Ask HN: What martial arts do you practice? What do you recommend?

I've studied judo, karate and kung fu. My favorite was kung fu! Here's the school I attended: http://leungmartialarts.com/

I'd say finding a place to train with students I knew and got along with and an instructor I liked was the most important thing for me. I tried out a few classes at different schools before settling on this particular one. I liked the emphasis on cooperation, incorporation of tai chi practice, and that the leader of the school spent a lot of time with new students like myself, making sure we mastered each technique.

I've been doing brazilian jiu-jitsu for about 5 years, and would highly recommend it to anyone. I know a wide range of people who practice it, from professional fighters to little kids to a guy in his 60s.

I think it fits especially well for the HN crowd, because there's generally very little mystical bs that goes on, and although this analogy gets abused, it's basically human chess. There's a very analytical approach to learning jiu-jitsu as opposed to most striking arts (I also do muay thai and recommend that as well if the idea if touching people grosses you out) which are largely reflexive.

I've been doing Wing Tsun kung fu for over ten years. If you find a good school, it's a very methodical, highly intelligent and very technical martial art. There's a lot of depth to it, and as you get better, it gets more and more subtle (as well as a lot more effective). Unfortunately, there's also a lot of schools that are not very good (as with any martial art), so your experience may vary. In my experience, the german (Leung Ting) branch of the art is the best at this point. We have a few ex-fencers in our class, and they seem to enjoy it a lot.

The style itself is a soft style, relying on speed and sensitivity to deflect the opponent's attacks and triumph. A lot of the training is partner-training, a lot of it is playing role games. As you get better, we also work on the psychology and tactics of the fight. I've been doing it for a long time, and I have never gotten bored with it - there's always people who are measurably better than you to serve as a reminder of what you're striving for. In many martial arts, once you hit a certain plateau, there's not much difference between someone who trained for five years versus someone who trained for 10 - here, the difference is clear as day.

The other thing I really enjoy about our school is a very well structured curriculum - you always have very specific goals and targets to work on, you get tested every 3 months, and the teacher always keeps track of where you are at and that you're making progress.

If you're in the SF Bay Area, send me an email (my username @ gmail), I can give you an introduction or an invite to class.

Most martial arts schools offer free or discounted introductory lessons. You can attend a class for a month or so to decide whether it's something that suits you.

How WT compares to other martial arts (that I have any familiarity with):

Aikido - softer, more traditional teaching style, so it can take a lot longer to get good at it. Similar concepts in terms of deflection and redirection of opponent's attacks; not as aggressive as WT.

BJJ - focuses on tournament-style fighting with certain rules - great for locks and ground fighting, but there's a reason that most people who take BJJ also take Muay Thai or another striking art at the same time - BJJ doesn't cover those areas well, if at all.

Muay Thai - amazing cardio, amazing for working on your balance, but more brutal and simple, not much technique or sensitivity involved.

Krav Maga - another very physically strenuous workout, but focuses on a set of very simple techniques. Not much depth to it, after six months or so you probably know most of what they have, after that it's just about getting stronger/faster.

Living in HK and having seen a few Bruce Lee movies I studied Wing Chun when I was young.

The appeal to me was the sifu (Ng Chun Hong) was an older kung fu master who had trained since his childhood. This guy had forearms like iron bars and could easily have kicked my ass with a blindfold and one arm behind his back. The training was old-school tough - my first few weeks were simply 2 hour sessions of squatting to train my leg muscles.

Taekwondo. I highly recommend it (and any martial art really) that have a good/regular schedule that will help you to be motivated.

The most important thing is to do it for the fitness, for weight loss, or for something else goal oriented that isn't belt levels or rank. Make sure to set attainable goals, meet them, re-evaluate, repeat. I went into taekwondo wanting to lose some weight. I lost 30 pounds. Then I wanted to make the competition team, so I started training harder, running and doing interval training. Last year I won 1 gold and 1 silver medal in competitions. My current goal is to be able to do single leg squats.

Just keep mixing it up on yourself. You would be surprised how motivated you will find yourself even outside of class.

I studied Akido for a while and I was very impressed. Gotta get back into it.

I've done some Amok (http://www.amokcombatives.com/). Challenging, practical, and with a focus on blade weapons that's unusual these days.

