Thinking about trying martial arts.

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Hello,

I was a bit unsure of where this should go.

I've been thinking of trying martial arts, and was wondering about some of if any experiences you guys would like to share. I have been interested in trying it and I think it could be good motivation to get in shape but I'm a bit nervous. I'm 16 and weak for my age, I have poor balance and been home schooled so I've never gotten into fights before. With that said it's still something that looks fun and would help motivate me to be more active. It would be nice to get some of your opinions on the subject.

Thanks,

Mason

I did Tae Kwon Do from age 7 to when I was 15. If your interested go for it!

It's great fun, and good for fitness, strength, confidence and meeting new people. It should also help your balance. The only reason I stopped was because of social anxiety and depression.

One thing to keep in mind (at least whilst your knew and building strength) if you do sparing choose your partner well, some people get really into it and can be quite rough and careless. One lad cracked one of my ribs (though I suppose I deserved it as I was a far higher belt than him and letting him land that hit was rather embarrassing ). My sister got her nose broken too . When I was about 12 I decided not too spar any more, I'm too much of a wimp to deal with a bunch of pubescent boys trying to be macho

I've been doing taekwondo since I was 11 years old, and I really like it. Its really good for getting in shape and coordination. It teaches you to be more disciplined. I've also met a few friends there. I am currently a red belt. I like to spar and I have been in tournaments since I was a green belt. Although sparring does have its risks. Its normal to get a bit of bruising, but I hurt my foot real bad once when my foot collided with this other kids foot when we kicked each other at the same time. Otherwise, I haven't had anything serious. The chances of someone breaking a bone are actually pretty low, cuz at the place where I go, everyone is paired up with someone who is around the same age, size, belt range, skill level etc.....

I've done (I did such from a kid to a young adult, and stopped going to classes when I moved back to the country):

Karate
Kung-Fu (Tong Long)
Iaido (sword)
Kenjutsu (sword)

Advice?

Don't expect it to teach you how to survive, or even how to realistically fight. What you'll learn is how to follow orders, how to do some strikes in addition to doing them so much that it's hopefully automatic (good), gain some strength and fitness if you don't do anything physical now (also good), and if you're lucky, how to take a hit.

I'd go with something as historical as possible, so you're learning history along with gaining fitness. I'd avoid any "MMA" stuff and anything promoted solely as "self-defense".

I did Tae Kwan do for a few years, reached all the way up to red belt before I went in and joined the Army.

However, I think I would agree with Dillogic in that I would go with the more historic kind of MA. I would also agree with them in that many places don't necessarily teach you how to realistically fight, I think as many of these tend to focus on 'tournament training,' which often forbids certain strikes and hits. That might be fine if you are training and plan to fight in a controlled environment, but not in a real fight where people tend to fight dirty.

Thanks for the replies . I was not thinking of getting into martial arts to defend myself since it's unlikely it will ever be practical since I'm not looking for fights, but more as an activity that looks interesting and will hopefully lead to me getting a bit more confident. To be honest my strength or lack of it has been a bit of a sensitive topic for me, which I know is stupid but I think this would be a good way to get over it while still sounding fun .

It's really great being in such a supportive community.,

Mason

I learned Judo at a young age, then Karate (Kenshikan) in my mid teens, and briefly tried Wing Chun kung fu (Ving Tsun).

There was a lot of sparring (practice fights) in my Judo lessons and Karate lessons. It will depend on your teacher, I think. Karate was certainly stricter, with more endurance necessary.

I have quite a large build, so using my opponents' weights against them, as in Judo, was an issue, as I was generally larger than my opponent.

I liked karate best, as I excelled at it. Repetetive power and precision, I would say is what I took away from that. "Fun Fact": Karate was developed as a way of practicing samurai swordmanship when swords (and samurai) were banned. As such, you're apponent is always quite some way from you.

Wing Chun is quick, close movements, with the goal of of being like bamboo: fexible but strong. Kung fu has more of a philosophy, I think, and all movements are fluid. It is probably a better fighting style choice for someone with a slighter build, like yourself. Watch the film Ip Man with Donnie Yen to understand the role kung fu can have in your life.

I think to be genuinely effective in a fight without rules, you need to take Bruce Lee's approach: ?Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.? ... ?Set patterns, incapable of adaptability, of pliability, only offer a better cage."

That, or try Krav Maga.