean by "Karate". If you mean "Martial Arts" instead of Karate then you might get all sorts of different styles and style reccomendations from all sorts of people.

But if you want Karate, you can probably ask yourself this question "What would best suit my abilities as a fighter?".

You could try Okinawan Karate, which emphasises hand strikes, or you could try Shotokan Karate, which emphasises the legs.

Or if you're looking into MA's in general, like I said before, here are a few reccomendations.

If you're thin and have a high center of gravity, you could try Thai boxing. If you're thin and have a low center of gravity, you could try Hapkido.

If you're thicker and shorter, Ju Jutsu is the perfect art for you. But then again, look into every martial art before you pick out the right one for you.

I picked out the right combination of a martial art for me as a martial artist, which was a combination of aikido, tae kwon do and boxing.

-Lee

Answer 3

you'll want to find schools that're available, or close to your home, and research them a little bit meaning you'll wanna see how much experience the instructors have in their particular discipline.

sit in on a few classes to see what is interesting to you.

enigma had mentioned about different disciplines are good for certain heights and body types.

And Karate applies to the Japanese martial arts that are "standing game" meaning they teach you the ability to kick and punch while you are mostly on your feet, while they also have "ground game" Martial Arts that focus on joint locks, manipulation, and submission techniques along with throwing techniques which if you wind up on the ground (which is always the biggest part of a fight on the streets).

as enigma said; there are more disciplines than just "Karate" Martial Arts is any fighting discipline . while to say "karate" only focuses on the Japanese Martial Arts.

Answer 4

Your best bet is to find a good school in a reasonable distance. Do not get too wrapped up in the style. Instead look for a good school. Please research old questions on yahoo about this topic.
There is a lot of advice out there. My big one is never sign a contract or pay for a rank test.

The truth is that quality and frequency of training or more important than the style of training.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

there are many styles of karate but there are also many martial arts to focus on. before choosing a martial art it is best to research what you want from it eg tae kwon do mainly kicking techniques but includes self defence and sparring. taekwondo is a combination of korean ,japanese and chinese martial arts. i am not sure about other martial arts but look into others to find the best one for you

Answer 6

Definitely find out what you can get in your area and then try all of them. It is definitely worth the time trying them out one at a time.
I did. And now I'm a black belt in three styles. working on four more.

Answer 7

Perhaps you would like to try this,

http://www.aikidofaq.com/

I have seen the light of a 1000 stars,
but none so bright as the light within!

Answer 8

according to:
your personality- agressive? reserved?
your stature- sumo is not for you if you are 120 lbs.
your goals-self defense? exercise? peace?

Answer 9

WHY dont you try shotokan instead instead lot better