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Want to start martial arts, need advice
- Thread starter paridhm
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normally your best bet is to open the yellow pages look at some of the schools in your area and watch a class, talk to students and talk to the instructor or take a free class.
you could post/pm your city or something like that and maybe someone will know a good instructor in your area.
did you want a style mainly suited for self defense?
you could post/pm your city or something like that and maybe someone will know a good instructor in your area.
did you want a style mainly suited for self defense?
I would suggest a type of Jujutsu, Aikido, Aiki jujitsu. Also tradtionally karate is supposed to be a defensive art. Unlike what most sports oriented schools teach. I do suggest checking out the schools in your area. Ask about affiliations. Check out their affiliations on the web. And even perhaps email the organization head that they belong to, to get some idea what type of instructor that person is. Try to stay away from "Mcdojo's, these are schools that sell belt ranks,and basically have little depth,not really that qualified and are just out for the money. One big sign is if they have "Instructor,Master,etc." on their uniform,If you have to wear it usually you can't walk the walk. Some instructors have just recieved their certificates from so called"paper mills" that just certify people for the money and have not really tested them or know anything about the people who buy the certificates. Buyer beware!!paridhm said:
Yarg!
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brazilian jiu jitsu.
all the other styles suck! and anyone who does them suck! youll be a god with BJJ!
im joking. i do wholey recommend bjj, but shop aroudnt ill you find something youre comfy with. for self defense i HIGHLY recommend krav maga or KALI. kali is a AMAZING for self defense.
all the other styles suck! and anyone who does them suck! youll be a god with BJJ!
im joking. i do wholey recommend bjj, but shop aroudnt ill you find something youre comfy with. for self defense i HIGHLY recommend krav maga or KALI. kali is a AMAZING for self defense.
Djimbe
New member
ask around for Instructors in your area . Post your Location , ask around Etc .
HOWEVER - I wouldnt go by style . You may have the greatest BJJ school in your area , or you may only have a Blue Belt local while you have a WORLD CLASS Shito-Ryu (Or WHATEVER) instructor only a block away thats forgotten more abot fighting than the Blue Belt BJJ guy has even heard about yet . Go where you KNOW youre getting Solid instruction .
What do you mean by this ? do you mean :
1) "I want a style that is good to Defend myself with in the Real World ."
OR do you mean :
2) "I want a system of defensive applications and I want to try to make them work in the real world - no attacking for me !"
if #1 :
look for a system that focuses on retaining your Feet and practices good footwork and realistically teaches you to take a Blow and keep working , yet incorporates Throwing and Standing Grappling techniques . You stay up , they go down , you get away . After you gain Competence round everythign out with a good Ground Game for a year or two and you should be sufficient to deal with anything that is ABLE to be dealt with with your hands and get away .
If #2
Get a Gun , and mayby in 10 years youll be able to defend yourself . Hitting is part of Fighting . being Offensive from the outset can win MOST of your battls for yuo . Learning to take a shot and keep Working is MANDATORY to learning to survive an Assault . If you refuse to hear these truths AND PREPARE FOR THEM then you WIL get into a situation where your Overconfidence will get you beat down .
HOWEVER - I wouldnt go by style . You may have the greatest BJJ school in your area , or you may only have a Blue Belt local while you have a WORLD CLASS Shito-Ryu (Or WHATEVER) instructor only a block away thats forgotten more abot fighting than the Blue Belt BJJ guy has even heard about yet . Go where you KNOW youre getting Solid instruction .
What do you mean by this ? do you mean :
1) "I want a style that is good to Defend myself with in the Real World ."
OR do you mean :
2) "I want a system of defensive applications and I want to try to make them work in the real world - no attacking for me !"
if #1 :
look for a system that focuses on retaining your Feet and practices good footwork and realistically teaches you to take a Blow and keep working , yet incorporates Throwing and Standing Grappling techniques . You stay up , they go down , you get away . After you gain Competence round everythign out with a good Ground Game for a year or two and you should be sufficient to deal with anything that is ABLE to be dealt with with your hands and get away .
If #2
Get a Gun , and mayby in 10 years youll be able to defend yourself . Hitting is part of Fighting . being Offensive from the outset can win MOST of your battls for yuo . Learning to take a shot and keep Working is MANDATORY to learning to survive an Assault . If you refuse to hear these truths AND PREPARE FOR THEM then you WIL get into a situation where your Overconfidence will get you beat down .
