Advice and/or guidance.

[Kairu]

Introduction/Information
Hello, I am a 19 year old sophomore in college. I have a smaller build in my opinion. I am around 5'7 and anywhere between 130 to 140 pounds. (It varies, my metabolism is extremely high. I lose more weight than I gain.) A couple of months ago I became very interested in the different forms of martial arts. This is because a variety of reason, 1.) it is an art, 2.) it comes with responsibility, and 3.) I have been in a serious relationship this year and I want to be able to protect my girlfriend IF it came down to that. Do not interpret "3.)" in a bad way. I am what I would consider a Buddhist. I would much rather avoid conflict if all possible. But, I know sometimes you can not avoid it, and I want to be able to handle a situation such as that safely.

Question:
With the following information, can anyone give advice in regard to what form of martial arts I should follow? I am currently taking a class offered by my college that teaches a mix of Karate (Shotokan-ryu, Goju-ryu, and Wado-ryu) and Judo, along with a few other martial arts.

Unrelated:
I started this class a week ago, so I am still far from experienced. But, I experienced chills for the first time since my first soccer game. Our sensei has black belts in various forms of Karate. (Or atleast I think so, sorry if that was stupid.)

 

[Dinkydoo]

Welcome to Martial Talk.

I would break down your decision on what style(s) to train in into 3 components:

1) What is available and affordable to you

2) What type of martial arts are you most interested in - striking, grappling (as in BJJ, Judo, Wrestling), internal (as in Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua), joint locking (as in Akido), weapons (most traditional systems), pure self defense (Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do).....these are just examples, it is not a definitive list

3) From your limited list, pick some to try, the one(s) that you should train in are the styles you enjoy. Don't be afraid to change style if after a while you find it isn't meeting your requirements - e.g. no sparring or not enough fitness in class

Let us know what you end up picking and enjoy the journey, if you are serious about this then it will be a part of you for the rest of your life.

And by the way, I'm about your height and I've trained for a bit here and there in a few styles now, fighting tall people can be tough regardless of the style you choose. Don't let that be a determining factor, make your height an asset - harder to hit, quicker than most, more agile...

 

[ballen0351]

Try as many different schools as you can in your area then find the one that fits you. We can all say take style X then you try style X and you and the teach dont get along or something about the place turns you off. Another option is to post up some web pages of places you are interested in and people here can give their opinion about any glaring red flags they see to help narrow your list of schools to try.

 

[Kairu]

Thank you so much! I am going to research all of them and see what I have access too. I genuinely appreciate the help, I had no idea there were internal forms of martial arts. I am going to do further research on Tai Chi. But, I do appreciate the advice. I will continue to search and train until I find a form that I feel is meeting my requirements.

 

[Kairu]

Try as many different schools as you can in your area then find the one that fits you. We can all say take style X then you try style X and you and the teach dont get along or something about the place turns you off. Another option is to post up some web pages of places you are interested in and people here can give their opinion about any glaring red flags they see to help narrow your list of schools to try.

I agree with what you are saying, I give that same advice to other people in regard to other subjects. I guess I slipped up and neglected to take the same advice I have been giving others. I will try each form until I find what I enjoy/ feel most comfortable. Thanks for the advice, it was my first time on this forum and I have already received more than I could have imagined. Thank you both , ballen0341 and Dinkydoo.

 

[ballen0351]

I agree with what you are saying, I give that same advice to other people in regard to other subjects. I guess I slipped up and neglected to take the same advice I have been giving others. I will try each form until I find what I enjoy/ feel most comfortable. Thanks for the advice, it was my first time on this forum and I have already received more than I could have imagined. Thank you both , ballen0341 and Dinkydoo.

If you have any questions feel free to ask there are people on this forum representing many different styles. Many have been training decades longer then you have been alive there is a ton of knowledge here

 

[Dinkydoo]

Martial arts clubs that do styles like Tai Chi and actually train to fight with it will, from my experience, be toughest to find. You'll probably find a myriad of schools near you offering "Tai Chi - for all these wonderful health benefits" .... be warned, it is unlikely that you will ever learn how to fight properly with Tai Chi without a teacher who really focuses on the martial aspect of training. If you do really find a good Tai Chi place, it's also worthwhile to note that this type of martial arts takes probably the longest to develop proficiency in. If you want to get fit, tough and learn to fight quite quickly, I'd personally recommend a combat sport. Despite what people may tell you, you can find relaxation and meditation in any style of martial art, not just the traditional systems - it's all about how you approach your training.

As Ballen0352 said, post up any websites of places you're thinking about going. We could save you from wasting time with places that arent going to give you what you want/expect.

 

[Buka]

Ultimately, you're going to go with whatever seems most comfortable to you. And that's a good thing!

Some other thoughts - as a Buddhist you might be drawn to some arts over others. I have a couple friends who are Buddhists who have a fascination and varied experience with several Martial Arts. They like Judo, Aikido and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu because they feel there are more ways to control someone without hurting them. I do not know if that's altogether true. Just be aware everything takes a long time.

As to your size, we are similar. I am primarily a striker, but am drawn to the grappling arts as they seem to suit me better. I don't know if that would be the case for you.

As for your third reason - about being in a relationship....if you do decide to train in a Martial Art and actually like it, your Martial experience will be a whole lot longer than your relationship. As it should be.

Welcome to Martial Talk, by the way.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Welcome to MT. Just train, all will be well.

 

[Chester Wright]

"Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum" - "If you want peace prepare for war!"

I sum it up like this, a man has a duty to protect himself and his loved ones. You can't always passive especially when trouble comes your way. Not sure of area you live in but being on the smaller side you may be targeted more so by bullying (even in college). I would recommend learning stand-up and ground. Any kind of stand up striking art should be good as long as you actually spar and the instructor is reputable. As far as ground goes, Judo I feel does a good job of covering this as it covers clinch, throws, pins, and submissions. Again make sure the instructor is reputable and you do practice randori (sparring). Being smaller this also helps as it places your hips (fulcrum) naturally lower than your opponents which should help with hip throws.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Bit late, but just want to add one thing. I would not trust a college class that claims to teach three different types of karate, along with judo and other martial arts, primarily because college classes are not generally too high intensity, so would be incredibly tough to teach all of them.
If it's that you have multiple college classes that teach different types, and you're considering between them, I misread and ignore them.
If the instructor is teaching one style or just 'fighting' or 'self defense' and is stating that he happens to have belts in 3 styles of karate, judo, and others, that's also a different story and not the worst thing in the world, although I would be a bit wary if he's saying he's 7th Dan in all 4 styles or something similar.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Your physical body type isn't really that relevant. Try out as many different arts as you can and go with whichever art/instructor clicks with you personally. The best art for you is the one that you will actually put in consistent hours to practice. If you don't enjoy your training, you won't put in that time and hard work.