Martial Arts for exercise

[Schadenfroh]

Greetings,

I am interested in getting out of the house on the weekends, away from studying and homework assignments and venture into the land of exercise. I am not overweight (~170 @ 6'), but I am out of shape.

I thought that it might be a good chance to meet some people as I am new to this area and to learn a handy skill, not to mention getting some great exercise. I first considered fencing, but I feel that it lacks a practical use outside of the game itself.

When I was a kid, I took about 4 or 5 months worth of Jujutsu and it seemed very handy. I do not recall any of it

I see that my university offers lessons in several martial arts: Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu, Wado-Ryu Karate and Kendo. I would mainly be interested in learning defensive maneuvers to protect myself when unarmed.

My rifles are not exactly portable and I dislike handguns, not to mention I would probably never live with myself if I actually permanently hurt anyone. But, it would be nice to know I had something to fall back on when I am at the hands of a angry, drunken thug.

So, which of the above martial arts (or possibly alternatives) would you guys suggest as a good way to exercise, protect myself when unarmed?

 

[TallBill]

Maybe find a place that teaches BJJ both as a competition form and self defense form. A lot of the skills are similar, but there are obvious certain things that you wouldn't do when the opponent could strike you. Grappling is a lot of fun and a hell of a workout. With any martial art though, additional weight training is highly recommended.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

TallBill's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu suggestion is a good one. I'd say if striking is more your fancy then you should look into Muay Thai. It's one of the most effective, no BS arts. It applies in real fights more than the ring and, if you get your kicks down, you'll be deadly from a distance. You can usually do a try-out period at any sort of gym. Try BJJ and Muay Thai out.

 

[Spineshank]

From the sounds of what youre looking for id go with Akikdo.

Im curious to know if anyone actually takes BJJ. If someone does, please PM as i have some questions.

 

[alkemyst]

You don't need BJJ and most MMA 'dojos' are jokes just cashing in.

Most 'real' dojos have been teaching mixed-martial arts forever and usually some jiu-jitsu is included. Find a good instructor and one that incorporates what works on the street vs a dojo designed to teach form and katas only.

 

[jaedaliu]

From the sounds of what youre looking for id go with Akikdo.

+1

Defense without trying to destroy someone.

 

[NGC_604]

Try a couple of them out and just pick the one you enjoy the most.

 

[NancyRaymon]

If your only concern was fitness, then some form of cardio kickboxing might be enough. However, given that you want some self defense along with your workout, you have a shorter list of martial arts to choose from.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

+1

Defense without trying to destroy someone.

-1. Aikido entails a defense that is flawed. Redirects are largely ineffective with someone who knows anything about wrestling or BJJ. One clean shot and aikido is on its back with no clue of what to do next. It's more of an art than an effective defensive tool.

 

[alkemyst]

The grandmaster

 

[alkemyst]

-1. Aikido entails a defense that is flawed. Redirects are largely ineffective with someone who knows anything about wrestling or BJJ. One clean shot and aikido is on its back with no clue of what to do next. It's more of an art than an effective defensive tool.

Well about 99% of the time you aren't going to be up against another martial artist. Also very few are tying themselves to only aikido. It's like saying a wrestling can't throw a punch.

You master an art or even get really damn good at it, you aren't going to have much problems with crowd control.

 

[NGC_604]

Pick whatever you enjoy the most

 

[drnickriviera]

I'm kinda in the same boat you are Schadenfroh. I just took my first Judo class a few hours ago. It's definitely a good workout. They threw me right in the mix with a basic hip throw. I was surprised I was able to do it. Although there was one short stout dude, maybe 5'5" 180-200lbs, i'm 5'10" 130lbs. It was like trying to rip a tree stump out of the ground.

I'm still shopping around. I think i'll give krav maga a try next.

