Style help plz.

[steve_bell]

I'd like a little help as to which style i should take up please.

I currently workout at the gym alot and im very fit but ive never done a martial art. I'm 18, 5"11 and 72kgs a little chubby with fairly strong legs as i do cardio alot.

I'm looking at which subject works best and can actually be used on the street against a thug or something.

A friend of mines done karate here for 3.5 years and he gets beat up all the time. So i'd like to do something where you feel your getting something out of it to stay motivated.

So out of these subjects which is best for what i want.

Taekwondo
Kung Fu
JuJitsu
shi bu kai
Kickboxing
Judo

Thanks.

[thekingster]

Depends largely on what you're looking for in a M/A...but I would suggest jujutsu.

Just my $.02

[Hakko-Ryu]

i'd sayyyy kickboxing or Judo. Depending on the instructors...Kung-fu, if a qualified instructor is available...for now, since you are just starting, i'd say watch a lot of classes and try and discern which are the McDojos and which are legit and qualified schools...there has been many posts to WHAT a mcdojo is in this forum...do a search or 2 and you'd find some info!

welcome to MAP.

[steve_bell]

Well the taekwondo and shi bi kai classes are nearby, the others are an hour away. But if it's worthwhile i'll attend the best one.

Thekingster - I'm looking for a much more offensive m/a and i'd like to get involved in tournaments etc.

[Infesticon #1]

I say tae kwon do (TKD) it's pretty offensive (tee hee) and it also has a lot of sparring as a part of it. you'll have to wait until yellow belt (or 8th Kup)

though I guess it depends on whether it's WTF or ITF TKD

I say go attend both classes and ask them whether it's right for you. They might be better judges of what you like then us.

[#1 Stutta]

Dude, take up TKD. It's much more offensive and comes w/ a lot of sparring and tournaments.

[TkdWarrior]

simple choose an art which atracts u...
-TkdWarrior-

[Specter]

I read this and felt I must add my own opinion, since TKD looked to me as if it was winning out. I do SOME tkd (I'm about at Homer Simpson's skill level in this art), and personally I find that it is not one of the more useful ones on the street. It is very strict to rules and not pulling off those cheap shots you KNOW you're gonna be looking for in a street fight =) IMHO Boxing is incredibly good to take up for street fights. That being said, you gotta learn to swallow the pride and be the guy who backs out of the fight. It could be the most annoying person in the world, who bumped into you, who you could EASILY defeat... and you should still apologize to him and move on. That's the real thing most martial arts try to teach: respect and humility.
A slightly similar topic I would just like to put out there: I do Judo, and have a lot of fun with it. I first started it because I wanted something to "protect me on the street." I had never been in a fight before, had no confidence in my own ability to handle one, and figured that Judo would give me the advantage I would need. Move forward in time 6 months and I had sparred many times, been to competitions, total confidence in myself, very happy with my ability to hold my own in a fight... but it didn't matter anymore, because I had found something I was truly happy doing, and had a lot of fun with. If I get beat up or not, I'll still go back to Judo, spar, and have a great time, because I realized what was more important. I do hope that this might happen for you, so I suggest you include in your criteria that the art is one you can do for a good amount of time, should you find yourself so inclined. That was way more than two cents, but I'm in a talktative mood =)

[surgingshark]

Homer Simpson...the ultimate martial artist!

Anyway, I'd go for Tang Soo Do (Strikes) or Sanuces-Ryu Jiu Jitsu (Grabs).

[Saz]

What kind of Kickboxing? There's a few types out there. Some are good, some aren't.

