Unless you are Daniel LaRusso from Karate Kid and your neighbor is a karate master like Mr. Miyagi, you will probably need to do some research before deciding which martial arts school is right for you. You will have to understand what your goals are, choose a martial arts style that fits your needs and finally find a school and a teacher. Remember that there is no martial art better than the others: there are only practitioners who reach the highest levels of mastery. All forms of martial arts have pros and cons - choose the one that best matches your way of being.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Choose a Style
Step 1. If you are interested in self defense, choose jiu jitsu
Often a martial art is chosen for self-defense reasons, as in the case of Daniel LaRusso. He was harassed by a bully, did it happen to you too? Or are you worried it might happen in the future? All martial arts teach you to protect yourself, but some of them focus more on this aspect by teaching you to defend yourself from attacks and free yourself from grips. Jiu jitsu uses the strength and impetus of the opponent to defeat him, allowing a weaker person to get the better of a stronger attacker.
When in a dangerous situation, jiu jitsu teaches you to dodge frontal attacks, free yourself from grappling and gain an advantage over your opponent. Remember that all martial arts have self defense as their ultimate goal. Some are more devoted to physical confrontation than others (and in this sense jiu jitsu is a balanced art)
Step 2. Keep fit with kung fu
The second reason people choose to practice a martial art is to stay fit, turn fat into muscle, and improve coordination. All martial arts deal with this aspect, but some focus more on the athletic aspect. With its low stances and powerful blocks, kung fu trains the whole body. Furthermore, it is a very well coded martial art.
While kung fu trains all muscles, there are martial arts that focus on strengthening the upper or lower body. If you want to strengthen the trunk and upper limbs, choose Japanese Shotokan boxing or karate. If you are interested in having nimble and strong legs, turn to a martial art like taekwondo
Step 3. Increase self-esteem with naginata
The modern naginata is a martial art that teaches etiquette, respect and self-esteem. Martial arts such as naginata increase self-confidence by bringing everyone's potential to light, training the physique and teaching new fighting techniques. Sometimes, those who enter a dojo for the first time have little self-confidence. Perhaps it is your case, and for this very reason you have decided to practice a martial art. If you are insecure, choose a school and teacher who bring out the best in you instead of demoralizing you. Naginata masters try to convey positive feelings. The desire to improve one's temperament is an important motivation and is an aspect to be taken into consideration when choosing a martial arts school.
Step 4. Try taekwondo to train discipline and self-control
Taekwondo is the most famous martial art in the world (in this sense it owes a lot to the fact that it was included among the Olympic disciplines in 1988). Many see taekwondo as a form of artistic expression and, as such, it requires a good deal of self-control. You need to have good control over your body to make every movement fluid, elegant and precise. For this variety of reasons, many consider taekwondo to be the ideal way to teach discipline and self-control, to children and adults alike.
Martial arts require discipline and self-control: respect for the rules and the teacher is a must. During training you may find that your teacher's way of teaching goes against your expectations. "Give the wax, remove the wax" says Miyagi in Karate Kid; his pupil is confused because he does not understand how giving or removing wax can make him a good martial arts practitioner, but later he realizes that the master is right. Follow the teachings of your teacher and train consistently. The discipline necessary to progress in martial arts will also be useful to you in everyday life
Step 5. Prepare to step into the ring with kickboxing
In the seventies, some American martial arts practitioners, feeling limited by the rules to follow during tournaments, created kickboxing. These athletes wanted their shots not to be simulated and, to prepare for competitions, they used sparring and trained punches, kicks and parries. Given its origins, deeply linked to competition and the desire to fight, kickboxing is particularly suitable for those who want to get into the ring.
Some martial arts do not involve fighting in the ring. Traditional kung fu styles, such as Wing Chun or Hung Gar, have not been designed for this purpose. These martial arts are excellent when it comes to defending themselves, but they require years of study to yield appreciable results in real-life combat situations
Step 6. Evaluate your cultural interests
If you have an admiration for a particular culture, getting to know it better through a martial art can become a really interesting experience. Study krav maga if you are interested in Israeli culture, taekwondo if you are interested in Korean or sumo if you are a fan of Japanese culture.
