New here- intro and a (commonly asked) question

[ak585479]

Hello all,

I live in Southeastern PA (Philly suburbs) and work as an Electronics Engineer. The only formal MA training I have is about a year of Karate when I was probably 12, in otherwords none . I've boxed my friends both gloved and bare knuckle and usually won but much of that was size, very hard right hand, and a very solid chin. I got destroyed by anyone with good technique though. I'm 29, USAF Vet, 6'0 275 lbs, great strength (always have), crap cardio (was great when I was in shape), crap flexibility (nope never not even when in tip top condition). Made the mistake of letting myself go after I got out of the military and was unemployed and drinking all the time and just in a bad way altogether. Got it together about a year or two ago but still need to improve myself on all levels. I've recently decided to start training in Martial Arts as part of a healthier style of living in all aspects. Been reading around here for a bit and decided to join as I need advice on, you guessed it, where to start? I've looked all over my area and there's a lot of places around. I wanted to train Hapkido but nobody near me teaches that unless it's a TKD hybrid which is a problem as high kicks are not and will never be a strong suit since my flexibility is horrible and I don't know to what degree it can really improve as it's never been good at all. I'm in good enough shape that I wont keel over my first class and don't think I'll have a problem getting in shape I'm just not very self motivated I need someone to push me. I'm pretty big even with very low body fat (217 lbs @ BMT graduation with the best cardio and lowest body fat of my life).

So here's what I've narrowed it down to:

-TKD/Hapkido/Kettlebells: Thinking this may just be a glorified fitness class due to the Kettlebells, taught by a 5th dan (TKD) who also holds black belts in 3 other disciplines.
-Malay Combat Systems: Kali/Silat/Muay Thai hybrid. Adult only. Taught by Guro Phil Matedne who has 30+ years under his belt from what I've read. This got great reviews (mostly from current students) and I like that it's adult only as it seems a little more serious.
-Muay Thai: This is what I'm leaning towards. Figure I'll just learn the strikes and kick the crap out of the bag until I'm in shape again and my shins and everything are nice and conditioned. Don't know anything about the instructor but it says trains anywhere from beginners to competitive fighters.

I'm not ruling out anything but these 3 all have a very convenient schedule and location. Given my body type and background does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to slow down a class at all but I have no problem gasping for air in the back of the class until I'm in good shape, just don't want anyone waiting on me. As far as goals I'd put self defense first, well being second, and competition third as I'm pretty old to compete in anything starting training at 29 but who knows I may want to try it down the road.

Anyway, glad to be here and any advice or criticisms would be much appreciated. Thanks :karate:

 

[drop bear]

Depends on the school a bit. all three choices should in theory give you self defence. And the argument will be what is a dominant style for your aims. But if one schools instruction is of lesser quality.or the students are of a lesser skill. You will achieve more from what is the less dominant style.

Otherwise I have done Thai and like it as a concept and will say a good school will give you no issues with SD or competition.

But I like Thai. So I come from that biased perspective.

 

[wingchun100]

Welcome to the board.

From past experience I am automatically suspicious when a school claims to teach multiple styles...or more accurately when the teacher claims to be a "master" of multiple systems. There is a guy (who is still open to this day) who claims to know Shaolin, Eagle, Tiger, Crane, and Praying Mantis Kung Fu AND several different styles of tai chi. I went to his school for about six months (because I was young and didn't know any better) before I realized he was truly no good.

So I'd say go for the muay thai school.

 

[oftheherd1]

First, welcome to Martiala Talk.

I am a Hapkidoist, so I am somewhat biased. Stretch in Hapkido is very necessary, since we move joints in very odd angles. You should do a lot of stretching in your class. As to high kicks, we have them in Hapkido, but what are considered the more effective kicks are waist level and below. All you can do is what you can do. One of the first things I learned in the Hapkido I studied, was Hapkido was not ridgid. I was taught a way that works for most people, but I was taught that I must make it work effectively for me.

