Many have heard of Taekwondo, Karate,
Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Some have heard of Jiu Jitsu and Judo, but
have you ever heard of Bagua (Pa Kua) or Hawaiian Bone Breaking?
What about, Kali or Iado? With so many different martial arts
out there, which one is best for you?
The amount of different martial arts and the wealth of information available
is astounding. It would literally take decades to attempt to cover, with any
type of authority, all of the different types of martial arts available. So we
won't try. What we will do is try to categorize a few different styles and maybe
make it a little easier for you to choose a martial art.
Most martial arts are categorized as hard or soft. The common understanding of
hard would be "physical" ie. Taekwondo/Karate/Kung Fu. Soft is commonly
held as "internal" ie. Tai Chi, Hsing-I, Bagua. Without debating what
Hard and Soft truly mean, we can take these two ideas and categorize different
styles of martial arts pretty easily.
Hard Styles
The majority of your martial arts schools you see today will be a hard style.
Taekwondo, Karate, Kung Fu are probably three of the more prevalent schools out
there. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is fast on the rise and a lot of schools will teach
a "Mixed Martial Art" or (MMA) due to the popularity of Ultimate Fighting.
Hard styles most commonly utilize striking with fists and other body parts, kicking
and throwing.
Soft Styles
Not as common and definitely not as "sexy" as the hard styles. When
Tai Chi is mentioned, most people think of a bunch of old people, moving real
slow, in the park. Not very exciting. Internal styles also are more cerebral
and a lot more difficult for kids and teenagers to learn. They require a tremendous
amount of practice, discipline and patience. Most soft styles are characterized
by internal energy (Chi), concentration, breathing and fluidity. Some soft styles
will redirect an opponent's energy or utilize locks and some throws.
Within the Hard and Styles you will find many different flavors to suit your
taste. If you are looking for low-impact meditative martial arts, tai chi is
probably the most readily available choice for you. If you are looking for more
of a striking and kicking physical workout, Karate/Taekwondo/Kung Fu would probably
be more to your flavor.
Combination Styles
If you think you might like something in between - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/Groundfighting
is a great workout without a lot of the striking. Aikido and Judo are more locks
and throws, and Bagua (Pa Kua) is usually a lot of concentration and breathing
with training in oblique angles and circular movements to allow you optimal striking
angles against your opponent.
Regardless of the style that you choose, there are some guidelines that you can
apply to help you make a decision.
1) Choose something that you will stick with. Regardless of what martial art
you choose, if you don't stick with it, you don't receive any benefit.
2) Check out the training facility. If the place is filthy and you see broken
pieces of equipment everywhere - RUN. This is not the place for you. Most martial
artists and instructors who take pride in their art, also take pride in their
facilities. Dirty and broken means unsafe.
3) Speak with the instructor(s). See if you get along with them. See if you can
understand them. Don't be overly impressed with titles and trophies, watch a
class and talk with the students to get an overall feel of the atmosphere.
4) Use quality martial arts supplies. Safety is going to be of the utmost importance
for you or your children. Do not skimp or compromise when it comes to martial
arts supplies. You could be very sorry if you do.
5) Have fun! Martial arts is both challenging, invigorating and a lot of fun.
I'm not saying there isn't a lot of hard work involved, but the rewards are worth
it!
I hope you and possibly your family can practice a martial art together. It is
great exercise, teaches discipline, self control, goal setting and self defense.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us.
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