# Recommendations Needed for Style



## BBZ (Dec 20, 2020)

Hi all,

New poster here.  I’m trying to figure out the best martial art to which I am suited.  I do not expect to plug in stats and twist the handle to determine my best fit.  I understand that the Dojo’s and their mastery will play an important part.  I’ve got experience in karate, which leads to many questions.  I’m not well suited for karate for the following reasons:

1). I’m 5’7”.  I do consider myself of average bone density, but some joints are not flexible.  Especially my legs.  My arms and back are very flexible.  I am built to carry heavy weight but not to reach to the clouds with my legs.

2)  I do not consider myself particularly strong except for having good control of balance and controlling my center of gravity.  My shoulders are strong as well as my back, and I can intuitively feel shifting of weight and throw based on this.

3)  I am an endurance athlete, with small bursts of strength.

4) I have very quick reflexes.  I can kick myself off of a smooth matt when induced.  Sometimes this causes me to go off balance.  My mind can get ahead of my body.

5) I’m currently 5’7” at 160 but my performing weight is less, ideal being at 150.

Any ideas on an ideal discipline?


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## jobo (Dec 20, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Hi all,
> 
> New poster here.  I’m trying to figure out the best martial art to which I am suited.  I do not expect to plug in stats and twist the handle to determine my best fit.  I understand that the Dojo’s and their mastery will play an important part.  I’ve got experience in karate, which leads to many questions.  I’m not well suited for karate for the following reasons:
> 
> ...


bjj


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## Flying Crane (Dec 20, 2020)

You need to look at what schools are in your area, that you would be able to attend.  There is no point in discussing systems that are not available to you, no matter how “perfect” they may be for you. 

So look around, make a list of what is in your area, and we can discuss from there.  Look at their price, and eliminate any that you cannot afford.  There is no point in discussing those.  Look at their training schedule and arrangements, and eliminate any that you cannot attend for scheduling reasons.  There is no reason to discuss those.

Keep in mind, Covid is likely making a lot of schools simply unavailable right now.


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## isshinryuronin (Dec 20, 2020)

Don't understand why you say you're not suited for karate.  None of your 5 reasons seem to be limiting.  The only consideration I see is your lack of leg flexibility.  But that is easily overcome by choosing a karate style that does not stress high kicks.  Most traditional Okinawan styles fit that requirement.  Most all of their kicks are aimed at the lower half of the body.

Judo or jujitsu may be a good options as well, and your balance and strength will come into play.  Quick reactions are great for any MA.  Maybe wing chun?


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## BBZ (Dec 20, 2020)

Flying Crane said:


> You need to look at what schools are in your area, that you would be able to attend.  There is no point in discussing systems that are not available to you, no matter how “perfect” they may be for you.
> 
> So look around, make a list of what is in your area, and we can discuss from there.  Look at their price, and eliminate any that you cannot afford.  There is no point in discussing those.  Look at their training schedule and arrangements, and eliminate any that you cannot attend for scheduling reasons.  There is no reason to discuss those.
> 
> Keep in mind, Covid is likely making a lot of schools simply unavailable right now.



Thanks, I anticipated this sentiment in my post (first few sentences).  Here are links to various dojo’s in my area.  

charlotte martial arts - Google Search


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## dvcochran (Dec 20, 2020)

Welcome to the forum BBZ. 
Most peoples standard response is going to be to try several different schools/styles that are convenient to your location/work/lifestyle. Many schools will offer a trial program or at least a few classes to see if you enjoy it. 
I have only seen a few people who truly could not improve their flexibility within a few months of regular practice. Time and consistency is really your ally here. Having great balance will be a big asset in most any martial art, especially kicking styles. If you really feel like a kicking style is out for you and you say you have a great base then possibly a grappling style would be your preference. 
The biggest key is to not be in a hurry in the beginning. Take your time and survey your options. Lastly, it is almost always more about the quality of the school/instructor over style.
Here's hoping you hang around the forum and let us know how things progress.


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## JowGaWolf (Dec 20, 2020)

The best way to pick a system is identify what you like and what you want to be able to do.  Start there and see which martial arts are able to satisfy.

My martial arts interest started with wanting to be able to use swords, staff, daggers, etc.  That desire alone greatly narrowed the filed of what I can choose from.

So in stead of trying to figure out what's a best fit for your body type,  figure out what you want to learn and things you might enjoy doing.   Do you enjoy a lot of kicking?  Does grappling interest you?  Do you prefer striking?  Are you interested in learning forms?  Questions like those will server you better and will help you find what you like faster.  In reality there is really no martial arts that is better suited for a "body type" unless you are thinking about doing Sumo Wrestling.


