by Dave Kemp

Created on: February 29, 2008

Choosing a martial art can be a relatively simple thing to do if you know some things about yourself and what will be good for your overall health. Many martial arts styles can be adapted to your physical abilities, but you must be sure that the instructor you choose is willing to work with you to match his art to your capabilities.

For example, I teach a very traditional style of Tae Kwon Do called Chung Do Kwan. This style is characterized by its emphasis on staying grounded - well-balanced stances, self control, speed, and power. There are very few flying kicks or extreme stances to worry about, but it can be very effective once mastered.

This style works well for almost anyone, but it is relatively simple to adapt to elderly people, people with specific physical handicaps or limitations, and/or children with attention deficit issues. Some people may have limited motion and have to learn to move slightly differently to accommodate it, and I am willing to do that as long as effort is made by the student to stay true to the tenets of our art form. For children, I try to make a point of holding their attention and keep the class moving fast enough to maintain and improve their focus over time.

Contrary to the opinion of many martial artists, I feel that any martial arts style can be the best when used by the right individual. Therefore, I also believe that anyone can learn any martial art if they have the right teacher. If you are looking into martial arts for yourself, think about what teachers in school were the best for you. What was their teaching style? If you are looking at a couple of different schools, find out who your instructor would be, talk with them if possible, and ask to watch them teach a class or if you can participate in a class before making a final decision about signing up longer term. I believe I am a good teacher, but I offer two free classes to anyone interested in trying it out so they can decide if my style of teaching will work for them.

Some examples of things to look for depending on your preferences: If you are gifted with natural physical strength, some of the Judo or Ju Jitsu styles may be more to your liking. If you liked wrestling in school, think about Shotokan karate or Aikido as there is lots of grappling and throwing involved. If you are like me and do not like to be touched, most Tae Kwon Do styles teach ways to protect your space by using the length and power of your legs to keep opponents at a distance. There are also self-defense techniques if someone does reach you, but that is not the primary focus.

I am touching on only a small number of the different martial arts available, but if you want to see some interesting shows on martial arts, the Discovery channel has a couple of different shows that feature different martial arts styles from around the globe and also one show that scientifically breaks down why the techniques work to create so much power in the
various strikes martial artists commonly use.

In closing, I believe that martial arts is one of the best mind/body exercise programs any person can become involved in and I will always encourage anyone that asks me about it to go ahead and join a school even if it is not mine. I am in martial arts to help people better themselves. If they choose to allow me to help them, I am honored. If they do not, I am still happy that they have made a step in a positive direction for themselves.

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