zen and the art of finding the right fighting style

A lot of people think of martial arts as a fascinating endeavor to get into and as far as I am concerned this could not be more correct. The practice of various martial arts will enhance your fitness, level of coordination, balance and strenght. You can release aggression in a controlled manner an you will become more confident in what you are capable of, at least physically. Martial arts are not a short time commitment though, to advance in any style of art or sport you will need to train on a regular basis, I´d say at least two times a week for a pretty long time and you will never know everything nor will you be able to apply everything you learned at all times. So far this is true for all styles of martial arts but nevertheless there are numerous discussion threads about what style might be best, what style would always beat up another style etc. mostly discussed by people whose feet never touched the surface of a training mat. I did 4 years of Judo, 2 years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, some Karate and found my style now with the Art of Jeet Kune Do. I´m far from an expert but here are some of my thoughts on choosing a style for you.

1. . It all depends on your aims: Why exactly do you want to train? Do you want to get fit really fast (Muay Thai)? Are you comfortable with hitting and getting hit (full contact/light contact)? Is self defense your main focus (Krav Maga)? Are you interested in meditation and philosophical elements of a martial art(Aikido)? Do you want to compete in tournaments? Are you comfortable with close body contact (Judo)? Is formal or hierarchical training a problem for you (Karate)? Do you want to train with weapons like swords, knives or sticks or only with bare hands (Kali)? Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly or you won`t be happy with your choice in the long run. Write a statement down. “I want to practice martial arts because I want to defend myself against the thugs on the street and I have no problem if this means breaking somebodies jaw” My main interest was always getting fit, having fun and learning techniques that work against a resisting opponent. Competition or philosophical interest were never much a part of my practice. If you want to fight like “in the movies” that`s ok too but realise that there is no fighting in movies only stunt-choreography, so maybe you should become a stuntman (yes I´m serious).

2. . Research and availability: There are bazzilions of different styles, originating in different countries with different aims. Research, watch some episodes of fightquest or human weapon, ask wikipedia and feed youtube. Start here. Go to different gyms, look at how they train, if you feel comfortable in class, if the people there support each other. Compare your experience with your mission statement. Talk about your aims with the coach. If there is the possibility, do some free training classes. The atmosphere is crucial, if it is too competitive you won`t be comfortable unless you are looking for this.

3. My experience: It`s not so much about the style, it`s more about the coach/teacher and the actual training. If there is no sparring at all, you will not learn to fight. That`s ok of course, there might be other benefits, just ask yourself if this is what you want. Some styles I consider good for learning to actually fight: Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Western Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, Eskrima/Kali, Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA. All of these will incorporate regular sparring sessions (at least for advanced students). Do not wait to take up a martial art until you are fit enough to do it, you will develop the kind of fitness you need training in that art. This might be hard the first few months but going to the gym instead is not worth the effort. There is no “best” style, it depends on the fighter. You are almost never too old for a certain martial art (if you don`t want to compete in tournaments) but you might have to live with slower progress than the 20 year olds. Train with practitioners of other styles as much as you can, every style has something to offer. Even if you start out for self defense your aims will change, it would not be worth the trouble of continuous training for years and years.

If you speak german go to http://www.kampfkunst-board.info there is lot of beginners information there and a subforum for almost every style you can think of.

Warning: Once you are hooked, fighting won`t let go. Just ask Al Bundy/Ed O´Neil who trained for 15 years before receiving his black belt in BJJ.
Welcome to the addiction!

Picture by rolleh