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## Flying Crane (Dec 21, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Thanks, I anticipated this sentiment in my post (first few sentences).  Here are links to various dojo’s in my area.
> 
> charlotte martial arts - Google Search


Have you identified those that are within your financial budget and that have a schedule that works for you?


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## jobo (Dec 21, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Thanks, I anticipated this sentiment in my post (first few sentences).  Here are links to various dojo’s in my area.
> 
> charlotte martial arts - Google Search


as other keep saying, there no anwers to this, either pick one that to some extent fits your body type / limitations or pick one you want to do and work on your limitations if they are not the same choice

again as others have said, your enjoyment of factors not directly relate to ma are a big factor in if you stick it out or not
or an arts which you attend coz you enjoy the people/ situation is greatly prefrable to one you packed in months ago, as you didnt like the company or the 2 hour commute


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## jobo (Dec 21, 2020)

jobo said:


> as other keep saying, there no anwers to this, either pick one that to some extent fits your body type / limitations or pick one you want to do and work on your limitations if they are not the same choice
> 
> again as others have said, your enjoyment of factors not directly relate to ma are a big factor in if you stick it out or not
> or an arts which you attend coz you enjoy the people/ situation is greatly prefrable to one you packed in months ago, as you didnt like the company or the 2 hour commute


and
.what you want out of it also woukd heavily influence the decisions,  if you want to do it as a spirt then clearly somethibg with a competition outlet is essential, if your doing it as a past time with mental and physical health benifits then that different than if you want to be able to robustly defend yourself any time soon


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## JowGaWolf (Dec 21, 2020)

jobo said:


> what you want out of it also


yep.  this too.   Giving recommendations is really difficult when this piece of information is missing.


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## BBZ (Dec 21, 2020)

Thanks everyone, this gives context.

As far as budget and location, those two are very flexible.  I live in a major metro area, and am well off, so those options are open.

As far as what I would like to do, weapons are not on the table except for staff and pole arm.  I'm a passive and quick striker.  Those seem to be a dichotomy, but they are both what I gravitate towards.  Defense with quick attacks are my passion.

I also like the spiritual side, meditation, incantation, finding one's center both physically, spiritually and mentally.


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## Flying Crane (Dec 21, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Thanks everyone, this gives context.
> 
> As far as budget and location, those two are very flexible.  I live in a major metro area, and am well off, so those options are open.
> 
> ...


I took a look at your google search list, that is quite a lot of places.  You are gonna need to find a way to filter that down a bit, I don’t think anyone is going to systematically go through all those and make recommendations.  

A metro area can be pretty big, most people are not going to be willing to drive an hour each way to train, for example.  Maybe identifying those that are within maybe a half hour would be a good place to start.  That circle can be widened if no good options are within a half hour.  In addition, find out what schools are even open during Covid, what their ability to gather and train is.  These schools may not even be open right now.  Personally, I would recommend not going to a school until the vaccine is widely distributed and we can have confidence in widespread health safety. 

I did take a look at maybe the first half dozen or so on that list.  I did not find anything that I personally felt inspired by, but it could be a problem of their internet marketing.  It looks like several of those schools either had the same person make their websites, or they each used the same boilerplate website builder or something.  I even saw identical stock photos on more than one website, the website layout was identical, there was little to distinguish them.  

Ok, so that is sloppy/uninspiring presentation.  The bigger problem i see is that these schools seem to cater heavily to the kids, which often can become akin to martial arts inspired babysitting.  They also offer classes for adults, but the impression is that they really cater to the kids.  

Also, typically there is little history or background of the instructors.  Sometimes there is rank listed, sometimes rank is left rather vague.  But who their instructors were is often missing, as well as some detailed information about the system(s) that they teach.  This background is useful to have an understanding of whether the teacher really has the training that he claims, or maybe he just made it all up and is selling nonsense to a gullible population. 

It is entirely possible that these schools offer quality instruction.  But the presentation on their website is a turnoff for me, and based on that alone I would never even visit the schools that I looked at on that list.  Their presentation is just way too commercial, gives me the impression that quality of instruction is probably low, depth of training is shallow, sessions are probably brief and might barely get you to break a sweat, and they are counting on a largely uneducated public who doesn’t know better, to pay for their services.  

I am sure there must be some good schools in Charlotte.  But my brief perusal of that list, the firsts few on the list, did not identify any that I would suggest would be worth exploring.


