# Recommend A Style



## Turboguy (Nov 22, 2008)

Hello all, great to find such an informative forum.
I'm a 32-year-old who a decade ago, spent a few years in a university belt-factory TKD class. While my instructor was competent it was the form-based structure that wasn't as effective as I would have liked. After a move from NYC to Florida, I finally have time to jump back into training and need to find a style that works for me. A few details:

male
Clearwater, FL area
5-10, 175
comfortable with stand-up styles, kicks, wrist locks, etc.
poor wrestling skills
looking for effective, street-proven self defense
limited knowledge of different styles; however Akido, Jeet Kune Do, and Krav all seem like they might be a good fit.

What would you recommend as a good style?

Thanks,


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## dungeonworks (Nov 22, 2008)

Google this string martial arts loc: Clearwater, FL and it will show you a map with all businesses that contain martial arts in the title or description.  Looks like a lot of selections.


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## Christina05 (Nov 22, 2008)

ever consider kenpo?


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## girlbug2 (Nov 22, 2008)

It's hard to get more self-defense effective or street proven then Krav Maga. It incorporates a lot of bits from other styles. I have a great time training at my school and it has gotten me into the best shape of my life.

Here's a link to info about a KM school opening in January 09 in Clearwater:

http://kmforum.kravmaga.com/archive/index.php?t-1536.html

Kenpo is also a very practical self defense style which also has traditional katas and gis if that's more your thing. I have some background in EPAK and of course I'll testify that it's worthwhile to learn EPAK. 

The choice between the two comes down to how formal/traditional you prefer your martial arts; if more formal, I'd go with Kenpo, if more relaxed, I'd choose Krav Maga.


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## dungeonworks (Nov 23, 2008)

Jeet Kune Do is another good one if you are more into practicality.  It's an eclectic (mixed) as are the Kenpo and Krav Maga styles and covers ground fighting quite a bit.  I highly suggest any "Jeet Kune Do Concepts" affiliated or Straightblast Gym affilliated school.  I believe you wouldn't go wrong looking at Krav Maga, Kenpo, or Jeet Kune Do if looking for a less traditional style.  I have only dabbled in JKD and have no experience with Kenpo or Krav Maga.  I am basing this all on information from friends experiences.  I wish we had Krav or Kenpo near me!!!

If you want the traditional martial arts experience with good street effectiveness, I would look for a Koei-Kan-Karate Do school.  They train hard and spar hard and work some ground work and escapes.  You would see some similarity to the Tae Kwon Do (I started in TKD myself before finding Koei-Kan), but IMHO, Koeikan has many more tools for your box and trains far harder.  That is all based on my personal experiences.  Wing Chun (Wing Tsun, Ving Tsun) is another good style but I feel you may get frustrated with it.  Takes a little longer to get and has a softer side to it, but trains sensitivity and reacting instinctively to your opponent rather than "If he comes at you like this, then you can do this" type training (I think Krav Maga and Kenpo work this to a degree).  In otherwords, you don't recognize what comes in then flip through a mental catalog of techniques, pick one, then apply.  Like I said, this one takes a bit to get used to, but when you do it is GREAT for in close fighting with lots of eye gouging, throat grabs and strikes, as well as other neat stuff.  Do you like weapons such as knives and sticks?  Look into the Fillipino styles such as Modern Arnis, Escrima, Kali...ect.  Lots of really great knife and stick work there as well as empty hand, and it is much different than the Japanese, Korean, or Chinese styles.

At the end of the day, you will need to find a school and instructor that you feel comfortable with.  That is the main thing.  Visit as many of these schools as you can.  There is no shortage of schools in your area it seems, so take your time and meet each instructor.  I think it is more important to find a good instructor than it is to find a certain style.  Most martial art styles are good, but IMHO, none are complete cure alls for every encounter.


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## Bodhisattva (Nov 23, 2008)

Turboguy said:


> Hello all, great to find such an informative forum.
> I'm a 32-year-old who a decade ago, spent a few years in a university belt-factory TKD class. While my instructor was competent it was the form-based structure that wasn't as effective as I would have liked. After a move from NYC to Florida, I finally have time to jump back into training and need to find a style that works for me. A few details:
> 
> male
> ...



You want a good MMA school - period.


