Really need experienced advise

[Alshak]

I stopped training for many many years, maybe over 15 years I could say because of traveling to many countries and not be able to stay in one place for long time.
Now, after all these years, I am settling and have the chance to get back to training. I want to train 2 things at a time and i have many many options where I am staying. My main idea was to learn Chen Tai Chi and something else with it. I narrowed my option to either: Hsing-i, traditional Jiu Jitsu or hokutoryu Ju Jitsu, Hapkido, MT, Daido Kudo (most of the martial arts are available where I am staying). My combo's are:
either (Chen Tai Chi + Hsing i) or (Chen Tai Chi + Jiu Jutsu) or (Jiu Jutsu + Daido Kudo)
I know it sounds wrong but I have the time and luxury of doing this now and I want to take advantage of it. Please advise with your experience

 

[oaktree]

What about these arts do you like?
Why Chen Taijiquan and Xingyiquan?
I practice both styles and Daito ryu aikijujutsu, I will say some similarities but a lot of difference between them.
Traditional koryu jujutsu is difficult to find and may be quite boring a lot of formality and archaic methods of self defense but I really lt. Taijiquan difficult to find someone that actually teaches applications. Xingyiquan very martial in applications.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Pick one art and train twice as much.

 

[Lameman]

I would also recomend picking one to start with. Then talk to your instructor and then decide if you really want to take up a second one. Give yourself some time to adjust back to training.

 

[Alshak]

OAKTREE: Since you have practiced all these styles, what do you recommend? The schools are authentic and really good. Hsing i or Chen Taiji or Jiu Jitsu (we have most styles including hokutoryu style. Recommendation?

 

[Alshak]

I would also recomend picking one to start with. Then talk to your instructor and then decide if you really want to take up a second one. Give yourself some time to adjust back to training.

Ok, Let's take this recommendation. Which one? All styles have great fighting methods and techniques. I want experienced opinion

 

[Alshak]

Pick one art and train twice as much.

Ok, Let's take this recommendation. Which one? All styles have great fighting methods and techniques. I want experienced opinion

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Ok, Let's take this recommendation. Which one? All styles have great fighting methods and techniques. I want experienced opinion

It doesn't matter as much as one might think. There are so many more variables that it is impossible to give good advice without knowing them. For example, instructors differ. Some are better, some worse. The dynamic between the instructor and the student matters as well. The training environment matters. Your personal desires matter. Your attitude towards training matters. Your ability to keep training through adversity matters. All of these things and more can figure into your decision, and no strangers on the internet, no matter how experienced, can give you a well-qualified answer.

Most of what you seek is within you and cannot be accessed or quantified by others. Martial arts styles vary, but nearly all are, or can be, very effective. So much depends on the other variables I mentioned, plus I'm sure many more I forgot to include, that the name of the style is nearly useless as a basis for an opinion.

My recommendation is to make a short list of the styles taught near you that you find interesting, go visit, observe, ask questions, look into instructor credentials, and pick one to try (if you can try before signing a long term contract). Then train. Just train. Train lots. The only secret to martial arts is to keep doing it.

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Relevant questions:

What do you want to be learning from/getting out of your martial arts practice?
What do you enjoy about martial arts practice?

Regarding the available teachers in your area, I would visit their schools and observe and try to figure out:

What is their instruction focused on? Not just the system, but what are they most trying to pass on to their students? A cultural tradition? Mental discipline? Fighting ability? Exercise and health? How well does this align with your personal goals for the martial arts?

How good are they at teaching whatever it is they are teaching?

How does the training environment and the teaching style align with your personal learning style?

Also, it's not a bad idea to look at the basic practicalities - price, location, schedules. If one school has a location and schedule such that it's easy to work into your daily routine, then you are more likely to attend class consistently and make quicker progress at that school than if you signed up for an equally attractive school that required a long commute at inconvenient times.

 

[Alshak]

I used to be good at boxing, my hands were very quick. My favorite part is when I can use my hands to trap or joint lock more then punching and If I punch it must hurt. My size is smaller then average (5'6) so I thought of these styles then I mentioned above (taiji Chen/ Jiu jitsu/ Hsing-i/ Hapkido/ Daido Kudo). What I want is to know how to fight very professionally in terms if the person against me is very big relatively. Btw, I am 38 yrs old now (yeah I know, but I have been working really a lot for the past long years and now I can do it and it has been a passion for me to learn martial arts since i was young). Before, I have few experiences here and there (Tried hapkido, aikido, muay thai, wing chun, teakwondo and can do the 24 form yang taiji) but couldn't go for the long term due to traveling reasons. Now all these styles are close to me, instructors are good also. What do you recommend for what I want? (to be able to fight very well against people much bigger in size)

 

[Alshak]

What about these arts do you like?
Why Chen Taijiquan and Xingyiquan?
I practice both styles and Daito ryu aikijujutsu, I will say some similarities but a lot of difference between them.
Traditional koryu jujutsu is difficult to find and may be quite boring a lot of formality and archaic methods of self defense but I really lt. Taijiquan difficult to find someone that actually teaches applications. Xingyiquan very martial in applications.

Since you have practiced all these styles, what do you recommend? The schools are authentic and really good. Hsing i or Chen Taiji or Jiu Jitsu (we have most styles including hokutoryu style. Recommendation?

