Perpetual White Belt
Blue Belt
So, cuz I'm bored right now and I've never really practiced a Chinese art except for a thimble full of Taiji, I thought it might be interesting to see what art out CMA memebers would recommend for a 5ft 10in 300lb man.
Recommendations
- Thread starter Perpetual White Belt
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Whatever you can get your hands on locally.
Perpetual White Belt
Blue Belt
Just for the sake of this discussion let's say I have unlimited access.
Well for the sake of discussion then, go visit all the unlimited schools. See what feels right & fits you best for what you're after. You're the only one that know what it is exactly you want, so you're going to be the ultimate judge of what fits you.
We may be able to weigh in with opinions, thoughts & experiences when you give us an idea of what's in your area, but that's about it.
We may be able to weigh in with opinions, thoughts & experiences when you give us an idea of what's in your area, but that's about it.
I'd recommend starting with a good intro Tai Chi and Qi Gong class. Those are user friendly to most people; most anyone can participate and profit from it.
Many places offer several levels of instruction. From that point, you'll have a martial arts buffet to choose from - advanced forms, weapons forms, almost endless forms of Qi Gong for health, destressing and flexibility, other styles of Tai Chi, other Asian arts such as Ba Gua.
Perpetual White Belt
Blue Belt
:ultracool No need to be sorry. The numbers are a bit deceptive. (although I could stand to lose a few lbs yet, I've gotta' get on a scale to convince most people that I weigh what I weigh) I'm just curious to see what opinions people may have just based off of those stats.
Perpetual White Belt
Blue Belt
Okay, let's change the discussion and say I have Hung Ga, Eagle Claw, and Praying Mantis available.
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With that... it becomes which is most appealing to you after watching classes & talking with the instructors.
Fighting wise... I lean to Hung Ga, Mantis & Eagle Claw.
Aesthetics... Mantis, Eagle Claw, Hung Ga.
Athletics... all of them, but applied differently. Roughly, Hung Ga is a strength builder, Eagle Claw is an agility builder & Mantis is somewhere between the two.
Just out of curiosity, what were your experiences with the "thimbleful of taiji" you studied? I'm only asking because I've seen some taijiquan practitioners who were heavy (as in brick ****-house solid) and could really fight. If you found the right teacher it could be a good fit.
Perpetual White Belt
Blue Belt
I know one 12 movement form designed by a Yang instructor. i.e. He did it to help ease his students into the longer forms. I actually liked it and as I age I find myself doing it more as part of my personal warm-ups before I teach my Arnis classes, so if/when I do start studying a CMA it would probably be that, but I was asking this question more out of curiousity of people's opinion. I very much liked clfsean response in the way that the arts were broken down into the why's of it. Hung Ga's another art that peaks my interest, so it was nice to see a recommendation for that as well.
