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Martial Arts: Starting out as an adult

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Varuna

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I'm considering taking up Martial Arts.

I understand that most people start out when they are very young; first grade even. I'm 25 years old. I happen to be in the best shape of my life. I've lost a lot of weight, and I've even begun packing on muscle mass, so I think I should be able to handle it. As for why; there are several reasons and benefits, not the least of which will be the ability to hold my own and protect others in any given... unpleasant situation. "Beer Muscles" come to mind. :D

I guess I'm looking for suggestions or advice from others who've taken this up as adults. Even people who have been doing this their entire lives, for that matter. What should I go into? There is a Taekwon-do studio within walking distance of my house. In my town there are several others, from Karate all the way to Thai Kickboxing. I need something to focus my mind on.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Varuna said:
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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No reason not to take it up as an adult. You can build speed and flexibility as an adult. I would suggest karate or Aikido, since both are regimented, linear and relatively simple in terms of range of movement required (which will be your biggest hurdle at your age). Both are great workouts (moreso Karate) and both have excellent associations worldwide.

You will get beaten for points by kids, don't sweat it. Happens all the time.

Also, you will not gain superhuman skills in combat, but you will gain confidence and ability.
 
TONS of people start martial arts as adults. It's no handicap, and it's not unusual.

But before any recommendations are made, you need to tell us what you are looking to get out of a martial art. What are your goals, what are you looking for?

Self-defense? Most effective? Just want to impress chicks with fancy kicks?
 
Stinkles said:
No reason not to take it up as an adult. You can build speed and flexibility as an adult. I would suggest karate or Aikido, since both are regimented, linear and relatively simple in terms of range of movement required (which will be your biggest hurdle at your age). Both are great workouts (moreso Karate) and both have excellent associations worldwide.

You will get beaten for points by kids, don't sweat it. Happens all the time.

Also, you will not gain superhuman skills in combat, but you will gain confidence and ability.
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I heard Aikido is not efficient in a real street (not that I get into those at my age). Would you say that is true?
 
I'm in the same boat at 22... good thread! I'm seriously considering enrolling in a class soon. I was thinking Aikido as well.
 
I agree. No problem taking it as an adult. I started as an adult as well, and while it takes awhile to get the hang of things, it's worth it in the long run.

As for what style to take, I wouldn't want to recommend a specific one for you. You should go sit in on a class or two at the local schools and see what style interests you. Some styles will be more appealing to different people. For instance, I have no interest in Tae Kwon Do, but I did find myself loving Ying Jow Pai, which is Eagle Claw Kung Fu. A fairly unique style, and very different from TKD or Karate styles.

Any reputable school will let you sit in and observe a class or even jump in and try it out before you sign up. Visit them and see what they have to offer. Talk to the instructors an students and go from there.
 
If you actually want to be able to defend yourself, look into either boxing, Muay Thai or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
 
Mustaphadamus said:
I heard Aikido is not efficient in a real street (not that I get into those at my age). Would you say that is true?
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That's not a great reason to learn. But if that's what you're worried about, focus on boxing and simple wrestling and choking techniques.
 
Mustaphadamus said:
I heard Aikido is not efficient in a real street (not that I get into those at my age). Would you say that is true?
Click to expand...

I would tend to say that's true.

I would also agree with Kung Fu Jedi in saying that you should try a few places out and see what you like. Any reputable club should allow you to try a class for free (some even allow you to take a full week for free)
 
Stinkles said:
That's not a great reason to learn. But if that's what you're worried about, focus on boxing and simple wrestling and choking techniques.
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My goal if I were to enroll would be to stay in shape. Nothing more, nothing less. I was only curious if the things I heard were true or not of Aikido
 
Boogie said:
I would tend to say that's true.

I would also agree with Kung Fu Jedi in saying that you should try a few places out and see what you like. Any reputable club should allow you to try a class for free (some even allow you to take a full week for free)
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I am looking for something that is physically demanding so I can say in shape. I want to be like those dudes from the kung fu flicks. You know the ones, the 60 yr old dudes with all grey hair that is down to their backs and when they take their shirts of, they have the bodies of a 22 yr old gymnast.
 
