Looking for advice about Martial arts classes

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FoxWilkinson
FoxWilkinson Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good morning,
As the title pertains, I'm looking for some advice for taking a Martial Arts class. I'm looking for s style/type that will help me increase flexibility and grace, and possibly loose some weight.

I'm female, and I want to learn discipline and to strengthen my will power. I've tried a Women's Self-Defense class... just taught how to use my knee and how to calculate where the closest phone was. I've also tried a cardio kick boxing class at the YMCA: super fun, but It didn't last long enough for me to really understand the movements. There's a few Dojo's in my town, but most only cater to youth's Karate or after school programs, or are outrageously priced for adults.

So overall, I'm looking for some advice from anyone who practices a Martial arts style, and why they chose that style. Also, please excuse any lack of knowledge regarding the term style, I'm still learning. :) Thanks for any help!

Replies

  • m0radell
    m0radell Posts: 26 Member
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    Well, I've done taekwondo for about 12 years now.
    As for increasing flexibility and helping lose weight, it definitely helps. I'm not so sure on the grace part though, first martial art that comes to my mind when I think graceful is Tai Chi.
    Since I've only ever done taekwondo that's the only martial art I can advocate for. Depending on the style you do, it's a wonderful martial art. Definitely helps with the flexibility and can be a very high intensity workout.
    I chose taekwondo over karate when I was a kid because I just thought it was more fun. I've stayed in it because it's extremely satisfying, and keeps me in shape and strong.
    I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful about other styles! :)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Most places offer you a free "taster" class.

    Try some out. Do you like the teacher? Is there a good vibe, team/school spirit amongst the other members? Is the style interesting to you in it's movements, history, focus? The only way to know is to try.

    And no two schools (even from the same style) are the same - even if both instructors share the same master.

    Also don't get sucked into a this style is better than that style mindset. There are only good and bad martial artists, not styles. When you find a good martial artist to teach you, the art will come alive (whether it be Muay Thai, Karate, Silat, Kung Fu, etc...)
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I really enjoyed aikido when I was doing it. It is a defensive martial art (we actually never even learned to punch, more of a "push" attack for sparing) that uses a lot of wrist locks and throws for controlling opponents. As a plus, it is designed to "work" in close spaces, so you don't have to have a ton of room to fight (useful if you are being attacked, a lot of people can't figure out what to do when you close space with them). When I was taught, it was how do you take someone down momentarily to give you time to run away.

    It's also very common in movies and tv shows. Steven Segal has several black belts in it, and I was watching True Detectives last night, and they pulled out a couple of aikido moves.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Virtually all martial arts can/will get you to your goal.

    The only "real" advice I'll offer is this. When touring wherever you're interested, ask the instructors where they got their belts and from whom. Then go home (before making any commitment) and do a little research to see if the instructor is legit. Too many McDojos pop up, where the instructor claims to be a BB under some fairly big name, but said big name ends up having no clue who the person is. And BBs don't come easily from legit practitioners. They'll know who they gave BBs to.
  • patsully98
    patsully98 Posts: 40 Member
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    It depends on what you're looking for. I think for your criteria, a lot of martial arts would fit the bill. But if you want to learn how to fight, make sure the school does "live" sparring against a fully resisting opponent. Fighting is scary; live sparring makes it slightly less so. Boxing, wrestling, judo, muay Thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu generally have this sort of training, but some (not all) schools in all sorts of other styles do as well. That sort of training is not for everybody, though, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just be aware that training method is more important than style when it comes to learning how to actually fight.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Virtually all martial arts can/will get you to your goal.

    The only "real" advice I'll offer is this. When touring wherever you're interested, ask the instructors where they got their belts and from whom. Then go home (before making any commitment) and do a little research to see if the instructor is legit. Too many McDojos pop up, where the instructor claims to be a BB under some fairly big name, but said big name ends up having no clue who the person is. And BBs don't come easily from legit practitioners. They'll know who they gave BBs to.
    ^ This is good advice. I never checked up on my sensei, but I ended up leaving because I felt like he'd give anyone a belt regardless of skill level. He charged a fee when you got a new belt, and towards the end (when I left), new belts for everyone! I'm thinking he was short on cash. Definitely shop around for the correct dojo/class. They will all be different, and you need to find someone who teaches well as well as somewhere you will enjoy being.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Taekwondo or Capoeira !
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I should probably add that just because someone doesn't have a BB, it doesn't mean that they don't know what they're doing and can't help you. I was merely trying to say to avoid the fakes. A brown belt from one master could very well know as much (if not more) than a black from another.
  • Whyareyoumad
    Whyareyoumad Posts: 268 Member
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    I attended classes by Dale Apollo Cook and his team. Great work out, MMA styles and ju jitsu. You will get there if you stay with it with almost any style. If you want grace and stability, check out Tai Chi or Kung Fu.
  • refuseresist
    refuseresist Posts: 934 Member
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    Aikido is good
  • buckeyes1985
    buckeyes1985 Posts: 18
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    I take tang soon do at Pksa. Professional karate schools of America. Not sure if there's any in your area but def worth looking into. I lost 30 pounds training in karate. I can't wait to go back. Best of luck to you!
  • lockedcj7
    lockedcj7 Posts: 257 Member
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    My wife and I are signing up for Tae Kwon Do at the dojang where my son takes lessons. We're mostly doing it because he really wanted us to do it as a family. After watching him for almost two years, I can tell you that TKD isn't necessarily graceful. It will definitely help with balance and coordination though and can be intense if you put a lot into it. If you practice on your own, it can be as intense as you want it to be.