[quartermaster]

i would suggest tkd.
be aware in the future that kung fu is not a style, it has hundreds of styles

[versatilefightR]

too many biased answers on this forum. The question is, do you want to learn how to street fight? protect yourself? not many traditional martial arts prepare you for the street... even though im taking thai boxing now, i'll try not to have a bias. take the jujitsu, or anything involving boxing/kickboxing/thai boxing. jujitsu is good for SelfDefense situations, and any boxing style is good to become immediately effective at fighting back. picking a style is only based on what you want from it... some people take martial arts to fight back, others for sport, or others for a spiritual thing (yawn :P) think about what you want from the martial arts first before deciding what style to choose

[kerling]

Take into place

You can do any style and never be able to fight anyone because you are simply not willing.

Your teacher needs to be a saint or just planely god him self to give someone a fighter spirit wich is needed to make a good fighter.

The list you made is from long range TKD and up close and personal with judo. So for your need is to find a school that teaches just plain brawling since you don't want to master anything. Just be able to barfight. Thouse schools will make a fighter with in a year but to become a good fighter in Martial Art you need more time to develope.

Regards Kerling

[Fluffy Wabbit]

If you can find a place that teaches a form of kickboxing geared at street defence (where they teach you the sports way and the way when there are no rules) then you should become quite proficient with the basics within a year. That said, most fights seem to end on the floor so a form such as Brazilian Ju JItsu might be better if you're preparing for such a scenario.

But Kickboxing definently teaches you how to take it and dish it out. Seriously recommend you give it a go.

[Aravi]

Any martial art not usable in a fight?

Isn't that what they're designed for.

Only reason some people can't use it in a fight is because they haven't trained to.

Not the art, but the practitioner (and/or their training).

[Poop-Loops]

Jujitsu. Lots of grappling there. (my fav. :))

And yeah, it's probably your friend who just sucks. Just because he's been taking Karate lessons for years, doesn't mean he's learned anything.

PL

[Skinneh]

Im a newbie, and ive only taken kickboxing. Sofar starting my 4th week?. I love it. Its an insane workout, we do alot of resistance training, and lots of work on the bags. They push us hard.

Our teacher has alot of exp, and is an awsome guy. He teaches us how to kickbox, stay fit, and also now and again say " now you cant use this in a tourny, but on the street, its fair game ".. So we learn tricks here and there, afteral it is self defence.

I also like kickboxing because its very basic, and straightforward.

Try them all out, not like you have anything to loose :D Pick one where you feel comfortable.

[morphus]

"Try them all out, not like you have anything to loose Pick one where you feel comfortable"

Absolultely!

[juramentado]

Originally posted by steve_bell


So out of these subjects which is best for what i want.

Taekwondo
Kung Fu
JuJitsu
shi bu kai
Kickboxing
Judo

Thanks.


Are all these styles available where you live? It's important that you get the most qualified teacher you can find in your area of ANY of these styles. A qualified teacher is one who is very knowledgeable about the art and is good at teaching.

Watch the classes and see which if them you like. The key word here is "like", since studying something for years without the burning desire to do so will keep you from getting the most from the experience. You need to actually enjoy that you're studying. After that, it's all application :)

[Thokk]

I do a modern form of kung-fu which is oriented to street fighting, small joint manipulation, striking using all of the tools of the body, as well as many ranges of fighing including grapling, weapons, traping and so on. What makes my style nice is that it also incorperates the philosophy and spirituality into what we do, which in my oppinion makes it more effective at higher levels. Obviously im biased towards my system, but my advice to you is that no matter what style you chose, make sure that you have a good instructer. Also if you're looking for something effective, in my experience tkd is nice in tournaments, but isnt the most usefull in a street fight. After three months of training i spared against a black belt in tkd and beat him because i was able to exploit his style's weaknesses, for example the limited use of close quarter weapons. Obviously im not saying that any one martial art is better than another, because in the end, you dont fight the system, you fight the student. You might want to look into judo or jujitsu for the grapling which is what most street fights come down to.

[antifuse]

The problem here is, you've listed two very separate requirements:
1) you want to defend yourself on the street and
2) you want to get involved in tournaments.

