subject: Tips On Selecting Martial Arts Classes
[print this page] It is well worth considering some of these factors before leaping in at the deep end. Besides, there are some factors that will be learned from ALL styles; self discipline and self defence for example.
Self Defence
Across the world there are various Martial Arts clubs that profess to emphasise self defence skills above and beyond the norm. Martial Arts classes that overly focus on historical training methods, keeping the style as close to the original as possible and ensuring Kata remain rigidly performed, will have less time to teach you self defence skills. If you are looking for effective street' self defence, you'll need to find a club that trains heavy and tests the skills learned under pressure.
Fitness
Many schools do not place a lot of importance on physical fitness but most will at the very least improve your fitnes to a degree. When a style places more emphasis on historical accuracy and technical mastery physical fitness suffers as a result. If you want to get really fit, you should try one of the combat sports.
Fighting Skills
There is significant variation between styles in the fighting skills taught, some place greater emphasis on the more nasty, and so effective, techniques than others. Self defence schools will teach you how to inflict damage on an attacker as quickly and efficiently as possible. Other styles will be slow to get to these techniques and will make you advance through the process before you learn them.
Competition
Some styles, even the traditional ones, focus wholly on competing and it's all about medals won. There are a range of styles of competition and the training for these is quite different. Touch sparring is very different to full contact and this has self defence implications!
Before determining which Martial Arts classes to take you will need to do some local research. Visit the local Dojos and Schools in your region. At the very least watch some of a class and ask the instructor some questions about the training. Better still take part in a few lessons and see what they are like, often the first class is a free taster' session
All of this effort will help you make the right decision. Martial Arts training is way more than a hobby and will affect you in numerous ways, once you get stuck in you will glean the benefits.
