someguy said:
Any of those would be good as long as the teacher is good for you.
I don't have much advise really but I would like to know what type of Kung fu is it?
Curiosity killed the cat. Good thing I'm not a cat. I'd long since be dead and dead people can't be satisfied.
He's right. Also, If they are all strict to their art, It is going to be harder to pick, because they all have strengths and weaknesses. See if any of the instructors have training in any other styles. Our school likes to borrow from all styles, though we are a trditional korean TKD school. Since nobody else told you the focuse of the arts, I'll give you an overview from what I know.
Tae Kwon Do = Kicks. There are all the techniques, but strong, fast legs are the focus. Don't do Olympic tae kwon do, It isn't too practical, all kicks. I enjoy TKD a lot, and it is the most popular art in America right now. Be careful with American TKD, some of the instructors are lax with technique, and the full force of the martial arts is in the details.
The rest won't be so detailed, as I have limited experience in them.
Akido - A great one for self defense. Main focus is close combat, manipulation of the body to use less power for greater result. Joint locks, counters, throws. A must for self defense of the less than lethal sort. Not much in range fighting though, and takes a while to really be useful do to the need for detail in technique. But fun stuff.
Kung Fu - Sorry, I know little about kung fu. I'm not well studied in the soft styles. I have talked to many kung fu students though. There are practical and inpractical techniques learned. The biggest thing about kung fu is that it is a soft style. My understanding is that in a soft style you train from the inside out. Meaning spirit and mind first followed by body. Makes for great fighters when further in training, but less effective early on. Hard style is an outside in process. Body first, followed by spirit and mind. Makes for strong fighters early on, but takes longer for the concepts of timing, distance, flow, misdirection and such to sink in.
Shodokan - I'm not positive I have this right, so correct me If I''m wrong. Shodokan is a very hard style. Mainly focussed on hard punching and strong stances. makes for a fighter that will take a punch to deal one out that is much more effective. I've fought quite a few hard style japanese fighters, A couple from japan, and they are good fighters. good timing, and control of distance. But, most of the time, they couldn't keep up with my kicks.
All in all, find the best instructor, try to pick an art that fits your body type. If at all possible, try the class out before you join so you can get an idea of what the classes are like.