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## BBZ (Dec 21, 2020)

Flying Crane said:


> I took a look at your google search list, that is quite a lot of places.  You are gonna need to find a way to filter that down a bit, I don’t think anyone is going to systematically go through all those and make recommendations.
> 
> A metro area can be pretty big, most people are not going to be willing to drive an hour each way to train, for example.  Maybe identifying those that are within maybe a half hour would be a good place to start.  That circle can be widened if no good options are within a half hour.  In addition, find out what schools are even open during Covid, what their ability to gather and train is.  These schools may not even be open right now.  Personally, I would recommend not going to a school until the vaccine is widely distributed and we can have confidence in widespread health safety.
> 
> ...



Thanks a bunch.

The kid thing is a major impediment.  Some Wing Chung dojo’s look good in terms of adult centered training.  They honestly look like old roided dudes though, but have some competition credentials... although in that discipline, competition seems low and my philosophy seems not to match.  I’ll look through and try to come up with some specifics.


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## jobo (Dec 22, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Thanks everyone, this gives context.
> 
> As far as budget and location, those two are very flexible.  I live in a major metro area, and am well off, so those options are open.
> 
> ...


i think you need to narow it down a bit more
.do you want to do european or asian art?

do you want to focus on striking or grappling or a mix of both

do you care if you can fight at the end? or would achiving a blackbelt be sufficient reward for your efforts , the two arnt necersarly mutualy exclusive but very much can be, its a lot easier to get a blackbelt if its not at all tied to fighting ability

if fighting, self defence is a major consideration, then you very much need somewhere that has close to full contact sparing, which can make grapelling arts a better bet as your not being incessantly punched and kicked

if your main intrest is well being and feeling centred , consider yoga or aTLeast TI CHI

if your main concern is fitness,  consider 5 aside soccer or dancing or make sure the dojo takes fitness very seriously,  which tends to be the comp focused ones


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Dec 22, 2020)

You wrote those points as if you want judo, or a different throwing art like catch wrestling, particularly the first two points. So if that was intentional you already know your answer, if not, you might unconsciously want to give throwing a go. A side note-points 2 and 4 seem to contradict each other, and points 3, 4, 5 and the beginning of 2 should fix themselves upon training most arts.


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## Ivan (Dec 22, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Hi all,
> 
> New poster here.  I’m trying to figure out the best martial art to which I am suited.  I do not expect to plug in stats and twist the handle to determine my best fit.  I understand that the Dojo’s and their mastery will play an important part.  I’ve got experience in karate, which leads to many questions.  I’m not well suited for karate for the following reasons:
> 
> ...


For self defence, I would always recommend krav maga. You're well suited for it if you have quick reflexes. If you're looking for something to also do for fun or for general fitness, you can never go wrong with grappling arts, especially if you're shorter than the average - your height will give you an advantage. By grappling arts, I mostly mean traditional Japanese Jiujitsu or BJJ, and Judo.


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## KenpoMaster805 (Dec 22, 2020)

Hmmm wonder why your not suited for karate and your 5'7? Bro i'm 5'5 150 pounds not flexible or strong but i do karate you don't to be flexible to do karate you just excercise and stretch when they work out

Also find a Martial arts that suits you if you don't want karate


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## donald1 (Dec 22, 2020)

Welcome to MT.


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## drop bear (Dec 22, 2020)

BBZ said:


> Thanks everyone, this gives context.
> 
> As far as budget and location, those two are very flexible.  I live in a major metro area, and am well off, so those options are open.
> 
> ...



As a side note. You are in general not really supposed to be suited to the style of martial arts. Basically if you walk in and are instantly good at it. Then there is probably something wrong.

If you wind up getting toyed with by someone half your size. And you are feeling  frustrated at the end of the class. That is the better indication that the school knows what it is on about.


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## isshinryuronin (Dec 23, 2020)

drop bear said:


> You are in general not really supposed to be suited to the style of martial arts.



I would tend to agree with this.  An enlightened school or teacher should be able to show the student how to adapt the style to that particular student's capabilities.  At the same time, the student should strive to master the style's techniques as much as possible.  It's a two way street.  Much like marriage, both sides must have the flexibility to accommodate each other.


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## Patience (Dec 29, 2020)

isshinryuronin said:


> Don't understand why you say you're not suited for karate.  None of your 5 reasons seem to be limiting.  The only consideration I see is your lack of leg flexibility.  But that is easily overcome by choosing a karate style that does not stress high kicks.  Most traditional Okinawan styles fit that requirement.  Most all of their kicks are aimed at the lower half of the body.
> 
> Judo or jujitsu may be a good options as well, and your balance and strength will come into play.  Quick reactions are great for any MA.  Maybe wing chun?



This ^^^


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