Which Martial Art should I choose?
Choosing a Martial Art to practice is most certainly the first, and perhaps the most important question we ask ourselves before beginning the journey. If we are to base the question purely on the merits of which one will suit our needs best, the answer is fairly straightforward. If self defense is your top priority you want a "soft" or "internal" Art. If that was what I was looking for, JuJitSu, Hapkido or Judo would most likely be the top three. You get to be Stephen Segal and learn lots of "no nonsense" techniques that work well on the street. If, on the other hand, you want to be Jean Claude Van Damme and have an arsenal of impressive "big" techniques you want a "hard" or "external" art. Taekwondo, Karate or Muay Thai will then fit the bill nicely.
There is, however, a more important consideration and that's the quality of the club or school you decide to enroll in. If you pick a bad one, you're in for a bumpy ride. First problem will be cost - bad schools/clubs will continually allow you to grade in order to collect grading fees from you. Don't be naive - there are bad clubs and bad instructors out there with a main focus on how much money they can get out of you before you (inevitably) quit. I attended a Karate class once that consisted of nothing more than the instructor showing us (we were all beginners) a long demonstration of advanced techniques. We didn't actually do any training, and I never went back.
I'm in luck here - the club I train at has a Master who's integrity, skill and passion for the art are self evident and his classes are run by instructors who share the same passion for the art. Taekwondo "does it" for me because so many things I want can be achieved. My top priority is to maintain fitness and flexibility as I move into old (or older!) age, but I know I'm getting a healthy dose of self defense (we get taught Hapkido moves as part of the syllabus) and the sport aspect of Taekwondo gives me the chance to try out what I learn in as real a situation as possible without actually (most of the time) hurting anyone.
The short answer to this question - Taekwondo is without doubt the most rounded Martial Art and if you can find a good club it will serve you well.
There is, however, a more important consideration and that's the quality of the club or school you decide to enroll in. If you pick a bad one, you're in for a bumpy ride. First problem will be cost - bad schools/clubs will continually allow you to grade in order to collect grading fees from you. Don't be naive - there are bad clubs and bad instructors out there with a main focus on how much money they can get out of you before you (inevitably) quit. I attended a Karate class once that consisted of nothing more than the instructor showing us (we were all beginners) a long demonstration of advanced techniques. We didn't actually do any training, and I never went back.
I'm in luck here - the club I train at has a Master who's integrity, skill and passion for the art are self evident and his classes are run by instructors who share the same passion for the art. Taekwondo "does it" for me because so many things I want can be achieved. My top priority is to maintain fitness and flexibility as I move into old (or older!) age, but I know I'm getting a healthy dose of self defense (we get taught Hapkido moves as part of the syllabus) and the sport aspect of Taekwondo gives me the chance to try out what I learn in as real a situation as possible without actually (most of the time) hurting anyone.
The short answer to this question - Taekwondo is without doubt the most rounded Martial Art and if you can find a good club it will serve you well.
Labels: Taekwondo
posted by Tomcat's Taekwondo at
23:05
4 Comments:
Nice well thought out post. But, to call TKD 'the most well rounded martial art,' when a few lines above you have admitted to having had to be taught some Hapkido to learn anything self defence oriented strongly implies that this is not the case.
Not to detract anything from TKD as a sport or in general, but I think what you're saying here is that if you're lucky and get a good instructor then you'll get a good well rounded education. (this is the same for any martial art not just TKD)
Hi Mark, can't fault the logic. I should really have mentioned Ho Sin Sul rather than Hapkido as strictly speaking that's what we get taught as part of the Taekwondo syllabus. But it's not very well heard of, and in essence Hapkido is what it is. Taekwondo is of course, a marriage of quite a few Korean styles, with a fair amount of Japanese influence thrown in.
Absolutely, the most important factor is the quality and integrity of the instructor.
Mark - that region of the world had healthy cross-pollination and exchange of martial art skills and knowledge. Many people historically travelled in and out from China influencing other martial art traditions and development. The pidgeon holing we often get in the modern world I don't think is representative of the type of sharing that occurred then - whether intentional or not. In my view, systems are created for various reasons - to of course teach a combative skill is one thing, but it is also for the convenience of propogating a bag of tricks. This does not mean that teachers or experts had less skills. I believe that pragmatic fighters would be exposed to a good deal of striking, grappling, locking, throwing, and weaponry. Look at the historical Okinawans - they were serious strikers but grappled for competition! I myself think that taekwondo has a fantastic well rounded training syllabus. Many schools probably don't do justice to it, but it is there ... and I can show you what I have seen.
Check out my Australian Taekwondo Magazine Interview for more on this.
Cheers!
Colin
Hi, Mark. I dont think you did justic to Taekwondo when you said you learnt another martial art for self defence. Taekwondo has a self defence training of its own. I dont think your master has those skills or knows that self defence exists in Taekwondo. You just cant open your mouth and say such a disrespectful thing. My master [2nd Dan] got a book from his master [5th Dan],and he got from his master [4th Dan], and he also got it from his master, a Korean master [7th Dan] in South Korea, which shows old taekwondo self defence techinques. Some of the text is few hundred years old and some is ancient. Before Taekwodo was even given this name [Taekwondo]. Pure in there forms using all the kicks and punches of Taekwondo. I have learnt some of them because I got the knowledge from a book written in Korea by a Korean Master. Did you got this knowledge from a open gym teacher whos master you dont even know?
Next time be a bit more careful before you disrespect Taekwondo.
Thanks
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