From what I've seen, (granted not all THAT much) tournaments tend to be more rules-oriented, where the person you're fighting can be expected to follow some rules. When you're fighting a street thug, none of this applies. Just as a personal opinion, I wouldn't want to focus on a rules-based style if I was going strictly for self defense.

If your friend is getting beat up all the time, then a couple things could be the reason:

1) He's been training at a McDojo, and therefore hasn't really been taught anything useful.
2) He thinks he's a badass because he takes karate, and therefore picks fights that he can't win
3) A deadly combination of 1 and 2.

I would suggest finding something in your area with a teacher who teaches in a style that you respond to and respect. It's all well and good to pick an art that you think you'd like, but then if the only teachers in your area are terrible, or you don't respond well to them, then it's pretty much a moot point.

[TigerAnsTKDLove]

im in tae kwon do but maybe go for the judo or ju jitsu. also look up at hap ki do it might catch your interest

[Thokk]

maybe he gets beat up because karate just isnt the most practicle defence tool out there...

[Saz]

*sigh*

As another member put it... Its not the bow an arrow thats the problem, its Robin Hood.

[surgingshark]

Should I grab the fire extinguisher?

[Os3y3ris]

Out of that list, jiujitsu, judo and kickbozing seem to be what you want. If getting beat up is a concern, judo is one of the most effective arts. Dropping people on their heads is an effective fight ender. Plus you get your groundwork in too. Brazilian jiujitsu is similar, but with stronger groundwork. It came from judo. Japanese jiujitsu, being the father of judo, is the most complete of both arts, but the training varies. Kickboxing is great too. What you want is an art that puts out fighters, not an art where people just talk about fighting.

[bcullen]

Oh boy. Shark: You get the extinguisher, I'll start dialing 911.

[surgingshark]

On it!

*breaks glass*

[Os3y3ris]

Did someone make a flameworthy comment? You DO want an art that puts out fighters. This should be what everyone wants, regardless of style. I dont care what style you do, but unless Im impressed with your fighting abilities against opponents of equal caliber that dont train under you or work for you, Im leaving.

[surgingshark]

Originally Posted By Os3y3ris
I dont care what style you do

ROFLMAO!!!

[Os3y3ris]

How could I when i practice TKD?

[Saz]

Originally posted by Os3y3ris
Did someone make a flameworthy comment?

Depends how you view flameworthy. I get the impression surgingshark and bcullen were just having a bit of a joke though.

Originally posted by Os3y3ris
You DO want an art that puts out fighters. This should be what everyone wants, regardless of style.

Nice idea, but not everyone wants this, and thats a fact. Maybe its what you want, and thats fine, but not everyone does. Thats their choice.

Lets all calm down a bit and get the thread back on topic shall we?

[surgingshark]

I get the impression surgingshark and bcullen were just having a bit of a joke though.

If you noticed, I was actually referring to Thokk's comment.

[Os3y3ris]

I suppose you were.

[Thokk]

Well i appologise if i offended anyone, all i meant by my comment was that in a street situation, someone who parctices karate may have less of an advantage than someone who practices another martial art, but obviouly that depends more on the person. Ill be sure to phrase my posts better in future.

[cop915]

As for me i study Shotokan,But you must go with what you like if you ask what style is better your going to get a hundred diff. answers because they are all good in it's own way. what might be good for me may not be for you. so go with the one you like most.and that one will be the best for you.

[surgingshark]

Ill be sure to phrase my posts better in future.

We all appreciate it :)

[saikyou]

you want to be involved in tournaments? are you a striker or a grappler? for striking, muay thai. for grappling, judo.

[Sun Hwang]

Taekwondo has some of the highest physical benefits. You will get high endurance, speed, agility, flexibility, coordination, balance and a moderate level of strength. Judo, I think, give you the most strength benefits.

However, you don't need to have high amounts of these skills to start; it's merely a bonus if you do. If you start TKD (which I would reccomend) then it is best to do some stretching exercises before you start your first class. It'll help a ton.