Which MA...?

[myki]

In keeping with the spirit of another thread;

Which MA would you say is best for one with a physical disability?

I have limited mobility and am in a wheelchair. I have found, for me, that the Aikido I was taught in the military works fairly well. I am able to employ joint locks if someone were to grab me, and I can use my chair as a weapon for someone trying to strike.
I use my Aikido in that I can see where a person's force is going and, using my chair, I just help him along. Also by controlling my breathing I control my fear and keep my mind alert to problems.
Mind you, I've never been attacked on the "street" so the real world application is up in the air.

But, I do what I can in training and hopefully I'll never have to find out.

Cheers!

[justin hun]

Ide say just find a good teacher...Jujutsu , that has been designed for you.. My Grandmaster Crimi actually confined himself to a wheelchair for over a month just to get an idea of their needs. This inabled Grandmaster to develope a very effective course for people in wheelchairs . Here is my dojos Address www.ryuzado.com

sincerely, j hun

[arumseytkd]

With the martial arts, espically those who are physically challenged its not about what style is the best. Its more geared towards improving yourself in life (general). I personally teach a wheelchaired bound student in Tae kwon do and she is a red belt (just tested for navy blue belt in our system). She makes me think on coming up with moves to adapt to her. So my two cents worth would be take a look at all of the styles that are out there and choose to which one you think would be the most adaptable to you.

Aaron

[rebecca kane]

Filipino martial arts is good too! contrary to many beliefs its not just about twirling sticks or stick bashing there are locks throws and defences involved too!! In one of my classes a couple of years back there ws a guy with only one arm and one leg! _ Forgive me as i don't know the technical terms for this disability but, we found that the FMA did not limit and did nopt prejudice against him! he seemed to find it great unfortunately due to work commitmets he had to stop!!

best regards

rebecca

[oosh]

Very true Rebecca, GM Carlito Bonjoc jr. has only partial use in his legs and the level of mastery he has reached in FMA speaks for itself. check out his site -

http://www.bagyo.net/index.html

[Topher]

I'd second FMA. Why not 'hide' sticks in the chair or adapt them into the chairs design, within easy reach! ;)