Q&A for How to Choose a Martial Art

What makes the "Art of War" so magnificent is that it's strategies can be used in almost any situation in life. Business, politics, sport strategies, and of course, martial arts.

There isn't a maximum age limit. As long as your body can handle it, it's not too late to start. As for the minimum age limit, it depends on the kid's attention span and willingness to commit to the martial art. Some schools specialize in teaching certain age groups.

Yes, but use this as a "getting started" option only. It's good to be somewhat acquainted with your chosen marital art before starting, but you really need a qualified instructor to teach you.

Of course. It doesn't matter what your gender is. If you're a man fighting a woman who's more skilled than you, then you may well lose.

Yes, many people who wear glasses take marital arts lessons!

The answer to your question is yes, however the explanation is a bit deeper. In many ways, combat is about controlling your opponent. Martial arts help you learn the discipline and techniques needed to gain this control.

Starting st the age of five or six is really the youngest you should go, any younger and the kid doesn't have much of an attention span.

Yes, you will need to be well disciplined to learn the ways of any martial art, or else you could get hurt.

That's perfectly fine! Read up on the martial art you are interested in, or find a studio that teaches it. Ask the instructor if you can sit and watch one of the classes, and after the class is over, you can ask him or her questions.

Yes, in the same way you can learn neurosurgery off of YouTube. But would you want to be operated on by someone who learnt surgery in this manner or someone who learnt through thousands of hours being directly taught by a master surgeon? In the same way, your life could one day depend on your knowledge of martial arts.

Yes. Taekwondo uses more kicks, and karate uses a good mixture of punches and kicks. If you are more flexible and can evade attacks well, you may prefer taekwondo. If you can block and attack with combos of kicks and punches, you might go with karate.

Traditional Japanese Jujutsu was invented for use in armor on a battlefield, so it avoids going to the ground where you can be ganged up on, yet extensively explores ground technique. It incorporates both striking and grappling, but it's main strength is in grappling. Brazilian Jujutsu, Judo and Aikido are offshoots of Jujutsu which emphasize ground techniques and grappling.

You can learn martial arts through YouTube.

It definitely can.

Yes, you can.

Then you have only one option: learn via YouTube. There are lots of good training videos for various martial arts forms out there.

Definitely, I have been training for just over a year now. It may seem dull at first, but the techniques used are very effective. You will spend the first couple of months just learning the techniques, then they may let you free-spar with another student.

The effectiveness of any martial art depends on how you plan to use it and how hard you train.

Muay Thai is a good martial art, and combining this with Wing Chun could be very effective, as you have Muay Thai for distance combat and Wing Chun for up-close.

Taekwondo, as it practices fluid movements and self-control. I've been doing Taekwondo for 3 years.

I have done both. Personally, I would choose aikido. Aikido is more defensive, whereas karate is more offensive.

Traditional karate involves punches, kicks, knees, grappling and in some cases ground fighting, whereas taekwondo focuses on mostly kicking techniques and a little bit of punching.

No, many beginner adults do it as well.

While the word "karate" means "barehanded" in Japanese, there are a few branches that practice weapon skills. However, it's unlikely to find one in America. For accurate information, consult the coaches or dojos.

It depends on your fitness level. If it's medium to high, I recommend Krav Maga. On the lower end, try BJJ.

Yes, after all, it doesn't matter how big, strong, or fat you are - if your body can handle even a small amount of exercise you can practice martial arts (whether that martial art is taekwondo or something else is entirely personal preference).

It just depends really, anything from jiu jitsu to sambo to kembo to drifsu to chilean camba would work.

MMA is any martial art but mixed with others to optimize it. You can take any martial arts classes or look for classes online to help you learn.

Yes. There's no limit to how many different subsets of martial arts you can learn. I would recommend mastering one before moving on to another one though.

Karate focuses more on blocking, hitting, and punching, while taekwondo focuses more on kicking. Karate tends to have short, powerful movements, while taekwondo makes them graceful and flowy (while still retaining the power). In addition, you may consider whether you are more interested in learning about the Japanese or Korean culture, as you will learn many cultural tidbits and words from each. Research local teachers in your area for both and see which one of them you prefer.