I'm looking to get into martial arts. Any ideas on a form/style that may be good for a beginner?

Question

I'd like to become stronger and more flexible as well as become more disciplined. I really enjoy the upper body work.

Answer 1

Any time you start a Martial Art (especially if you don't have any experience to begin with) you're going to start out as a beginner.

if you had some previous Martial Arts experience, it would be up to the instructor to determine your placement in the ranks of his or her school (that would be the fair thing to do)

Any Martial Art is gonig to help you become stronger and more flexible, and teach you discipline. but this is dependent upon how well you train. Speed, power, accuracy, flexibilty, etc. are all attributes that can only be improved by having a strong training ethic

There IS NOT a Martial Art that is designed or one that works for people with SPECIFIC body characteristics (height, weight, body type, gender, etc.)

Because the fact is that when people ask "what's a good Martial Art for me to learn?" or “what’s the “best” Martial Art to learn” has 2 major problems (especially here in the Q & A forum):

1st: these questions just beg for the majority of people here to start blurting out names of disciplines that are probably not even available in your area.

2nd: Just because they recommend a Martial Art that they may (or worse MAY NOT) have studied and it just happened to become THEIR favorite Martial Art because they’re interested in studying it or it worked for them doesn't mean that it's going to work for you or guarantee that you’ll find it interesting.

First of all, what YOU need to do is research local schools by looking in the phone book or internet search engine to find out if there ARE any Martial Arts schools in your area.

Second, if you can find at least 3 schools that interest you, watch a few classes at each one and decide which one out of those 3 schools that interested you the most.

Third, the next thing you should do is find out if they have some trial classes (up to a weeks worth to help you make a decision, hopefully without being hassled to join or sign a contract to join the class), and if you find that you like the school, then enroll in the class.

You just need to find a Martial Arts School that will provide a safe, "family like" environment for you. The discipline DOESN'T MATTER because there is NO discipline that is better than another, because they ALL have their strengths AND weaknesses

What matters is that you feel comfortable in the classes (and like the classes) and feel comfortable that the instructor (and the instructor's TEACHING style and not the discipline itself) can properly teach you self defense without the "smoke and mirrors" aspect. The instructor should also like to do it more for the teaching aspect rather than the "making money" which it is a business to make money after all; but it should not be the only reason for teaching the discipline.

The biggest problem you should worry about in finding a school is being aware of schools that're a "McDojo's" or "belt factory" type of school.

These schools usually do a lot of boasting; particularly about how soon their students make their 1st degree black belts. A prime example of this: having several "young black belts" that're usually 9 or 10 yr old kids, which should be a rare thing to see unless the child started learning the discipline when they were 4 yrs old, or promising that as a student you’ll be making your black belt in about a year’s time (the average should be between 4 to 5 years or better) which often means that they have a high student turnout rate. This is a Red Flag

They may also try to get you to commit to (by signing) a contract, usually one that's 6 months long or more or try to get you to pay down a large sum of money for that kind of time period. This is a BIG red flag

And don’t be fooled by these schools telling you about how many tournaments or competitions their students have entered and placed in or won a trophy, which is NOT a necessity in Martial Arts. Tournaments/competitions can be good to test your own skills at point sparring but again, it’s not necessary because they are the LEAST important aspect to concern yourself with in Martial Arts.

Long story short, these schools will basically "give" you your belt ranks every few months as long as you are paying the outrageous fees per month, and you won't really learn self defense.