There are many dimensions to consider when choosing a martial art and it may be wise to try a few if you never had experience beside fencing. I practiced Karate (shorin-ryu) for three years when I was young and I was never really happy. I've been doing flying white crane kung fu (fujian, not tibetan style) for many years now and I love it. It just depends on each person. Some dimensions to look for:

Soft (use the opponent strength) vs Hard (punch and kick hard!)

Traditional (deep historical background, traditional forms that have been taught for hundreds of years, at least some sparring without any equipment, spiritual dimension) vs Modern (sparring is almost exclusively done with equipments, more acrobatic moves)

Martial Arts vs. Combat Sport. I don't want to get too much flak on this one, but IMHO, the more rules you have, the more it looks like a combat sport. Which is perfectly fine if this is what you like!

Each school will favor some of these dimensions over the others, even among the same style (e.g., karate, kung fu, and even boxing vary widely across schools).

But the most important aspect is probably the teacher. If you are afraid of your teacher, if you are stressed every time you are on your way to the school, it won't do you any good, because clearly, you are not going there to become the next Bruce Lee or to learn how to save your family from burglars.

I would personally recommend boxing, or fisticuffs if you're feeling fancy, since it requires just as much discipline as any Eastern martial art (I also did kenpo karate and Taekwondo for 2 years) and I've found works better for actual defence. Besides that, there's very little of the mysticality that is often found in Eastern martial arts. But remember, to each their own. Try out different ones. Find which one fits you.

I logged in just to post this. Try Capoeira. It's not as well known as many other martial arts, but it's a lot of fun.

It's a Brazilian martial art which originated with the black slaves transported from Africa. In the 1800's, around 1880 or so, slavery was abolished, and due to massive former slave unemployment and gang activity, capoeira grew steadily more violent. It was soon outlawed, and any found practicing it were jailed. However, around 1930, a movement grew to found capoeira as a "modern" martial art, with a formalized training and graduation system, as opposed to a very advanced form of street fighting. Since then, it's been getting less violent and more popular throughout the world.

It's very different from the other martial arts. The closest Asian martial art would be Wushu; capoeira is equally "showy" at times, utilizing flips, jump kicks, and so on and so forth. A lot of the movements you see in breakdancing actually originated in capoeira. Headspins, 1990's, butterfly kicks, backflips, the "baby freeze" are all movements in breakdancing, but also find their place in capoeira.

Capoeira is played to music and singing on the traditional instruments. A berimbau, drums, and a pandeiro (tambourine). The speed of the game (the fight) is set by the music. Finally, capoeira is a game of strategy: it requires quick thinking, because every movement by your opponent can be countered and used to gain the advantage. At higher levels, the fight becomes a mental one - you must anticipate what your opponent will do before he does it, and, at higher levels still, you can lead your opponent to do what you want him to do, so that you know in advance what will happen.

It's a very dynamic martial art. It's beautiful and incredibly fun, as well as incredibly tiring. It really does a wonderful job of combining "martial" aspects with "art" aspects: some styles of play emphasize fighting and defense, while some emphasize beauty. Some do both.

Here are some links to videos of capoeira games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51q1VB_dDik http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQl3iInVd0Y

Feel free to email me for questions. My username at gmail. There are multiple groups; I would suggest joining Abadá capoeira if you have them near you, as that is the largest and most organized group, from what I've heard.

I practice aikido.

As someone else here mentioned, it's a soft style in that it's less about striking than speed and timing.

It also consists of mental training: quieting your mind and removing unnecessary thoughts and distraction (it's been described as "meditation in motion").

Some downsides: it takes a long time to get to any level of proficiency, it's non-competitive (so unlike fencing, there are no tournaments to compete in), and only really useful in defense.

As with any martial art, the critical thing is to find a good teacher.

The best advice might be to visit several dojos of the different forms people have mentioned here, and see which one suits you best.

I used to practice KravMaga and systema as a full contact martial art for more then 10 years, both are practical martial arts, if you do not mind getting black and blue from time to time, it will also improve your physical fitness, conditioning, and instincts very fast.

For the last several years i am practicing Iaido, which is generally speaking, the martial art of drawing, striking, shaking off the blood, and sheathing back the sword.

It has no practical use as a martial method,and is highly ceremonial. I find it to be the most demanding martial art i ever practiced in terms of mental requirements. The simplest forms take years to master, it is a humbling and often frustrating experience, I highly recommend.