Mustaphadamus said:
I am looking for something that is physically demanding so I can say in shape. I want to be like those dudes from the kung fu flicks. You know the ones, the 60 yr old dudes with all grey hair that is down to their backs and when they take their shirts of, they have the bodies of a 22 yr old gymnast.
Click to expand...

In that case, karate, and Muay Thai/kickboxing clubs can give great workouts. But it all depends upon the specific club when it comes to intensity of the workout.
 
Varuna said:
I'm considering taking up Martial Arts.

I understand that most people start out when they are very young; first grade even. I'm 25 years old. I happen to be in the best shape of my life. I've lost a lot of weight, and I've even begun packing on muscle mass, so I think I should be able to handle it. As for why; there are several reasons and benefits, not the least of which will be the ability to hold my own and protect others in any given... unpleasant situation. "Beer Muscles" come to mind. :D

I guess I'm looking for suggestions or advice from others who've taken this up as adults. Even people who have been doing this their entire lives, for that matter. What should I go into? There is a Taekwon-do studio within walking distance of my house. In my town there are several others, from Karate all the way to Thai Kickboxing. I need something to focus my mind on.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

It depends what you're into.

If you're into combat styles, then Kung Fu, Karate, and Taekwondo may be good choices.

If you're into something more form-based, then Tai Chi is probably a good idea too.

Personally, I'd recommend Tai Chi if you're starting out, since there's a lot of emphasis on technique and form compared to other schools. (My personal opinion)
 
Boogie said:
In that case, karate, and Muay Thai/kickboxing clubs can give great workouts. But it all depends upon the specific club when it comes to intensity of the workout.
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I used to work with this lady who started in on Muay Thai. She lost dumb weight quickly. I remember she would come in complaining about how extensive the training is. I think I will look into this one.
 
Boogie said:
Fixed. :P
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I'll agree with this fix. :) As someone who has studied Kung Fu for a number of years, it's much harder to find the "combat" aspects in it than a lot of other martial arts. They are there, but they are far more subtle, not as likely to be apparently useful, and often much more difficult to use effectively.

For a great workout though, Kung Fu can be excellent. The Eagle Claw style that I train in is very acrobatic and challenging. Forms are LONG as well. Far longer and more complex than anything you can do in TKD. Plus, weapons rule! :D I'm trained in Chinese straight sword, double broad swords, staff, Kwon Do, and a few more. Those are very challenging.

Also, be aware that when you start out, you will be sore. You'll use muscles that you didn't even know existed before, even if you are in good shape. Martial arts shape is different than most others. I always tell everyone to stick with it for three months, than you'll start to see improvements and things will start to click further. I don't know how many times I've seen people join the class, buy their uniform, pay for their first month only to come for 2-3 weeks and than quit. It's not easy. Not at all.
 
Kung Fu Jedi said:
I'll agree with this fix. :) As someone who has studied Kung Fu for a number of years, it's much harder to find the "combat" aspects in it than a lot of other martial arts. They are there, but they are far more subtle, not as likely to be apparently useful, and often much more difficult to use effectively.
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I see how Kung Fu is not specifically geared to fighting and inflicting pain, but it would certainly help out in a "dark alley", would it not? :D

Kung Fu Jedi said:
I don't know how many times I've seen people join the class, buy their uniform, pay for their first month only to come for 2-3 weeks and than quit. It's not easy. Not at all.
Click to expand...

Sounds like something that would be good to know so that we can prevent it.
 
