Choosing a Martial Art

[informah]

Hey im 16, live in toronto and ive always been really interested in MAs but ive never actually started one yet

Would any of you say 16 is too late to just be starting or is it ok?

also which martial art do you all think is best.. by best i mean most usable in real fights because i am not looking for the flashy kind like capoera or something i need one that will teach me real life fighting skills

[Aegis]

You're never too late to start, so get yourself down to a school and see what you think. If you're looking for self-defence, just about anything will do as long as it's taught well. My personal preference is jujutsu, but everyone has a different art of choice.

it would help if you told us 2 bits of information: what are you looking for in the art (grappling, striking, weapons defences, use of weapons, etc) and what you know is taught in your area. Otherwise you could get an extensive list of recommendations, where the nearest dojo is in Texas, for example...

Good luck with choosing.

[stump]

Hi,

work out the goals of your training then see what;s available to you in your area. Then you can start to make a decision.

No point telling you "ultimate fu" is the best if the nearest school is 500 miles away!!!! :)

[Falling_link]

Hey. I'm in the same boat as you, except i'm 17 tehe. However i've had experience in martial arts before, i did Kyushindo Karate for 2 and a half years, when i was around 12. I would suggest not to do Karate but the style i did had it's own syllabus and only met once a week, plus i was a junior so we where taught a waterd down version, such as certain moves not shown and we where taught certain kata's. Anyway at the end of the day it's your own choice to make. At the moment i'm highly interested in Hapkido, Tae Kwon Do or JuJitsiu.... ahhh the choices...

[Justin]

Originally posted by stump
Hi,

work out the goals of your training then see what;s available to you in your area. Then you can start to make a decision.

No point telling you "ultimate fu" is the best if the nearest school is 500 miles away!!!! :)


good point

[informah]

juijitsu, karate, and tae kwon do are all options but i was actually thinking about broadening my horizons from the more trditional mas are there any other options?

[JediMasterChris]

Muay Thai and Jujitsu are good choices... Jujitsu if you like grappling, MT if you like striking.

[Falling_link]

Well, there is Caporeia which is an "energetic" MA, it's a fighting style that looks more like danceing, then theres kickboxing *yawn*. To be honest if theres one you really want to do and theres a group nearby you should just go and do, you could spend forever trying to find a MA just right, give one of the ones you've given a thought a few weeks worth of lessons and then decide if it's for you. It'd be something i'd do. So i'm gonna go and try Taekwondo for a while.. if my gf let's me.......

[stump]

Check out Mixed martial arts (MMA).....it covers striking and grappling. For more on it check out www.ufc.tv

[Tosh]

Originally posted by informah
juijitsu, karate, and tae kwon do are all options but i was actually thinking about broadening my horizons from the more trditional mas are there any other options?


Then why not try all three and find the one you enjoy?? Once you've found that you can move ever upward and onwards!!