 

[mograph]

(edit: I've just read your last post, so please feel free to ignore parts of mine.)

At the risk of sounding morbid: we're all going to die. Including you, unfortunately.
So how we spend, our time, this life is important, right?

In my opinion, unless you risk your life every day, or are in the military (or law enforcement), you would be best advised to practice an art that you will enjoy practicing. Something that suits you, and suits your needs for learning, interest, social interaction, physical fitness, health, and so on.

What is your temperament? Aggressive? Laid-back?
Do you have an affinity for a particular culture associated with martial arts?
How old are you? What kind of shape?
What did you like about your former training?
Do you like being close-in and touching/grabbing, or do you like standing at a bit of a distance and throwing punches, kicks?
Would you like something popular, or something relatively obscure?
Do you like straight or rounded moves?
Do you like order and ritual, or not so much?
Would you like to compete?

(Me? Laid-back. Mostly Chinese. 56, a bit out of shape. Flexible, internal. Need to touch. Obscure. Rounded. Not really into ritual. Competition not important. Yiquan.)

 

[Alshak]

(edit: I've just read your last post, so please feel free to ignore parts of mine.)

At the risk of sounding morbid: we're all going to die. Including you, unfortunately.
So how we spend, our time, this life is important, right?

In my opinion, unless you risk your life every day, or are in the military (or law enforcement), you would be best advised to practice an art that you will enjoy practicing. Something that suits you, and suits your needs for learning, interest, social interaction, physical fitness, health, and so on.

What is your temperament? Aggressive? Laid-back?
Do you have an affinity for a particular culture associated with martial arts?
How old are you? What kind of shape?
What did you like about your former training?
Do you like being close-in and touching/grabbing, or do you like standing at a bit of a distance and throwing punches, kicks?
Would you like something popular, or something relatively obscure?
Do you like straight or rounded moves?
Do you like order and ritual, or not so much?
Would you like to compete?

(Me? Laid-back. Mostly Chinese. 56, a bit out of shape. Flexible, internal. Need to touch. Obscure. Rounded. Not really into ritual. Competition not important. Yiquan.)

I enjoy hand works and low kicks, close range (as i mentioned i am fairly small guy), not into wrestling, don't care for popularity, round and straight are all good, not into competition.
The most thing i liked in my past training almost all (I luv training and martial arts) but 2 things I really enjoyed: Hands trapping and low kicks in Wing Chun same as push hands in Taiji, and Joint Locks in Aikido/Jiu Jitsu. That's why I was thinking of combining but brothers over here recommended to concentrate on one art initially.
Favorites are Either Chen Taiji, Hsing-i (Never tried it but I heard so much about it) or Traditional Jiu Jitsu. The most important thing is it can work against much bigger size people that's why didn't consider wing chun. Recommendations?

 

[Buka]

Welcome to Martialtalk, Alshak.
Best of luck in your search. Go hang out at every place available to you, I'm sure something will strike the right chord within you.

Any art will work against a larger opponent. Don't fret over choosing, you're young, you have plenty of time.

 

[Alshak]

Welcome to Martialtalk, Alshak.
Best of luck in your search. Go hang out at every place available to you, I'm sure something will strike the right chord within you.

Any art will work against a larger opponent. Don't fret over choosing, you're young, you have plenty of time.[/QUOT

Thanx for the advise. It does sound good, but it would be nice to get some opinions based on experience

 

[Buka]

Well, I'm small, too (5 feet 9, 142 pounds), been training fighting for 46 years (today is the anniversary of my first class, actually) with no significant time off, and just about everyone I've trained with, competed against or fought, is bigger than me.

I still say you gotta' go hang out at every place available to you and see what strikes your fancy.

 

[Alshak]

Well, I'm small, too (5 feet 9, 142 pounds), been training fighting for 46 years (today is the anniversary of my first class, actually) with no significant time off, and just about everyone I've trained with, competed against or fought, is bigger than me.

I still say you gotta' go hang out at every place available to you and see what strikes your fancy.

First of all, I would like to say congrats and that information gave me a great push ahead. I will actually take that advise and try a couple of classes of all and see what would be more suitable for me. Btw, May i know what do you trian mostly and what did you like out of your experience?

 

[oaktree]

OAKTREE: Since you have practiced all these styles, what do you recommend? The schools are authentic and really good. Hsing i or Chen Taiji or Jiu Jitsu (we have most styles including hokutoryu style. Recommendation?

I personally don't like Xingyiquan very much but other people enjoy it, it took less time to get the form and basics down compared to Baguazhang and Taijiquan. I love koryu jujutsu more then Taijiquan because I like the etiquette and the interesting things about it. Hokuto ryu I have heard intent a traditional style so I don't know much about it. Really depends what you are trying to achieve.

 

[oaktree]

You can find all the joint locks and punches in each system how ever each arts concepts may differ. Taijiquan will take time to learn applications, Xingyiquan faster to learn applications and you may like it. I perfer boxing over Xingyiquan. If you are looking to deal with a bigger opponent you may want to look at judo and escrima. As yesterday I had to deal with a guy on drugs and paranoid and all I could think was take him down and choke because my punches and knife may not do much but a choke may be my best option.

 

[Lameman]

To be quite honest, I have had more problems with smaller opponants then I have ever had with a bigger opponant.