How to Choose a Martial Art School - Places to Avoid!

The problem that a lot of people don't realize is that with Martial Arts there isn't an "ultimate fit" for individuals. As with everyone, certain physical characteristics (height, body type, weight, gender, etc.); affect various sports. But this article will help you distinguish what martial art could be for you and what to avoid.

No article can tell you which Martial Art is going to best fit you, only YOU can make the decision for yourself.

But what an article can do is inform you on all the aspects of many different types of martial arts to enable you to determine what your physical attributes will be best suited to.

Don't just join a discipline because someone recommends "their " Martial Art to you, it doesn't mean that it's going to work for you in the same way it does for them.

1. The first thing you can do is RESEARCH. Discover what schools are offered to you locally

2. Secondly, find at least 3 schools that interest you. Watch these classes and decide which one out of those 3 schools interests you the most.

3. Thirdly, you should find out if they have trial classes; one weeks worth will help you make a decision.

If you find that you like the school, then enroll in the class.

Your main goal is to find a Martial Arts School that will offer a safe, friendly environment for you and one which will allow the instructor to help you become the best Martial Artist that you can be. To do this you need the feel the following during your trial.

The bare essentials for choosing the right martial art;

· You need to feel comfortable in the classes

· You need to feel comfortable with the instructor

· You need to feel comfortable with the instructor's TEACHING

· You need to enjoy the discipline(art) itself

Another major problem with martial arts is finding a good school; that is not a "belt factory", because these schools will literally just "give" you a belt rank. If you keep paying they will keep giving you the belts!

A key clue to look out for when identifying these schools is a lot of boasting and self-reassurance of their club; especially about how soon their students reach black belt level and promises to you that you will also be making your black belt in a year's time. The average amount of time someone would progress to a black belt would be at least 4 to 5 years.

A prime example of this would be a club that has several "young black belts" that are usually 9 or 10 years old, this should be a rare thing unless the child started the martial arts when they were 4; as most clubs don't allow (for safety reasons) this is evidence that shows that they may be a "belt factory".

Another clue to look out for is a contract and a required signature, usually one that's 6 months or more to obtain a large amount of money from you.

You should avoid these schools at all costs.

Also before you sign-up anywhere; remember that the art is only as good as the teacher and yourself. Have a look at who you're learning from. Investigate how well your teacher was trained; what tournaments he's been to and what awards he's won.

Also, don't be mislead by these schools letting you know about how many tournaments or competitions their students have entered and trophies that have been won; they aren't the important aspects within Martial Arts. The instructor and the style is what's important.

This is a brief overview of various Martial Arts to help determine which one might be the best for you:

Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Shaolin boxing (striking) -
This martial art will enable you to handle multiple attackers, enables you to engage at long range and enables you to be pro active when necessary. However it's hard to control an attacker without inflicting serious injury.

Hapkido or Judo (grappling) - A great martial art for close attacks and it will enable you to control an attacker without inflicting serious injury. However you must wait for the attacker to make the first move and is not effective against multiple attackers.

Muay Thai- Without a doubt the quickest style to learn; however that doesn't mean it's the easiest. It's a very simplistic style but it makes up for that in grueling training. Muay Thai will enable you achieve extremely strong strikes.

There is no grappling but good dodging, and effective blocking. A very easy art to break into.

Shaolin Eagle Claw (Ying Jow Pai) - It is a Very lethal, simple and effective art and has its share of advanced techniques. Easy to break into in a surprise attack due to a good acrobatics and fantastic use of speed. This requires extremely lethal grappling and a decent amount of agility.

Drunken Kung Fu (Zui Quan) - If your goal is to learn to fight quickly this is not for you. This art is of no use until you get very good at it. But when you do it is one of the best arts for dodging, ground fighting, counterstriking, and tricking your opponent into opening his defenses.

Almost infinite room for advancement, there is no blocking; solely relies on dodging. Doesn't take too long to get into the style but it isn't good at surprise attacks.

Monkey Kung Fu- Another hard martial art to get good at and no counterstriking really, it mainly focuses on mind games, vicious grappling and close quarters fighting.

Tiger Claw Kung Fu- This art includes deadly striking techniques but when you're new at it your likely to hurt yourself. There are not many kicks involved but includes decent blocks, no dodging, average counterstriking and no grappling. Very vicious and quick at takedowns this is an art that is easy to break into quickly.

So, remember to research the different martial arts school before you commit yourself. This will enable you to make well-informed decisions about the martial arts and the teacher before you decide which one is best for you!