Anyone into martial arts?

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Looking for a bit of advice from you guys if you'd be so kind...

I'm looking at possible activities to do to stop me from going mental with boredom while out of work and try to improve social skills before I become a shut-in. Going to college didn't pan out so well, so I'm considering possibly going to the local Buddhist meditation centre for guided meditation to benefit my mind, and thinking of some sort of sport to benefit my body.

I'm thinking of something like martial arts - thinking for potential benefits in fitness, for some sort of self-defence, and to constructively channel anger - being a delicate flower I'd need something light- or medium-contact, looking more for upper-body - any thoughts on what I may like to consider?

How do you get along in martial arts classes?

Krav Maga is my thing. But it is not low impact.

You might look into Tai Chi.

Wing Chun will teach you deadly moves
mai thai will involve regular sparring and turn you into a machine.

Mui Thai?

Muay Thai is a sport. It may make you feel bada**, but it encourages bad fighting practices (such as not protecting the neck or groin properly). Moreover, it requires many successful strikes to take out or take down an opponent. Anyone who's studied a non-sport martial art knows how foolish these practices are.

Tai Chi Chuan is the way to go. Not only is it excellent for your health (assuming you get a good instructor), it will also teach you how to defend yourself (again, if you get a good instructor). Furthermore, it can also help with things like stress and anxiety.

Make sure the instructor you choose teaches the higher-level aspects of Tai Chi Chuan, as well as the combat aspects of it.

I had a class in 7 Step Preying Mantis Kung Fu. A one time demo thing. It was scary how the entire discipline is geared towards quickly taking your opponent out of the fight. Every throw and joint lock had the potential for broken bones and dislocated joints.

Krav Maga has a similar emphasis. If you are in a situation, style doesn't matter, only survival.

I agree that Tai Chi is the way to go for the OP. It's not as likely to get one injured.

I take Ki-Aikido.

It is not a rough martial art. I enjoy it very much. It is useful outside of a martial arts context, and also encompasses some meditation and healing arts.

http://www.kisociety.org.uk/

Please... PLEASE tell me you're trolling.

The effectiveness of all martial arts will vary. It also depends on who is training you, your sparring partners if any, and their knowledge for the sport. Make sure if you are serious about getting a good instructor, that you research the place you go to well. There's all kind of good stand up training you can do. This would probably be best for the upper body. Something like boxing, or kick boxing. Depending on where you live you may be able to find a legit muay thai instructor. Jiu Jitsu is also good for you and produces quite the sweat. Smaller and not so strong people seem to be able to do well with it. When I went to the gym I had a good time. The people were all cool and respectful, except for one kid who was too rough during sparring. But yeah, I think most well known gyms are generally going to have a majority of nice and respectful people.

Seems like a reasonable set of opinions to me.

Please don't bandy the T word around willy nilly.

While not strictly a martial art, I have loved capoeira since I was a little kid. It is awesome to watch. I'd love to learn a martial art, if I had the finesse, strength, and lacked the over-self-consciousness of people watching me.

Actually, this misconception is quite common in people that have no real knowledge of martial arts (beyond "common knowledge"). It's fixed pretty quickly by fighting (or watching a fight) with a person properly trained in Tai Chi Chuan.



It seems that any time I explain how wrong "common knowledge" is, I'm called a troll.

heh if you wan't to train some kung fu like nonsense go ahead, just don't confuse it with a real, functional fighting systems ie brazilin jiu jitsu/muay thai/wrestling.

Couldn't agree with you more, I'm getting sick and tired of people that speak ill of sports martial arts.

Just because we don't try to practice "super secret ultra death technique #3" doesn't mean our martial art takes no skill, when in reality, a single knee strike from muay thai or a a strong uppercut from boxing or a spinning kick from kick boxing can take out the average person on the street, unless they are a trained fighter themselves. Sports martial arts teaches toughness and confidence, as well as physical condition that far surposes whatever they learn in some bulshido martial art. And I bet a boxer or kickboxer or muay thai fighter can take out any tai chi "fighter"

Uh ... I don't know what Kung Fu you know of. 7 Step Preying Mantis is just nasty - no mercy.

If I had the energy to deal with trying to be more social, talking to people, and people touching me I want to learn something like this~

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2myXZqzatbE&feature=related[/youtube]