types of martial arts?

Question

what kind should i take? karate, tae kwon do, wushu, sanshou, kung fu, or any other ones. what are the differences? i don't really know anything about any of them. I want to build muscle, increase flexibility, and be able to defend myself if needed.

im not just limited to the ones i named, and the self defense is just in case

Answer 1

The problem with your question here is that NO ONE in this forum can tell you what discipline is going to fit you best (all they're gonna do is tell you about which Martial Art THEY LIKE, but it's really your own choice). because studying a Martial Art is about personal choice, the questions you ask should be to yourself about what YOU want to get out of studying Martial Arts for your own personal benefit and about which Martial Art is going to be right for you.

The only thing you can do is research the local schools where you live and make a decision as to which one you want to study.

this is a good way to make a decision: find out (through either the phone book or the internet search engines) what Martial Arts schools are available to you locally, then pick three schools that interest you the most; then go and watch several classes from each school to find out which one you'll want to study.

once you've made the decision about which Martial Art to study, ask the instructor(s) about trial classes to see if you like the class, if you do; then go ahead and enroll with the school.

The discipline you study DOESN'T MATTER, because every Martial Art comes from the same basic principles of blocking, striking, or grappling. the only differences is how the techniques are used in the disciplines, and how they were developed by the respective founder.

Any Martial Art you study will help you defend yourself, but The Martial Art is only as effective as the individual that studies it, so you need to have a good training ethic.

The only way you'll find out about any Martial Art, is to go to the local schools in your area and ask the instructor(s) about the particullars of the discipline they teach.

Answer 2

I agree with some of the other answers that kung fu is definitely a very well rounded art, however, for what you are looking for I would suggest any number of the karate schools over anything else. The reason I suggest this is because it is very difficult to find a really good kung fu instructor. One that really knows his or her stuff and can teach it to you for self defense on the street. Tae Kwon Do, which I am currently studying, can give you everything you are asking for, but all too often the school focuses on tournament fighting rather than applicable self defense. Karate, on the other hand will give you most everything you want. However, while looking for a school, make sure you find one that involves grappling or jujutsu as well. This will make you more well rounded and really give you better confidence in your self defense. Always remember though, the best self defense is to not put yourself in a position or place where you could get attacked.

Answer 3

A good well rounded style would be freestyle Karate.You will learn stand up,ground,grappling and weapons.What a lot of people don't understand is that freestyle Karate is about practical street defence not who can kick the highest or punch a pad the hardest.It's definitely not a sport martial art like TKD or BJJ.The motto of my style is the best of everything in progression.Basically that means we don't care where the technique comes from we improve it and integrate it into our style while still maintaining tradition as do most freestyle Karate's.
The hardest thing is finding a good experienced instructor.I would recommend Bushi Kai or Zen Do Kai, but if your not in Australia or New Zealand you may have some difficulty finding some one who teaches these styles.These styles also usually have separate classes available to everyone in Muay Thai and BJJ/Submission/Shoot wrestling.If you can't find one of these i would suggest Kempo or Enshin or another freestyle Karate.

Answer 4

There is not any excellent. It all comes right down to how the kind is proficient and the way good you're taught. Also excellent for what? The ring? Self safety? Tournaments? Self manage? and so on. To all people. Jeet Kun Do isn't quite a kind. Yes a few persons coach it, nevertheless claiming that this can be a set kind honestly is going towards what Bruce Lee shaped it for. "Discard what's vain and maintain what works for you" was once the complete phylosiphy in the back of Jeet Kun Do, and mine will have to no longer be the identical as the following men, except we're same. Do you persons even study something earlier than you reply>

Answer 5

Try doing a search on the art of Kenpo or go to youtube.com and type in kenpo, Jeff Speakman, Larry Tatum and Ed Parker demos,etc.
This is a fascinating self defense system with devastating techniques.
I myself have been learning and teaching the Art of Kenpo Karate for just over 10 years now and yeas I have studied many other over the years but non like this.

Good luck and enjoy the demos.
(77)

Answer 6

Here is a brief summary:

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.

What really matters is finding a good instructor. Look for a traditional school that teaches & lives real MA values.

Answer 7

the muscle you can build as a side project.

for defending yourself you should try Muay Thai. it uses kicks and punches like most others but have an emphasis on close quarters fighting using elbows and knees. these are good tools to understand.

all the bouncers in my city have a background in it. from fighting all the time through Muay Thai, we are able to use it in a street fight, because we have the experience of dealing with fighting under pressure. some tournaments are not created equal.

Muay Thai isnt a point scorer, it is a heavy hitting "try to knock you out or wreck your legs" type event.

not hard to learn the basics, but as you progress you will get very fit, and very determined to crush your enemies if you are attacked.

Answer 8

The best one on your list is Kung Fu, but you need to know what type of Kung Fu the instructor is teaching also some other great arts are Bushito, Muai Thai, and Shito Ryu.

Answer 9

This may help,Most often there is a Kenpo school in town.
Ed Parker's schools turn out good students.
(it's pretty hard work)


Kenpo Karate or American Karate is a well rounded system,
most all the readers of answers would agree that a person that worked hard and trained hard and earned a Black Belt
in Kenpo would be able to defend him/her self "Very Well"

For "Flexibility check out:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Flexibility-Complete-Stretching-Martial/dp/customer-reviews/1880336839

Answer 10

Don't focus so much on which style to study. Go to different schools--see which systems look fun to you, which instructors you like, which group of students you would like to train with.
If you are interested in developing strength, you will want to make certain that your school includes includes weapons in its curriculum; but the key to self-defense lies in finding a competent teacher and practicing regularly--regardless of the system.