What is the best type of martial arts for a 35+ woman who is just starting?

Question

I need to starting exercising and was considering martial arts as a fitness and self defence progarm. I am overweight and past 30 which style would be the best for me?

Answer 1

Don't look for a particular art, just look for a good instructor regardless of the art. The place you look for should let you feel welcome and help you achieve your goals. It should also have a safe friendly environment and you should feel comfortable there. Focus on quality training, belts and ranks shouldn't mean too much.

Since both fitness and self defense are your main priorities, I would personally suggest a sport based gym. Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, or even a good Tae Kwon Do school should suit you well. However, do not rule out other places either. A good instructor in something else is better than a bad instructor in any of the above arts. Remember it is the skill of the practitioner that matters most.

Don't be too intimidated, Everybody has to start somewhere. Many of these places will have younger guys there with the popularity of MMA. Some of these places (especially Muay Thai) train with a lot of intensity. It will get you into shape, but you will have to seriously work for it and nothing will be handed out to you. The results, if you make it through it all, will be spectacular.

There are some things you should try to avoid though. Avoid McDojos and belt factories, They are places that are only interested in taking your money and often teach useless material. These place only make you think you are getting a workout and learning how to defend yourself but you really are not.

The list below are things that a McDojo usually has. Avoid any place with anything mentioned below if possible.

Junior black belts (It is best to avoid a place with black belts under the age of 16.)
Black belts with only 2 years or so experience (A good place will usually you from 3-5 years to earn one.)
Frequent belt testings.
Paying for a belt testing.
Signing a long term contract
No contact sparring

For more info about McDojos and what to avoid, go to this link below:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkrPqCpu5LCfFrzuH9gho3Hsy6IX?qid=20070328065431AAm9YN7&show=7#profile-info-FHT0OlAgaa

Also check out the site below:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mcweigel/rmafaq/rmafaq1.html

Answer 2

I suppose it depends on what is more important to you... fitness or self defense.

I am currently taking Jiu Jitsu. It teaches 'street fighting' techniques. Its not 'pretty', but from what little I know, its one of the best martial arts for self defense, and covers everything from kicks/punches, wrestling-type movies, and throws. (Some Jiu Jitsu classes involves throws, others do not etc. so you'll have to see how comfortable you are with that.)

There are other martial arts which may be better in terms of fitness (more aerobic activity, more flexibility) but may not be as practical when it comes to self defense. (For example: I think Karate and Kung Fu emphasize kicks/punches, which becomes less useful when you're fighting in close. And Tae Kwon Do is more of a 'sport' than an actual self defence.)

Answer 3

I am 47 and have been learning martial arts for well over 35 years, and for the last 10 years it's been kenpo karate.

Check out some kenpo demos on youtube.com search some names like Jeff Speakman, Frank Soto, Larry Tatum and Ed Parker.

If a Kenpo school is within your driving limits go and watch a few classes, ask some questions.

I wish I had started with Kenpo back in the '70s, it's truly an awesome self defense art.

Enjoy the demos and good luck.

Answer 4

What idiot would suggest Tai Chi as a exercise program. There is a reason that you only see 80yr olds doing it in the park. Because it is not physically demanding. Seriously, Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, (Kempo whatever) is all you need. Since you want self defense, make sure you classes have at lest some resistance training. Ju-Jitsu is rolling on the ground wrestling (primarily) and doesn't seem to be for 35 yr old, overwieght women, who have never done martial arts before(in my opinion). Kung-Fu styles and TKD tend to get "jumpy".

I really think that it is annoying when someone asks for advice on what to do and people answer only in acordance to what they do. (specific styles of Karate/Kung-Fu/Blah-blah fighting school).

Answer 5

Depends on what you mean by self defense.

Any of the training methods mentioned thus far will help with your overall fitness.