    The dojang is very kid-friendly and they do have after school programs but they also have adult classes and family classes if you don't want to be around the kids.

    Which dojang and discipline we chose for him initially had to do with the overall atmosphere. I'd rather be around a bunch of middle-aged parents who are trying to get healthy than be stuck in a highly competitive gym with a bunch of teenage Bruce Lee wannabes.
  • BonnieCaley
    BonnieCaley Posts: 37 Member
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    I do a woman's only Mixed Martial Arts class, I love it and would recommend everyone to give it a try! I'm in UK so can't really help with finding a good class etc but the training will definitely help you looses weight and build/tone muscle :)
  • FoxWilkinson
    FoxWilkinson Posts: 46 Member
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    WoW, great responses! Thanks everyone!

    I don't think checking the school's of America will help me , since I live in Eastern Canada. Sorry, forgot that detail so no worries. I'm actually reading up on an Aikido school that's not too far from my apartment, drops ins/try outs classes for newbies are $20 tho... Meh might still try it out.

    I've been leaning towards Tae kwon do or Aikido. Capeira is a good idea too (tho might be harder to find). The try out everything idea is good, tho a lot of places here I'm noticing still charge a fee to try it out, which is reasonable. I have a friend who teaches Kung Fu in the park during the summer too.

    To me, grace equals balance and coordination. I've tried several types and classes of yoga... and honestly I find it a little boring. My mind wanders too much. So finding a discipline I have to focus on what I'm doing is key.

    This has help a bunch, thanks all. :)
  • calamarione
    calamarione Posts: 16 Member
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    Taekwon Do: (Korea) Focus on kicks, punches and power. Aerobic training, balance (especially while kicking), leg flexibility and strength will come as improvements depending on the school. Very similar to Tang Soo Do and Shotokan Karate.

    Karate: (Japan) Focus on kicks, punches and power. Can incorporate some Aikido depending on the school. Strength, balance, flexibility and aerobic performance are key. Movie Martial Artist: Chuck Norris, Jean Claude van Damme

    Aikido: (Japan) Focus on locks, throwing and "energy" flow. Strength and balance are likely to improve. Movie Martial Artist: Steven Segal

    Muay Thai kickboxing: Focus on short strikes and close combat techniques that do severe damage. Aerobic performance and strength are heavily utilized. Movie Martial artist: Tony Jaa

    Tai Chi Quan (or however you want to spell it): (China) Focus on fluid movements while maintaining balance and "energy" (really momentum) flow. Mental focus, balance, and strength will be heavily utilized and improved. Movie martial artist: Bolo Yeung

    Kung Fu (or however you want to spell it): (China) Several styles that range from strength focused to balance focus to flexibility focus. Strength, balance are main improvements but aerobic performance may benefit as well depending on the school. Movie martial artist: Jackie Chan

    Wushu: (China) This is the "Communist" version of Kung Fu which incorporates a variety of the traditional schools into one system. Strength, speed, balance will be the main improvements with some improvements in aerobic performance. Movie martial artist: Jet Li

    Brazillian Jujitsu: (Brazil?) Grappling and wrestling techniques. Strength will be the main benefit. Made famous by the Gracie family.

    Jeet Kun Do: (China/America) Bruce Lee's famous system based on Wing Chun Kung Fu, and being more direct (almost Karate-fied). It combines strength, balance, flexibility, cardio all in one art.

    Capoeira: (Brazil) I have no experience or research on this, but I would assume that balance and cardio would improve with this art.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    if i were you, i'd try and find a Muay Thai studio. like someone else mentioned, it's close combat, and high intensity. real world stuff too.

    i took tae kwon do for ten years, and trust me, you're not going to be using a roundhouse kick in a street fight. but i few jabs and elbow strikes? maybe, if it comes to that.

    also, because of the nature of muay thai, you'll be sparring a lot, and that is so much fun, as opposed to other martial arts where you just punch the air.

    and there are a lot of mixed martial arts gyms that offer a wide array of classes, like jujitsu and wrestling, as well as all kinds of conditioning classes.
  • jazzcatastrophe
    jazzcatastrophe Posts: 54 Member
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    I trained in Tang Soo Do for 9ish years through a studio in the World Tang Soo Do Association. It's a similar style to Taekwondo, although it's more focused on form and the mental components of training than competing, which I really enjoyed. There are studios all over the world, and the WTSDA website has a listing of every studio by region
  • patsully98
    patsully98 Posts: 40 Member
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    Hi Fox, I looked up the town you have listed in your profile, and there are two jiu jitsu black belts in your area: Alex Sung at Positive Impact http://www.positiveimpactmma.ca and Dana ****erson at Synergy http://synergytc.ca/programs-services/bjj-mma. I don't know much about either, but they both have winning MMA records and traceable lineages (who they got their black belts from--super important in BJJ), so I'm pretty confident they're both legit. You might want to check them out. I know you said you were leaning in the direction of other martial arts, but who knows, you might fall in love with BJJ, and having two black belts close by is a really nice situation to be in. BJJ black belts are hard to come by, and people that have earned them are incredible resources. Good luck on your martial arts journey!
  • patsully98
    patsully98 Posts: 40 Member
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    Lol, that second instructor's name is Dana D.ickerson, did not realize the forum censored that particular combination of letters :P

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