Martial Arts

Visserian

Hello all,

I've been wanting to take up a martial art since I was a kid. Now that I'm an adult and on my own with free time, and out of college I've decided to try to finally accomplish that goal. However I know next to nothing about the different types that are out there. I'm wondering if someone can give me some idea of which I should look at? My primary goals are getting in shape and self-defense, in that order of importance. I use to be in good shape about 5 years ago, but college decided to add about 40 lbs before I graduated, not sure if that is important or relevant but I'm putting that out there in case it is. Also how can I tell the difference from a good place to learn from a bad one? Anything anyone can tell me or any resources I could be pointed at would be immensely welcome.

darklite_x

I'm going to recommend either Brazilian Ju Jitsu or Krav Maga.

Fantasma

Karate is pretty standard and put effort in giving you strength.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

The way to tell the difference between a good one and a bad one is to look out for the ones that have belt advancement on a rigid schedule over a period of years while also requiring you to pay a hefty monthly fee. Your teacher should be someone you genuinely find pleasant to be around, or else you're going to develop standoffish rivalry complexes and start doing things 'your way.'

As for which one you want to learn, that depends on what you want to get out of it. If you just want to brutalize people, then yeah. Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Krav Maga is always mentioned in these threads, but it's important to note that Krav Maga is a martial art that is specifically designed to fuck people up/kill them in CQC, emphasis on quickness and efficiency of movement.

Like Tae Kwon Do classes are all "If someone grabs your arm, do this and run away!"

And Krav Maga is all "If someone grabs you, pull his arm to this side and quickly smash down against the leverage of his elbow, breaking it and crippling him for life possibly! Then, FINISH HIM.

On the other hand, if you're just looking for something fun to learn or you know...you don't wanna kill people on accident, you might be better off finding a Tai Chi class. Teach yourself movement, balance, discipline, breathing. Then maybe continue into (a more martial specific) form, like Tai Chi Quan.

Visserian

Well I'm definitely looking for something with emphasis on self-defense, and Krav Maga sounds interesting in a 'scary as hell' kind of way. But I am looking for something I would find enjoyable/fun so I can keep coming back again and again to continue learning it. I'd say my main goals are good exercise, self-defense, and just enjoying the experience of learning.

By your description Krav Maga fills the "If you try to hurt me/murder me/rape me/steal my teddy bear you'll regret it for the rest of your short life" but I'm not sure if it would fill the 'fun factor.'

Kate of Lokys

This question gets asked a fair bit here, so there have been a few recent threads about it here and here - reading them over will give you a ton of information. To summarize, your instructor will always have more of an impact on your fitness, happiness, and level of ability than the type of martial art. Yes, there are differences between the various forms - some are more focused on kicking, some on grappling, some on stabbing people with your elbows - but the biggest difference is the quality of the teaching.

Also, it's good that you listed getting in shape as your primary goal. Martial arts can be an excellent and enjoyable way to do that. I'd be careful, though, about viewing them as a valid form of self-defense. If someone pulls a knife on you in an alley, trying to execute a flashy spinning roundhouse kick is just going to get you shivved in the gut. Having some martial arts training can make people overconfident of their ability to defend themselves, and that can translate into unwise behaviour - I mean, I have seen dudes at bars go out of their way to pick fights because they want a chance to show off the awesome krav maga move they just learned.

If you want to get in shape, get in shape - pick up some awesome martial art with a great instructor who has you jumping all over the mats doing head-high kicks. If you want to learn self-defense, though, you would be better off pursuing separate instruction for that. Self-defense classes aren't about getting a workout: they're about understanding safety, improving situational awareness, and avoiding fights, not winning them.