Good martial art form for a beginner?

[Viperx]

Okay, so i am a beginner wanting to get into martial arts. Im trying to figure out which type of martial art is the most practical in terms of real life self defense situations so if you guys could point me in the right direction i'd really appreaciate it. Also, if any of you guys are from the seattle area, where would be a good gym to join for it?

thanks

[Thai Bri]

You've opened up a can of worms mate. people rarely train in a martial art that they feel is ineffecvtive, and will all argue that there art "has something to offer". But it is no secret that a great many so called martial arts do not teach you how to fight. Sad but true.

I won't name arts, as ti will only cause an argument. But, if self protection os your goal, an ideal club would include things like this:-

1. Very basic and brutal striking methods, like palm heel strikes to the chin, knees to the groin adn elbows to the head etc. Stay away from flashi kicks. They take years to learn and, even then, they put you in as much danger as the bad guy if you try to use them.

2. Some kind of basic ground grappling. Many fights end up on the floor. Avoid so called grappling where all the training involves a willing partner who lets you perform the move. Such compliant training, if it is done even after you have got the idea about a technique, gives masses of false confidence.

3. This is more important now..... more important than the way you actually fight - you need training in areas like awareness, avoidance, assertiveness etc. Mental strategies can keep you away from confrontations in the first place, or at least give you skills to talk your way out of one.


Finding a good fighting art is like looking for a needle in a hay-stack. I don't know Seattle, so can't point you in the right direction, so good luck.

[JaredExtreme]

Viper, do you like striking or grappling? There are some excellent brazilian jiu-jitsu schools in Seattle. BJJ is a grappling art that relies on chokes and joint locks to make the oppoent submit. Here are the links to the seattle bjj schools

http://geocities.com/marceloalonsobjj/

http://www.nwjjc.com/

http://www.bjjseattle.com/

If grappling is not your thing, I would go check out one of the local Jeet Kune Do or Muay Thai schools. Unfortunately I do not have any links for any of those hehe. Watch out for the Karate/Tae Kwon Do/Aikido schools that are everywhere, they usually are more interested in pumping out 10 year old black belts than they are in teaching effective self-defense. Hope this helps.

[Ha_ari]

Rbsd

Definite can of worms, and there as many opinions on this as there are @ssholes.

But if what you're really after is reality-based self-defense, there are some really good choices.

I've trained/am training in both krav maga and Haganah, and, depending on the particular school you train in, both are, IMO, outstanding and excellent approaches to RBSD. There are some differences between the two, but the focus on swift aggression, anything goes-self defense is important to me.

I've also heard terrific things about Senshido, which is centered in Toronto, and the Russian martial arts (i.e., Systema) though I haven't trained in either of these (yet).

I also agree that you can't go wrong with modern MMA training, or some combination of striking and groundfighting skills, like Muay Thai and BJJ, or submission grappling, or jeet kune do, etc.

I could (and have) gone on and on about this, but I'll leave it at that. Call around, see what schools are near you, and try something out. Not every system is for everyone.

[doubleouch]

The most important thing really is that you enjoy where you train. Most people quit after a month or 2 because they don't enjoy the training. Find somewhere where you like the people and they have a fun friendly atmosphere. Your gut will tell you this right away. If the training is not enjoyable then everything else goes out the window.

[chrisw21]

Hi guys, quick introduction, I'm Chris age 21 from Manchester Uk. I've been reading your boards for a while now and this is my first post.

I have been training hard at the gym for the last 6 months with a view to getting my fitness and strength levels upto requirements so that I can begin to train in a martial art.

I have found what you have said here very interesting, the schools near me all seem to offer the same sort of thing, karate, judo and espcially kickboxing. I have visited a few and feel like I would be wasting my time with them.

Am I just looking in the wrong place do you think. Do schools teaching the martial arts you mention exist on this side of the atlantic?

[Kid_Potato]

I believe BJJ is a good martial art to know for the street because many fights I see they are taken to the ground. Also generally a drunk or someone that bothers tends to get too close which is good for a bjj fighter

[Tommy DeVito]

boxing is the best for streets. But if you are small , bjj could be better.

[2bob]

"Am I just looking in the wrong place do you think. Do schools teaching the martial arts you mention exist on this side of the atlantic?"

https://www.systemauk.com

I think there are some senshido guys in the UK too

[Red Rooster]

I teach Bjj at the allstar fitness in West Seattle, come by and check us out. If you want, e-mail me and I can give you more info. Our website hasn't been updated so you can't really rely on it.

Travis