Martial Arts Styles - Which One Is Right For You?   Tweet

In this fast moving world we live in, there are now more martial arts styles which are accessible than ever before. Often when people are doing research into which martial arts they want to learn, you hear I wan to do the best martial art. They are all different in there way, so this can be a complex choice if you are new to the world of martial arts. The majority will teach you self-defence techniques, but many will teach you how to gain confidence, respect your fellow man and respect yourself, spiritual enlightenment, and the list goes on.    

Before rushing into anything there are several pointers that you need to be aware of. Look at what clubs and schools are in your area, if you work in a city not near your home maybe you could go to a school close to your place of work. For me personally I found the distance involved was a big deciding factor. Lets have a look at different skills and qualities you can get out of different martial arts.    

Fitness  

Believe it or not there are certain martial arts styles where the only goal is to increase your fitness levels. Taebo being the prime example, but it does have its place. It is well reported that Taebo will increase your endurance and overall fitness levels. Personally if your main goal is get fit with the use of martial arts I would suggest either Taebo or looking outside of martial arts.   

Self-Defence  

This is one of the main reasons we join a martial arts school isn’t it? Well yeas and no. some styles emphasis self-defence methods more than others, but the bottom line is that the majority of martial arts will teach you to defend yourself. In the army and police forces in North America and Britain they teach you Jiu-Jitsu and Judo as these styles are more geared up towards self-defence and disarming an opponent than say Taekwondo.   

Competition   

Many students seek styles that are well dominated in the tournament and competition areas. Muay Thai and kickboxing to name a couple centre a lot on their schools and clubs competing against other schools in different areas around the country. You need to decide if this style suits you and your goals. It can be a great confidence lift if your teacher recommends you to fight on behalf of the school, but it does require patience and lots of training to get there, but certainly a rewarding experience.    

Once you have an idea in mind of a few different styles that you think would suit your personality, make sure you then research the schools. For example where I live in my town there are at least seven different Karate schools in a twenty mile radius. They are all different and have a different style of how the art is taught. Check out some schools near you and ask if you can attend a class to just observe. Many schools offer a couple of free lessons to new entrants to see if it is for them. Observe how the teacher is with the students, do they treat them with respect, do they give all the students enough support? These are the kind of questions you need to ask yourself when you are observing these classes.    

Before long you will find different martial arts styles, school and tutor that you are comfortable with. You will soon find that martial arts will change your life in many ways. It gives you more focus in your day-to-day life at work, more confidence and keeps you fit. Its better than going on some boring treadmill at the gym now isn’t it!?   

What Do These Martial Arts Styles Mean In The 21st Century? 

Throughout the last fifty years martial arts has been brought to forefront by the many movies of the 1970’s. Since the introduction of the UFC in the early 1990’s we have had the chance to watch these new and exotic martial arts from parts of the world which we never had before. So what do martial arts mean to us in this modern world?    

Do we still associate it with being bare-chested doing flying kicks to bad guys in a dark alley? Well let us have a look at the roots of martial arts and their origins, firstly martial arts have been around for hundreds of years, but it was not until the western world was introduced to the great Bruce Lee that we actually stood up and took note. He even invented his own style of martial arts known as Jeet Kune Do, this involves many fast strikes with super quick defences. We all remember as a kid watching Bruce Lee beat-up Chuck Norris with lightening fast moves, I can certainly remember thinking to myself that I wanted to be able learn these skills.   

There are specific styles within the martial arts world. They come from different cultures from around the world. Many people automatically think of Japan and China with Martial arts but there are many other countries ranging from Brazil, Thailand and Russia. Martial arts are not just for self-defence, they are practiced almost in the same pretext as a religion, and many people who study martial arts today do so to reach a higher level of spirituality and enlightenment.    

The most popular reason why people take up martial arts though is down to self-defence, and for good reason to. Increasing crime in North America and the UK has seen more women get involved with martial arts than ever before. In the past certain martial arts styles looked down on women participating in martial arts schools, it was a also a very male dominating macho environment which would not make a women feel welcome even if she wanted to join.   

There are many mainstream events and shows now on television across the world showcasing a certain countries best martial arts talent, I would go as far to say that in the popularity stakes UFC tournaments and MMA competitions are much more popular than the staged pro American wrestling. What I feel is apparent now though is that you get a lot of people wishing to study martial arts for the wrong reasons. They watch the professionals on television and want to learn how they can fight like that out on the street; you have to study it for the right reasons. Each style varies in technique and ability. Pick the best style that will suit your needs and lifestyle, it can do wonders not only for your self-defence but also how you deal with life in general.   

If you wish to contact me please email me at:  

I will be updating this site with more training techniques and information on the various martial art styles around the world. I will also be reviewing the best training guides and training gear available for both the novice and the martial arts master.

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