What Martial Art Is Right For Me?

[Hobberty]

I don't like getting down on the floor and wrestling the guy. I like fighting, and I want to practice sparring. I prefer to fight than to just chuck the guy on the ground and wait for him to get up again. I fight as if I'm a tiger or monkey, with balance and patience. I defend when I need to, and attack when I need to. I plan on studying whatever martial art I choose for a while. I like in Palo Alto, and have access to dojos in Mountain View/Sunnyvale/Maybe San Jose.

 

[ap Oweyn]

You keep saying you fight in the present tense. And you keep describing your own tactics. So what's your existing background? What are you basing this on?

Makes it easier to make suggestions if we know more about where you're coming from.

 

[Hobberty]

I took a little bit of kenpo, and I sparred once, and this is how I fought.

 

[Spork3245]

It sounds like you like street fighting as opposed to traditional styles, so Krav Maga or Jeet Kun Do, perhaps? You could also like Muay Thai. Just make sure it's a legitmate school... BTW, with the rise of MMA and all of these kids watching and studying UFC, ground fighting has become just as important as fighting while standing... Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[Hobberty]

Actully, I can't edit my post. I want a martial art that can teach me self-defense
EDIT:
I want to do Muay Thai or Kyokushin Karate.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Look into hapkido perhaps. Self defence , kicks ,punches etc , its actually pretty well rounded and fun to learn.

 

[Xinglu]

I want to do Muay Thai or Kyokushin Karate.

Sounds like you answered your own question!

Both Karate and Muay Thai will give you the capability to defend yourself. Why don't you go sit in on both... ask if you can try a class, and see which one you like better. The one you like the most, is the one for you.

 

[just2kicku]

Have you looked into Kajukenbo? Lots of good schools up where your at

 

[Hobberty]

Oh, thank you just2kicku.
I couldn't find any kyokushin karate places, I'll look into Kajukenbo, and visit. See if I like it or muay thai.

 

[MJS]

Well, seeing that you live in Ca., you're already one step ahead of the game, seeing that just about any martial art you want, can be found there. Of course, you may have to drive a bit, but if it meant some good training, it'd be worth it.

As far as the SD goes....well, IMO, if you want to defend yourself, you should be well rounded in all areas, and yes, that includes some grappling. I think alot of times, people hear the word 'grappling' and assume that it means what you see in the UFC. No, in a real fight, I dont want to spend long periods of time rolling around, but, grappling will provide you with the ability to get back to a standing position safely, as well as give you tools to aid in your escape. Nobody said that you had to finish the fight there, but if you dont know how to fight from there, you may find yourself in trouble.

 

[repz]

I take kyokushin, i love it, minus the bruises and pain. Keep an eye out for kyokushin schools that broke off from the main kyokushin organisations. Heres a small list of kyokushin offshoots that are similar.

World Oyama Karate
Ashihara Karate
Enhsin Karate

Keep in mind many people break from the above and dont carry the name over, since I am assuming the name is licensed to the organisation (though my sensei does mention it in his bio and details section of his site). So you will find names like, for example, "insert name here" dojo karate-do. My school has my senseis last name, followed by dojo karate-do. He joins up with other kyokushin/oyama karate schools that also broke off of their main organisations to meet up and fight. So try looking more in depth into the info and details of a school that doesnt list its "style or organisation". Schools usually freely mentions names like shotokan, goju, muay thia since no one (i'm assuming) can trademark the name.

Kajukenbo is cool too, strangely, that was my second choice (either that or kenpo). But the Kajukenbo was more then double the price of my school. You'll notice full contact knockdown karate doesnt charge as much as others, i always speculated it was because of the hardcore training and pain involved makes it less appealing to the general public, so they try to make it attractive by keeping fees low. What i pay is a steal, and he trains hardcore like old kyokushin of japan, so keep that in mind if you are still interested in kyokushin.

I found this with a quick search:
CALIFORNIA

Shihan John Lehner​

Shihan Mary Lehner​

South Valley Oyama Karate
5855 Winfield Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95123
Tel: (408) 281-3436
e-mail: Shihan John Lehner
web site: http://usoyama.com​

Definetly try it out first. I dont know the rules of posting links and info for dojos, i am not affiliated with oyama karate, but if i broke a rule i apologize.

