Choosing A Martial Arts Style

Choosing a Martial Art School to train at can be a bit tricky these days.  There are so many schools and so many styles.  It can become real confusing, fast!

There are two issues at hand here:  one is choosing a style and the other is choosing the right instructor of that style (the school itself).  In regards to style, there are basically three types of styles based on the way they use the body – hard, medium and soft.  An example of a hard style is Japanese Karate Do.  The practitioners of that style tense their muscles extremely tight during the focus of their moves.  Medium styles are ones that are loose and somewhat soft but not to the extent of tai chi ch’uan which is the pristine representative of a soft style.

An interesting aspect is:  often, the harder the style the more aggressive the students  … at least within my experience.  These schools seem to fight each other harder in practice and make more powerful impact on one-another’s bodies.  Injuries can become a problem.  Note, the softer the style, the more gentle it may be though not less effective in terms of actual self defense.

Next.  There are pretty much just two main aspects regarding the attitude/focus of schools:  sport and non-sport.  Sport schools have a lot of competition within the school and students compete against each other in almost every class.  They wear a lot of safety equipment and, again, may have much heavier impact with their blows.

Schools that are not sport oriented generally do not use much safety gear (they don’t need it) and work together in helping each other learn their art.  They do not “compete and defeat” one another.  The atmosphere is non competitive and usually, as a result, quite friendly (very family oriented).

With all that said, however, the most important aspect to consider is the instructor/master (school owner).  Without a high degree of mutual compatibility with the instructor, you will have a difficult time in the school.  The instructor/master should be friendly and knowledgeable with a well documented, legitimate background (lineage) that makes you feel comfortable and confident rather than uneasy.  The instructor should be inclusive and not exclusive by making everyone feel at home.

Combining a great school and a fantastic style that matches your needs with a wonderful instructor is a perfect formula for enjoying successful martial art lessons.