newbie looking for input

[furious george]

hello, furious george here. i'm new; no martial arts training, really. i've been reading for a few days and finally decided to stop hiding.

i've been thinking about studying for a few months, but cannot decide which form to try. a dramatic roller-blade incident violently dislocated my right shoulder 5 years ago, and it has come out several times since. this is a major limitation for my prospective studies; i'd guess it rules out grappling forms. if my shoulder pops out i know how to put it back in, and it hasn't come out in about a year. i think exercise and care could make the situation work.

my goals. i'm not interested in a new sport or the social aspects of martial arts so much. i want to maximise my functionality - agility, confidence, grace, fitness, and practical ability to defend myself.

so, i'm asking those in the know - what are some good candidate forms for someone with these considerations?

thanks for any help,
-fg

 

[Cthulhu]

First, you need to find out what is available in your area. Second, since you have a pre-existing medical condition, you actually need to visit the schools in the area, watch a class or two, then talk to the head instructor and let him/her know about your shoulder. If the instructor is worth anything, he/she will honestly tell you if training with them would be a good idea or not. I think you're correct in ruling out grappling systems...there is just waaay too much risk in aggravating that injury.

Most systems will give you agility and confidence. The ability to defend oneself really depends on how the system is being trained, so that will vary from school to school. Grace? If you're talking about coordination, that goes hand in hand with agility, and most systems will help you with that. Fitness also depends on the training. It would also help to know what kind of fitness you're seeking. Most karate-like systems are very good for cardiovascular and/or strength training. However, Tai Chi is very beneficial to your health as well, albeit in a different manner.

This is something you have to do research on. A martial arts program is most certainly not an 'impulse buy'. In your case, you have the additional consideration of your shoulder, which you must address at each school you visit.

It would probably make it easier for us to advise you if you gave us your location, as well as the types of martial arts schools listed in your city's Yellow Pages.

Good luck!

Cthulhu

 

[arnisador]

Let me just reinforce two things from Cthulhu's very good advice: Tell your prospective instructor, and consider Tai Chi as a start.

 

[Rob_Broad]

Might I suggest American kenpo, it has all the attributes you are looking in a martial art. I too have a bad shoulder that likes to pop out at the most inopportune time, but I am learning how to control my movements in respect to my choice of art. Where ever you decide to train let the instructor know the limitations of your shoulder, there is nothing more disheartening than being sideline by annjury that could have been prevented.

 

[Battousai]

Ya totally what Cthulhu said.
Check out all of the schools in your area. Watch a class in each school. If they won't let you watch a class, I would say to rule them out automatically.
Look at the pricing. Usually the highest priced stuff is popular, and what's popular is not whats best, exspecially in martial arts, (generalization, but totally true in my experience) stay away from that. Look for hidden rank testing fees. These are really bad if they are high and increase with each belt level, do not study with such a school. They are money grubbers and not teachers at all. If you have to sign a contract to join a class, don't. Look else were. Thats like saying you bought a car, and even if after 2 months the paint peels off and the engine only runs 30 mph and black smoke follows you everywere you go, you have to drive that car for the next year no matter what.
Look at the medium and low priced stuff.
Read through all these forums and write down questions you have about the martial arts and the particular training program of that school.
You might want to start slowly with two schools. Then compair and contrast and then break off from one if it doesn't match up to the other and go full time with the remaining one.
Try to gauge how important tournaments are to the school. If they have trophies all over the training hall, then chances are they teach sport for tournaments and not for self defense. Sure they will say its for self defense, what are they really going to say, umm no we don't want your business?
If weapons are important to you (weapons go hand and hand with the weaponless, all martial arts should teach weapons to those interested), ask about that. Ask if it costs extra. The school I was in previously said they would teach weapons, oh ya, 200 dollars for an hour of sai ... yep they taught weapons all right.

In this area more then any other I can think of, people with out experience are at the mercy of a good sales pitch without any content whatsoever.
So becareful, and don't make your choice based on what anyone says, but the impression you get from the school and the instructor, from the students.