I am of the school of thought that believes in practical martial arts (ie. proven through combat, sport, and sparring).

This includes but not limited to: Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo. And depending on the quality of teacher, some styles of Karate, Tae kwon do.

I train in jiu jitsu and muay thai. Some people like the more spiritual / philosophical side of martial arts, which is totally acceptable and understandable. I've never tried any of it myself, but if you're into drunken monkey, 5 animal styles kung fu, go for it.

However, I'd hate to train something for years and only embarrass myself when push comes to shove and its time to employ that martial art in a no rules street fight.

I am a Yoshinkan Aikdio sensei.

I began training almost 20 years ago when I was still a major nerd programmer. With seven Karate schools in town, it was the philosophy of Aikido that hooked me.

My take on the philosophy is that we are all in this mess together and someone who is attacking us is reaching out for help in the only way they know how. They are damaged and need help. Hurting them will increase their damage and add more pain into the world. As a responsible person and martial artist, that is not my goal. Aikido provides non-violent ways of protecting yourself as well as your attackers. The founder called it the martial art of love.

It's also handy when someone you care about gets triggered, temporarily loses their mind, attacks blindly, and needs to be controlled without being hurt. (That's happened to me.)

Nobody mean or aggressive tends to stay in Aikido. It's taught cooperatively and is a very good environment. Nobody is out to hurt anyone in Aikido classes making it a lot of fun, whipping people through the air and having them laughing and coming back for more. It also seems to attract intellectuals. Many of my instructors had PHD's.

What it comes down to though, is the individual teacher, more so than the martial art. I would avoid teacher's who are on a power trip. Nice, confident, warm, instructors in any martial art are people I'm honored to train with.

I also highly recommend joining a yoga class.

John.

I have been practicing wushu for 12 years. I find that it is a sport that constantly pushes me. I focus mostly on sport wushu forms. I do not generally enjoy hitting other people and wushu has a performance focus that resonates with me. I grew up watching Kung Fu movies so it was a good fit for me.

I think saying one style is better than the other is like saying orange juice is better than apple juice. I think you need to find the style that suits your body type and personality. Any school worth their salt will let you at least try a free class. You should try the class. Also another important factor is the skill of the students regardless of style. You should pick a school where your classmates will challenge and push you. Trying out the class will also let you see if you will get along with those people. After all if you are serious you ilk probably be spending a lot of time with them. Location is another factor. Ideally it should be close so that you go often.

My suggestion would be Tai Chi (also spelled Tai Qi and Tai Ji depending on who you ask...).

You might not even think of Tai Chi as a martial art, and that's because although Tai Chi is in fact a martial art, it is also something of a meditative practice akin to yoga. Similar to the aikido suggestions below, Tai Chi is not a striking art, but is mostly about redirecting the opponent's energy, as well as moves that hinder or disable the opponent from attacking you in the first place. Tai Chi focuses on sensitivity and receptiveness rather than force or strength, so even if you do it for years, you won't come out of it looking like Bruce Lee, which may or may not be a positive for you.

I don't have a lot of experience with other martial arts, aside from a few random Karate lessons when I was young, but I've been going to a local Tai Chi class for about 6 months now and I highly recommend it.

    Tai Chi has been a great experience for me as well. I think because of its strengthening and stretching, balance and control as well as low risk of putting me out of work with an injury. It has been awesome for my lower back. 
    It can be very calming and has a spiritual side which you can explore if that's your thing. Tai Chi contains the roots of all other chinese martial arts so you could use it as a stepping stone off the couch. 
    I personally hope more people will find and benefit from Tai Chi. 

How much "martial" vs how much "art"?

Tai Chi, Iaido, and kata-focused disciplines are more "art". Jeet Kun Do, Muay Thai, and combat-focused disciplines are more "martial". All are worthy, it's more a matter of what your goals are.

I suggest to try Aikido, Tai Chi, or Wing Chun Kung Fu. Aikido has by far the best philosophy of any martial art in my opinon, and it's worth learning for that reason alone. I like Yoshinkan Aikido.

Start easy and get yourself fit and flexible at the beginning. Remember that until your black belt you are really only getting rid of bad habits in your movement and reactions.

Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of the Bujinkan... and a 5th Dan...

