Martial Arts

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RosieRose7673
RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was just wondering if anyone here does any form of martial arts? Tai Kwon Do, karate, etc?

I kind of want to start taking classes. It seems like fun! What is your preference? Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
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    Just wanted to add... There's a studio right around the corner from my apartment. I looked them up and they specialize in Muay Thai.

    I'm so interested in doing it!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    Muay Thai rocks!!! As a kickboxing instructor, I can say that the workouts alone are tough. Plus all the striking thickens your bones to a much higher degree than lifting, cycling, or yoga.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • gonebeast
    gonebeast Posts: 102 Member
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    I did MMA, boxing and Muay Thai for a year. I went from a size 30 waist to a 34 waist. It made my core wider. MT is awesome, I was in pain 24/7 too so just be prepared and get ur gear. Shin pads and gloves
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
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    Okay... So you recommend it? I seriously know absolutely nothing about it. The place accepts beginners apparently. It has good reviews on yelp!

    I just think it'd be fun to do! Maybe I should try to recruit one of my friends to join me! I'm kind of nervous!
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I practice Aikido. I started six years ago in May and a currently preparing to take my shodan test. :) To be honest deciding to start practicing this art was a major turning point in my life. I often wish I had found it sooner.
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
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    Oh wow! Okay! Sounds like you all enjoy it!!

    Eep! I think I'll do it. I'll probably hop on over there to inquire about stuff in a few days!

    @gonebeast that's awesome! My waist is small as is... But my hips are as well. I don't have many curves. Kind of a ruler. I don't really care if my waist were to get bigger due to muscle! That's fine by me!
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Rosie just go and visit the dojo. Don't just go to one but visit as many in your area as you can. They will usually allow you to try a class or two before you join. After you visit a few you can choose the one that feels right to you.

    Be sure to ask about the fees and how they do ranking. There are many ranks between beginners and black belt and then there are many ranks after black belt. Each rank usually requires a test and there are usually fees for those tests. It can get rather expensive. You will also want to know if there are association fees. A dojo is usually affiliated with some organization through which rank is issued.

    If you take a competitive art (aikido is not competitive) ask about competitions and what will be expected of you as a student of that dojo.

    Ask who the senior instructors and dojo cho are and what the lineage of the dojo is. If they can't tel you who their teachers teachers were clearly there could be (not always) some issues with the validity of your teachers abilities.

    Joining a dojo is not really like joining a gym. You become a member of a kind of family. There can be a lot of etiquette expectations of a student. You don't just show up and work on your own stuff. You show up so that other people can also work on theirs.

    Again I have found martial arts to be a wonderful and important part of my life. But it takes a level of commitment and finding the right fit for you. Take your time before you make a decision.
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
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    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Rosie just go and visit the dojo. Don't just go to one but visit as many in your area as you can. They will usually allow you to try a class or two before you join. After you visit a few you can choose the one that feels right to you.

    Be sure to ask about the fees and how they do ranking. There are many ranks between beginners and black belt and then there are many ranks after black belt. Each rank usually requires a test and there are usually fees for those tests. It can get rather expensive. You will also want to know if there are association fees. A dojo is usually affiliated with some organization through which rank is issued.

    If you take a competitive art (aikido is not competitive) ask about competitions and what will be expected of you as a student of that dojo.

    Ask who the senior instructors and dojo cho are and what the lineage of the dojo is. If they can't tel you who their teachers teachers were clearly there could be (not always) some issues with the validity of your teachers abilities.

    Joining a dojo is not really like joining a gym. You become a member of a kind of family. There can be a lot of etiquette expectations of a student. You don't just show up and work on your own stuff. You show up so that other people can also work on theirs.

    Again I have found martial arts to be a wonderful and important part of my life. But it takes a level of commitment and finding the right fit for you. Take your time before you make a decision.

    Oh thank you for all the tips! I appreciate it!

    I live in a big city and I saw a bunch around my area within walking distance. The one I was talking about is literally like 2 minutes away. Haha!

    I'll go to a few in the next few weeks. I think I'll write down some of what you said so I remember to ask it all.

    Thanks again!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Rosie just go and visit the dojo. Don't just go to one but visit as many in your area as you can. They will usually allow you to try a class or two before you join. After you visit a few you can choose the one that feels right to you.

    Be sure to ask about the fees and how they do ranking. There are many ranks between beginners and black belt and then there are many ranks after black belt. Each rank usually requires a test and there are usually fees for those tests. It can get rather expensive. You will also want to know if there are association fees. A dojo is usually affiliated with some organization through which rank is issued.

    If you take a competitive art (aikido is not competitive) ask about competitions and what will be expected of you as a student of that dojo.

    Ask who the senior instructors and dojo cho are and what the lineage of the dojo is. If they can't tel you who their teachers teachers were clearly there could be (not always) some issues with the validity of your teachers abilities.

    Joining a dojo is not really like joining a gym. You become a member of a kind of family. There can be a lot of etiquette expectations of a student. You don't just show up and work on your own stuff. You show up so that other people can also work on theirs.

