Martial Arts

[DomoKay]

I have always wanted to do some form of martial arts, but I have no idea what I would want to do! Karate, Ju Jistsu, Kungfu, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do... The list goes on! I really love yoga, so I was thinking about maybe doing Tai Chi. From what I have found, it's very relaxing and is called "meditation in motion". I really like the whole meditation and whole relaxing environment. I'm not really looking for anything really intense like Karate.

1.) What kind of Martial Art are you most fond of? What are your experiences? What have you done/are you doing now?
2.) What form do you think I would enjoy the most from what I shared.

Thanks so much!

[Musical]

1- I tried Karate, and I tried Tae Kwon Do. I personally like more defensive martial arts more than offensive, like T.K.D. But Karate is okay I guess. The instructors we had are strict, but we have a lot of fun at the same time. I would advise seeking a nice instructor. Neither one was really super "intense", because you do a lot of relaxing and meditation before and after. But I think it depends on where you are/your instructors. My friend has a really laid back one, but they don't do any meditation. So...

2- I think I indirectly answered this question by answering question 1. Haha.

I'm glad you're looking into martial arts. Good luck, and tell us what you decide

[Penguin]

I have trained in Karate. I have gotten my black belt. I wanted to do Karate because I was tired of my cousins picking on me. (now they are scared of me HA!) I loved taking Karate because it gave me time to take out anger and frustration from my day. For you I would say take Tai Chi. I think that you would enjoy it very much.

[Algernon]

I trained in karate for years and even traveled across country to compete. It's a lifestyle change. I trained in Isshin-Ryu Karate, traditional Okinawa karate. I really don't like Tae-Kwon-Do. It's been Americanized and turned into a form where you can get your blackbelt in a few months, a year... If that's how long it takes to get blackbelt, then how long until everyone is master. Hm?

If you get into one, get into a REAL dojo, not a chain fast-food karate dojo.. Trust me.

Oh, and I've always wanted to learn Shotokan.

[losing touch.]

i used to do karate at school [we could take it as an option for PE] it was pretty fun but the instructor was kinda annoying. i only learnt the basic stuff but it did make we wish i'd started a martial art when i was younger because i think it's a good thing to be able to do.

[MadPoet]

1.) What kind of Martial Art are you most fond of? What are your experiences? What have you done/are you doing now?
I have only done Tae Kwon Do, and I really liked it. It was extremely fun, and it was a great work out. I always came out feeling more refreshed. They would always have some kind of discussion before we started, something about integrity, perseverance, etc. It's great for learning defense mechanism too, obviously. I ended up quitting a couple years ago due to a few reasons, but I always loved going.

2.) What form do you think I would enjoy the most from what I shared.
Since I've only tried one I can't honestly say. I wouldn't recommend Tae Kwon Do though, because it's not exactly relaxing like yoga. You do things like jump kicks, board breaking, etc. It involves a lot more than stretching and stuff like that. But then again, it might seem interesting to you, so it's something to look into.

Hopefully you find something that suits you!

[Unicorn.]

I do WTF Taekwondo, which is really awesome. It's mainly a kicking martial art, so it's more relaxing then something that focuses alot on hands/punching. I've been doing it for three/four years now, and am still a while off getting my black belt, so it's not really as fast as mentioned. It may be different in America though. I really enjoy it You want to get a nice instructor though; it does make a difference

Kung fu is very techical! It takses a lot of patience

I'd probably go with Jujistu- I've got a friend that's real good at that, or Taekwondo. Find something that suits you as a person!

[CompassionateSoul]

I learned Shotokan (a style of Karate) and was nearly halfway to a black (12 belts, 24 'gradings' to pass).

Tai Chi is the only slow martial art, although, to be applied as a martial art means doing it fast and being able to do it very well as it's taught (slowly). I would stick with that, but you should check out what other martial arts classes there are near you, then research them, watch videos of them, etc. Then you will have a better idea as to what you want to do.

For example, Judo and Jujutsu focus on grappling, whilst Kendo is more sword fighting. There are hundreds of martial arts to choose from.
Karate is often more strict as it's about etiquette and discipline, respecting sensei's etc, as well as self-defence.

[Elizabeth]

My brother began a martial arts class one week ago. They have this whole program that has to do with grades and how you behave at home and his behavior has changed. His grades went from F's to C's in one week and he turned in missing assingments.

I don't do any sort of martial arts because I'm too busy with other sports, however I want my kids to do it one day. It seems like a great program.

[Imagine]

I took karate as part of a PE class thing in 10th grade. It was really interesting. learned a lot.

[snappydog]

Having done it for eight years now, Taekwondo's got to be my favourite. If you prefer self-defence to attacking people, that's probably better. Plus you get to learn some darn flashy kicks.

(apologies for unnecessary use of the letter u and spelling it 'defence', I'm British.)

[l0stCause]

the problem with all the old world martial arts is they focus only on certain aspects of combat, i perfer more of an mma style where they combine multiple styles to make a better and more effective combat style(theres a reason military groups develop there own martial arts forms)