 

[Cthulhu]

Oh, a couple of other things

Once you've narrowed your choices down, or when you're doing the school visits, watch the students closely. Are they having fun? Try to also see their responses to the instructor; indifferent, fearful, or respectful. You want the last, of course.

If possible, talk to the students after class. You never know, you may run into one with the same problem you have.

Heh. The 'having fun' bit got me thinkin'...we did some stick sparring with some nice padded sticks arnisandyz made and hockey padding. I was getting the holy spit beaten outta me...the whole time, my goofy *** is laughing away...

I need professional help.

Cthulhu

 

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by Cthulhu

[
I need professional help.

Cthulhu [/B]

There first step is admitting you have a problem.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[fist of fury]

Originally posted by Cthulhu


Heh. The 'having fun' bit got me thinkin'...we did some stick sparring with some nice padded sticks arnisandyz made and hockey padding. I was getting the holy spit beaten outta me...the whole time, my goofy *** is laughing away...

I need professional help.

Cthulhu

You say that like thats a bad thing.

I agree with what every said especially taking to the instructor about your injury.

 

[chungmoowarrior]

JUST STAY AWAY FROM CHUNG MOO DOE, OOM YUNG DOE, OR CHUNG MOO QUAN!!!
:soapbox: :soapbox: :soapbox: :soapbox: :soapbox: :soapbox:

 

[fist of fury]

uh oh he's back

 

[chungmoowarrior]

i'm not here to cause trouble. i'll admit, i felt very cheated and angry when i had to face reality, but i'm over it.

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by chungmoowarrior

i'm not here to cause trouble. i'll admit, i felt very cheated and angry when i had to face reality, but i'm over it.

Then why not share your experiences with us? You seem so
tight lipped about it

 

[furious george]

thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

i live in mid-michigan. a look thru the phonebook shows the old standby's - karate and tae kwan do - available at a few schools. there's also a mauy thai academy, and something else called chung's school of praying mantis

i'd bet driving to flint would give me more possibilities, which brings me to the subject of how often a new student should attend. i'd like to make a 30 minute trip once or twice a week, or a 30 - 60 minute trip only once or twice every two weeks. i'd set aside some time 5 days per week to practise on my own at home. that's my thinking. how often is enough?

rob, American kenpo sounds good from what i've just read on the web about it, but i can't find instruction for it anywhere nearby.

-fg

 

[TLH3rdDan]

you might want to check out the "karate" listings in the phone book it may or may not be karate it may be what your looking for... some schools just put up the generic term Karate because most people dont know what all the different styles are ive even seen it with a tae kwon do school here in nashville the guy was actually teaching tang soo do.... but used tae kwon do in his school name to attract potential students... and i know another guy that is listed as a karate school but teaches tae kwon do... and for sure mention your injury... and contracts are not neccesarily a bad thing just read them very well before you sign... try not to sign anything long term like more than 6 months unless your 150% sure its what you want to do... and dont let price turn you away either... but again be very carefull.... watch the class ask about the way promotions are done if they promote every 3 weeks i would move on to another school... if the have belt testing fees that go higher than 20 dollars move on... i charge for belt tests but only to cover my costs... and for sure check to see what organization they are with and call them... if they are with no organization ask them why not... could be a ligit reason or it could be they are fakes... hope that all helps

 

[Lucy Rhombus]

Hi, Furious George,

Here are some tips on finding a good school, excerptyed from an article I wrote for Oxygen magazine:

Want to get your kicks by taking up a martial art? Start by reading the sidebar that describes the most popular styles. Then check your local Chamber of Commerce or the Yellow Pages under "martial arts" to find out what's available in your area, or take a look at the resource sidebar for Web sites that include directories of training halls. And before you leap into a class, heed this advice to avoid pitfalls and find the best place for you.

