How to find your style -Martial Art for smart people
20th September 2006
You may have been thinking about training in the Martial Arts and want to find a style you like. Here is some help on the way:
To find WHAT Martial Art to do you need to answer the WHY and HOW first. Now, here are the main reasons WHY people do martial art:
Exercise. The purpose of using martial art as exercise is that it should be fun. Most martial arts offer good, all round training, but it is not necessarily the best training for you. If you just want to improve your cardio ability or really want to put on more muscles I suggest running or weight lifting instead. It will be more efficient. But if you are anything like me you find those two things just too boring. That is what makes MA a good alternative. Exercise is about getting it done. If you look forward to your MA classes and have fun, it will be much more efficient than if you think of your running as a boring “must”.
Self Defence. Street fighting is a very dangerous thing. No MA guarantees you success there. Most MA assumes that you will be in a “fair”, one-on-one fight with no weapons. I know that many styles also teaches defence against knives and guns, but using those techniques in the street is still going to be very risky. Even if we assume that you achieve proficiency in a combat orientated MA it’s just going to get you into more trouble using it. You don’t want to break somebody’s neck just because they stepped on your foot in a bar.
Real self defence is about feeling empowered. To read a situation and get out before it gets physical. There is no winner in a street fight, even if you “win” it doesn’t necessarily stop at that. There is legal issues, vengeance and a lot more to worry about.
Right now with K1 being very popular there is a lot of discussion on “Style vs. Style” in the MA community. Will a Thai Boxer win over someone trained in Tae Kwon Do? Why does a wrestler win over a boxer in ultimate fighting? It can be fun to watch a “Style vs. Style” fight, but it doesn’t necessarily prove one style’s superiority to another.
I would agree that training in Muay Thai or similar full contact styles constitutes a solid background in a general fight. I think K1 and other “All Style” tournaments prove that.Still that does not mean it is right for you. To train in full contact MA you need a very good general physique. Also you can’t be worried about getting a few bruises in training. I would argue that a non-contact oriented style such as Aikido or Jiu-Jitsu can serve you just as good for self defence.
Again, self defence is about feeling empowered and confident. If you achieve this it is not likely that you ever will be attacked. If it eventualy happens, you will know what to do, whatever style you train.
Sport. It is fun to compete. Many martial arts have some kind of belt system where you qualify for a “higher” belt as you get better. This works well as motivation to continue training, but I like to try what I have learned in tournaments. Even if you don’t win, you learn a lot from the experience. Consider this when you chose your style, since many styles do not offer the opportunity to compete. In Aikido, Krav Maga and Capoeria you can normally not compete, where as in Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do you can. Remember also that if you chose a small style, or a style that is not well represented where you live it will be difficult to compete.
Cultural Interest. Many people are drawn to MA for the mystical aspect. I am sure you can eventually reach divine wisdom by training in the martial arts, but it is not the only way, and probably not the shortest. Still, a style like Tai Chi offers a lot of good things in the area of breathing technique and meditation, where as it’s not so focused on sparring. I do think it is a good way of getting to know a culture by training its martial art.
The reasons to train MA are of course often mixed. You want the exercise, self defence, maybe some competition and a little bit of the mystery. That’s why I do it, just remember to find a style that gives you the right mix for you.
That was the WHY, now for the HOW:
By this I mean how things are done in the classes. Some styles are more of standing up and throwing kicks and punches and others are more orientated to wrestling on the floor. For example, many people have been drawn to Tae Kwon Do because of HOW it looks. They feel that they also want to be able to perform those acrobatic kicks in the air.
In my research for this article I found that other writers on this subject would base their advice for a style on the readers physical properties. I think this is very wrong. Sure, if you are tall with long legs, it will be easier to succeed in a style with a lot of kicking. And if you are short and well built the same goes for grappling. Now, do not worry about this. Chose a style that you think will be fun to train, that is what is most important. There are many successful fighters around with atypical bodies.So, ask yourself HOW you want to train? Punching pads and the heavy bag? A lot of sparring? Learning those fancy kicks you saw on that YouTube video? Grappling on the floor? Wrist-bending and pressure points? Or get some of that serene, inner peace thing?
Before you sign up, ask to sit in to watch a session. All serious places allow this. Some even allow you to train once as a trial. That’s a good idea too. My final word to you is this: If it is not fun, don’t do it.
This post is in the “How to” writing project from ProBlogger.net
Technorati Tags: Martial, Self, Defence, K1, Tae, Kwon, Do, Muay, Aikido, Aikido, Krav, Maga, Capoeria, Judo, Karate, Tai, Chi, sparring
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September 20th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
[…] How to find your style -Martial Art for smart people by Kris […]
September 21st, 2006 at 11:09 am
Kris,
I found your post through ProBlogger. This is a natural companion to my recent article, How To Choose a Bad Martial Arts Instructor. Feel free to add a comment and link back to here.
September 21st, 2006 at 11:46 am
I heartily agree: the why should come way before the how. I see a lot of people arguing against this style and that but I think they’re missing the point; not everyone trains for the same reason, you might want to be able to defend yourself but the next guy might just be in it for the cardio.
I think what’s important is to know what you’re after, why you’re after it, *then* make sure you’re getting what you want because while there are legit schools out there, there are also people who misrepresent themselves.
And have patience, because I don’t believe in the 3 easy steps approach to martial arts. It takes a lifetime of study
September 21st, 2006 at 11:42 pm
This is a really well done piece…I really enjoyed reading it.
September 22nd, 2006 at 2:34 am
This is just great and I love the photos! Our how-to is up as well if you’d like to check it out!!
September 23rd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
[…] How to find your style -Martial Art for smart people by Kris […]
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[…] How to find your style -Martial Art for smart people by Kris […]
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[…] How to find your style -Martial Art for smart people by Kris at Gaijindo explains which martial arts to study based on why and how you want to learn. […]
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