    Again I have found martial arts to be a wonderful and important part of my life. But it takes a level of commitment and finding the right fit for you. Take your time before you make a decision.

    lots of good info here.

    i did tae kwon do when i was younger. a sport and competition martial art, but it's losing a lot of ground due to the MMA and Muay Thai.

    When i started getting back into fitness, i tried looking into martial arts. i found a great MMA gym that offered all kinds of classes, including Muay Thai, Brazilian Juijitsu, and even had kettlebell and strength training classes, and even had a gym upstairs (no squat rack though, only a smith machine). it was a little too expensive for me, and also a bit out of the way from where i lived.

    like shadowfax said, shop around. some places might let you take a couple of free classes, others might limit you to just one, or none at all. find out about how they handle ranks and bumping up to the next level (if they garuntee you a black belt in X amount of years, or promise you a promotion every year, it might not be the right kind of school for you or any one). there are no federal regulations with maritial arts. literally anyone can open up a dojo and call themselves master, so there is a lot to consider.

    ask about promotional offers, like if you pay for 11 months do you get the 12th free? do you have to pay an initiation fee? are uniforms included?

    find out when the classes are. will they fit into your schedule? will you be able to make it there regularly? if you want to go before or after work, is it on your way to work?? etc etc.
  • Camarose79
    Camarose79 Posts: 86 Member
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    I was fat and out of shape my entire adult life. I never did any kind of sports or exercise. I lived right next to a karate school and my then bf kept bugging me to go. Well I took the free lesson then I signed up. I took karate for 2.5 years! I lost 34 lbs and I have my green belt. My worst mistake was "taking a break" from it after breaking up with the bf and moving/buying my house. In 2 years I gained all the weight back. Recently I wanted to go back to the dojo and I found that they had sold the building and moved :( (I'm just doing some group circuit training now and trying to lose the weight again)
  • johcha
    johcha Posts: 1 Member
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    The popularity of MMA has created slot of hybrid gyms where they will offer a mix of striking skills (e.g., Muay Thai) and ground based skills (e.g. jujitsu). I've done Muay Thai for a few years and just started to do little jujitsu recently. They are both awesome cardio workouts in addition to having some practical applications.

    Shadowfox mad a good point that finding the right gym is really important. Most classes requires require you to pair off with other student to practice techniques. You quickly end up building trust with each other as you're often looking out for each others safety while trying to execute some martial skill or sparing session.

    One last suggestion is something like Krav Maga. I find those classes really useful. The lethal nature of some of those techniques limit how hard you can practice them on each other. Depending on what you're practicing those classes can be a good work out.
  • Life0fbrian
    Life0fbrian Posts: 69 Member
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    muay thai and bjj here
  • redrobot5050
    redrobot5050 Posts: 43 Member
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    So @RosieRose7673 how did your visit to the Muay Thai gym go? Did you like it? Are you sticking with it?
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    MT is murder on the joints.
    I trained in Tang Soo Do for 7 years until the third doctor told me to stop if I wanted to avoid more surgery. Getting one toe cut off, ground down, and screwed back on is enough.
    Loved it. Trained with my kids. My son could kick me up side the head by the time he was 9.
    Can't train in any martial art now because I can't do impact on my feet. But wish I could. I miss it.
  • ltworide
    ltworide Posts: 342 Member
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    I started Krav Maga back in September & love it. I find it a great workout & more importantly really like the real world application of what I'm learning. It's not used in any competition but you can earn belts.
  • Burger2066
    Burger2066 Posts: 126 Member
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    I did Krav Maga for a while, but my knee can't handle a lot of it right now. It is a heck of a workout and a great way to burn calories without getting bored. Haha.
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
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    I do muay thai ! I don't fight but I like the classes. So much fun !. Always a good hard workout. Great after a day at work to kick, knee, elbow, punch the pads or bags ! The trainers are great ( they are all Thai ) . Check out some gyms, look up reviews, get a good feel. You want to enjoy where you go and want to go there!

    Gear wise, I just wear shorts and a singlet, make sure your shorts or pants are stretchy to allows kicks. Our classes are always barefoot.

    If you do stick to it and buy your own gear, get good quality gloves... don't waste your money on cheapos. They won't last and you can end up injuring yourself. I use 10 oz raja gloves in classes. Twins, Fairtex and Top King are also good. I ordered mine from http://www.muaythaifactory.com/ and there's also http://www.muaythaistuff.com/

    I always use hand wraps , extra protection and to stop my gloves from stinking.

    You shouldn't need shin guards unless you start sparring which shouldn't happen til you've had a few months training and your trainers approval.
  • andyjl84
    andyjl84 Posts: 27 Member
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    I do taekwondo, only been doing it for a few months. I used to do jujitsu when I was younger n fancied something to get my flexibility back, it's really good for that and all the sparring keeps the weight down. Somebody was telling me they managed to loose 2 stone and put it down to this... Obviously with a good diet
  • YoshiCow
    YoshiCow Posts: 77 Member
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    I started taekwondo about 5 weeks back. Twice a week, absolutely love it so far.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    I studied Tae Kwon Do for about a year and a half. It was great for endurance and strength. I would normally attend 2-3 classes a day.

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