 

[Hobberty]

I take kyokushin, i love it, minus the bruises and pain. Keep an eye out for kyokushin schools that broke off from the main kyokushin organisations. Heres a small list of kyokushin offshoots that are similar.

World Oyama Karate
Ashihara Karate
Enhsin Karate

Keep in mind many people break from the above and dont carry the name over, since I am assuming the name is licensed to the organisation (though my sensei does mention it in his bio and details section of his site). So you will find names like, for example, "insert name here" dojo karate-do. My school has my senseis last name, followed by dojo karate-do. He joins up with other kyokushin/oyama karate schools that also broke off of their main organisations to meet up and fight. So try looking more in depth into the info and details of a school that doesnt list its "style or organisation". Schools usually freely mentions names like shotokan, goju, muay thia since no one (i'm assuming) can trademark the name.

Kajukenbo is cool too, strangely, that was my second choice (either that or kenpo). But the Kajukenbo was more then double the price of my school. You'll notice full contact knockdown karate doesnt charge as much as others, i always speculated it was because of the hardcore training and pain involved makes it less appealing to the general public, so they try to make it attractive by keeping fees low. What i pay is a steal, and he trains hardcore like old kyokushin of japan, so keep that in mind if you are still interested in kyokushin.

I found this with a quick search:
CALIFORNIA

Shihan John Lehner​

Shihan Mary Lehner​

South Valley Oyama Karate
5855 Winfield Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95123
Tel: (408) 281-3436
e-mail: Shihan John Lehner
web site: http://usoyama.com​

Definetly try it out first. I dont know the rules of posting links and info for dojos, i am not affiliated with oyama karate, but if i broke a rule i apologize.

Okay.
Is Oyama karate the same as Kyokushin Karate? If it is, I'll definitely check that place out.

Well, seeing that you live in Ca., you're already one step ahead of the game, seeing that just about any martial art you want, can be found there. Of course, you may have to drive a bit, but if it meant some good training, it'd be worth it.

As far as the SD goes....well, IMO, if you want to defend yourself, you should be well rounded in all areas, and yes, that includes some grappling. I think alot of times, people hear the word 'grappling' and assume that it means what you see in the UFC. No, in a real fight, I dont want to spend long periods of time rolling around, but, grappling will provide you with the ability to get back to a standing position safely, as well as give you tools to aid in your escape. Nobody said that you had to finish the fight there, but if you dont know how to fight from there, you may find yourself in trouble.

What's SD? (Lol I fail.)

 

[theletch1]

SD is shorthand for Self Defense. You'll also see things like MA for Martial Artist or Martial Art. There's quite a bit of abbreviating instead of typing out the whole word(s) over and over. Any other questions just ask. We're all here to answer questions and share info. Good luck in your search.

 

[Hobberty]

Oh. There's an Aikido school near my house, maybe i'll do that in the future.
For SD, though, and competiton, Is Oyama Karate or Kajukenbo better?
Is Oyama Karate Kyokushin?
And can anybody reccomend a good Kajukenbo in Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose? (Not one you just google and find and post links, one you know is good/read the website and know it's good.)
EDIT:
The reason MT is not there anymore is because I don't like hitting with elbows, just a personal preference.

 

[just2kicku]

Oh. There's an Aikido school near my house, maybe i'll do that in the future.
For SD, though, and competiton, Is Oyama Karate or Kajukenbo better?
Is Oyama Karate Kyokushin?
And can anybody reccomend a good Kajukenbo in Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose? (Not one you just google and find and post links, one you know is good/read the website and know it's good.)
EDIT:
The reason MT is not there anymore is because I don't like hitting with elbows, just a personal preference.

I will make some phone calls and get addresses for you. You could also go to the Kajukenbo section and ask there. Prof John Bishop knows a lot of the schools up there and probably has the info more readily available than I do.

 

[MJS]

Oh. There's an Aikido school near my house, maybe i'll do that in the future.
For SD, though, and competiton, Is Oyama Karate or Kajukenbo better?
Is Oyama Karate Kyokushin?
And can anybody reccomend a good Kajukenbo in Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose? (Not one you just google and find and post links, one you know is good/read the website and know it's good.)
EDIT:
The reason MT is not there anymore is because I don't like hitting with elbows, just a personal preference.

As another member pointed out, there are alot of off shoots of the art that Mas Oyama taught. Kinda just like Kenpo....you have a bunch of different branches of Kenpo, but they're all from the same tree.

