Going to have more time to train and learn a martial arts this summer. I wanted to see if any of you train martial arts. Pretty open to any type (Kung Fu, Karate, Muay Thai, etc) Greatly appreciate it.
What is the purpose of learning a martial art? Fun, self defense, exercise, practicality, or wanting to look like Bruce Lee? Are you adverse to rolling around the ground with other adult with their groin pressed on you?
Thai/Kick boxing looks cool. Wing Chung looks like you don't have to do too much (judging solely from Ip Man movies)
Yes, it depends on why you want to take martial arts. With any martial art that you chose, you will get some of all the categories asked about. While they all help with self defense, some will help more. While they all will help with getting in shape, they all will help more. I'd also say some of it depends on your personal attributes, body-type, weight, etc. It also depends on where you take. Not all Karate schools are the same. Not all Tae-Kwon-Do places are the same, etc. It's hard to make a good recommendation without more knowledge. That being said, I've taken Taken Kung-Fu for a number of years, so I do have a bias. I've taken from a few different schools, and enjoyed them all. There was one experience that was leaps and bounds above all the others. That was at the USA Shaolin temple in NYC. Maybe Shi Xing Hao, at the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy would be similar. But I'm not sure if he's an actual monk from Shaolin though, which made such a huge difference. The Houston Shaolin Temple definitely has a Shaolin monk, Shi De Shan. It would be the one I would investigate first, if I was there. Whatever you do, call them and arrange to visit classes from whichever martial arts schools you are interested in, and take advantage. I will just add that if your main concern is health, then break it down whether you want flexibility most, strength most, conditioning most, etc. Again you'll get some amount of all of that no matter what you choose, but different ones will offer more health benefits in one than the other.
Just remember to have one lead leg with your knee ready to check kick during your first Muay Thai class. They'll respect you more for it.
As others have said, we need to know your preferences (self-defense vs workout vs Artisten, flexibility, strength vs agility) in order to recommend something.
Serious post. If I was to train three disciplines for self defense, it would be Muay Thai, Judo and BJJ. If you ever get into a fight on a sidewalk pavement or any other hard surface, those judo throws can easily break ribs if you throw someone hard enough on it. Can end a fight before it even begins. I personally like Muay Thai better than other striking disciplines since it uses all your limbs instead of just throwing punches like boxing. Kickboxing doesn't traditionally teach how to fight in the clinch or use elbows whereas Muay Thai does with less emphasis on boxing since it scores less points in MT fight rules. And BJJ is just good all around. Not saying all Gracie's are the same in terms of ability to teach but if you're in a big city, there's probably at least a Gracie BJJ camp nearby that you know is legit instead of some McDojo. I mean if you're going to learn a traditional martial art, better to have a legit teacher. My $.02 .
How many years would it take to reach "black belt" level of muay thai? Took shaolin when I was young and couldn't survive it very long.
It's my understanding that there is no official belt system in Muay Thai to distinguish experience. That said it's become a recent trend among certain MT gyms to have their own belt system. I think typically for Black Belt in say BJJ or Judo, it would take anywhere from 8-12 years and also some sort of accomplishment like winning a local tourney or being able to hang with other black belts in your gym at their level of expertise. I know for MMA fighters they circumvent this sometimes. Like LHW fighter Rashad Evans was awarded a BJJ black belt despite only training for a short period of time. He was the LHW champ at the time so some fans think it was just getting that particular BJJ gym in all the press releases at the height of his popularity. I think while not a submission fighter, he showed a competency on the ground and overall grappling to understand why he probably accelerated to black belt level over a guy working 40 hours a week at an office and shows up to the gym 3 nights out of the week. Full time fighter spending all day for months on end with BJJ expert is going to accelerate faster than a guy who trains more as a hobby. So I think there is probably some truth that it was just a way to get the gym's name in the media but Rashad in all his fights has shown himself to be more than capable fighting on the ground.
I'm a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo, and am just now getting into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's very addicting, and one of the only disciplines where the smaller guy actually has a legit shot @ winning.
Ever since I saw Steven Segal regulate in his classic movies, I've been interested in Aikido. I love how it flows like water and turns your opponent's energy against them with minimal effort. This appeals to the very core of my personalty: efficiency. I'd like to take this up. Any suggestions, comments or warnings?
I was a gymnast for 20 years and did Shorin Ryu Karate (Okinawan) for 10 years. I transitioned into Capoeira 3 years ago and love it. Because it's not an eastern martial art, the nature of it is much more social (is good if you're an extrovert). Sure, it's not very well respected in most martial art circles, but it is one of the most challenging things I've ever done. It's also a great way to learn music and a foreign language while getting in shape if that interests you at all. In all honesty, I would recommend finding something that has a very high level of instruction. One way you can filter out good vs bad instruction is someone that has a solid understanding of body mechanics and injury prevention. I also look for someone who isn't afraid to go into a large amount of detail when it's needed (rather than saying "do it 5000 times and you'll get better"). Most places have trial periods if you aren't sure. Hope you find something you like! Some suggestions: Pure modern self-defense - Krav Maga Grappling - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Kicking dominant - Taekwondo Punching dominant - Boxing Fight dirty (elbows & knees) - Muay Thai Weapons training - Karate or Ninjutsu Mobility - Capoeira or Kung Fu Competition fighting - MMA
I've always wanted to learn Muay Thai because it looks cool. Not gonna bother with the "which one is better" stuff because everyone has different experiences and are on different levels. However, Muay Thai a super close combat fighting style, since you use mostly use elbows and knees. That means a boxer with a super long reach can knock me out before I can get close.
