Tae Kwon do

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Im thinking of going to the local Tae Kwon do class as its just across the road so really handy.

Has anyone else tried Tae Kwon do?

Do you think its a fairly aspie friendly sport?

Any tips or advice?

It depends of your personality

Tae Kwen Do is a contact sport, you strike people in the face, you need strength and coordination. If your idea is to discharge some excess of energy, it's good. I never tried it though.

Judo is softer yet physical, you don't punch or kick but strength matters. I did Judo for a couple of years

Aikido is non violent, it relies on the strength of your opponent and the limits of his bone movement. It is quite fantastic for aspies who can't harm a fly. Aikido is also the art that have no requirement: blind people, people in wheelchair CAN do it. It does not look impressive, it is fun with swords and knives (wooden ones) it is very interesting culturally (everything has a story) I did Aikido for two years and I loved it, you feel in better shape when you finish your class than before starting it.

There is another parameter besides the kind of martial art you choose, and it is the school itself. Some are very competitive, other are more focused on the traditional arts, some other look like friendly clubs. Give a try, there are always some introduction classes for the people to learn and decide if they like it or not.

Thanks SuperAspie

I will definately try it!

I am quite a 'warrior' personality so Im fine with it being a contact sport, that will be fun for me.

BTW, I found a demonstration of a great Aikido master that Aikido is the most aspie friendly martial art, hands down (literally)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgAL9_AMUpI[/youtube]

It does not require any kind of social awareness.

Thanks again SuperAspie

lol at stephen segal

I bought an Aikido video aimed at people with aspergers and it was quite interesting, but the video was not in depth enough. From your enthusiasm Im inspired to look up a local Aikido group

I really want to try muay thai but there isnt a group in my town

Theres 2 types of TKD, olympic full contact WTF which i did for a while, their kicks are probably the best you'll see, and the semi contact 1 that looks like karate to me, as theres lots of politics involved, dont wory about who is the best, have a look and if you like it, thats what it comes down to., having fun and learning something.

Aikido takes years to get, but not 1 for getting stuck in as its very passive, i like the agressive stuff, you wont learn to take knocks with it. I'm looking at thai boxing aswell, i do karate at the moment.

Hope you find a club you enjoy no matter what it is.

Thanks Forestg

Hopefully the tae kwon do near me will be good as its so close it would be a pity if its not. They also have judo and realistic self defence at the same centre so I can try those if I dont like the tae kwon do.

I think I will keep looking for a muay thai class too.

I know its right across the street from you but... if you may want to look around online to see if anyone is teaching Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, or Russian Systema somewhere nearby? I'd really suggest shopping around and investigating both art and instructor, start on Youtube and Wiki, find out what's out there in a tangible sense, then go to check out a school once you've drilled down on a good art and where the instructor's website gives you a sense of confidence. Going just because its right across the street won't likely end well.

Unless you want to kick and punch, Steven Seagal brings another proof why Aikido is better for aspies:



(but I agree, try before you AHAAAAI !)

tech, i agree with what your saying, but also disagree, sometimes you'v got to keep it simple, theres lots of great systems out there, Systema, krav maga, thai boxing, wing chun etc, but its whats acesible, and price, some can be very expensive! like the Mcdojos, systema so on, and might be a great system, but if you dont klick with intructor and students, your unlikley to learn and waste money/time. Have a look and try diferent things, till you find 1. Diferent styles/diferent people.

Aikido has good Chin Na, but, its still dangerous to rely on that alone I think. There are much much better forms of striking than punches and kicks though, I'd agree with you 100% there. The stuff I'm taking we probably use elbows, knees, and forearms at least as much if not more than punches and kicks. kicks are usually sweeps or to the inside of the legs, knees are usually even to the inner thighs or for destabilization. Limb destruction is a big deal as well, Kali has that in its concept of 'defang the snake' (ie. guide fists or hands to elbows, punch the back of the fist or hit it with a weapon, smack or punch the inside of the elbow as you block and cross out, etc.). Wing Chun offers the trapping, which is a very big deal, as in blocking some, throwing a strike, they block that with the other hand, there are many quite reflex-learnable ways to cross people up and then just go to town slashing the face and sternum with elbows, driving forearms through the side of the neck or collar bone, and I don't know if you do sectoring? There's a lot you can do to take people down just by stepping on shins, ankles, and pushing to through to where they either go with it or it breaks.

My recommendation, if you do like Aikido you might like Systema. The system I'm learning (the Kali, Wing Chun, and Kuntao), has a lot of that - plus trapping, sectoring, threading, gun-tings (limb destruction), I'm really glad at this point that I never liked Tae Kwon Do because, if I had lets say gotten a black belt and decided that that was my art - I would have missed out on a lot. The trouble with these kinds of arts (or Krav Maga as Dilbert could probably tell you) - they aren't tournament, you can't do them in tournament, its not about artful movements but much more about Catherine wheeling someone in less than ten seconds - ie. your accosted or in a life and death situation. Its really ugly stuff and I have a feeling I'd do everything to avoid using it until I was really pushed and frankly couldn't care less about the person pushing me.

To lotusblossom I'd probably recommend Systema as its Aikido plus, without being too graphic. Is still something that the Russian military trained its Spetznas in, its technically Aikido reinforced with Wing Chun and Kuntao in most cases. I think right now what the US special forces are using is a blend of Kali, Kuntao, and Wingchun. I don't know if you're familiar with a guy named Dan Inosanto who was Bruce Lee's close friend who started the JKD school, he's been pushing Kali a lot - in movie production and everywhere else. As for Silat, if you hear that name dropped its really just an Indonesian name for Kung Fu (its good stuff, pretty much spitting image of southern Kuntao, no dancing or floral stuff - very tight, midrange, nothing is wasted there either).

If your unfamiliar with these I might point out some movies for quick reference: the stuff that's widely used in the Bourne Supremacy series and in the few odd fast-pan glimpses in Book of Eli is Kali, the new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr is Wing Chun.

Sorry if that was too much info, I just hate to see people buy on ubiquitous names without understanding what all is going on out there right now.

I agree completely. I think it'll be up to her to ultimately see what's near her, see where she gets the best deal for what she learns, my biggest thing is as I said, I hate to see people jump on Karate or Tae Kwon Do only for a name. I did luck out though, current instructor - about seven hours a week (was ten for a while) - $70 a month. If it were maybe double that a month and only an hour a week where we did a couple things after stretching and left - I'd probably be doing something else as well.

If she researches it and still goes across the street, I still achieved my goal in that she youtube'd the stuff and made an informed decision.

thanks Tech,

previously Ive done about 3 tae kwon do lessons when I was 17 and about 5 kung fu lessons when I was 21. I liked the Tae kwon do and was good at it, but I really hated the kung fu.

Im a very different person now so my tastes may have changed and I think the individual instructor of a place makes a big difference to how enjoyable something is. For example I hated the kung fu as he would not let me drink water, and the whole lesson I would be imagining my kidneys rotting and get very distressed, but I think most places now would let participants drink (and Im not so obsessive any more).

I think the best thing to do is to try things as I cant tell what the atmostphere is like without trying it and thats the most important thing for me.

Very good call, and I usually don't have a positive take on instructors who need to treat their classes like boot camp. Competence and a relaxed atmosphere usually go hand in hand.