Does anyone do martial arts?

Question

I'm thinking of taking a class in martial arts and leaning towards aikaidou because there is one near me. What is the difficulty involved and the advantages of each type of martial art. What would you recommend? Also, I feel at 3o I'm maybe a bit old to start, is it common to take it up later?

Answer 1

ive a black belt in origami

Answer 2

Hi there

All martial arts are different like wine some you like the taste of straight away while others may take a while to develop a pallet for.
Best thing to do is try a few in your area. A good teacher also helps but as a mature student you will be able to tell what you like from your first lesson.

Akido is what they call a thinking mans art in that it's not something you can pick up with ease but don't let that put you off. Give it a try. Other arts like Karate and more easy to grasp but require more flexibility. Try a few before you commit.

Regards

idai

Answer 3

Certainly its never too late to take up martial arts. I started Ju jitsu at 30 (17 years ago). Don't let anyone tell you that one art is 'better' than another. Its alot about personal preference, the atmosphere of the club and the personality of the instructor. Buy or borrow a basic martial arts book, which will give you a good idea, also visit the local club just to watch. Carefully watch not only the higher grades but also the beginners and how they are treated.
Hope this helps.
The best martial art is one you enjoy most and stay with. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

look at the students in the school (and the instructor)
is there a good age spread or all kids
is everyone healthy or all bandaged up and bruised/injured
how many of the students have been training for a long time Ive been training for about 15 years and am no where near the longest student of over 25 years
how many students are there? small classes are good for learning but suggest there is a problem maintaining interest or health.
Is the instructor in good health, and injury free.
I once helped instruct 3 older students 53 yo female, 54 yo male and 61yo male. The 61 yo continued on to be a high level black belt in his mid 60's so don't think you are old by any stretch.

It should also be FUN

Answer 5

Aikido is great stuff even for late bloomers. In our club we have a Judo teacher who didn't start before the age of 65. The great thing about Aikido is that it's not so physically demandind as other martial arts. It does not matter how fast you can strike or kick The one great lesson is no matter what comes at you be out of it's way and then react to that threat from a safe angle. I will tell you imediately that this art does involve a great deal of technical skill. it teaches you a lot about the human body e.g. balance, joint movement and locks, some pressure points,...
The thing what makes aikido stand out and many times stand above others is that is is not an offensive art. There is no attacking. There's just letting your opponent come to you and reacting towards and in the end controlling your opponents actions and reacting towards it.

Answer 6

Firstly, you're never too old to take up martial arts. I can personally recommend Karate or Jitsu as I have experience in both.

As for which style is better than another its impossible to say. I find Karate quite easy but I really struggle with Aikido. I can also handle a Kitana pretty well but I'm useless with nunchuks and more likely to hit myself than anything else. Try as many as you need to until you find one that suits.

which ever style you choose, the more effort you put in the more enjoyment and physical benefits you'll get out of it.

Have fun.

Answer 7

My dad got into Pencak Silat and Kali when he was in his late 30s. I've been doing it for about 12 years. Age isn't a factor. try and find an art that has a little of everything in it and an answer for every situation. The art should be practical and affective. And it all depends on what you want to get out of your training. If you want a good workout then there are plenty of choices out there. If you want a pure combat art then there are a few of those too.

Answer 8

Well most Martial Arts are striking oriented, meaning they deal with punching and kicking, some disciplines will work with your timing, flexibility, and speed (Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and some disciplines of Karate).

other disciplines develop harder more focused striking techniques like Shorin-Ryu or Shotokan (two other Martial Arts associated with Karate).

some will incorporate the striking, but their main focus is ground fighting which involves another strategy entirely; such as Judo and Jujitsu. But again, they can cross the boundaries of other catagories and disciplines according to what is used at what time.

Then you have what are called "soft" disciplines, which uses the opponents momentum or energy against them without severely injuring the opponent or the practitioner, such as Aikido; but Aikido can also fall under almost any other catagory listed here depending on how it's techniques are applied, just as any other Martial art can cross these lines at any time in a match you see on a UFC or Pride PPV, or a fight in the street.

Some disciplines that only focus on power like Muay Thai can be very limited; while it IS a good discipline to learn, it is very bare bones and no technicality, and rough edged, and it is not often regarded as a disciplined fighting art due to it's vicious nature.

then you have "hybrid" disciplines, which have taken the ideals of previously established disciplines and used them in conjunction with another discipline to become a completely different discipline even though they utilize some or many aspects of the disciplines they borrowed from according to that particular discipline's founder(s), such as Hapkido, Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Kajukenbo, and several others.

The most important thing to remember as a Martial Artist is that like everything else, you have to "grow" and evolve, by learning other disciplines and aspects of other disciplines. And by doing this, you'll be able to asses where your weaknesses are and do what you can to remedy that problem to be come a more well rounded fighter and individual.

Many of the Martial Arts share the same principles with each other, but they are presented in different ways, just as each person has their own individual opinions or dislikes.

there is No discipline that is "better" or "worse" than another, because they all have their strengths and weaknesses

as for age, I know people who started and much older ages and did or are doing exceptionally well for themselves, So yes it is fairly common for adults to study Martial Arts later on in life. go ahead and study some Martial Arts.

I'm 30 yrs old myself, but I've been studying Martial Arts for better than half my life now, but I know exactly what you mean.

Answer 9

Aikido is great and it is easy to learn if you are into being gentle. If you enjoy more physical sports, you might find it more difficult because it is so soft and refined.

I have noticed that you can tell if someone is going to be able to learn aikido easily from the way they bow at the beginning of the class. If people can do a graceful bow aikido is easy. If it is awkward for them then they never get very far. Maybe that's a good test?

Answer 10

I started Tae Kwon Do at age 44. That was 15 years ago & I'm a 3rd degree black belt now.

MA can be divided into 2 broad catagories:

Striking: Tae Kwon Do. Karate, Shaolin boxing
Good: Can handle multiple attackers, can engage at long range, enables you to be pro active when necessary.
Not so good: Ground, hard to control an attacker without inflicting serious injury.

Grappling: Hapkido, Judo, etc.
Good: effective in close, good on the ground, can control an attacker without inflicting serious injury.
Not so Good: Not good at long range, you must wait for the attacker to make the 1st move. Not effective against multiple attackers.

Pick what suits you & 1 where there is a good school near you.

Answer 11

Oh, I think you should for go for it, and don't worry about your age.
30 year old is not old for any kind of Martial Art. I started my Jiu-Jitsu class at the age of 38. I still kick those 21, and 25 year old kids. In your case, you are 8 years younger than I am, so go out there, kick some butt, and have fun. lol !!!!