It really depends on what you want to get out of it, if you want street defense then there is really nothing better that Jiu-Jitsu or Aikido. I like small circle Jiu-Jitsu out of all the Jiu-Jitsu disciplines, but it is hard to find schools. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a good art just keep in mind that it has been adapted over the years to focus on competing in MMA tournaments. As such it has eliminated a good deal of knowledge about small joint manipulation and breakage, which in a street fight is invaluable. There are others like small-circle that still retail small-joint along with weapons disarmament.

For sport and limberness Taekwondo is a good choice, as well if you want to compete at some point but dont like the idea of getting pummeled, Taekwondo is the largest point sparing art. Point sparing is not fighting, it is a sport where you achieve points for landing a strike, it is fully padded and once a blow is landed the opponents reset and start over, it is similar to fencing. Just keep in mind, it does not prepare you to be a well rounded street fighter.

Aikido is an awesome art that is very effective in street combat. You do not see it in UFC style fighting because it focuses on small joint breaks, pressure points and a good deal of stuff that is outlawed in the sport of MMA for obvious reasons. None the less it is extremely effective and can be deadly when mastered. It is also the art that takes the longest to achieve mastery.

Kung Fu is very philosophical and is one of the oldest arts, some of it is not as practical as more contemporary arts but it has value in exercise and meditation.

Honest opinion, I think that Judo, Kempo and most of the other arts are not well rounded enough to focus your time on. Jiu-Jitsu covers Judo and more, Boxing or Taekwondo or better striking arts than Kempo and its joint techniques are inferior to Aikido or Jiu-Jitsu. Most of the other Karate based arts kind of fall into the same trap, other arts have surpassed them.

The only other ones I can think of are muay-thai which is a good boxing art, I think Taekwondo has better kicking form but muay-thai has better hand boxing and knees and elbow strikes.

The other would be Jeet Kune Do which was Bruce Lees art and combination of disciplines. It was a very interesting art but the reality was that it was 1. unfinished and 2. all of the masters are deceased so the art has for all intents and purposes died. While Lee documented it, learning technique from a book never suffices for the real thing, and all of the masters today have learned from the reconstruction of techniques in the book.

Another data point - I trained in Aikido for several years, and enjoyed it tremendously. I eventually moved away from my dojo and couldn't make it often enough, so I stopped, but I highly recommend it.

It's been particularly helpful in defending me "on the street" - it taught me to be really good at falling without hurting myself, which is an incredibly practical self-defense skill. It's come in handy many times on icy Michigan roads. I'm not looking to start a fight, and I've never been ambushed by ninjas, so striking arts haven't really appealed to me.

Capoeria looks like a lot of fun, too.

If you have no prior affiliation or interest in a particular martial art, choose a school based on the master and the school's culture, rather than the type of martial art.

A good master will make any martial art learning experience great. A poor one will ruin any school.

Go watch a class - are the students training diligently, treating each other respectfully, and being taught firmly but carefully by their instructor?

The master sets the tone, culture, and norms of the school. In a sense the master is the school.

I've been training Hapkido in Melbourne, AU (www.hkd.com.au) for the past 12 years, which ticks all the above boxes.

Congrats on everyone so far avoiding the 'martial' as 'marital' typo :)

If you just want fitness/exercise, might I recommend parkour? Most people don't consider it a martial art, but they do consider it a discipline rather than a sport. It requires the same level of dedication and practice to be good at, and enhances your world view in a similar way to martial arts. The real benefit, I find, is that it is far more social than martial arts; there's a great community of traceurs around the world who are constantly trying new things and helping each other out. I'm not going to go into much more detail unless you're interested, so reply here if you are.

I've already added a comment about a particular martial art. But I think that you could also narrow it down through a kind of decision tree:

Do you want to be 'badass'? Do you care whether there is a philosophy side to it? Do you want to have a grading system (belts, for instance)? Is it important to have a 'pure' art - or would a school that 'takes the best from different arts' sound better? Can you just sit on the side at a school to watch a lesson (call first so they can suggest a suitable lesson)? Do you want to be able to demonstrate to your friends? Do you want to be able to do a 'form' (solo, regimented practice)? Do you want to be taught 'weapons'?

Is the school run for love or money? Are the other students people who you feel comfortable with? Can you respect the teacher(s)?

Of course, other people have asked all the above questions better : http://everything2.com/title/Things+to+consider+when+choosin... - but I must emphasise the importance of making sure the school is right for you ...