Thinking of learning a Martial Art - Which One?

[Adone]

you guys r all gay... the best by far is boxin... not muay thui not ju jitsu..
i wanna see you go to the aspahlt ground or in the floor of a club trying to put the man in a submission move. Muay thai i will admit may be good in a open area such a school playground where u could lay out elbows and knees. But if u fightin n*ggas in a club u aint even gonna be able to lift ur legs. The best thing u could do is jack a cat in face with a good hoook or a cross cause thats all youll have time for. the bouncers will come in and take every one out in 30 secs after the fight starts.

SO TAKE BOXING - itll make a man out of you.

Best answer so far.

 

[Freddy1]

Muay Thai basically has the same hand moves as boxing.

 

[Eb9#5]

you guys r all gay... the best by far is boxin... not muay thui not ju jitsu..
i wanna see you go to the aspahlt ground or in the floor of a club trying to put the man in a submission move. Muay thai i will admit may be good in a open area such a school playground where u could lay out elbows and knees. But if u fightin n*ggas in a club u aint even gonna be able to lift ur legs. The best thing u could do is jack a cat in face with a good hoook or a cross cause thats all youll have time for. the bouncers will come in and take every one out in 30 secs after the fight starts.

SO TAKE BOXING - itll make a man out of you.

muay thai is excellent for close range fighting - ever heard of the clinch!??!?!
elbows and knees will work once you have closed the gap with your opponent.

 

[aftershock]

This was my original post:

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of learning a martial art. I think it would be a pretty cool thing to do.

Which one would you recommend? Anyone got any links to any basic information or tell me what to expect?

I made no mention of wanting to kick people's heads in.

I want to take it up as a sport. I am not interested in having street fights.

Thanks for the help guys - the link looks quite useful too.

Thinking about it I'd like something to improve my fitness, agility and upper body strength.

How long does it take to become "good"?

 

[simba_]

depends what you consider good, really.

Honestly, if you're new to the martial arts scene and want to get into awesome shape, do kickboxing or muay thai. Boxing is good too. BJJ worked up a sweat for me aswell, but I've never been as physically tested as I have in kick boxing and muay thai.

This is only from my experience, and other arts will most likely get you in great shape aswell. I'm sure you won't have any regrets if you tried what i've mentioned above if you're just looking to get in good shape and learn a great martial art.

 

[Mace]

There is no best Martial Art. But there is a best martial art for one particular person.
What is your reason for learning it? Fitness? Defence? Confidence?
I'm doing Muai Thai and Wing Chun for years. My perspective:

Muay Thai: Great Fight Sport, you get enormous Fitness. but not really useful for
self-defence. It is a sport, so most attacks you have are shielded
by the rules. I.e. Flying Knee = Crap for real combat

Wing Chun: Great Martial Art. You won't become very fit with it and it doesnt look
fancy at all. It is quick and to the point and effective for defense (aims
at throat, knees, eyes etc.) But it is very defensive, lacking kicks and offensive
moves.

So for me personally it is the perfect mixture.
Muai Thai is very hard and painful. It is often force against force. But this gives the
right mentality. And you are getting physically and mentally tougher. For withstanding an unexpected punch you need both. The effect is the as with boxing. And you will become fast and the punch will be strong.
Wing Chun Kung Fu is more elegant. It is NOT force against force (like taking punches) but deflecting the force. So you dont need much physical strength (but having it is better). And it is effective and "field tested" in the asian wars thouands of years ago where fighting an enemy soldier was a matter of life and death. But there are nearly no kicks are attacks.

Chose what your body is most comfortable with (Martial Artists know what that means). And don't forget: It is not a style that wins a fight it is the fighter. His heart and spirit

 

[dynamicallyidle]

I must disagree. Kicking is useful, but only if you've trained is very well. If you have trained well, and have natural talent, your kick can be as fast and accurate as the average man's punch, but a LOT stronger. A Korean Taekwondo Olympic athlete is renowned for the strength of his roundhouse, known to break forearms that try to block it.

If you had all the time in the world, I would tell you become a monk and study Kung-Fu. Monks who have trained from childhood are living weapons. They are trained to take punishment like no other, and can keep their head straight in fights. They also know how to use over 20 weapons with proficiency.