But of course, it all depends on your teacher. wingchun100 brought up a worthwhile point. Too much expertise is suspicious. but my Grand Master was 8th Dan Hapkido, 5th Dan TKD, 1st Dan Kun Do, and would have gotten his 1st Dan in Judo, but broke his shoulder just prior to test time, and by the time he had healed, decided to just concentrate on Hapkido. Like I said, it all depends on your teacher.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Honestly, your physical build is one of the least important factors in deciding on a martial art.

I'd say that the most important factor is how much you enjoy the training. If you don't enjoy it, then you won't show up consistently for any length of time to get the benefits. With that in mind, I would visit as many schools in your area and take as many trial classes as possible. See if you enjoy the art, the instructor, and the training atmosphere.

The second most important factor is what you are trying to get out of training. Are you wanting self-defense? Conditioning? Weight loss? A fun hobby?

A lot will depend more on the individual instructor more than the art. I take it this is the Malay Combat Systems school you were talking about. Can you give links to the other schools in question?

I suspect the Malay Combat Systems class will not give you the level of cardio conditioning that you might get out of the Muay Thai, but that depends on who is teaching the Muay Thai.

 

[donnaTKD]

welcome

i study muay thai if you like knocking the stuffing out of things then muay thai is your scene it's very physical, normally gets trained as part of a high impact circuit training exercise class --- adult only classes are very good too cos at least everyone is your age and they'll make you more than welcome

the more the merrier and any decent teacher won't let you spar until you've got the basic's nailed down also don't fall into the trap of having to buy their kit - buy your own, buy your own training kit too - some gyms force people to sign up for things including kit etc....

make sure you take them up on any free sessions that they may do and don't sign up to a school that wants a contract involved.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Hello all,

Hi there. Welcome to MartialTalk.

I live in Southeastern PA (Philly suburbs) and work as an Electronics Engineer. The only formal MA training I have is about a year of Karate when I was probably 12, in otherwords none . I've boxed my friends both gloved and bare knuckle and usually won but much of that was size, very hard right hand, and a very solid chin. I got destroyed by anyone with good technique though. I'm 29, USAF Vet, 6'0 275 lbs, great strength (always have), crap cardio (was great when I was in shape), crap flexibility (nope never not even when in tip top condition). Made the mistake of letting myself go after I got out of the military and was unemployed and drinking all the time and just in a bad way altogether. Got it together about a year or two ago but still need to improve myself on all levels. I've recently decided to start training in Martial Arts as part of a healthier style of living in all aspects. Been reading around here for a bit and decided to join as I need advice on, you guessed it, where to start? I've looked all over my area and there's a lot of places around. I wanted to train Hapkido but nobody near me teaches that unless it's a TKD hybrid which is a problem as high kicks are not and will never be a strong suit since my flexibility is horrible and I don't know to what degree it can really improve as it's never been good at all. I'm in good enough shape that I wont keel over my first class and don't think I'll have a problem getting in shape I'm just not very self motivated I need someone to push me. I'm pretty big even with very low body fat (217 lbs @ BMT graduation with the best cardio and lowest body fat of my life).

The mistake here (and it is a common one...) is the idea that you have to be able to kick high to train Hapkido/TKD...

To start with, there is no requirement that you be able to kick high, any more than you're required to be able to do a 360 degree dunk before you can go play basketball at the "Y".

Additionally, you don't train in these arts because you can kick high; you develop the ability to kick high(er) because you train in these arts.

While high kicks have their place in both competition and self defense, you'll find that they are a relatively small percentage of the kicks actually used.

So here's what I've narrowed it down to:

-TKD/Hapkido/Kettlebells: Thinking this may just be a glorified fitness class due to the Kettlebells, taught by a 5th dan (TKD) who also holds black belts in 3 other disciplines.
-Malay Combat Systems: Kali/Silat/Muay Thai hybrid. Adult only. Taught by Guro Phil Matedne who has 30+ years under his belt from what I've read. This got great reviews (mostly from current students) and I like that it's adult only as it seems a little more serious.
-Muay Thai: This is what I'm leaning towards. Figure I'll just learn the strikes and kick the crap out of the bag until I'm in shape again and my shins and everything are nice and conditioned. Don't know anything about the instructor but it says trains anywhere from beginners to competitive fighters.

