what are some ways to find out which martial art to learn?

Question

I want to start learning martial arts again but am unsure which martial art to learn.

Answer 1

I'd go visit as many dojos in your area as you can - of the same styles and of different styles.

Here's what I think you should look for:

1.) How does the dojo welcome you as a visitor? Do you feel welcomed by the Sensei and the students?

2.) How does the Sensei treat their students and how do the seniors treat the juniors? Is their mutual respect or does respect flow from the bottom up only?

3.) After observing, does the specific dojo seem like an environment you can learn in? Is the teaching style one that matches your learning style?

4.) After observing, does the specific dojo's interpretation of whatever style it is seem like one that fits your body and your goals physically (workout, effectiveness), mentally (challenge, complexity/simplicity) and philosophically (moral and ethical outlook)?

5.) Did you have a WOW! moment? When seeing different styles and different schools, one will likely stand out as being the most amazing in your perspective - that's a good candidate right there.

I think there is no single best style, just a method for picking the best style and school for you personally.

Answer 2

The biggest question that you should ask yourself is "What do I want to get out of studying Martial Arts?"

No one here can tell you about which Martial Art is going to suit you; only YOU can make that decision for yourself, since choosing a Martial Art to study is all about personal choice and what your goals are in studying Martial Arts, each person who studies Martial Arts has to figure out for themselves what they want out of the discipline they choose, no one can tell them which discipline will work for them.

just check your local phone book or internet search engine to find out what schools are available to you. pick three schools that interest you the most and then go to classes from each school to find out which one you like the most.

Once you've done that, ask the instructor about some trial classes to see if you like the class and how the instructor teaches the class and interacts on a more personal level with the students.

You just need to find a Martial Arts School that will provide a safe, friendly, "family like" environment for you and that the instructor(s) are going to help you become the best Martial Artist that you can become.

The principles of each Martial Art are similar to each other, but they are taught in different ways by different people so they will inadvertantly vary from discipline to discipline.

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

The discipline you may wind up studying DOESN'T MATTER because there is NO discipline that is better than another, because they ALL have their strengths AND weaknesses.

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.

good luck in finding a good school to learn from

Answer 3

Do a little research and learn which styles are which ( there's probably lots on the net) - then you can see which one appeals to you ( or which ones) . Then I would visit classes being held in the styles that you think may appeal to you, both to confirm that it is for you and to see the teacher in action. You may love the idea of a particular art, but if the teacher is not someone you can learn from you are wasting your time. Each art has its pros and cons and what works for one may not for another so its really a decision that you have to make yourself.

Justin said what I was trying to get at -he just said it much better - its good advice. :)

Answer 4

There are basically 2 broad catagories. Striking & grappling. Each has it's advantages & disadvantages. 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 is most important is to find a good instructor.

Answer 5

First decide what you want out of a martial art.
Second do some research into a few styles.
Third watch classes at different schools.
Fourth take a free class or two.
This should help you decide.

Answer 6

personally i would go for Thai boxing, but it depends on what you want to get out of ma training. do some research, take a look around the different ma centers in your area, talk to the instructors, think about the ones that interest you the most

Answer 7

one interesting thing to do is to experiment a little without any teacher trying out what feels natural to you, and then you can find a style that is similar to what you do naturally - that way it will be easy to learn.

Answer 8

Look at your local schools and see which styles interest you. Also I CANT STRESS ENOUGH find a good teacher that isnt in it for the money

Answer 9

Joe, I'm definetly not telling. But thanks for the 2 points.

Answer 10

just see what you like and which culture you like such as chinese/korean/japanese