Martial Arts Training: Help Me Choose!

[skb12172]

As a young teenager, I took Taekwondo, earning my Red (equivalent to Brown) belt. I then got into AAU boxing for a few years. I also wrestled in high school.

Never earning my black belt has always bugged me. At this point, It's been so long that I would have to start over, no matter what I chose. Therefore, my options are wide open.

However, this bucket list item needs to be accomplished while I am still young enough to do so. I just turned 39, have some mild lower back problems, and the clock is ticking.

So...

Which Martial Art should I choose?

Pros and cons for each.

Fire Away!

[Netpackrat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaq72-rAqJU

[Steamforger]

Tae Kwon Leap

[Combat Controller]

Krav Maga unless you can get some of the new Marine Corp combatives training.

[Whirlibird]

Dare I say, Tai Chi Chuan.

Lower back issues aren't easy to deal with when you consider most of the conventional martial arts use strikes and moves that will aggravate the lower back. (Ask me how I know)

[Combat Controller]

Man, you spoil all my fun!

Tai Chi is actually the best advice I've seen so far. It's harder than it looks.

[JAG2955]

Krav Maga unless you can get some of the new Marine Corp combatives training.

CC, MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) is mega-gay. You can learn half of what they teach you in a weekend. It's designed to be taught to the dumbest, most uncoordinated Lance Corporal in the Corps, and have him succeed. It's got some good stuff, the rest is all repetition.

Krav Maga makes MCMAP look bush league in comparison. I've done both. Krav is far more advanced, and much more applicable to the civilian.

skb, what's near you? That'll be a big deciding factor. If the closest place is an hour away, you're not going to go there often enough to attend class, practice, and advance yourself.

[Mike OTDP]

Personally, I favor Okinawan karate styles. Matsamura Orthodox if you can find it - it's a no-holds-barred style. Most effective.

That being said, you started with TKD. I'd suggest looking for a good TDK dojo in the area and finishing up. You'll be surprised how much you retained. I took a layoff of over a decade after making shodan...and with less than three years of work, got everything back and made nidan.

But the biggest issue is not style, but quality of instruction. I'd look at clubs first. Find an instructor who isn't selling a contract - and who isn't promising a specific rank in a fixed time.

[blackeagle603]

I have no experience in this area but when I asked the same question/looked into it myself I arrived at Krav Maga. It helps there's a studio close by. It's on my bucket list to introduce my wife and 3 daughters to (this year -- wow, it's almost March already).

The Son&Heir really enjoyed MCMAP and pugels in Basic (won all his pugle contests -- all that pent up soccer player aggression finally out. No red cards in the USMC ). He's really looking forward to the promised opportunity to go to next MCMAP levels while on deployment. It may not be "all that" but it's all he's got and he's soaking it up.

[Erik]

I'd recommend Aikido, if there's a good instructor with more of a practical focus. It's easy to learn basic principles, it's fluid in application with multiple variations of each technique being taught, and most of the techniques end up introducing the opponent to gravity or a hard object. Or break something in their bodies. There's no real strikes in the style, but it's easy to incorporate a stomp to the wrist or elbow to the face when doing a technique. Aikido can be hard on the joints if you do it with force, but other than that it works for anyone.

I've wanted to try out Krav Maga and possibly some grappling, but there hasn't been the opportunity for it.