o Avoid long-term (and costly) commitment. "My biggest pet peeve is long-term contracts," says Branchaud. "Many schools will lure students in with a low-priced introductory program. The students try it and love it, because it's a special class that's guaranteed to be fun. Then they're told that they have to sign up for a year, which requires a substantial down payment." Ask about the pricing policy up-front.

o Beware of hidden costs. Be sure you know what you're getting into before you sign up. Ask what equipment you'll need, whether you'll be required to buy different uniforms as you progress, and whether there are fees for testing and promotion. "If the person is at all evasive in giving you this information," says Branchaud, "get up and leave."

o Seek creds. Credentials are important because in the U.S., anyone can open a martial arts school. Ask the instructor where he or she trained and for how long, and whether he or she has experience in competition (if you're interested in competing).

o Check out the students. A martial arts class is only as good as the instructor. "Look at the students," advises Branchaud. "If the instructor is really good but the students aren't, then the instructor is having a problem transmitting his information and skill to the students."

o Be philosophical. Some martial arts schools are very informal, while others hold to tradition (think uniforms and bowing). Some focus on the physical aspect of the art, while others include the spiritual. Make sure you're comfortable with the style and philosophy of the class before signing on.

SIDEBAR

Surf to these resources to learn more about martial arts or to find a training hall near you.

Kickboxing.com: http://www.kickboxing.com
Martial Arts information Center: http://www.martialinfo.com
FightingArts: http://www.fightingarts.com
Black Belt Magazine: http://www.blackbeltmag.com

 

[Cthulhu]

George,

For Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) instructors, check out:

Cthulhuhttp://www.pekiti-tirsia.org:8080/FMA/Instructors/browse.html

In the 'Browse listings alphabetically by region (e.g. state)' section, which is the last one, click on 'M'. Look for the Michigan listings and see if any are nearby. Give them a call!

Incidentally, I used this database to find my FMA instructors, and I've been extremely pleased with my training!

Cthulhu

 

[Battousai]

Originally posted by furious george

i'd set aside some time 5 days per week to practise on my own at home. that's my thinking. how often is enough?

-fg

Well hopefully you get into something that does kata (forms). I wouldn't study something that doesn't place high emphasis on kata, arts without them seem really shallow to me, buts thats just my opinion.
Starting out, a different sort of neural net needs to be created. Practice your kata every day. Once you get more then 1, practice every kata every day. Practice kata until you can enact the motions without having to think about what's next. Once you've gotten that far, practice more for skill within the techniques.
Whatever else you practice on your own depends on what your taking. If kata are involved, make sure they teach the self defense within the kata, called bunkai in traditional japanese schools. You might what to ask them if they teach bunkai. If they are supposedly japanese and teach kata, a karate style, and if they don't know the term even, thats a really bad sign.
Katas are the most important thing within all karate styles. If they say they teach kata for exercise, and to work on basic blocks and stances... and they leave it at that, move on to some other place.
For what I specifically think about the importance of kata, you can look on www.Budoseek.net and search for my thread called "The Truth about Kata" or some title like that. Martial arts that use kata for just exercise and such are hardly martial arts at all in my opinion.

 

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by furious george

thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

i live in mid-michigan. a look thru the phonebook shows the old standby's - karate and tae kwan do - available at a few schools. there's also a mauy thai academy, and something else called chung's school of praying mantis

i'd bet driving to flint would give me more possibilities, which brings me to the subject of how often a new student should attend. i'd like to make a 30 minute trip once or twice a week, or a 30 - 60 minute trip only once or twice every two weeks. i'd set aside some time 5 days per week to practise on my own at home. that's my thinking. how often is enough?

rob, American kenpo sounds good from what i've just read on the web about it, but i can't find instruction for it anywhere nearby.

-fg

How far are yo from Garden City Michigan? there is a good instructor there by the name of Kelly Perkins. The school is called Guardian Martial Arts. If you contact me directly I can give you more information of the school and instructor, at worst I am only 2 and half hours away.