Hello. I've been reading through some postings and other web pages to find out what style to begin learning this summer. I've found this question to be very common, and the common responce is, "Pick what suits you." So, perhaps, if I explain my situation, someone out there can help me. I'm 27 years old, 6'2", 215 lbs., and I have always been athletic. The funny part is that I have never played group sports. I have been lifting weights for 10 years, but only recently have I discovered the "proper" way to make great gains. More importantly, I am a high school teacher with the next 10 weeks to do whatever I want. I have decided to hit the weights in hopes of making my body do what I tell it. At the same time, I feel that taking on a martial art would greatly improve my balance and flexibility. But I'm not a Yoga kind of person! I don't want to take a martial art that teaches me to fight with staffs, or fight one-on-one with another martial artist. Truth be told, it would be nice to be able to defend against 15 attackers at once. Sure, this sounds a bit...stupid, but it seems like a good place to begin. On a side note, I almost broke my neck when I was 15 (my brief encounter with the team sport of wrestling). My neck is now strong, but it doesn't react well to being kicked or jared. Is it possible to take a martial art without being kicked in the head? The rest of me can take about any abuse...I am married after all. Anyway, I'm interested in anyone's opinion. Thanks
I don't think there are any arts to help you defend against 15 attackers, that's just on TV. Don't expect somebody to attack you one at a time, either.
Well, I organize this annual fishing trip, and every year, 10-15 guys pick one unlucky person to be duct taped to a tree. I've never been picked, but it would be nice to be able to fight them off. Its all in fun. And what do you mean TV isn't real?
You want to learn martial arts to fight people just to keep from being duct taped? Well, I don't know of any art that can help you fight off 15 innocent people, but mabey you could start by telling us what arts are avaliable in your area?
The first thing would be to have a look at what's available in your area, second look at the funds situation and third look at what you're wanting out of it (ie, fun, recreation, body building, self defence, etc.). No good us just saying 'try Tai Chi' if it doesn't fit any of the above. I would recommend you get back to us with what's available to you and ask for our opinions as to what we think you should do and why.
No "fighting art" will teach you to defend against 15 people. What you need is a "No Fighting" Art Track & field springs to mind.
It would be nice, wouldn't it? Fighting one person is complex, how can you hope to be able to take on 15 people who have intent to hurt you? 15 guys who are a bunch of pussies and stand there as they watch their mates get dropped would be no problem. But, 15 guys who want to hurt you, try run-kung-fu! A good place to start would be one-on-one and getting hit! If you're not getting hit, you're not learning how to fight and you'll be in for a big shock. Would doing neck bridges help strengthen your neck? If you wanna learn how to fight, be prepared to get hit a LOT!
The first thing I would recommend is to check through your local yellow pages (phone book) and see what schools are around. Take a couple days to go a scout them out... look in the window and see what's going on inside. Step in during the break between classes and try to talk to the instructor. Arrange an observation. When you come across an instructor who seems good and a school that looks pretty interesting... try it out. Make sure you tell the instructor (and your training partners) about any injuries so you can be protected. My main advice is that the style is less important than the school atmosphere, students' attitudes and instructor's attitude. Find a place that is open and makes you fell welcome and safe and give it a try. (By the way, I realized that your quip about taking on 15 people was tongue-in-cheek)
I would go with a lot of the above, despite my qualms at advising a high-school teacher (!) Also, I would put a lot of emphasis on bag work and shadow boxing, especially to begin with. Get a wado ryu guy to give you some good advice, that's what I did...
WOW! I see this “taking on 15 guys” thing was taken way too seriously. For some clarity, I would like to be able to take down an attacker with minimal force—more or less a deterrent for future attacks. Almost like a self-defense class accompanied with some leg sweeps. My best attribute would be my upper body strength. I don’t see aerial kicks being a strong point for many many years. But I also want to increase my flexibility since weight training tends to me a person rather stiff. And if “finding your center” is something that is a real practice in martial arts, I could really use help with that. As for some of the above suggestions, here is some more info: 1) Money is not that big of an issue. 2) The phone book has every kind of martial arts that I know of plus many I’ve never heard of. So I don’t think finding out what is available is a problem. 3) I do plan to scope out some places in town, but I’d like to narrow it down to under 20. A student of mine suggested Judo. He says it would be good for me since I’m a bit larger and I could use my size to my advantage. Is there any truth to this? Hope this helps. Thanks again
Semantics semantics…the fact of the matter is, if your lats extend beyond your rib cage by several inches on each side, you simply can’t scratch the middle of your back.
Judo would be good, but you won't learn to deal with punches and kicks and vice versa for kickboxing..
So what is the secret to gaining pounds of muscle? This is very good advice. You will know which one is right for you when you find it. Just gotta get out there and give them a go. I generally jump straight in and train the first time I walk through the door. May not be the wisest way to go about it but I feel that it is the best way to get a feel for the club. Sometimes things look much easier or harder than they are. Only by giving them a go do you get the true feel for it. A word of humble advice. When finding a club take into account your size/ strength. When doing bag work you may think something along the lines of "I can hit as hard as these guys already, why should I bother training here" You must take into account that your size offers you an advantage from the outset but with technique you could be something awesome. Just try to be humble in your approach to training. If I was going to make a suggestion in regard to which style: In karate it would be Kykoshinkai or Goju-ryu. Both very practical styles that would suit your build and lack of flexibility as kicks are generally very low. Or my other suggestion would be Jujitsu, it's just such a complete martial art. But like I quoted earlier you will know when you find what is right for you.
Sounds good Telson, thanks. I have a Jujitsu place on my list for this week. I think this should be fun, and I can't agree with you more about finding someone who I feel comfortable with. There is nothing worse than training with people who think they are God's gift to the sport. Humble is always the way to go.
Well, I've narrowed it down to hapkido, aikido, jujitsu, or maybe Judo (but there are not many Judo instructors around).
I was thinking about you today You may find that you will enjoy something that does not use you body to it's advantage i.e aikido. Like I said before if you go into say judo but everyone struggles with you from the outset, although this is unlikely, you may find it a lack of a challenge. However if you tried Aikido and there are little guys chucking you about using joint manipulation this may intrigue you more. Just a thought. But the best way to find out is to get out there and do them.
