Noob question - Which martial art style for an adult?

[Em MacIntosh]

Take some boxing for six months then ask this question again.

 

[NDNgirl4ever]

I heard that if we want to learn Wushu, Taekondo or Karate, we have to learn them when we are young.

Not true. I'm 20, and I started Karate about a year ago. 22 is NOT old by any means! There are people in my class who are several years older than me who have just started taking karate a few months ago, and they love it(as do I)!

I second what they other people are saying. Visit some schools, talk to students, and watch the classes. Then choose the school and instructor that you think would be the best one for you.

 

[martialartspeon]

I would say check out a few schools! I have now been studying martial arts for 3 years which is not very long but I think the most important aspect isn't the style but the teachers and how comfortable you are with the environment you are learning in. Martial arts really is a way of life and you need a great foundation to start that.

Once you have studied for a few years I think branching out to different schools and styles and experiencing new things is a great way to improve your overall knowledge.

 

[mcantele]

22 is far from old. I started TKD 2 years ago at 48. If I had started at 22 I would possibly had studied 2 or 3 arts by now. What ever you decide, make sure you are enjoying yourself, or you may not continue. For an overall great work out, I would recommend Taekwondo at any age.

 

[masherdong]

PLEASE!! We have a 50 year old who started grappling a few months back. It all depends on what YOU are looking for. I am 36 and I just recently started back to train in Praying Mantis Kung Fu after a 12 year hiatus.

I studied Kajukenbo before mantis, just to clear that up.

 

[K31]

I was reading a LTE last night in BB magazine from a guy who was 67 when he started TKD and is now 75.

 

[Topeng]

I'm glad to not see posts that state one style as if it is the end all, be all of the MA world.
To not repeat on the suggestions, just a note. I'm 30 and just started in the FMA's last year. You are still young. A guy I work with is in his 50's, took up Taekwondo a few months back and loves it. Much power to him since, in my eyes, TKD is way up there in physical demands.
Find one that fits you. You'll know when you find it.

 

[Banjarian]

Starting your training at at any age will be fine as along as you can cope with the requirement of the training. MA training is both physical and mental, you have to know whether you have what is required to finish/continue your training. Some martial arts training continues as you age, you grow with different belts, so the question is 'do you have the motivation to continue'. I find some people look for other soft arts as they get older because the aging body cannot cope with the physical regiments of training. I used to train in TKD when I was in my 20's, then as I entered 30's my body cannot cope with the hard trainings, high kicks etc. I am going for a softer style now.
Best of all if you can find an art that you can stick with till you are old and grey.

 

[jackmcmanus21]

The more information you gather, the better. Find out what you want...do you want fitness? Do you want striking? Do you want grappling and submission? Do you want all? After that, you have to find gyms and figure out prices. Give yourself a good month to research it and then make your decision. 22 is a fine age to start, you're close to your physical peak

 

[Zeal]

If by old you are referring to you feel old or if your not in the best shape of your life, I suggest styles that use mostly counters, such as tai chi (also good for overall health, like any martial art). But there clearly is no right or wrong answer when choosing a style. DO NOT, however, try learning a lot of styles or trying to learn two at the same time. That would just waste time your trying to save.

 

[myusername]

I second the people who have said look for quality instruction rather than the style. I'm 28 by the way and have just started TKD and I'm not finding myself too old.

When I was looking to start a MA I got really hung up on what was the ultimate, best style for self defence. I looked on the wrong type of forums (I'm sure people here know what type of forum I am reffering to!). So from the misinformation I had recieved TKD was on the bottom of my list. I tried a few MMA schools and they just were not interested in novices. I was left floundering at the back with no instruction, we would do a warm up and then just have a punch up! I could have got that down my local pub! I reluctantly tried my TKD school after becoming quickly disillusioned with the others and have not looked back! My instructor is a great teacher, he spends loads of time making sure you are doing everything right and teaches TKD with a lot of emphasis on real self defence. Hence, it is the quality of instruction not the style you need to look at. Look around on this site and you will quickly learn that all martial arts are awaesome!

 

[Supra Vijai]

Hi there,

I know the feeling, am a newbie MA myself.

I would highly recommend Ninjutsu (my own art). I don't train with the Bujinkan but rather with one of the split off organisations commonly referred to as the "X-Kan"s.

The organisation I am a part of has their head office in Brisbane and is a great place to have a look if you are looking for variety with history and lineage. Our head instructor has trained with both Nagato Sensei and Hatsumi Sensei in Japan before starting this school. I won't go into too many details of what we cover and what not (Mind you, I am very biased

)

Check out the website at www.ninjutsuaustralia.com for the exact details and outline of the training schedules etc. Might be just what you are looking for.

 

[JoeW]

In my opinion you are not going to know what you like until you dive in and try some out. Do some research on the instructors of some local places that interest you then go and try the best ones out.