 

[jaedaliu]

I'm going to have to agree with you on that. I always kind of find these martial art debates silly. Whether you study boxing, bjj, wrestling, etc, you're not going to have much difficulty defending yourself against 99% of the population. Even if were forced to fight someone who was trained in a different style, I would think the next biggest factor would be your own level of fitness, instead of the individual fighting style.

That's why I said pick whatever you enjoy the most. You're not going to be at a bar and have Manny Pacquiao or George St. Pierre pick a fight with you.

As Jet Li says in Fist of Fury (I'm gonna guess Bruce Lee said it too) 2 people fighting isn't a comparison of their respective martial arts, it's a competition between the 2 practitioners to see how skilled they individually are.

But as someone earlier said, pick one that seems fun.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Try before you buy. There is never a guarantee that a particular dojo/club/gym will be like the ones any of us are familiar with.

Work out with them, see which you gravitate towards. Check if there is a boxing, kick boxing, or Muay Thai club, those are invariably, hard work outs.

And, if after a few months, you just are not grooving on the one you picked, try another.

The important thing is to have a good time doing it; If you are not getting stoke, don't stay, look for another place.

 

[presidentender]

Sparring will burn about the same number of calories regardless of which art you choose. The conditioning will vary between individual classes and dojos: at the school I attend, bag work is the toughest conditioning, while conditioning for jiu jitsu is just randori. Not that randori isn't strenuous, but that bag work is more strenuous.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Thanks for the tips. My university offers most of these classes for free, but I will have to wait for the fall.

+1

Defense without trying to destroy someone.

I like the sound of not actually injuring someone while protecting myself. I see that Aikido training also infers some kind of philosophical training aside from the physical training. I assume that really depends on the instructor or is it often emphasized?

 

[alkemyst]

I like the sound of not actually injuring someone while protecting myself. I see that Aikido training also infers some kind of philosophical training aside from the physical training. I assume that really depends on the instructor or is it often emphasized?

I don't think they are not injured really. There isn't a lot of philosophy taught today...and those that do teach it are really bastardizing it.

You really have to get in a groove with your instructor. Sadly this usually is something learned down the road.

You can talk to others in a dojo, but many really are fucking clueless.

 

[Bobalude]

About Aikido, I'd say Judo over Aikido. My brother seems to have learned quite a bit more practical throws in one university term from Judo than I did in Aikido. Everything in Aikido class seemed only usable if you became really dedicated to it. Judo throws my brother showed me seemed usable after a only class or two.

I don't know much about the other choices you listed.

 

[Sea Moose]

Krav maga if you want to learn good offensive/ defence moves

Muay Thai if you want to do great fighting

 

[Howard]

boxing

 

[SociallyChallenged]

boxing

It makes for great hands, but Muay Thai trains a lot of good upper body striking too. It also adds the bonus of kick-ass kicks. I'm better at boxing personally, but would love to get flexible enough to throw a head kick one of these days.

 

[NGC_604]

Krav maga always looked like fun

 

[SociallyChallenged]

True but for exercise boxing is as good as any, unfortunately good gyms can be tough to find depending on the area. Many of the good gyms are in pretty rough areas as well. That is probably another factor in which to choose, find one where there is a good gym that is convenient for you.

Agreed. Boxing is probably better than most for conditioning. If the OP is going for true self defense, Krav Maga is the answer hands down Nothing like the groin kick being your first option ever time.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Echoing many sentiments already posted, but try to find one that fits your needs, in and outside of style; shop around, especially if it's free!

Although, as far as "learning something practical" I'd recommend Judo/Aikido/BJJ only to learn/practice breakfalls.

Put it this way:

Chance of tripping>>>>> Chance of avoiding a potential fight>>> Chance of talking your way out of a fight>> Chance of getting into a fight> Chance of getting into a fight with someone that knows what they're doing/sober.

Completely serious! All the instructors that I've had - regardless of style - responded to "what happens if you're mugged?" type questions with a pantomime kick to the shins and a run in the opposite direction. I'm certainly not interested in attempting a teep-1-2 or a juji-gatame on someone that may or may not have a gun handy.