See, martial arts were REALLY intended for weapon to weapon combat. Kicking and punching were just the building blocks that led up to using weapons. I defy anyone, even a professional athlete like Kobe Bryant try to beat the average monk in a sword fight. Kobe will get REAMED by a 5'2" 50-year old Chinese guy, let alone a monk of average height, age, and build.

Weapon to weapon is where martial arts really shine.

In street fights, grappling and submission techniques are really the ONLY legitimate chance you have nowadays of beating a stronger opponent.

learning to kick period is pointless... especially those insane dramatic 360 kicks in the air... hahaha I would like to see someone try that in a REAL bar fight.
The only time I MIGHT kick if I was taking someones knee out or stomping onto their foot (like if they holding me from behind). but even in those relatviely safe kicks that are below the waist, you are still psuhing your luck.

Thats why I say martial arts isnt good for learning how to REALLY fight. The stuff they teach is unapplicable.
A GrandMaster at the art might be able to pull off a fancy move.. But you would have to be really good. and lucky, cause rarely do you get in a position where you can pull off a "practiced" move.
I watched a friend fight once, he was a very serious martial artist. But of course, like everybody... as soon as the fighting started all his training went right out the door.. and both men jumped and punched and battle each other like a couple wild dogs.. it was a chaotic and quick fight. The same exact story I have seen many times.. real fights are chaos.

now again i'm not sure if you want martial arts for the fighting ability, or if your taking it up purely as a sport.
whatever you do.. Buy yourself a 100lb body bag. Beat the hell out of that thing. Get your punch strong and lethal. And learn how to attack with Insane power and aggression.
In I fight I usually determine pretty quick that its gonna be fight. I usually ALWAYS punch first, and then I keep punching, ALOT!!! I literally cut the enemy down... Strike first, strike hard and fast.. and keep striking until the enemy is utterly cut down.
Thats the best defense, To completly take the offensive side and remove the threat (the other a$$hole starting crap).

dammit i'm ranting again, but i'm tired of martial artist thinking they are learning something useful... Its all about mentality really.. Be confident.. thats what it boils down to.


and to someone asking what styles are involved in cage fighting... I dont fvcking know. I never cared to take a class on how to fight. But i'm pretty sure cage fighting is a clash of ALL styles... The reason I bring it up is because if you trained in it. It would simulate real life fights. You have two men that can fight however they want and do whatever they want.. the whole point is to win..
only major diffrence from cage fights and street fights is street fights usually start with a sucker punch.

 

[Berlex]

just learn Pei Mei's five point palm exploding heart technique

 

[howardalex]

I do kickboxing, jiu jitsu + capoeira - I'd reccomend brazilian jiu jitsu or...

find a boxing club that teaches submission grappling too

 

[tipsy_619]

kicks & knees are useless if your too tired to put any power into em

just watch the 2nd round of most mma fights

 

[mahon83050]

What about Aikido?

That is the one I am interested in taking. Something that involves grappling and more of a preventative form of self-defense.

 

[mahon83050]

BTW, Don't underestimate what Greco-Roman/Freestyle wrestling can do for you in terms of self-defense.

I was watching Bodog Fight the other night (Step below UFC). The guy who was a state champ wrestler in High school pretty much owned his Serbian oponent who was an "expert" in Judo and Ju-Jutsu. When it came to the grappling, the wrestler definitely had the edge.

 

[Ll Principe]

There is no good or bad martial art. They are ALL good, each martial art is specified for a different type of fighting but to say one is better than the other is nonsense.

Join a martial art, Practice, Learn and Listen thats the best way to do it.

Oh and to end this discussion; check this site out;

http://fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

 

[bigshot]

Well, i wouldnt do taekwondo, its not effective in the street. its good for your physical fitness though.

Take a look at this video its called "fight science", there are 10 parts to it. the description is as follows:

"It strikes four times faster than a snake. It kicks with more than 1,000 pounds (453.59 kg) of force. And it can rival the impact of a 35 mph (56.33 kph) car crash. It's the most complex weapon ever designed—the human body. National Geographic Channel brings together a team of experts and a cross section of champion martial arts masters to analyze the world's greatest fighting techniques and find out which discipline has the hardest hits, the fastest moves, and even the deadliest weapons."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9EjF9Zlubg