Answer 2

Well first off any form of martial arts will make you stronger, flexible, and more disciplined. What you more need to look at is what kinds of fighting you are interested in. Also what your body style now can take. So first look at any major injuries you have had. And also what kind of shape you are in. That is the easy part now you just need to look at style that is when it gets fun. There are thousands of styles an each has its advantages and disadvantages. I for one have study soutnern shoalin kung fu for about 5 years. I like my style because kung fu works with almost any person size, wait and athletic ability. But, remember there are so many forms I still want to learn. You have judo, muy thai, akido, monkey, tai chi, jujitsu, taekwondo, and hopkido. And so many more. So first get online look up all martial arts schools in your area and read about their styles then pick around five of your favorites and go talk personally to the seifu or master and see what you think. One last thing you will know what a real dojo looks like when you see it. Be careful because some teachers are only out for the money not the training. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I agree with yupchagee. I'm a Shotokan Warrior and I didn't chose that style, I chose the school and the instructor. I might have gone all the way with Tae Kwon Do, but the instructors I had were brutal and did not consider each and every individual in the class. This, of course is not true of all Tae Kwon Do instructors, it was just my experience. I visited other schools looked at their programs and watched the way the instructors interacted with the students. I made sure that there was lots of warm-up at the start of the class and cool-down at the end, to prevent injuries. I made sure that while I was open to being exposed to all of the elements, such as forms, fighting and weapons, that I wasn't going to be forced to do anything I didn't want to do. I liked forms, weapons and fighting, but not everyone was there to fight, for example and that was okay with sensei. First and foremost, there was a lot of respect for our bodies and the instructors were sensitive to the differences in each and everybody's capabilities. We learned language, anatomy and history and how to push our limits and confidence. I got really fast, really strong and really flexible. You can get that from the right instructor in any style.
What do you want out of it? If it's self-preservation, then go for a grappling style, or chose a style, like Shotokan, where you will learn grappling along with striking and kicking. You like kicking? Tae Kwon Do focuses on kicking. You like it up-close and personal? Along with Shotokan and Kung Fu, there are many, many styles to chose from. But, my main focus would be to chose the school and the instructors...not the style. Finally, don't let anyone tell you that it will be easy, or that one style is better than another. It's not true.
Good luck to you...you won't regret it.

Answer 4

You know, this is a fascinating question... And it's also one I can't objectively answer. I started with USSD Kenpo Karate when I was very young, so I started with a hard style (though, to be fair, it wasn't until years after I left I realized how poor the instruction was). I did a number of different martial arts, most of which would be hard styles. When I joined the Bujinkan, my first few classes I trained with other students also learning, some of whom were yudansha, and their technique was hard, and I just wasn't getting it. The one time that my instructor actually tested us, I stumbled, I screwed up, I barely kept up... When he promoted me, he made this comment about how "some of you might not think you deserve this, but rank isn't about what you've done, it's about what's expected of you now..." So I trained harder than anyone else. They all trained two nights a week, I went 6. I'd throw myself around to get used to ukemi, and I think that that led to me becoming Uke. Now, the reason I tell all this is that I had no idea what soft meant until I became his Uke. I was only a couple months in, and now where I'd previously known my balance was being taken by force (my force being met with a contrary angle), I was being forcefully shoved and torqued around, now I felt like I was being buffeted about by the wind. It changed the way I looked at martial arts. The focus became about feeling, about sensitivity, not forced adjustment of the opponent's body. But could I have appreciated this without tiring of the hard styles first? Kondo-sensei of Daito-ryu made a great video "What Is Aiki?" that showed the differences between Daito-ryu Jujutsu and Aiki-jujutsu. I loved the way he demonstrates the same technique, first from a jujutsu perspective, then from the aiki-jujutsu perspective. I have to wonder what made me first appreciate it though... I believe (and this may be, like you, me liking to pretend) that there was never really a time that I was not intimately familiar with the hard side of martial arts. From the age of three when a bully shoved me off a swingset from the front, when my brother pushed him to the ground and taught me to sit on him and start hitting, to a couple short years later when I joined Kenpo. I feel that, primally, we are familiar with meeting force with force, with the hard style. So, when with little effort, we're swept away by the soft way, it's understandable that something may resonate within us. It may be, then, that it is impossible to ever truly begin with the internal, as even the least skilled child is innately familiar with the external. Therefore, I feel my conclusion must be that your training in the internal arts is just as valid as your training in the external, because you've already experience with the external, and you're either continuing its study, or beginning the internal following the external. Very fascinating.