If your aim is to deepen certain cultural aspects, choose a school where you teach a native professor or someone who has trained following the teachings of a master from the country of origin of the martial art that interests you. His teachings will be more "authentic" and will highlight linguistic, philosophical and historical aspects of the culture in question
Part 2 of 2: Choose the School and the Teacher
Step 1. Find a school close to home
The choice of the martial art you are going to practice will inevitably be influenced by the availability of teachers and schools in the area. If getting to school becomes strenuous, you may tire of traveling and stop taking the course. Search online or consult the phone guide to find out which martial arts are practiced in your area.
Step 2. Choose a school that you can afford
Usually, martial arts schools do not mention the price of their courses in the telephone book. Rates can be determined on a monthly, quarterly, yearly basis or depending on how many times per week you attend workouts. In some cases, the enrollment fee is negotiable depending on how many students intend to attend the course. Some teachers ask for 40 euros per month, others ask for 40 per lesson; it is up to you to decide how much you are willing to spend. After doing some research, you will learn which schools are asking too much.
If you want to save money, take a class organized outside the circle of gyms. Certain charities and recreation centers organize sports courses. Just because a school does not rely on a sports center does not mean that the quality of teaching is inferior. Do a research on the area and find out about the costs, the clothing required and if it is possible to participate in a trial lesson. Be aware that there are no additional costs. In some places the cost of the subscription goes up at a later time
Step 3. Attend a lesson
To better understand the characteristics of a particular martial art and the teaching method of a particular master, attend a couple of workouts. This way you will have the opportunity to visit the place where you train, meet future classmates and talk to the instructor.
Talk to other students. Be interested in what they like and what they don't like about the course. More experienced practitioners can learn about other places where different martial arts are practiced, and hearing their opinions can help you decide which course to enroll in
Step 4. Decide whether the teaching style fits your needs or not
If you want to learn a "practical" martial art, whose techniques can be learned in a short time and applicable in any situation, consider whether amateurs are encouraged to actively participate in combat or all this is reserved for experienced students (or those who attend the dojo for the longest time and spent more money on entry fees). Do you want a teacher who pushes you to give your best? Or do you want one that improves your self-esteem? Do you want a personal teacher or an instructor used to working with many students at the same time? The teaching style of a martial arts master should vary according to the student.
In any case, be aware of the fact that fights between amateurs (which should still be encouraged) should follow more limiting rules: a beginner does not have enough control over the technique and does not know how to properly evaluate the power of his shots
Step 5. Assess the environment
Observe the students of the school, see how they interact with each other and how they behave with the more experienced students. Are they friendly and helpful? Are they respectful? Could you become friends? You will spend a lot of time with them, so it's important to understand what their character is. Plus, during your workouts, you will put your safety in their hands. If you feel uncomfortable, change schools.
Step 6. Find out about your teacher's qualifications
Don't worry too much about the certificates or degrees it holds: in martial arts there is no body at the head of the various schools or a universal certification system. What's really important is:
- Who did you learn from?
- How long have you been a pupil of this person?
- How long have you been practicing the martial art you teach?
- Do you have experience as a teacher or are you just an expert? As in football, there are great players who become bad coaches (and mediocre players who become great coaches): there are martial arts champions who do not have the qualities to teach. Keep that in mind.
- Be careful when searching. Many instructors claim their school and teaching system are the best around. There are masters who are so faithful to the discipline to which they have devoted themselves, that they end up expressing negative opinions towards other martial arts. Often these people are not good teachers, as, by doing so, they lack respect for others.
Step 7. Choose a school whose schedules coincide with yours
You will have to spend a lot of time on training. Most martial arts involve the use of forms that you can repeat at home. If you only train in class, you will progress more slowly.
Set aside time for training, class, and at home. Remember that martial arts mean discipline: if you don't accept it, you don't even need to start, you will end up not following the lessons
Step 8. Join your new mates and get started
Better sooner than later, as they say. You've done all the necessary research, you've chosen one martial art over another, and now you know what to expect. Now have fun!
