Martial Arts?

I need to know what style of martial arts will help me with these few things...





-self defense


-getting trimmed %26amp; toned (or muscular)


-fight better





What style will help me the most?|||any style you like


just check out what you like best and what%26#039;s available to you at your local martial arts center|||Want to know a secret?...





Any of them as long as you have a good instructor and are at a school that trains realisticly, with progressive resistance or%26quot;aliveness%26quot;. MMA, Muay Thai, Boxing, BJJ, Okinawin Karate, Kung Fu, TKD, Kali, Judo, Japanese Ju Jitsu, etc.





The fact is that there are no superior styles. All have strengths and all have weaknesses. All of the UFC nutbaggers will tell you it has to be UFC style MMA%26#039;s, yet you asked for self defense also. That style of fighting never trains for multiple attackers, attackers with weapons, defending yourself and your family while also protecting them.





BJJ, No strikes to speak of, very good ground game, weak take downs compared to Judo or Japanese Ju jitsu, terrible for multiple people, or if you need to get your child away safely.





Karate, Kung Fu, TKD,...great stand up, many train against weapons and multiple attackers, very weak ground skills generally.





The fact is taht when push comes to shove a style will not fight for you. It is only a tool that you use, and how effective it is comes down to how you have been taught, and how you have trained it.





Lost one- you said in anothet question you don%26#039;t beleive in Martial arts, so why are you answering in this section? Just curious.|||For pure self defense a great art is Krav Maga. They deal with real world, street situations and teach simple and effective techniques to deal with an attacker who has a weapon. Practicing Krav Maga will definitely make you a better fighter. As far as fitness goes, getting trimmed and toned, it might not be real helpful. They focus mostly on the fighting, leaving you on your own for the conditioning.





Honestly, take up MMA. Even if you%26#039;re not interested in competing at all, you learn everything you need. You have learn to fight standing, you learn to take down your opponent or prevent the take down, and if you%26#039;re taken to the ground studying jiu-jitsu will help you walk away safely and leave your opponent a crumpled wreck. Not to mention the conditioning benefits. MMA requires strength and endurance. All that weight training and cardio training will get you in shape quick.





But, you have options. Kick boxing, boxing or muay Thai aren%26#039;t bad choices. But you miss that crucial element of grappling that%26#039;s very important for effective self defense and to be a better overall fighter.|||Go to a bunch of different styles and try it out for a night..


Martial arts schools often have open days - so try go to some of them..


Also, go on some websites and do research..


It really depends on your build as well!!


I would say get on the internet and do some research.. :)





Being biased for a moment, I would say JuJitsu.. :)





But seriously - everyone is different and there are a lot of different styles.. I am sure there is a martial arts style out there for every type of person so you%26#039;ve gotta try out a few before deciding..





What really helps when starting out a martial art is a friendly and encouraging atmosphere so take that in consideration when deciding - because if the people there aren%26#039;t friendly - you won%26#039;t enjoy yourself and you will end up giving up very quickly.. :)





Even if that means you decide to change martial arts, because you don%26#039;t like that particular style - at least you would have some experience in a martial art which would help you with others.. Even if you only did it for the social aspect for most of the time - you would still have gained some experience and knowledge about martial arts.. :)





Hope this helped.. :)|||I say you write down 10 or so of your favorite styles and put them in a hat, pick one, and go with it...


seriously, everyone on here, (including myself), that trains would be in some way biased, at the least subconciously, so dont listen to people telling you this is good for this and that is good for that...sure certain styles focus on one area be it striking, grappling, submissions, takedowns, but overall any style you choose will only help in your ability to defend yourself...


i think any training can help protect yourself and your family, i dont care what style it is...personally...im confident that my overall conditioning, agility, strength, dexterity, intelligence, poise, awareness, and most importantly...heart....would overcome any obstacle in a dangerous situation...and thats the way i feel i need to approach it...im not gonna be tentative or scared in a real life situation because i trained the wrong style for a self defense situation...im gonna use my abilities and my heart...which is my greatest weapon...to get home safe...


sometimes i realize why bruce lee was so scrutinized, its because he threatened the very heart of all traditional martial arts by saying use what works best in that situation...i know theres more to it than that...but the dude was on to something...|||to katana you listen! ...the answer is any and all of them.





the difference is emphasis. some arts are sports, tip tap point sparring bs. some are for health, respect..etc.


some are for self defense.





find out what is available in your area...list them, and ask us again. we%26#039;ll be able to narrow it down easier.





but in the end...pick the one you like best...pick the one that fills your needs.|||I actualy think boxing would help , ive been in boxing for a few months, i have gained a lot of muscle, and my friend lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of muscle.





Self defense.. a little iffy. but you will learn how to punch very very well.|||how about kickboxing ///|||kick boxing sounds good but i say try a few martial arts