General Martial Arts Question

[axxeman01]

Hi Folks,

Anyone into martial arts? At age 40 I'm considering picking it up. Not sure which style, although I'm not much into the whole kata thing, more sparring and practical street fighting.

When I was a bit younger I did some Hopkido, which is an art which is designed to end a fight quickly. There isn't a hopkido place near here, so what are some alternatives? Something that's specific to multiple attackers? IE, when you are SOL, use this.

Thanks- Chris

[Mockingbird]

I've been learning Muay Thai for a while now, I find it quite effective and it keeps me in great shape.

[Latrodectus]

Krav Maga...the way to go.

http://www.kravmaga.com/

check it out...

[Lamone]

40 is still young. If you're not into the Kata thing (I wasn't) you might want to try Pencak Silat. It's VERY effective.

[Mike B]

I'm a black belt in Kenpo Karate. I've done it for quite sometime, and found it both challenging physically and mentally as well.

[MitchSteel]

I've been into the arts since I was a kid,mainly Shotokan Karate, its traditional karate and very heavy on repetition and .....you guessed it kata.Kata is an exaggerated form of fight.best technique comes from overexaggeration,and repetition. A good kata man, is dangerous.I've practiced Euchi Ryu, Goju Ryu, Boxing, Kendo and Iai Do.Now I practice only Iai Do(sword drawing), which keeps my mind and body balanced.Highly recommend any of it to anyone.

[escudoturbo]

I feel it's more important to find a good teacher rather than worry about 'style'. Any art can be devastatingly effective when taught well. Western boxing usually has the highest standards, but is the most restricted, An art that is currently 'on trend' is likely to have a large number of instructors cashing in with wide raging standards. Looking for a well established club, with high levels of stundent skill and enthusiasm and well balenced instructors.

[Ultraman]

Originally Posted by Latrodectus

Krav Maga...the way to go.

http://www.kravmaga.com/

check it out...

Check out Jason Bourne!

[Rscmaine]

I earned a black belt in Tai Kwon Do in my teens and early 20's and find that even now 30 plus years later it still helps me with basic coordination, confidence, and fitness. Haven't practiced in 25 years, but I am certain that no drunk could get through with the first punch before I turned and bravely ran away.

It doesn't hurt that my waist size is still the same at 50 as it was at 20 and my BP was 120/78 on Monday when I saw my doc. My annual physical is every August and this time my Doc actually suggested we skip it! "We can put it off for another 6-9 months - you're healthy as a horse"

Best lesson learned was how to avoid violent confrontation.

[Jimbits76]

Free Style Karate or sport kickboxing.

As a teen I studied Karate, Kickboxing, Tai Kwon Do and Akido.

The kickboxing featured most of the technique of Karate and Tai Kwon Do with regards to kick and stretching exercises but didn't have the kata and belt grading rigidity of the more formal martial arts.

J

[Jimbits76]

Originally Posted by Rscmaine

Best lesson learned was how to avoid violent confrontation.

Rule one in any martial art is moving yourself out of the way of harm.

Walking away is usually the best defence in many situations.

J

[Kokyuryoku]

Originally Posted by escudoturbo

I feel it's more important to find a good teacher rather than worry about 'style'. Any art can be devastatingly effective when taught well. Western boxing usually has the highest standards, but is the most restricted, An art that is currently 'on trend' is likely to have a large number of instructors cashing in with wide raging standards. Looking for a well established club, with high levels of stundent skill and enthusiasm and well balenced instructors.

I totally agree 100%. Have a look around your area and try out some of the different styles, research the teachers and their teachers (their martial lineage). Quality breeds quality, so take your time. You should also take into consideration the reason you want to learn. Do you simply want to protect yourself? Do you want to get in shape and be able to protect yourself? Is it going to be a long term thing or a short term one?

Good luck with the search. Please keep us updated.

[Dan Pierce]

I'm thoroughly impressed that everyone I've ever known that's into martial arts never shows off that fact.
The use of discipline and discretion seem to be of the upmost importance.
dP

[TheDude]

There is a pretty efficient method called KFM. It was popularized in the Batman Begins/Dark Knight movies.

I think KFM stands for "Keysi Fighting Method".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keysi_Fighting_Method

[Brunotheboxer]

I also agree with the Krav Maga. Buddy of mine studies this and he would pretty much win any fight that was unavoidable in seconds.

[axxeman01]

Sounds like trying a few is the way to go, I checked out a few of the web sites for Krav Maga and it definitely sounds like what I'm looking for. Getting in shape and building some confidence are the goals.

[swissautopro]

I have studied Shotokan karate in two different schools, and was going to recommend it. But now I am curious about this Krav Maga. Hmmm....

[JMIND]

I have a brown belt in Kenpo and working my way up. I'm glad I found it (I have a co-worker that got me interested); a great way to keep physically and mentally active.

[Latrodectus]

Originally Posted by Ultraman

Check out Jason Bourne!

very good stuff

[brkb]

Krav Maga is pretty sweet, but its hard to find a good school in your area

I would do a mixture of Ju Jitsu and Muay Thai... For about a year and a half I did a mixture of both and I found it to be very effective, and like others said, keeps you in great shape.

[axxeman01]

No Krav Maga here, so that's out. I did some calling around today, there are actually quite a few shops in my area, and most offer a free class to try it out, I think that's going to be the way to go. The styles that appear to be available locally (and I haven't read up on the styles, just see that this is what's available out there) are:

Grappling
Kenpo Jiu Jitsu
Mixed Martial Arts
Muay Thai
Pankration
Taekwondo
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Jeet Kune Do (what Bruce Lee did)
Tai Wei Ku Su (Kung Fu)
Shudo-kan (Karate)
Hwa Rang Do
Isshin-Ryu Karate
Integrated Tai Chi Kung
Kuk Sool Won

Looks like I've got some research ahead of me!

[Mockingbird]

In a typical Muay Thai session I burn about 2000 calories, so keep that in mind!

[nocampo]

I see that you've had some hapkido training, there's a few hapkido schools in IL affiliated with KHF (Korea Hapkido Federation), I don't know if any of them is near you, but here is the link
http://www.koreahapkidofederation.ne...hools-USA.html

Good luck in your quest...

-N.

[MitchSteel]

I have studied Shotokan karate in two different schools

[JBat]

My wife and I have been doing Kempo Kung Fu since January. I've been active most of my life with various sports, weight training, cardio, etc, but this is the toughest training I've ever done. Every part of your body gets worked, and I now know why you rarely see fat fighters. I go for my first colored belt tomorrow night, yellow. It may not sound like much, but I'll be damn happy when I've earned it.

[Kokyuryoku]

Originally Posted by escudoturbo

Any art can be devastatingly effective when taught well.

[clew84]

I practiced Wing Chun (or Wing Tsun) for a little while before moving away (my current city didn't have one when I moved). It was very interesting and had a lot of great principals - really enjoyed it. I then worked a little on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A great workout and very practical, but you really need to find a good school. I think there have been a lot of them popping up as the popularity has increased. The school I attended relied on a lot of the students teaching and free rolls which can be dangerous for the novice if you are paired with someone who doesn't know how to work with you.