What type of martial arts is best for you?

Answer 1

The answer depends, to some respect, on the body type, since a handful of arts depend on a conditioned musculature for success. In those cases, it is not impossible to become proficient, however, because of the nature of some types of Wrestling, and hard style Martial Arts, being "strong", adds a slight advantage, as can body weight. For the most part, however, finding the right martial art requires some genuine self knowledge. If you happen to be out to dinner with your girl, and some dude decides you're the one who gets to bear the weight of his personal issues, you obviously want to be able to prevent him from inflicting his will, and ultimately, injury upon you; but do you want to get down in the dirt, scratch the face of your best watch, soil and destroy your clothes, and make it a contest of body weight, as much as skill? Or do you want to hit/kick/strike him, in anatomically relevant points, rapidly, so that the fight, which is disruptive, dangerous, and a threat to your continued freedom, is ended very rapidly? Well, the answer to that has to be "yes" on finishing the fight rapidly, but not every opponent will come at you the same way, and if you are tackled from behind, you are officially in a wrestling match. If you like wrestling, I would recommend looking into a style of jujitsu, rather than Greco-roman, because, despite being ground fighters, they are typically taught to incapacitate opponents very quickly. If you prefer to take your chances on remaining standing, then a CHINESE soft-style of Kung fu,(this does not mean soft striking, but using a whole body movement that is fluid, seldom locking joints out, so going from one strike to the next is a circular fluid movement that builds in intensity the longer you maintain the motion, and, once mastered, the more you accelerate it as well) like Kenpo, or, if you live near a studio that legitimately teaches it (Moore's), shou shu', which incorporates some of the Kenpo techniques, in the early ranks, but applies a motion to them that is significantly faster, and more adaptable, once mastered. In a fight that the average American male might find himself in, hard stances, and rigid motions, do not allow you to adapt to your opponents movement as quickly. No one is ever going to stand still and let you finish your move. Soft styles, once the person is proficient, can be devastating in a matter of seconds, and with a practiced weapon in their hands, even moreso, or against more opponents. This still doesnt address what you do in the event of the inevitable wrestling match, with the dude that is 40 pounds heavier, and who wrestled for four years in high school, so his movement is subconscious, and therefore, many times faster and more adaptable. So to my recommendation I have to add that, at some point in your endeavor, preferably AFTER you attain first black, go get some lessons in a ground fighting style, OR, find a ground fighter of roughly equal skill to your rank in your school, and spar (respectfully) with the goal of having him try to get you on the ground in any way he might devise. Dont stop when he gets you down, but try to use components of the art you are proficient in to avoid being bent in half the wrong way, having an arm or leg hyperextended, having your neck broken, back broken, face decimated, or any of the other things a ground fighter will do to you given the opportunity. This type of practice should be done with someone you trust, but that you know will only hold back at the point of serious injury, and it should be done with no audience, as the commentary from friends can get one or both fighters wound up, and pissed off. This sort of practice is for each of you to improve. Having an emphasis, but with some exposure to all the potential fighting styles would be ideal, but it is crucial NOT to mix styles early in your development, as this will make you suck at all of them. Take the time to become proficient in one of the two types I have mentioned here. Get your first black, so the foundation is incorruptible (as long as you keep studying). The next part of this is my opinion only, and not to be confused with a statement of fact; the Brazilian dancing martial art, capa-whatever(?), Philipino Iscrema (spelling?), tai kick boxing, and, yes, hard styles, like Japanese Karate, will only help the "everyday guy" after he has attained a very high rank, and has decades of experience as well. While there are benefits to these styles, they are rarely practical in real life application. Aikido, while a wonderful philosophy, lacks strikes, and frequently, short of knocking an opponent unconscious, or causing severe trauma, you will not dissuade them from beating you like their girlfriend, so...the ability to manipulate an opponents weight adequately to bring about one of these two scenarios (knocked out, hurt bad) only comes at high rank. It's not a philosophy that your average a$$h**le ascribes to, so why would you fight on an uneven playing field? With most styles of ju jitsu, and Chinese soft styles, you can begin to be effective at a very early rank, as they teach core principals from day one that will make even older, slower, fatter, or less athletic students more significantly better than they were before studying. Also, soft styles are particularly good for women. It is truly an awesome sight when a 110 pound girl tosses a 200 pound man around like a toy, even better when, because she can focus nearly all of her weight behind each strike, she beats him like a man, or worse. For you average jerk, taking that kind of beating from a girl can be life changing. It needs to happen more often ;)