Has anyone started boxing in their 20's? I'm 22 and while I don't plan on it anytime soon (I'll be moving around the country a lot this year) I would like to start whenever I do settle down. Boxing just always seemed more practical and more of an endurance thing than martial arts, but this is just based off my immediate assumption.
 
galdevo said:
Has anyone started boxing in their 20's? I'm 22 and while I don't plan on it anytime soon (I'll be moving around the country a lot this year) I would like to start whenever I do settle down. Boxing just always seemed more practical and more of an endurance thing than martial arts, but this is just based off my immediate assumption.
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Boxing is a good style to learn if you really want to know how to fight. I've heard that styles like taekwon do, most forms of karate, and kung fu are not as effective in combat. Muay Thai, Jujitsu, Judo, and wrestling are all apparently quite effective styles like boxing is.
 
I'm 27 and I started Kickboxing a month ago.

Bes't fuckin' thing I've ever done for myself. I'm still a piece o' shit though since I lose steam pretty fast and end up panting out of breath in the back with all the fat people. But that's because I've never, EVER seriously worked out this hard in my life and i'm seriously out of shape.

I hope to end all that in a few months :D
 
BocoDragon said:
I see how Kung Fu is not specifically geared to fighting and inflicting pain, but it would certainly help out in a "dark alley", would it not? :D
Click to expand...

Oh, make no mistake about it, Kung Fu can inflict a lot of pain. It's just harder to get to the practical stuff sometimes, and obviously depending on the style. Kung Fu still keeps the "art" in Martial Arts, while some other styles go for more of a practical self defense approach. Neither side is better than other, it's all in what you are looking for.
 
I would recommend Krav Maga. Im 27 and I started to practice it january this year. It is the best "style" I have tested for self defence. I have trained a some capoeria, aikido and BJJ but with krav maga, I felt like coming home. When I have come up some "levels":D I will pick up BJJ again, to complement with ground fighting...

but still, if you have the chance, try Krav Maga...
 
I've been doing martial arts since I was 5 or 6 years old, and I've trained in Goju Ryu Karate, Isshin Ryu Karate, Kendo, Jujutsu, Boxing and most recently, Aikido. I've also tried to incorporate sections of the Chinese martial arts into my knowledge, mostly the weapons techniques from the different Wushu styles.

Karate and Jujutsu are both really great combat styles that'll give you a lot of exersize. Boxing is really great punching and dodging practice, but I don't see how people can use it by itself.

Aikido and any of the weapon styles are going to be less useful, mostly because Aikido isn't going to let you kill anyone(which is wierd to me, because the spear and sword techniques are among the most effective I've seen), and not too many people walk around alleys with a broad sword. Speaking of weapons, how do you like the Kwan Dao practice, Kung Fu Jedi? The only off balance chinese weapon, far as I can tell. Scares the shit out of me.

Muay Thai is an incredible style from what I've seen, but I wouldn't recommend starting it at this point if only because there's a huge emphasis on building bone mass and deadening nerves from an early age, which you'll be way behind on.
 
25? No prob, it's not like your 40.

I trained Tae Kwon Do when i was little and i went at it for quite a few years. It's great if you want to learn a martial arts that is not just about "Self Defense", but also if you want to take it as a sport, and get you in shape, be it in body muscle or agility.

But i dropped it, and a couple of years ago i met a teacher of advanced self defense, a friend of my father, and i took lessons from him. My father insisted.

Basicaly he teached me from Krav Maga to Kadena De Mano.

If you want more self defense oriented martial arts, go with Krav Maga.
 
I understand that most Martial Arts are not simply about self defence, and that they focus on mind and body equally. Maybe more on the former; and I think that's what is attracting me to the possibility of taking it up. With that said, I do like the idea of being able to effectively defend myself if the situation arises.

When I get involved in something, I'm serious about it. I won't just be doing this for a few weeks. I intend to dedicate myself to whichever technique I settle on. From what I've gathered so far in this thread, Kung Fu does sound intriguing.
 
bigfatgameguy said:
I was thinking about it to become more flexible and get better balance. Whats good for an overweight guy?
Click to expand...

I think Tae Kwon Do would be good for you. Flexibility, balance, and very importantly, reflex speed.

