Which fighting style should I try?

Question

I am going on 25-years old & I am thinking about trying martial arts again for the third time. I tried it when I was 14, then when I was 19, now at almost at age 25, I am thinking of doing it again. But I really don't wanna waste my money or time. When I was 14, I tried Jeet-Kune-Do. Then at 19, I tried Chinese Kung-Fu. I'm a life long Bruce Lee fan. Those styles worked for him, but not for me cause I learned nothing from either style. I am not really a physical person. I've always been a big guy and kinda on the chubby side. Not so much more now though, but I am still big. So if I get back into martial arts, what kind of school should I go to? And does martial arts really work in fist fights or is it all for show? Cause most fights I see are guys laying on the ground, wrestling. It seems like UFC ground fighting is the best style out there.

Answer 1

For striking: muay thai, kickboxing, boxing, sanshou, kyokushin and shidokan karate.

For grappling: judo, brazilian jujitsu, sambo, wrestling.

Jeet Kune do is more a philosophy than a martial art, to discard what's useless, and to use what works, you could say it's the genesis of modern MMA (mixed martial arts)

"UFC ground fighting" is just a mixture of grappling arts, mentioned above. The most common ones nowadays are brazilian jujitsu and wrestling.

I hope this information is useful.

good luck!

Answer 2

Before you take any style I would look at why you have not learned on two previous occassions. Perhaps your approach to learning was wrong or the instructors while good martial artists may not have been very good instructors. It could be a combination of both and I have found that some people have a problem learning martial arts so your teaching approach has to be modified to teach them or they flounder. That being said shop around and look for a good instructor who can teach, not one that is just a good martial artist. If you can find one that teaches what appeals to you in so far as the type/style of martial art then thats even better.

While the wrestling, grappling styles are very effective keep in mind that they have rules that favor that type of fighting and the fight going to the ground. No kicks or knees to the groin; no eye or finger jabs; no fish hooking or ear clapping or head butts; no elbows to the spine or rabbit punches to the back of the skull. These are all techniques that a skilled, well trained martial artist would apply in a street situation. They are very effective and end the fight before it ever reaches the ground or while a person is trying to get you to the ground. But if you prefer the ground fighting aspects then look for a well organized instructor who posesses the abilty to teach. Visit each school a couple of times and observe who is teaching and watch the classes. Look to see how he handles a student that is struggling with something and if he succeeds in making a negative into a positive. Also look to see if the instructor presents techniques that are appropriate for the skill level of the students. Some techniques are very difficult to learn if you have not learned something else first. Talk to the students afterwards and see if they are happy with the level and quality of the instruction. So shop around and see what is available and if there is a good instructor out there that teaches it. You will be more likely to find them if you take the time and make the extra effort and probably be much happier in the long run and not feel like you wasted your time or money.

Answer 3

I think all traditional martial arts disciplines are effective and have something positive to teach anyone, but not all discplines will appeal to everyone.

Clearly you have tried two which did not appeal to you at the time you tried them, but these are most definately two discplines that many people may recommend. Thus I would suggest that you should look at what is available in your area and go check them out for yourself. Talk with the instructor/s, observe a few classes, chat with the students, and maybe try a few classes out before committing.

No-one here can really advise you as there are too many variables. I would not agree with your contention tht UFC seems like the best style out there. UFC is certainly popular right now, but that does not mean it is the best, nor does it mean it will be suitable or appealing to you. Equally, I believe most UFC or MMA fighters are from traditional disciplines and the creation of schools which teach MMA concepts strictly for the UFC/MMA is a relatively new things.

Your size, weight, height, gender, body type etc. etc. really should not have any impact on the effectiveness of the discipline you choose. You can learn something from any discipline. You just have to take some time to find the discipline that most appeals to you :)

Good luck!

Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 4

What styles are available in your town? I would recommend basing your decision not so much on the specific style, but by the school and instructor. Visit a couple of the dojos around so you can actually see if it's something you are interested in. Ask a lot of questions and observe how the instructor interacts with his/her students. If you let me know what kinds of schools are near you I can try to help a little more. The UFC ground fighting you're talking about is most likely jujitsu. There are also MMA schools, who teach a variety of stand-up and ground fighting techniques. I think it's easier to have a base before joining an MMA school, but that also depends on how good the instructor is.

Answer 5

I would try the internal martial arts such as Tai Chi. The moves are slow but they hide a wealth of strength if you study for long enough. You will develop self confidence as your balance improves dramatically and you will find that your stress level decreases tremendously, which makes you feel calmer in situations where fighting may be necessary. If you are not really a physical person I definitely recommend the internal martial arts. Although street fighting skills may take longer to develop, you will develop other skills that help more in situations where fights may occur. And the physical and mental benefits from the work is amazing. You will very quickly improve your breath control, increase blood flow through the entire body, and generally improve every aspect of your health. You will be able to quickly bring your body to a calm, relaxed state in any circumstance.

Answer 6

Well, you can try Aikido, since you're not really "physical." It seems to be a good style to get into after you've matured a bit too. Now that you're 25, you'll probably appreciate martial arts more.

Answer 7

I train in the Doce Pares Filipino Martial arts. Cacoy Canete, Grand Master.Why don't you train in Krav Maga? Israeli combat fighting. you can incorporate this style into whatever system you learn.

Answer 8

muay thai is great. i train along with jiu-jitsu. any style can work for you, its just you have to be comfortable with it. i have trained in tae kwon do, kung fu, and a little bif of judo, and loved them all. the reason the UFC guys do what they do is because they have to be trained in multiple disciplines. most of them train muay thai, boxing, greco roman wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and judo. they need all those because there is no tell where the fight might go so they have to be prepared to fight from anywhere.

Answer 9

i would suggest judo. you are big, nd judo focuses on throws which would b a good fit...jiu-jitsu if you want to learn ground moves, these two styles used to be one. Samaria's used these arts to throw the enemy to the ground...size is good but technique is more important

Answer 10

most schools have a MMA night, where you can learn BJJ,boxing,wresting,judo, etc...pretty much everything, check it out.......it will make you a more rounded martial artist, and you will never get bored