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## Blindside (Nov 23, 2008)

Good advice from everyone above, but here is a suggestion for a particular school. 

*
*
 It is a Pekiti Tirsia Kali, a Filipino martial art, you will start with armed techniques (knife and stick primarily) and then translate that back to the empty hand.  Extremely practical and you have a very good teacher in your area.  



_ Tampa_  
Dino Martinez
                                727-612-3402
   www.floridaptk.com

I usually advise people to decide on their training by choosing an instructor rather than a system, a poor instructor can muck up an excellent system.


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## dungeonworks (Nov 23, 2008)

Judging solely off the websites, these look to be interesting:

http://www.kungfutoday.com/

Looks like they offer a lot here.  According to the site, they start with the Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, which is not unlike Tae Kwon Do or Karate in technique.  This place also does internal styles such as Bagua and Tai Chi, but most eye catching to me was the San Shou, or Chinese kickboxing (similar to Thai boxing).  They also offer full contact sparring if you want it, as well as continuous light sparring.

http://www.mastermehrdad.com/

Norther Shaolin and Hapkido from what I can tell, and competes Muay Thai.


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## still learning (Nov 24, 2008)

Hello, JUDO is more than you think it is!

Aloha,


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## jarrod (Nov 24, 2008)

i would like to recommend whatever style i train, as it's clearly the deadliest.

seriously though, try some different ones & practice the one that holds your interest the most.  a good krav maga (or whatever) school will teach effective SD skills, but if you don't like the workouts or the people you won't train it enough to get the most out of it.  just train whatever you like the most, as it will give you the confidence & fitness needed for self defense.

jf


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## Frostbite (Nov 25, 2008)

jarrod said:


> i would like to recommend whatever style i train, as it's clearly the deadliest.



Trolling the newbie zone is your primary art? :lol:

You've gotten some good advice in this thread.  One the most important part of your training is how well you like your instructor and fellow students.  Like Jarrod said, if you don't get along with the people, you're going to be discouraged from going.  Also, most schools will offer some free trial classes.  I'd suggest making use of several of those opportunities and decide which you like the best.


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## SA_BJJ (Nov 25, 2008)

If you dont mind the drive over the bridge, Gracie Tampa has a little bit of everything.  MT, BJJ, Wrestling, and world class training instructors.  Not a bad price either.  Hours are great too, just in case you get stuck on the Courtney Campbell.

Good Luck!


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## jarrod (Nov 25, 2008)

Frostbite said:


> Trolling the newbie zone is your primary art? :lol:


 
this forum has not yet seen my trolling abilities.  if i trolled a total newb, i have no doubt that their brains would splatter all over their monitors as a result of trying to comprehend the mental gymnastics i put them through.

jf


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## SA_BJJ (Nov 26, 2008)

jarrod said:


> this forum has not yet seen my trolling abilities. if i trolled a total newb, i have no doubt that their brains would splatter all over their monitors as a result of trying to comprehend the mental gymnastics i put them through.
> 
> jf


 
Wow...


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## clfsean (Nov 26, 2008)

dungeonworks said:


> Judging solely off the websites, these look to be interesting:
> 
> http://www.kungfutoday.com/
> 
> ...



First one yes I'd be there in a quick minute if I lived in the area.

Second one not on a bet. Too shady/shaky a background for my tastes.


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Nov 26, 2008)

That is master Nick Scrima's school.

I was going to join his school but distance and cost got to me.

I have heard good things regarding his school though.



> poor wrestling skills
> looking for effective, street-proven self defense
> limited knowledge of different styles; however Akido, Jeet Kune Do, and Krav all seem like they might be a good fit.


 
Just about every martial art has a level of street proven self defense. It's how you use it and train determines if you can apply it to be effective.
IMO if you are poor at wrestling work in an art that will strength that weakness. That can be Judo,Brazilian jujutsu,Submission grappling etc.
You may want to add something that has striking into it.
Perhaps going back into TKD,Boxing,any Kung fu style.

The point is strengthen your weakness,find a style that fits your goals and ideas and work on making it effective for you. Also really spend a good amount of time talking to the teacher because he or she will make you or break you in Martial arts.


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## Turboguy (Nov 28, 2008)

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Time to go check out some schools...