As far as which one is better, if you have the chance to check out both, I'd do that, and decide for yourself. I'm a Kenpo guy myself, so if you asked that question to me, I'm going to say go with Kaju. Again, thats my opinion, but again, if you have the means, check them both out.

There are some Kaju folks on here, so hopefully they'll chime in and adivse you on schools. You could also, a) start a thread asking about Kaju schools, in the Kaju section on this forum or b) pop over to the kajukenbo cafe, where they have a bunch of schools listed.

 

[JWLuiza]

It looks like you are zeroing in. My only advice is to look at the people you'll be training with. That's probably a bigger factor in your training than the specific style. The more you want to go train, the easier it is.

 

[blindsage]

World Oyama is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Enshin is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Ashihara is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
This is what another poster was telling you.

A piece of advice, if you are looking for a style that perfectly fits all your pre-conceived inexperienced ideas you're not going to ever find a style to train in. Kyokushin teaches using elbows, Kajukenbo teaches using elbows, every style I can thing of teaches the use of elbows. None of them require that elbows be your weapon of choice, but they will (and should) teach them.

There is no style that will miraculously teach you to fight in some perfectly pre-conceived way. They will teach what they have found to work. Just go and train in a couple of schools in the general range of what kind of style you prefer and join the one you like the most AFTER you've actually experienced them a little.

 

[Hobberty]

I will make some phone calls and get addresses for you. You could also go to the Kajukenbo section and ask there. Prof John Bishop knows a lot of the schools up there and probably has the info more readily available than I do.

Thanks!

As another member pointed out, there are alot of off shoots of the art that Mas Oyama taught. Kinda just like Kenpo....you have a bunch of different branches of Kenpo, but they're all from the same tree.

As far as which one is better, if you have the chance to check out both, I'd do that, and decide for yourself. I'm a Kenpo guy myself, so if you asked that question to me, I'm going to say go with Kaju. Again, thats my opinion, but again, if you have the means, check them both out.

There are some Kaju folks on here, so hopefully they'll chime in and adivse you on schools. You could also, a) start a thread asking about Kaju schools, in the Kaju section on this forum or b) pop over to the kajukenbo cafe, where they have a bunch of schools listed.

Okay, I may make a thread there.

World Oyama is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Enshin is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Ashihara is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
This is what another poster was telling you.

A piece of advice, if you are looking for a style that perfectly fits all your pre-conceived inexperienced ideas you're not going to ever find a style to train in. Kyokushin teaches using elbows, Kajukenbo teaches using elbows, every style I can thing of teaches the use of elbows. None of them require that elbows be your weapon of choice, but they will (and should) teach them.

There is no style that will miraculously teach you to fight in some perfectly pre-conceived way. They will teach what they have found to work. Just go and train in a couple of schools in the general range of what kind of style you prefer and join the one you like the most AFTER you've actually experienced them a little.

Oh, yeah, I know almost all styles use elbows. I just know that Muay Thai uses elbows and dshins more, IIRC.

It looks like you are zeroing in. My only advice is to look at the people you'll be training with. That's probably a bigger factor in your training than the specific style. The more you want to go train, the easier it is.

Yeah. I'm going to find a good kajukenbo studio and visit the Oyama Karate one and the Kajugenbo one.

World Oyama is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Enshin is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
Ashihara is an off-shoot of Kyokushin.
This is what another poster was telling you.

A piece of advice, if you are looking for a style that perfectly fits all your pre-conceived inexperienced ideas you're not going to ever find a style to train in. Kyokushin teaches using elbows, Kajukenbo teaches using elbows, every style I can thing of teaches the use of elbows. None of them require that elbows be your weapon of choice, but they will (and should) teach them.

There is no style that will miraculously teach you to fight in some perfectly pre-conceived way. They will teach what they have found to work. Just go and train in a couple of schools in the general range of what kind of style you prefer and join the one you like the most AFTER you've actually experienced them a little.

Thanks for the information about Oyama/Enshin/etc.
Yeah, as I said before, I'm going to find a good kajukenbo school and visit it and the oyama karate one.
/end wallofquotetext

 

[Omar B]

Oh, yeah, I know almost all styles use elbows. I just know that Muay Thai uses elbows and dshins more, IIRC.

Not almost, ALL styles use elbows and knees. You've got to take a class or two before making such sweeping statements.