Which Martial Art is for me?
Which Martial art is for me is a question that we get on a regular basis from prospective students when they first enquire about training.
In a lot of ways, the answer is fairly easy, it’s the style that appeals to you the most, and taking part in any Martial Art is better than not doing any training. But is that an answer that will make sense to everyone, and again it is a simple answer, but in this scenario, it is no.
If you are presently looking into Martial Arts then there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before you start, which will help you in your search.
As you can see from the above there are a number of things for you to consider before you even step foot in a Martial Art Academy.
These are just a few of the things to consider before you even start looking at the different styles of Martial Arts that are available.
In addition to this there is the human factor, will you get on with the Instructors and your fellow students who you will be spending a lot of time with over the next several years of training, that is of course if you are serious about your training.
The simple rule, and its not perfect, is there are no really bad Martial Arts, but there are bad clubs and instructors. Whatever you do, you need to ensure you get the right fit for you. Today it is easier to find Martial Art clubs than ever before, your first step will probably be on the Internet.
A word of caution, not all clubs are created equal. Just because one club has a great looking website, does not mean that it is better than a club that has a poor web presence. Saying that, a good website, that includes good reviews, and has people who are actively singing the praises of a club are worth looking at.
This will then bring you onto the next stage of your evaluation of the club, your first contact with the Instructor / club. Whether you contact by email / telephone or by simply walking in the front door, the way you are greeted and whether your questions are answered will help you decide if it’s a good fit for you. Is the club willing to let you watch a class or even let you train in a free session, or whether there is an option to pay for a couple of lessons up front, will show you whether they are confident in what they teach and if they have a confidence in their students.
So once you’ve looked at the club, and if it appears to be a good fit from your perspective, you then need to see if the style is what you are looking for. The questions that you ask at this stage and the answers that you receive will help you finally decide if this is the right fit overall.
A good club will answer your questions in regard to what you are looking for, and if they don’t offer what you are looking for should help you by pointing you to a club that will offer those options if they know of one.
If you are looking for the traditional martial art and you walk into an MMA club that is focused on competition, it should be apparent from the outset that there won’t be a good fit. Similarly, if you are looking for competition, whether that is from a kickboxing perspective or full contact MMA cage fighting, and you walk into a Tai Chi class, again the fit won’t work in all likelihood.
As you can tell by this blog, it is not a simple process, but it is a process that if done correctly can enable you to find the right club for you, and can lead you to a great way of life, studying a Martial Art for life.
My little ones favourite day of the week is martial arts day at Kokoro, mum and I love it too!
It's always nice to see smiling faces of the staff and teaching skills are fab - kids love having fun and learning at the same time.
On our very first visit all the staff were friendly, approachable and made us feel very welcome. The teachers are fab with the kids, especially Jane and Samuel.