Which Martial Art Training Would Best Meet My Goals

[Devil Inside]

Hi...I am hoping those of you that train with martial arts would be able to give me some pointers. I am in decent shape and am looking for a new workout, and I thought martial arts would be a cool way to go. My goals for the training would be the following, in order of importance:

 

1. Fat Loss

2. Gain Muscle

3. Cardiovascular Fitness

4. Use in self defense

5. Stress relief and mental clarity

 

Any ideas?

[LucreziaBorgia]

I got all of that in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. I've not taken another martial art, so I can't really speak for any others but these kept me in shape while I was taking them. Sparring was especially fun.

[Enema]

Muay Thai, hands down.

[Trojan John]

I'm biased toward capoeira or kung-fu. Capoeira is not for everyone as the movments have a high learning curve, and you may not appreciate the cultural and musical aspects, but you will probably gain everything on your list.

 

For kung-fu, look at shaolin long fist. Lots of physical activity plus meditation. It can be painful though. Minor fractures from sparring are common.

[Odyssey]

I've done Muay thai and Jeet kune do. Currently learning Aikido, which is great fun throwing my friends around. But i would recommend Muay thai or Jeet kune do. Forget about Aikido since it's more about leverage and less on building muscles & fat loss.

 

When i got started, the best thing i did was shop around all the classes in my area and see for myself rather than take people's word for it. You'll also get an idea what the instructors are like, and maybe even try it out for a session. So go see for yourself.

 

Happy hunting

[Sam Spade]

None of the above:cool:!

Brazilian jiu jitsu is the name of the game. 1) it is an excellent cardio AND strenght workout all in one (none of which applies that much to the kicking and punching); 2) Requires a lot more thinking and strategy than kicking and punching (re: mental clarity), and 3) trains for the most realistic self-defense scenario (any street fight ends up on the ground)

Finally, it is a lot safer than the full contact kicking/punching sports - when sparring, there is a lot less risk to end up with a major injury.

[Enema]

I suggest you try them all out yourself and see what suits you.

 

I of course, disagree with all 3 of Sam's points. hah.

[Zoff]

Hi...I am hoping those of you that train with martial arts would be able to give me some pointers. I am in decent shape and am looking for a new workout, and I thought martial arts would be a cool way to go. My goals for the training would be the following, in order of importance:

 

1. Fat Loss

2. Gain Muscle

3. Cardiovascular Fitness

4. Use in self defense

5. Stress relief and mental clarity

 

Any ideas?

 

Well I'd think you're probably best of looking at something like kickboxing there, practical, lots of fitness requires and punching a bag or someone else has been known to work well to reduce stress.

 

If you want something lower contact then alternatives include Karate and Taekwondo, the former being a bit more practical and the latter being more physically demanding.

[Odyssey]

3) trains for the most realistic self-defense scenario (any street fight ends up on the ground)

Yes, most do end up on the ground, but i wouldn't like to stay on the ground, especially after seeing what happened to my friend.

 

My friend got jumped when we were coming out of a club on new years day, yeah they both ended on the pavement (on broken glass too). My friend did his BBJ. I'd rushed in to help. Then the attacker's mates and gf joined in on the stomping party. It was lucky the cops came in time. We were both rushed to emergency. I had a broken nose and some minor cuts to my arms. My friend had 2 broken ribs, cut lip, broken tooth, cuts & bruises all over (his shirt was so bloodied, i thought he'd been stabbed) and now he can only see out of one eye.

 

Then there's the post traumatic stress that comes after the incident too and the long process of going to court that a lot of people forget about. I don't wish this to happen to anyone. The street is an entirely different game, as i found out. Not nice at all...

Edited October 21, 2009 by Odyssey

[Zoff]

^ that's precisely the danger of a MA that focuses too heavily on taking a fight to the ground. You never know if his friends are around to stomp you into mush while you're so vulnerable and unable to escape.

 

All it takes is one solid hit and a fight can be over.

[Devil Inside]

Thank you for all the replies thus far. I agree that it would be start to try some places out. I am going to check out my friend's Muay Thai place next week. I will let you know how it goes.

[Devil Inside]

Thank you for everyone's recommendations. After looking into a couple of different places I have signed up for and taken my first Muay Thai class at a local dojo. It came highly recommended and I got a decent deal by joining with a friend. My first class was this weekend. Good stuff. I felt great hitting those pads. I am a little sore and I was definitely sweating...so I know it is going to be a good workout.