Choosing the right Martial Arts training for you
There are many reasons to begin martial arts training, of all ages. Martial Arts of all styles offer many advantages such as exercise, better balance and coordination, endurance and confidence. Depending on your reasoning for starting a martial art, the style you choose will have a significant impact on your experience.Self defense is a major reason people choose to study martial arts, and it's a very good reason. In America there is a particular mentality that you do not need to study a martial art for self-protection, all you need is a crash course in self-defense training. While a self defense course is better than no knowledge at all, there are some flaws with this type of reasoning. Many self-defense tactics rely on pressure points and pain to flee an attacker. Unfortunately, these techniques do not always work effectively on an opponent, especially one that is very large or which is under the influence of any drug or alcohol. Horse, on the other hand, will learn a variety of tactics, from defensive to offensive. More importantly, just because you attended a class and practiced self defense tactics on your well-protected opponent does not mean you will be able to take advantage of that knowledge in a real life threatening situations. Only through regular practice and repetition, the techniques you learn to be reflexive, and allows you to act without thinking first. Exercise is another reason for martial arts training. While attending class once a week gives you a fun cardio and strength training work out that does not get boring. (If it is dull, consider replacing the supervisor.) All martial arts will give some degree of exercise, and you should consider other factors such as your age and fitness when choosing a style. Competition is a less common cause, but with the popularity of UFC and other combative sports reason grows. In particular, martial arts are focused on the competition more than others, and the nature of competition varies greatly also. If this is your goal, decide first what kind of competition that you enter, and it will direct you to the style. With these reasons in mind, here is a list of popular types of martial arts and their strengths and weaknesses. Karate: There are many forms of karate, but mostly they have these things in common. Karate tends to rely on strikes, both punches and kicks, in the first place, and it is a martial art that builds on the strength, both in body and mind. There is also usually an essential element of karate to block or absorb your opponents blows rather than avoiding them or distract them (yes, is a block different then the deformation). Because of this, karate is a good choice for people who are not necessarily fast or agile (although both are great assets for a karate student) and may not be the right choice for middle-aged or young people. However, Karate is also a great basis to start their martial arts training, providing an excellent place to start a martial arts study. Tae Kwon Do: The Korean counterpart of karate, it's different enough that it is worth mentioning separately. Tae Kwon Do focuses on kicking a lot more, and is an excellent choice for long-limbed, agile people. Even if part of your desire to study martial arts comes from a desire to look like an action hero (although it will not admit that to anyone other than yourself) Tae Kwon Do can learn to do something pretty neat aerial kicks . If you are a parent looking for a martial arts for your child to study, Tae Kwon Do is a popular choice because children tend to love the jumps and kicks, and has a much easier time learning than most adults. Conversely, Tae Kwon Do can be very challenging for someone who is not already a flexible and agile. Tae Kwon Do has a very active competitive circuit, but it tends to "point system" competitions, which emphasizes speed and accuracy over power. Tai Chi: Made popular by David Carradine in the old TV series Kung Fu (.. Yes, he was not doing kung fu in Kung Fu, it is Hollywood), Tai Chi is a much "softer" style that is perfect for people on the all ages looking for a low impact workout. This does not mean that Tai Chi is easy, in fact, a thorough Tai Chi exercise is very similar to a yoga session. Like yoga, encourages its slow easy pace practitioners to adapt a more meditative outlook for their martial arts training. Tai Chi improves circulation and balance, and may be another good choice for those who want a less aggressive introduction to martial arts. But while a Tai Chi master will have no difficulty in protecting themselves, making the lack of focus on offensive techniques from Tai Chi is a good choice for self-defense. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: a martial art that has become very popular in recent years, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an off shoot of a Japanese form of grappling. BJJ falls into the category of Submission Wrestling, and most BJJ takes place on the ground. Proponents of BJJ argue that this makes the style is the best choice for self-defense, because most street fights end up on the ground. Unlike Judo, BJJ does not rely on using your opponent's clothing for leverage and has, making it a more practical form of grappling. If you are interested in UFC style competition, get all the training you receive will have at least one component in BJJ, because without it you leave yourself very vulnerable if your opponent can get you on the ground. BJJ is also an excellent complement to self-defense training, especially for women, because there are many techniques that do not rely on size or strength that can be used against a great attacker. Some self-defense experts have criticized the BJJ craze, saying it encourages you to take the fight to the ground when it can not be your best choice. In addition, learn BJJ is not about what to do with multiple opponents, which is certainly rare, but possible, event. But if you combine BJJ with some sort of striking martial arts like karate, you will find yourself equipped with an excellent knowledge of martial arts. Aikido and Hapkido: Two martial arts that are similar enough to be grouped together. Both are focused on the concept of turning your opponent's energy against him, using techniques such as circular motion, throws, joint locks, etc. The difference between the two styles apart is that Hapkido uses some striking while Aikido not, although they both offer weapons training on the higher levels. Both are excellent choices for self-defense for people of all sizes and ages, but is an excellent choice for smaller or weaker people. One of the favorite demonstrations of Aikido enthusiasts, the diminutive Sensei rocked several major opponents again and again. Both styles are also very spiritually oriented, which can be a plus or a minus depending on what type of martial art you are looking for. Kung Fu: Arguably the most ancient martial art, was an entire article devoted to choosing the right kind of kung-fu style for you, because there are many variations on this classic style. Most importantly, kung fu is considered more than a martial art, it is a lifestyle, and as such is pretty hard to become a true student without a complete upheaval of one's personal life. Kung Fu is very spiritual, and advantages of the championship is great, but for a normal U.S. the effort required to give this man the respect it deserves would be very difficult to come by. Krav Maga and other fighting systems: Although it is not technically a martial art, Krav Maga is still worth a mention for the purposes of this article. Originally developed for the Israeli military, Krav Maga is a very effective system of control that is rooted in real life situations in combat. It is a perfect style for someone interested in fitness and self defense. But because Krav Maga is a fighting system is its focus on only the physical, and the added benefits of studying a martial art that spirituality is not included. Some may see this as positive rather than negative, and the arguments are constantly going back and forth between proponents of both types of styles. Another drawback may be mentioned that Krav Maga is proprietary, which means that the right to teach it actually sold and regulated. This means that you are likely to pay premiums for teaching, but for many this is a small price to pay for a style that is as high levels of fitness, confidence and skill. There is no rule that says you can only study a martial art, and many men will have several styles under their "belts." This article is only restricted to a handful of the hundreds if not thousands of martial arts styles, but hopefully it give you a foundation of knowledge that allows you to choose a style that is right for your size, ability, age and goals.
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