Martial Arts

jenjaw

Hey,

I really need to add something to my workouts (bored of gym equipment, or the way I'm using it at least). I'm a huge fan of martial arts and did karate when i was little but growing pains forced me out of it, so I am thinking of starting Kung-Fu.

I have a Shaolin Fundamental training DVD which I'm doing and hopefully will join a club when I move in September. However, I thought it would be good to get some chat going on here about martial arts, giving support and advice etc if possible

So,
Is anyone else starting a martial art or adding it in to their workouts?
How have people been getting on with the stretches?

BigClaire88

My brother goes to a jujitsu class a couple of times a week and he has lost a large ammount of weight from it aswell as gaining lots of muscle. Though he has also come away with 2 broken ribs, countless nosebleeds and a broken big toe.. he loves it! :laugh:

jmijaressf

I do a Japanese sword martial art. Find something that you enjoy ... empty hand, weapons, etc. If you want something dynamic, then definitely look at something like kung fu or tae kwon do or even krav maga. If you're looking for a martial art school vs a work out DVD, just be wary of some of the schools that are more like "promotion factories". You want a school that works with you over time vs one that likes to promote its students really quickly.

jforddesign

I am a kung fu practitioner. Since starting it, I have lost right around 50 pounds (coupled with running and other cross training). I would love to answer any questions that you have about getting started in kung fu. I train in 4 disciplines. The three classic internal styles (Tai Chi, XingYi, and Bagua) and specialize in Seven Star Praying Mantis. For weightloss, I would highly recommend Shaolin. For self defense, the white crane and mantis styles within Shaolin are excellent. For pure self defense though, Xingyi and mantis are where its at. Bagua and Taichi teach you the art of getting hit and deflecting force. Xingyi bears some similarities to Wing Chun in that it emphasizes a centerline control, constant attacking, and conservative movements, but with more grappling emphasis. If you are into lots of sparring, I recommend Krav Maga (INTENSE conditioning) and/or Brazilian Ju Jitsu. I am also a beginner in capoeira... it will definitely whip you into shape FAST. No equal when it comes to body awareness and core conditioning.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Jaradel

I take Tae Kwon Do classes twice a week, and my son is in the summer camp at the same dojang, which is cool 'cos he and I can talk about what we're learning. He's a white stripe and I'm just a white belt; he started in late May and I didn't start until late June. It's quite a workout though - I'm in a Family All Belt class, so there are times when I'm attempting kicks that are for higher belts. We also spend time doing calisthenics and line drills that really work up a sweat! I think TKD is much more fun than doing aerobics, and I'm learning something useful too. I've also noticed that my flexibility is slowly improving too. Haven't noticed it affecting my weight loss much at this point, but that's more to do with my eating (and two nearly back-to-back vacations) than anything else.

jjalbertt

I'm certain I'm starting kung fu pretty soon. Just waiting for my pay to come in and I need to go see this other place and compare the 2 that I have found. One is in the China Town in my city and was founded by a guy from China, his son runs it now...but by the sounds of it, it's extremely intense and super traditional...The other I'm not sure yet, they don't have a website so I have to go down and take a look.

Alatariel75

I can honestly credit Tae Kwon Do with a lot of my success. I started last year at over 250lbs and could barely do the warm ups. Now I'm 60lbs down, about to go for my level 2 red belt and looking at competing in state. I am motivated to lose weight and exercise like never before because I love my TKD and I love being good at it! I train twice a week and it motivates me to do other exercise in order to improve.

RoadtotheRAN

I do Krav Maga, which is not a martial art but a form of self defence.

KittensMaster

I took Kenpo but have been out for years. There is a Shaolin Tiger Style Kung Fu teacher here that I am going to visit next week

So yes, I am looking forward to getting started!

SimonT181

When I lived overseas I use to do karate twice a week Mondays was with a sensei that taught very traditional and then on Thursday there was a very young sensei and his classes where a great work both very different teachers but two very good classes. As the class was near the beach we would have some early morning classes in the water with the waves breaking on you that day it was good to be in the front line. Now I have moved back to the US and in the country I am finding it very hard to find a good style or teacher of any form of martial arts :-(

AnnPT77

I did Kung Fu & Tai Chi regularly for about 8 years (my late husband was a teacher). I have to admit, I didn't lose weight (I could always out-eat my exercise in those days, and still can if I let myself). But it definitely increased my strength (especially legs), plus improved my posture and sense of balance. What I liked most about martial arts was the continuing mental challenge: Always more to learn, skills to refine, etc., with no end to it. Never boring! Also, I met a lot of really nice and interesting people in martial arts. Non-MA people seem to expect MA people to be aggressive, arrogant types. That was not my experience at all.

For something as technical as martial arts, I'd encourage seeking out a decent class or teacher. It's had to get the body mechanics right from a video, among other issues. If you're just after exercise, and not so much skill development, that may be less an issue.

fiddletime

I did ten years of a Korean hard/soft style called Kung Jung Mu Sul (very similar to Kuk Sul Wan). While I didn't do it to lose weight the classes were great with lots of strength training and cardio. We'd have 90 min classes 5 days a week and would sometimes go out jogging, as well as running inside the do jang. Great training, both mental and physical.

StaceyWhatsit

Wing Chun is a great martial art but not good for exercise because relaxation is fundamental to Wing Chun. Eskrima (stick fighting) involves more fitness.