Answer 5

You gotta ask yourself what you are looking for in the martial art. If it is traditional styles you seek (kung fu, tae kwon do, karate) are all good choices. These schools stress tradition, form, balance and power. I'm not going to go into the specific sub styles. If you're looking for real life proven self defense, then boxing, jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling and JKD are all good choices. For weapons training, I like Kali/Escrima. Again, its all what you are looking for. I agree that the practitioner is just as important as the style you choose. Keep an open mind and have fun. All martial arts are beneficial, just depends on your specific goals.

Be suspicious of anyone who tells you this style is better than that style. Only a student will say these things. A true master will tell you that "a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick."

"Be water, my friend"

Answer 6

to begin with, stick with your strengths that you have already. Most people entering into the martial arts arena do so out of the need for self defense. As such, it is important to start with your strengths, and improve your weeknesses, but the best styles for a beginner are karate/tkd, or something of the like. Chen style Tai Chi is good for a well rounded discipline. However, these will teach you strength, balance, and kick/punch stuff. Taichi is more for the strength and internal energy than kick/punch. It takes years to perfect.

When you feel like you have a good handle on the kick punch and stances stuff, than go with something a little more complex. Ninjutsu, Jujutsu, Taijutsu, and even filipino / indonesian arts would be good to start in at that point.

Answer 7

I agree with Dragon. It's easy for us to recommend this style or that style, but in the end you are limited to what is available in your area. I personally don't endorse the home study courses unless you already have the self discipline to follow them.

Almost every school offers an introductory class. I would take advantage of those, but also go and observe the advanced classes. That way you will see what you are in for later on.

If you are interested in upper body work, you may want to consider boxing. There is a lot of emphasis on endurance, footwork, and upper body strength.

Answer 8

It really depends. I too did Shotokan Karate, but I think I could have excelled at other martial arts too. Shotokan katas (forms) are very rooted and strong in the stances. I did Shaolin Kung Fu for a year but I stopped because I didn't like my Sifu (instructor) who was all too commercialized. Kung Fu I found required more flexibility and more fluid than Karate. How much you like the martial art and training is greatly affected by your instructor. My karate sensei was someone who was nurturing but also knew how to push each student to the limit. Some forms look nice and flashy, but some others look messy and boring. Often, the messy ones are the ones the most well-rounded in self-defense. Also watch out for the schools that focus largely on competition because they often focus on the aesthetics and lag a bit in the self-defense applications.

Answer 9

Bukinkan Budo Taijutsu is what I'm taking at the moment
Look up a few videos with Sensei Hatsumi and you'll get a drift
about this art
I took Jujutsu, Karate, and Kendo when I was younger but finally I've got into an art that combines weapon training, with open handed training and extensive locking and throwing techniques. Strength isn't key in this art, but flexibility is, since you'll need to escape throws and grabs, and many techniques are simple to execute.

Answer 10

All martial arts will allow you to get what you mentioned. My favorite is Aikido. There are usually 2 styles of martial arts: the hard and soft form. Hard forms use direct attacks or blocks, and are mainly offensive arts. Examples of hard forms are: Kara Tae, Tae Kwon Do. Soft forms use tangential or circular defensive movements, and are mainly defensive arts. Examples are: Judo, Hap Ki Do, Tai Chi, and Aikido. There are also combination styles like Kung Fu. Aikido is the softer or gentler way, but effective as any martial art. Aikido uses the attacker's energy against himself, while preserving your (the defender's) energy. It is a very energy efficient way if used properly. It also trains you to become more flexible, and better balanced, and using your inner life force (ki) to augment your defences. It is a very strong self "defense" technique. Aikido means "The art of Peace" or "The way of harmonious spirit".