Kevin is in Montreal. I have trained with him multiple times including at his school in Montreal and can vouch for his skills. His classes were well attended by both men and women. We are no longer practicing under the same organization and he has gone on to do his own thing but I can still recommend highly that you check out his school and organization. Not sure if there is other Systema schools in the area but if so check them out as well. No matter the art make sure that you and the instructor have good chemistry.
integrated Fighting Systems - Systema Montreal, Self Defense, Krav Maga
Regards
Brian King
Thank you for recommending a place to me! Unfortunately it is far from where I live.
Welcome to the forum. I hope you hang around and contribute as you go through your journey.
Is it a fair question to ask if you are looking more for martial arts or reality based training? Answering this question should really help with making a decision. I think a location like the one Brian King suggested would be a good mix of both.
If you are looking for something more 'general' I suggest you give good weight to things like location and convenience. It goes a very long way in sticking to the routine.
It's a tough question, for which I myself don't necessarily have an answer, but I'd lean toward the latter. I'm looking for something that matches reality as much as possible. For instance, I'd take jujitsu over capoera. But I still want something generalist.
Yes, location and convenience weight a lot in my choice, as I don't have a car and rely on public transportation. And I know that I am not a very disciplined person when it comes to sport, so if the dojo isn't conveniently located, laziness might get the best of me some days.
I have narrowed my choices to five dojos.
1- A Muay thai gym that I will probably attend with my wife once a week, because my wife wants to punch stuff (she does not want to do locks or grappling, so nothing generalist).
2- My former dojo, which offers exactly what I'm looking for, but isn't the most conveniently located since I moved.
3- A ninjutsu dojo, conveniently located, but I don't know the pricing yet.
4- An aiki-jujitsu dojo that looks very interesting, but again not very conveniently located.
5- An aikibudo dojo perfectly located, but I'm not sure aikido-related styles are generalist and reality-based enough for me.
I'm still weighting my options, haha! Anyways I'm leaving for two weeks next week, so I won't start anything before August. I have time to think.
I do intend to hang around. I am very pleased to see that independent forums not related to either Facebook or Reddit are still operating and alive! I will keep y'all posted when I will have taken a decision.
Thank you all for your replies and your kind welcoming words!