Djimbe said:
Don't get me wrong I have no problem defending myself. I prefer option #1. I'm just saying I'm not one of those hot heads who goes looking to hurt someone. I want the mental and physical confidence martial arts can give me. I live in South Carolina so my options are very much limited compared to you bros whom live in big cities. I own a Glock .40 caliber by the way.
There is more in common among the styles of karate than politics allow them to admit. I would advise observing a class and seeing the level of instruction. See if there are children in the classes and how they are handled. Does the school compete and have trophies? Who is the Master that founded the school?
Study begins with self defense. Blocks done properly will really discourage and hurt an agressor.
Study begins with self defense. Blocks done properly will really discourage and hurt an agressor.
delphiOne
New member
There is excellent advice above, good wisdom.
I've been involved in martial arts (many styles) for almost 25 years. What I've learned about them is they all take a time commitment, which is rather obvious. Depending on the style, they take a physical conditioning commitment too. For example, if you ever plan on punching someone, you better have your fists conditioned to withstand that kind of impact.
Fighting training also tends to diminish with disuse so if you want to keep the confidence you mention, expect to keep up with your training for the rest of your life. Martial arts are not like learning to ride a bike. There is a pretty demanding set of physical skills to learn and your body will get rusty at them.
I study aikido currently and while it is a great art, it takes a loooong time to learn because of it's intricacy. Grappling is generally a decent way to go, but has it's limitations too. For example, you are attacked by multiple people (a distinct possibility).
For raw usefulness, I would recommend krav maga, kali, or wing chun kung fu/jeet kune do. Kempo karate isn't bad either. You may have a bit of trouble finding these in your local area, but hunt around - you might be surprised. By the way, any art that uses kicks targeted above the waist is not going to be a viable street art. That stuff is for show and tournaments.
Those who mentioned above that the art is less important than the instructor and the dojo are absolutely right. You can study a great art in a poor dojo and come away with nothing to show for it but a lot of wasted time and an empty pocketbook.
Things to look for in a dojo:
- small class sizes
- experienced instructor who is good at teaching
- competent students (testament to the instructors)
- positive atmosphere dedicated to learning
- openness to what other arts have to offer
- dedication to what you're looking for in a martial art
The last one is important because some schools are good at teaching proficiency, but may not be focused on your interests. For example, tournaments. It doesn't sound like tournaments are what you are interested in and tournament fighting is not very useful on the street. Why spend all that time and money with something you don't really want.
Follow your gut and be wary of dojos or instructors that want you to hook up for long term contracts. Most will let you try a class or two for free to see what they're like.
Good luck!
I've been involved in martial arts (many styles) for almost 25 years. What I've learned about them is they all take a time commitment, which is rather obvious. Depending on the style, they take a physical conditioning commitment too. For example, if you ever plan on punching someone, you better have your fists conditioned to withstand that kind of impact.
Fighting training also tends to diminish with disuse so if you want to keep the confidence you mention, expect to keep up with your training for the rest of your life. Martial arts are not like learning to ride a bike. There is a pretty demanding set of physical skills to learn and your body will get rusty at them.
I study aikido currently and while it is a great art, it takes a loooong time to learn because of it's intricacy. Grappling is generally a decent way to go, but has it's limitations too. For example, you are attacked by multiple people (a distinct possibility).
For raw usefulness, I would recommend krav maga, kali, or wing chun kung fu/jeet kune do. Kempo karate isn't bad either. You may have a bit of trouble finding these in your local area, but hunt around - you might be surprised. By the way, any art that uses kicks targeted above the waist is not going to be a viable street art. That stuff is for show and tournaments.
Those who mentioned above that the art is less important than the instructor and the dojo are absolutely right. You can study a great art in a poor dojo and come away with nothing to show for it but a lot of wasted time and an empty pocketbook.
Things to look for in a dojo:
- small class sizes
- experienced instructor who is good at teaching
- competent students (testament to the instructors)
- positive atmosphere dedicated to learning
- openness to what other arts have to offer
- dedication to what you're looking for in a martial art
The last one is important because some schools are good at teaching proficiency, but may not be focused on your interests. For example, tournaments. It doesn't sound like tournaments are what you are interested in and tournament fighting is not very useful on the street. Why spend all that time and money with something you don't really want.