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## Bodhisattva (Nov 28, 2008)

Turboguy said:


> Thank you all for your suggestions.
> 
> Time to go check out some schools...



totally check out the MMA schools, bro... seriously..


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## dungeonworks (Nov 28, 2008)

Bodhisattva said:


> totally check out the MMA schools, bro... seriously..



Good advice if they all had a curriculum such as the St. Lois school in your link describes.  I wish yours was closer, I like the idea of sport training mixed with weapons stuff.  

Unlike most BJJ or Judo schools, many MMA gyms really have no credibility checks aside hitting the mat at each gym.  BJJ has done a respectable job keeping meaning and clarity to their belt (ability level?) system through good record keeping.  Your guys seem to have a direction and a means to get there, but many MMA schools don't and just focus on the bragging rights or present marketing advantage of cage fighting popularity.  Not discrediting MMA as a whole in any way, just some individual fly by night gyms that were belt factory Tang Soo Do or Tae Kwon Do schools a few years ago and now seemingly have always been mixing it up have popped up and washed out by the dozens.  Some that I have visited look like they bought some Gracie videos, tried them a couple times, and are now instructor level.  Then you have the MMA schools that really are not MMA....they will claim that for marketing purposes.  When you get there, you will find it to be a Karate or TKD or TSD school that uses a couple boxing combinations, a leg lock, but the main focus will be one of the first three I mentioned. LOL

That brings my to my main point....Turboguy, look at the school and instructor as much as or maybe more than the name of the style.  Go where you feel comfortable.  The stuff I mention above can hold true to any school, gym, dojo, kwoon, or dojang.


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## SA_BJJ (Nov 28, 2008)

dungeonworks said:


> BJJ has done a respectable job keeping meaning and clarity to their belt (ability level?) system through good record keeping.  Your guys seem to have a direction and a means to get there, but many MMA schools don't and just focus on the bragging rights or present marketing advantage of cage fighting popularity.  Not discrediting MMA as a whole in any way, just some individual fly by night gyms that were belt factory Tang Soo Do or Tae Kwon Do schools a few years ago and now seemingly have always been mixing it up have popped up and washed out by the dozens.  Some that I have visited look like they bought some Gracie videos, tried them a couple times, and are now instructor level.  Then you have the MMA schools that really are not MMA....they will claim that for marketing purposes.  When you get there, you will find it to be a Karate or TKD or TSD school that uses a couple boxing combinations, a leg lock, but the main focus will be one of the first three I mentioned. LOL



Couldnt have said it better myself!  LOL


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## Scotty (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi TurboGuy,

I live in Clearwater, FL myself. I would recommend Dark Dragon Kenpo in Tampa near USF. I have been going for about 5 months now. They teach kenpo in a straight to the point manner. Its a pure street fight/self defense style. Class is held once a week on Fridays.

www.darkdragonkenpo.com


Hope this helps.


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## K-man (Apr 6, 2009)

On the premise that you would like a style that you can stay with over many years I would take a little time in the first instance to visit as many schools as possible.  Most schools will allow one or two free lessons and even those that don't the cost is usually minimal for a couple of lessons.
Things to look for are good atmosphere, attention to detail, enough instructors to supervise the class, training that appeals to you etc.  After training have a chat to some of the students. Why did they pick that school? Are they happy with their instruction? Are they growing in their knowledge? Do the rounds, make a short list and revisit the best two or three.  Even if that took 10 -12 weeks you have still had that much training and you will have a much better idea of what training is available and what appeals to you the most.


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## dnovice (Apr 6, 2009)

Dnovice style! its efficient not only in stand up and ground fighting but also in the air, underground and underwater. We cover all basis baby


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## chav buster (Apr 6, 2009)

i like urban krav maga if you can find a school near you, its got the best parts of krav maga in it but with a focus on real street self protection rather then storming aircraft or whatever.


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## irishwolf08 (Apr 14, 2009)

If you want to focus in street defence, Krav is probably the way to go.
But, I take WTF Taekwondo and I actually think you may like that. If you can find the right school (some only focus on sparring and/or just kicking) I think you would like it. My school mixes some very good self defence, some Hapkido (which would include some wrist lock), sparring, and the regular stand up style. 
But, just like everyone else said, you have to make sure you are comfortable with the school, the people in it and the Master.
Good luck! ^_^


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