Reflex Speed is one of the things that is very important in self defense for example.
 
Slo said:
If you actually want to be able to defend yourself, look into either boxing, Muay Thai or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
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Krav Maga? :)

Sounds like a very interesting martial art - would seriously consider taking it up if there were any courses near enough. :(
 
It never fails. There's endless bickering and hive mentality involved with martial arts. Go with Kali. No one argues with the knife fighters.
 
karasu said:
It never fails. There's endless bickering and hive mentality involved with martial arts. Go with Kali. No one argues with the knife fighters.
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The thing about martial arts, is that it's a very personal choice. You should know what you want to get from it, and then inform yourself about the ones that are more inline with what you want.
 
Boogie said:
Oh look, a choreographed self defense routine that will get you killed in a real life situation. :)
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Hardly. Obviously, it takes time to fuly incorporate the martial arts into your mindset, but once it does and become part of you, part of your reflexes, it becomes as pratical in real life situations as you get.

I was at an ATM once, and got a gun pointed at me, told me to put my hands in the air, i couldn't believe it, i thought i was going to die, but then out of pure reflex i was able to disarm him, purely out of instint, broke his nose and 2 fingers. Later the police told me the gun had no bullets though, and i almost felt bad for him.

Obviously the best way of self defense is just to talk your way out of it.
 
PleoMax said:
Hardly. Obviously, it takes time to fuly incorporate the martial arts into your mindset, but once it does and become part of you, part of your reflexes, it becomes as pratical in real life situations as you get.
.
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Yep, nothing like drilling one specific technique against a nonresisting opponent and expecting that same technique to save you against someone who isn't cooperating with your Knife Defense #3.
 
Boogie said:
Yep, nothing like drilling one specific technique against a nonresisting opponent and expecting that same technique to save you against someone who isn't cooperating with your Knife Defense #3.
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Ah, right, because that's how all non-Boogie-endorsed systems work. They're all rigid and inflexible and based solely on repetition against a nonresisting opponent. Great the way you can tell this just from watching one snippet of beginner-level instruction too. It's amazing anybody bothers with them, really.
 
iapetus said:
Ah, right, because that's how all non-Boogie-endorsed systems work. They're all rigid and inflexible and based solely on repetition against a nonresisting opponent. Great the way you can tell this just from watching one snippet of beginner-level instruction too. It's amazing anybody bothers with them, really.
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I did not mean to imply such arrogance on my part, I simply meant to say that your statement of "Welcome to most martial arts" in relation to choreographed moves on a cooperative opponent was bullshit.

Look, I see value in MANY martial arts beyond the ones that I train myself.

But I am not going to sugar coat anything and pay lip service to the idea that Krav Maga or Aikido are as practically effective for defending oneself as is Judo, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, boxing, or Muay Thai.


If you type in Krav Maga or Aikido into youtube, you mostly get shit like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tv4f6xH-OwM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pahXhOL2PaM

Choreographed routines against cooperative opponents.

Whereas for Judo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLCHw9QeAA

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wvsoidud33Q

Wrestling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmqXeDD-iA

Tae Kwon Do:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cWpt9q_jQHQ

Muay Thai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPfukurJdw
 
If you want a martial art that will get you into great shape and be lots of fun: look no further than Capoeira. :D

I'm your age and I dabbled in Capoeira for one summer before falling prey to a physical illness. I'm recovering and getting stronger again, and I want to eventually get back into it (doesn't hurt that there's always attractive women taking the classes too).
 
I don't know much about martial arts and like some of you, I'm in my early 20s and still in the early stages of looking for one that looks interesting and practical to commit to at some point in the not-so-far future. From my understanding on what I've read, TKD and aikido are just about useless for self-defense. This also goes for any where the instructor isn't good, or only canned routines are learned, or where there's no one to do some serious sparring with. I've seen a number of vids for aikido, and choreographed routines or not, the stuff just seems so useless and impractical in any kind of street scenario, that I couldn't believe anyone would bother with it. Also, I recommend anyone to go ahead and read up on the link below and elsewhere on bullshido and mcdojos to have an idea on what they should be avoiding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mcdojo

The most recommended seem to be the ones mentioned here that one sees come up often in these topics on other forums: BJJ, Judo and Karate (apparently with a high number of mcdojos so be weary), Muay Thai/kickboxing, boxing, and Krav Maga.

