Martial Arts

Are you thinking of taking up the martial arts? Good for you! But which one should you study? Judo? Karate? Tae Kwon Do? Kung Fu? The question is mind boggling! There are hundreds of martial art styles and each has its own flavor and specialty. One way to decide which martial art to consider is to look at your other hobbies.

Are you already a competitor? Did you play football or wrestle in high school? You may want to study a martial art that emphasizes competition in its training methods. Brazilian Jujitsu (BJJ) is probably the most well-known member of this group right now. In most schools, the primary form of training is grappling. Most classes consist of grabbing a partner and kicking each others butts for an hour or two. Instructors give some demonstrations of technique and strategy and then off you go! Expect to get beaten regularly for a few months before you actually win a practice match. This experience can be very humbling.

Brazilian Jujitsu is closely related to Judo. They have similar training methods, and both wear the sturdy white Gi (Gee) jacket. Judo rules are more complex than Brazilian Jujitsu rules, and Judo focuses on throwing the opponent to the ground while Brazilian Jujitsu focuses on wrestling around once you both have fallen. Judo also uses Japanese terminology and is somewhat more formal, if you are into that sort of thing.

Submission Wrestling is very similar to Brazilian Jujitsu, but with a distinctly American flavor, and submission wrestlers usually do not wear a particular uniform of any sort.

Are you an intellectual? Do you like history and public television? Are you a computer expert or have an advanced degree? You may enjoy a strict traditional style. There are hundreds of traditional martial art styles, so you may have to do some research, but one key feature to look for is the use of forms as a training method. Most traditional martial arts have a great deal of history and this history is set down in a formal defined series of techniques, which may either be solo sequences or techniques practiced with a partner. Karate schools and Japanese Jujitsu (not to be confused with BJJ) schools calls them kata; Tae Kwon Do schools call them hyung or poomse; Kung Fu schools may call them by any number of names, but they are all a sort of encyclopedia of fighting methods that can often have a number of interpretations. Experts can, and do, spend years arguing about the proper meanings of the details of these choreographed workouts. Many traditional schools also teach the use of traditional weapons.

Expect to learn a lot of foreign terminology and expect to do a lot of bowing. Teachers are treated formally and are referred to by their titles.

Do you like to dance? Are you a gymnast? Look into a style like WuShu. WuShu is a Chinese Kung Fu style, but most of the fighting has been taken out in order to emphasize the artistic beauty of the movements. Leaping, jumping, and a bit of acting all combine to take the forms mentioned above into a beautiful performance.

Another direction for gymnasts and dancers to go is to look into other schools that emphasis forms competition or who have a competition team. Many other styles have received the WuShu treatment even if the style has roots in a country other than China.

Maybe you like to hunt, or you have a military background. You may enjoy a weapon-based style. There is no rule that says martial arts require empty hands. The Philippines have a number of martial arts that rely almost exclusively on weapons. Arts such as Kali, Arnis, and Escrima teach the use of sticks, knives, and machetes, weapons you may find applicable to the modern world. These arts also tend to emphasize effectiveness in combat over pretty movements.

Are you a painter or a musician? Are you spiritual and artistic? You may want to study an internal style. Internal martial art styles are based on the cultivation and use of the free flow of energy (often called chi or ki) and involve relaxing and blending with an opponent. Many internal stylists use the martial art practice as a form of physical and spiritual therapy. Some internal Chinese styles are Tai Chi, Ba Gua, and Hsing-I. These systems consist of many forms (see above) often practiced in a very relaxed, yet energetic manner. Some teachers do not bother to teach the combat applications of the movements as they find the other benefits to be more important.

Aikido is an internal martial art from Japan which was designed to allow one to disable an attacker without injuring him seriously. Cultivation of ki is important and learning how to yield to the effort of an attacker in order to redirect their energy is emphasized. Aikido also requires learning how to fall safely and a willingness to endure some discomfort, as Aikido student practice throwing each other to the ground and placing painful joint locks on them.

This guide is by no means a be-all-end-all rulebook to choosing a martial art school. Be sure to talk to the instructor and ask him how his martial art compares to other activities that you enjoy. Watch a class. And always be sure to shop around.