Consider this, no matter what type of training you choose, if there are 20 people in the class at your local dojo that can toss you around like a rag doll; there will be hundreds of thousands out in the real world that can do the same.

http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/martialarts.html

Read the article, then decide how you want to proceed.

Answer 6

Based on your criteria, I'd look into Krav Maga. It's VERY aerobic as well as a solid martial art. It's becoming very popular, so if you live in or near a big city, chances are you'll find a Krav Maga school. The art began as a self-defense/fighting system for the Israeli Army. The instruction technique is they first fatigue you with heavy aerobic exercise, then start the martial arts aspect. It's supposed to simulate what actually happens during hand-to-hand combat, where soldiers are usually fatigued due to lack of sleep & battlefield stress. Obviously, what they teach for us civilians is dramatically toned down!

Answer 7

I agree with Brandon. Finding a teacher that you can listen too, one that teaches in a way that works for you is more important than particular style, because you will get more out of it in the long run.
I study Wing Chun. I'm not saying it is the best choice, but it may be one to consider, it depends. Wing Chun deals with a lot of close in fighting - "fighting in elevators" my teacher calls it- has a lot of parries, and doesn't require a lot of strength. Its all about economy - why use a forklift to move something when a finger will do? It was originally created by a woman, and can be very effective as a self defense, especially as I think you are looking for something to make you feel safe and not so you can go out and beat on people :)
What ever you decide, be sure to do your research, check out the school and the teacher and make sure that you know what works for one doesn't always work for all, so pick something that "speaks" to you, that makes you go "yeah, I really want to do this!" There's a lot of discipline involved in any of the arts, but go for it, its so worth it.


edit: in response to Mike Hawk : Of course people are going to respond in relation to what art they do, they can hardly tell people about one they know nothing about, now can they?

Answer 8

I would keep it as simple as possible. Ju-Jitsu puts you primarily on the ground fighting. Don't know if someone your age/fitness level wants to start there. I would go to your nearest Karate/Kempo type school. You will get you punch, kick, block, simulated attack type cirriculm out of these types of schools. Kung-Fu (depending on which particular style) tends to have a little more jumping and spinning. Tae-kwon-do has a lot more kicks. So if you are out of shape/overweight, these may not seem that fun to you. Honestly, you just need to find a teacher that you like and can feel comfortable with.

Answer 9

for your situation, since you still smoke the cigarettes and marijuana then boxing or kick boxing is kind of out of the picture. but also for you circumstance. also since you said you are interested in meditation and and are self conscious i think traditional Karate or judo would be right down your alley but personally judo would be better much more practical then traditional karate but the benefits with traditional karate is the spiritual and mental side of it as meditation is a big part of it. but i personally would say go with judo. it still has lots of the mental benefits of traditional karate as well as very practical and useful techniques that you can apply in real life situations which by default builds self confidence. id look into one of those two also maybe traditional kung fu or taekwondo might be good as well for you but i find traditional kung fu is REALLY not practical in real life but tae kwon do does the kicks are very useful and you will learn good defense techniques there that will build confidence alot. but really try out a few places (most give a free lesson or two) and see what you think thats your best option and really it only takes a class or two to see if your interested as well and also if you ever want to drop drugs and smoking completely id say give boxing or muay thai kick boxing a try as they will push you harder and the more you get into those too you will need to drop the habbits but they can also be good programs to help take your mind away from stupid habits. i used to smoke weed when i started boxing but got so into it i decided id rather be the best fighter i could then smoke stupid things ... anyways happy hunting i reccomend these in this order for you 1- judo 2- traditional karate 3-taekwondo 4-traditional kung fu 5-boxing 6-muay thai kick boxing

Answer 10

I agree with Modern Wushu.

Tai Chi is a good all around martial art, many people don't start it until they are MUCH older than you are and it is a good exercise program -- but it's self defense benefits are a "long term investment."

EDIT: If you are doing your Tai Chi correctly, you burn a LOT more calories than a casual observer might suspect.
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