I'm not ruling out anything but these 3 all have a very convenient schedule and location. Given my body type and background does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to slow down a class at all but I have no problem gasping for air in the back of the class until I'm in good shape, just don't want anyone waiting on me. As far as goals I'd put self defense first, well being second, and competition third as I'm pretty old to compete in anything starting training at 29 but who knows I may want to try it down the road.

Anyway, glad to be here and any advice or criticisms would be much appreciated. Thanks :karate:

It would be helpful if you could provide links to the schools.
The best thing you can do is go to each of he schools you're interested in and try out (or at least watch) a class. Talk to the instructors. See how things fit.

 

[donald1]

Welcome to mt
I can't really comment on any of these schools I've only practiced karate, kobudo and some Kung fu but from what you wrote it seems like the third option a muay thai school is what you're interested in, the 1st school sounds promising but has been stated a few times not always a good idea. A background check might help clarify the tkd school if it's good or bad. But the 3rd option muay thai could be your best option
I know exactly what you mean I don't like cardio much either. Bench, squat or deadline are easy but then you get to cardio... Sometimes I hear the things you don't like or are not good at are the things you need to practice. Being trained by the usaf may give an advantage when it comes to training with others but it's better to go ahead and train daily. For stretches don't push past your limit. Try get to your limit and slowly increase
Best of luck

 

[MAist25]

You gotta go shopping brother. Go to each school and try them on for size, see which one fits you best, and that's that.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Welcome to MT

You have enough to mull over already so I don't need to add to it.

 

[ST1Doppelganger]

Welcome to MT and I would definitely do an intro course at each school before deciding on one. The kick boxing or the silat hybrid might be interesting.

The suggestion of posting links to the school would help quite a bit for us to make a bit of an assessment on if they might be good but in reality the best thing is just take an intro course at each one.

 

[K-man]

Welcome to MT.

What they said! However, of the styles you listed, give me the Kali/Silat/MT any day.
:asian:

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Welcome to MartialTalk!

I would recommend you go to each Training Hall and try a class and see which one you think is the right fit for you. Personally, I would go with the Malay/Silat South East Asian school but that may not be what you are looking for. So give each a try and see which one you like and even more importantly which instructor you want to learn from! Good luck!

 

[ak585479]

Thank you all for your welcomes and advice! Very glad to be here. So starting next week I'm going to go "sit-in" on each of the classes and see what I like best which I think will really depend on what instructor I get the best vibe from so to speak. I'll also do the trial class for the one(s) that offer it (I know at least one does for sure, probably two, maybe all 3 idk).

This is the link for the Malay Kali/Silat/Muay Thai - Malay Combat Systems (Kali, Silat, Thai) - Downingtown, PA
Here's the link for the other two I mentioned - Martial Arts and Fitness @ Dragon Gym - Exton, West Chester, Downingtown, pa - taekwondo, Muay Thai kickboxing, Russian kettlebells, yoga classes

Now all 3 of these are in the same location however I don't believe the MCS class has any affiliation with them, they just rent the time and space. I'm a little wary of one school offering so many different programs but it is a really large facility and I work literally half a mile away and live maybe 10 minutes away so if they're good, I'd love for any of these to work out. Again thank you all for your welcomes and for helping out a beginner I'll be sure to keep you all posted on how it goes! You all have an excellent holiday weekend! Well just those of you in the US come to think of it but any of you overseas have a good one as well! :salute:

 

[jks9199]

Visit each class. If they won't let you visit, and at least observe a class -- ideally, participate without a huge commitment -- then the school is not somewhere that I'd want to go. Look at the classes; you don't want to get hooked on a small, free intro taught by one of the most motivating teachers and find out that the majority of the classes you attend are taught by "student instructors" who are more interested in getting their training time in to qualify for their next promotion than actually teaching. (This is a worst case scenario; but they do happen.)

I'd suggest splitting the martial arts and fitness component. You should get exercise and work in class -- but for pure PT, that's what you need to do.

 

[Tames D]

Welcome, and let us know how your it went. I personally believe that it doesn't matter which "style" you train, as long as you have a good instructor and you are willing to commit and really own it.