Follow your gut and be wary of dojos or instructors that want you to hook up for long term contracts. Most will let you try a class or two for free to see what they're like.
Good luck!
if you take your gun out with you in public you better bring a plastic one on the mat and drill with it. make sure you know how to protect your weapon. dont turn your hip with the weapon towards your opponent. you also have to learn to create space and get angles so if necessary you can draw and have a shot.
you could call up some local pd's and ask if they use any local ma guy for self defense classes and check it out.
good luck
you could call up some local pd's and ask if they use any local ma guy for self defense classes and check it out.
good luck
delphiOne
New member
There is a tricky bit of business with using a gun for self defence. I suppose this might be hijacking the thread slightly because paridhm mentioned his interest in a defensive art. Sending someone to the hospital or morgue by using a deadly weapon isn't too defensive.
The main problem with a gun is that these are really your only two options, unless you merely want to use it to intimidate which is an extraordinarily bad idea, by the way.
The fantasy of defending yourself with a firearm is drastically different from the reality. Realistically, if you defend yourself by shooting someone, you WILL end up in court and you WILL be faced with approximately $10K in expenditures and probably a year of legal hassling - and that it is if you are found innocent of any misjudgement!
If it is found that your judgement was off in any way, you could be in very serious trouble. If someone is dead, you can bet there will be someone who wants the person to blame for it. It is a little more lienient in Texas but everywhere else in the US, the legal system seems to protect the criminal more than the victim. Totally backasswards, sadly, but that's the way it is.
This brings up another very interesting statistic: more than 85% of violent crimes are not random street encounters, but happen between people that have met before. Chances are if you are involved in a violent confrontation, it will be with a friend, relative, or someone you know. Do you really want to leave someone you know dead or hospitalized? To me, this is the biggest case for martial arts training. You should be able to neutralize a threat without killing or seriously injuring someone. Through training, you can choose just how much you need to 'illustrate your point' upon an attacker. There are a number arts that you can really put the hurt on someone and not leave so much as a bruise for him to use as evidence.
Now, it's not that I'm against guns. In fact, I've been an eager gun enthusiast since I was a kid and own quite a few. There are times when a gun is exactly the tool for the job, and martial arts won't do squat for you. I'd love the opportunity to carry a gun all the time (it'd be sweet to live in Vermont), but it would be used only as a last resort. I would only bring it out if I felt there was no other option and my life were being threatened. For most situations, it is way more tool than you need - kinda like using a chain saw to cut your steak.
One last thing, you can also get through a metal detector with martial arts training!
The main problem with a gun is that these are really your only two options, unless you merely want to use it to intimidate which is an extraordinarily bad idea, by the way.
The fantasy of defending yourself with a firearm is drastically different from the reality. Realistically, if you defend yourself by shooting someone, you WILL end up in court and you WILL be faced with approximately $10K in expenditures and probably a year of legal hassling - and that it is if you are found innocent of any misjudgement!
If it is found that your judgement was off in any way, you could be in very serious trouble. If someone is dead, you can bet there will be someone who wants the person to blame for it. It is a little more lienient in Texas but everywhere else in the US, the legal system seems to protect the criminal more than the victim. Totally backasswards, sadly, but that's the way it is.
This brings up another very interesting statistic: more than 85% of violent crimes are not random street encounters, but happen between people that have met before. Chances are if you are involved in a violent confrontation, it will be with a friend, relative, or someone you know. Do you really want to leave someone you know dead or hospitalized? To me, this is the biggest case for martial arts training. You should be able to neutralize a threat without killing or seriously injuring someone. Through training, you can choose just how much you need to 'illustrate your point' upon an attacker. There are a number arts that you can really put the hurt on someone and not leave so much as a bruise for him to use as evidence.
Now, it's not that I'm against guns. In fact, I've been an eager gun enthusiast since I was a kid and own quite a few. There are times when a gun is exactly the tool for the job, and martial arts won't do squat for you. I'd love the opportunity to carry a gun all the time (it'd be sweet to live in Vermont), but it would be used only as a last resort. I would only bring it out if I felt there was no other option and my life were being threatened. For most situations, it is way more tool than you need - kinda like using a chain saw to cut your steak.
One last thing, you can also get through a metal detector with martial arts training!
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