Choosing A Martial Art

Although martial arts schools are more common than ever before, choosing a martial art is in some ways no easier than it ever was. You see, with more choices come more reasons for deliberation. When all that was in town was that one karate dojo down the block, it was easy to choose a martial art because there were not a lot of options. Nowadays, with dozens of martial arts taught in many cities, finding the one that is right for you can require quite a bit of deliberation.

The first step in choosing a martial art is looking at the options available. Although your city probably has several martial arts styles, there will be forms that are just simply not taught where you live. In addition, there may be martial arts schools that are too far away, too expensive, or do not teach classes at a convenient time of day. By eliminating these right off the bat, you can make your own choices a little bit easier. You will not have to consider nearly as many styles.

The next step in choosing a martial art is to decide on what you want to use it for. Some styles like jujitsu are designed very specifically towards direct combat, while others put a lot more emphasis on practicing forms. If you want to be a bloody good fighter right off the bat, you might want to try a style like kickboxing, but if you want to combine meditation and martial arts, you might want to take a kung fu or tai chi class. You should also look at the different styles and decide which fits your personality more. Would you prefer to throw your opponent, grapple with him, or kick him in the face? Most martial arts have a primary focus, so you can choose a striking art, grappling art, or throwing art.

Of course, you should also sit in on a few classes before you finish choosing a martial art. Something that looks good in theory might not be the right thing for you. The teacher and the structure of the dojo have a lot to do with how much you'll get out of the class. Something might be too strict or too lax for your personality, or the teacher might have a few chosen students who he focuses on to the neglect of the rest of the class. When you are choosing a martial art, you need to take the particular studio into account. It isn't so much about the style but about the people practicing it. A very good martial arts style can easily be crippled by a poor class, so be sure to pay more attention to the teacher than the form.