The main sticking points from what I've read are that it takes a lot of time and training to get to the point where you can fight off against multiple attackers or someone with a weapon, if ever... so basically don't bother if you think it'll make you superhuman or able to come out of fights without getting hurt. You could practice your art for a year and not prevent injury from an attacker better than a person who just invested in a cheap pepper spray. So the way I see it and anyone else should, is that it has to be about a lot more than becoming tough enough to kick ass in a random fight, which hardly ever happens anyway unless you're the type who looks for trouble.

I personally want to do it because it would be great to work out, stay in shape and train with a group of guys. It's a lot easier to stay fit when you do it in a dedicated group than when it's just you alone and some weights at home (laziness, lack of motivation, no real goals to work towards).
 
Kaiser Dämmerung said:
I'm 27 and I started Kickboxing a month ago.

Bes't fuckin' thing I've ever done for myself. I'm still a piece o' shit though since I lose steam pretty fast and end up panting out of breath in the back with all the fat people. But that's because I've never, EVER seriously worked out this hard in my life and i'm seriously out of shape.

I hope to end all that in a few months :D
Click to expand...
I really like kickboxing or what I have seen of it that is. This lady I worked with was at it for 6 months and lost mega weight and pretty nice with the hands too, after that.
 
Boogie said:
I did not mean to imply such arrogance on my part, I simply meant to say that your statement of "Welcome to most martial arts" in relation to choreographed moves on a cooperative opponent was bullshit.

Look, I see value in MANY martial arts beyond the ones that I train myself.

But I am not going to sugar coat anything and pay lip service to the idea that Krav Maga or Aikido are as practically effective for defending oneself as is Judo, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, boxing, or Muay Thai.
Click to expand...


You have the wrong idea. One thing is to sell an "idea", which is what internet videos do. It's not supposed to teach you rigidly what to do in set in stone body position of your oponent, It's about knowing what to look for, where to grab, twist, and hit. It's as flexible as you want it to be.

Krav Maga is very effective if it's not a "Learn self defense in 30 days" course :lol, or crappy teachers.

Now i'm not limited to it, and have the luck of having a very strict and hard mentor, but i think that it's great. And the martial arts you mentioned are very different, and hardly comparable. Hell they are hardly self defense focused(even though the premise of any martial art is to be defense focused)....Muay thai and Jiu Jitsu guys are a bitch though.
 
Take up boxing. It gives you insane stamina and you will get your ass kicked so often that you won't be afraid of stepping up in a real confrontation. You will get familiarized with that fear of getting defeated.
 
Do you guys get attacked in the streets often? Does it really matter which style is most effective in "combat"? If I were you I would take a class in capoeira. :lol Those dudes have got to be as physically fit as anyone on earth. Learning a martial art for "street combat" seems about as practical to me as taking up fencing as a form of self defense.
 
TheDuce22 said:
Do you guys get attacked in the streets often? Does it really matter which style is most effective in "combat"? If I were you I would take a class in capoeira. :lol Those dudes have got to be as physically fit as anyone on earth. Learning a martial art for "street combat" seems about as practical to me as taking up fencing as a form of self defense.
Click to expand...


If you're in the suburbs, self defense is probably useless. If you're in the ghetto, that's another thing entirely. Honestly I think damn near every system is good for base level personal protection. That's mostly about awareness. It's useless to split hairs. Aikido has been applied by Police Officers(of course it doesn't look like a demo), Taiji by good Samaritans. The only question is how good your system prepares you to deal with armed attackers. Because running isn't always an option.
 
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