Whats The Best Form Of Karate For Fitness/defence?

[shadowx 0]

Hi all, i went karate once for about month or two then left because my step brother annoyed me.. Now a few years later i want to go again, i picked up a leaflet and it had several different forms of karate listed on it and i want to know which one is best for either fitness or self defence so i can make my mind up! Ideally im looking for a form that will offer me fitness, as im definitely not in shape! But also one that gives me practical self defence skills that, if the need arose, i could use on the street to defend me or my friends who dont go karate with me. I suppose the most desired of the two benefits i asked about is fitness, and of course i need a form that i can do, as im a pretty big lad! I can move easilly enough but im not going to be as fast as a fitter bloke, nor am i ging to be able to jump 6 feet in the air and kick someone in the face (Though having said that i wouldnt need to jump, i can get my foot 6 feet high and kick anyway, the advantages of being tall! ) Wado KaiYing WuKwan Kung FuIshinryuWado Ryuthese are the ones that were on the leaflet, ive managed to do a little research on Wado Ryu, and it sounds good as what ive read is that it doesnt rely on strength or fitness as such, more deflection rather than emphasis on massively fast and powerful strikes, which means its a form id be comfortable doing and given the fact i dont do any exercise now it should still help me loose weight combined with a healthier diet. So far i havent been able to find out much abut the other forms so Wado Ryu is in the lead at the moment! I know there are some rather accomplished martial artists on the boards so if youre reading this then please, give me/us some of your wisdom! If youve studied any of these forms then give your experiences and opinions and even some descriptions of the form you know about!I noticed another post abut choosing the most suited martial art but as this is a different request i made a new topic, with any luck the combination of these two topics will give some enlightenment!

[anwiii 17]

i've studied several art forms in my past including tai kwan do, jujitsu, lima lama(sp?), judo, and boxing. i actually met and talked with chuck noris at one encino, ca dojo when he was working at a place i was researching. that was an mazing experience i always liked to mention to my friends back then hahayou need to research your own self. not from a pamphlet and not from advice from others. you need to go in during class and watch what they do and see if it's right for you. take 2 weeks to do this research. visit one place a day for two weeks.for me, i learned alot. martial arts teaches self discipline. within that self discipline, you learn and experience much including how to defend or protect yourself and others. you learn how to take care of your body and you learn respect.martial arts is called an art because it IS an art. it's something that deserves perfection in every sense. you need to be dedicated and not quit after 2 monthsyou will not find what you are looking for here. you will find it by researching first hand and experiencing it yourself.but if i were to recomend anything to you, it would be jujitsu. it works more on control holds and using someone elses strength against them. you still get a workout....you will sweat wherever you go....but it doesn't really base the art on speed or punches or kicks(although all those are involved in any art in defense) it mainly involves being on the ground like judo does. jujitsu understands that every fight usually ends up on the ground and encorporates the defenses involved in that. not only does it teach you control holds and working other peoples strengths against them, it shows you how to get out of control holds.but every art form will involve speed and punches and kicks. they have to. every art form is for defense and protecting ones self from harm. if a fight is at a distance, kicks are necessary. if close, punches.....when closer, control holds and no better place for control holds than taking someone to the ground because that's when their movement is limited.but don't take jujitsu just because i suggested it, research your own self in what will work for YOU and what will keep you interested so you don't quit after 2 months again.

[mrdee 1]

I do agree with Anwiii on some points.The best thing i could advise you is, if you can, go and watch one of the classes of some of or all of those different styles, and if you can, have a chat with the senseis/sifus.This will give you a much clearer picture of what seems to be for you.You will at least be able to assess what kind of moves, attacks, blocks and defenses are used, you will be able to see the amount of strength, effort and energy is required, as well as seeing what results every style yields.Or you could even ask (or it might be on the leaflet you were given), some schools let people have a or some free sessions so that they can see and experience for themselves what things are like.By the way, not all things in your list are karate, like you say in your title and your post.From what I can see, Ishinryu and Wado Ryu are two styles of karate, the others are kung fu or Chinese boxing.Obviously, you also have to take other things into consideration, like, how must do the classes cost, how many times a week do they train, is it on days/times suitable to you etc.This is a problem for many people wanting to take up a martial art.For example, I do Shotokan Karate at the moment, but I used to do Wudang Tai Chi and I would love to take up Muay Thai (kickboxing), the only problem is, either there aren't any clubs near enough to me, or clubs that have their sessions on times which suit me, or, and that is often the main factor, some of them charge you an arm and a leg for their sessions (and have you ever tried doing a martial art with only one arm and one leg? )But, yes, the best thing is to do some research, and that will reveal a lot.Which brings to me the following unpleasant thought:I have just come back from the doctor's, i had to stop my training Sunday evening due to an excruciating pain in my knee.I have to go to hospital later to have an X-Ray done, the doctor thinks there is something loose inside my knee, either a piece of tissue or a piece of cartilage that has broken off.The worst thing is, on Sunday 9/12 I have my grading exam for my brown belt with red stripe, which is the one just before black.The doctor has said, if the worst comes to the worst, he'll give me an injection so I would still be able to do the exam, but I can't afford to miss any training sessions at the moment, being so close to the exam.He has also prescribed me some anti inflammatory pills, hopefully that can clear up a lot of the rubbish in a short time, but I am quite worried about having to miss the practice sessions leading up to the exam.I know tonight's session will definitely be a no no, hopefully I can stand on both legs by Sunday.Anyway, hope my advice has helped.Good luck and have fun.Banzai!!!