Whats a good martial arts style for a tall skinny person?

Answer 1

If your fast with legs Tia Kwon Do because your legs would be the things to keep your enemy furthest away from you & thats the best way not to get hit back as easy

Answer 2

I would say for the legs: Try an art like Karate, Kung Fu, Or Tae Kwon Do. Karate and Kung Fu tend to have 50/50 balance to punching and kicking, while Tae Kwon Do (In most styles) is predominantly kicking.
Kickboxing might workout as well.
Hand striking- I'll be open ended here. I myself am going to practice Wing Chun in the future (Well I'm considering it as just one of many :p) for handwork. You can try boxing if you'd like though. As for the arts that I listed for legs:
Tae Kwon Do- Most of the hand strikes are pretty simple here. Some styles get somewhat extensive, but these days the art is predominantly kicking.
Karate- There are many styles of Karate that teach extensive hand work (And self-defense). Here are just few styles that I've heard good things about: Isshinryu (From good ol' Beatchanter ^_^), Shorin, Kyokushin (This style can get intense), Freestyle (If you can find a good school), Goju Ryu, and Shotokan.
Kung Fu- The quans of Kung Fu vary deeply. Though some styles have similar goals as to what you wish to do to your opponent, they can vary greatly. The only style I've practiced is a drunken fist, but I think you might fair well with the five animals. That's a toss up though. I think you should research the various styles of Kung Fu.
As for grappling and throwing- If you can find a good Aiki-jutsu (Or a jiujutsu style that incorporates throwing, grappling [And striking if you want to ditch the other arts :P]) school in your area: I think you should try that.
Now here's the thing: I don't personally know you, and I don't know how close simplicty and practicality are for you. Here I'm going to suggest some hybrid styles:
Hapkido
Kajukenbo
Chun Kuk Do
Hwar Do
Jeet Kune Do is another thing: It is a concept that comes with certain applications of techinques rather than being an actual Martial Art, however. As said by someone else: A good Jeet Kune Do school will teach you the concepts with a mix of various Martial Arts. Cross training is always a good idea. If you can get that in one bag: I'd say go for it. ^_^
Overall: It's not the styles that really matter. More and more people are learning how to defend themselves these days, so most would suggest any form of cross-training (I.e. striking and grappling) or a hybrid Martial Art.

Answer 3

Try an American one like wrestling and or boxing, there are taller people in those styles you will make friends ( compete ) with people that have the same tallness as you or they will wish they had ;) Chuck Liddell has long arms and for a taller person thats a bonus !
Hey what style did Kareem Abdul Jabbar use against Bruce Lee in Game of Death. I suggest that one. He almost won.

Answer 4

Check out Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, they both work well for lanky fighters. You can utilize your range and put some serious power behind your strikes with Muay Thai, and having a spidery frame is fun in Jiu Jitsu because you can slap on certain submissions easier than a lot of other guys.

Answer 5

If you wish to remain skinny (like your physique) then I'd go with a Northern Kung Fu, Shorinryu, or Shotokan. If you wish to bulk up a bit, I'd say a Southern Kung Fu (Like Hung Gar or Wing Chun) Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, or Isshinryu.

Answer 6

all goes back on what you like to do. coz each martial art has their own style to adapt to different body types. and to be tall i believe is an advantage. you could always bulk up, but you can't get taller.

Answer 7

sumo, only joking!
What i would suggest is that you, go around to some classes most arts do the first lesson free thing , yes there are some arts that are properly suited to your body type but i think the best thing would be for you to go try some out until you find something your comfortable with .

Answer 8

Depends really. If you tend to be aggressive, try something like shotokan(or some japanese style, NO american) karate, or kickboxing(muay thai). If you tend to be more defensive try aikido, judo(meh), or, if you want a good mix, you could try jeet kun do.

Answer 9

If you want it for sport/exercising Tae Kwon Do or Northern styles of Gong-Fu.

If you want it for self defense:

JKD CONCEPTS
http://inosanto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=44

LOTAR
http://www.lotarselfdefense.com/pub/overview.htm

COMBAT HAPKIDO
http://www.ichf.com/

EXECUTIVE PROGRESSIVE FIGHT SYSTEM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Fighting_System

KRAV MAGA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_maga

Answer 10

wing chun