[QUOTE=erezb;2732101]Well you already mentioned great MA and people gave you good advice. So ill talk about other stuff:
- The MA you study (especially the full contact ones) does not matter as much as the frequency , As Geoff Thompson wrote in his book, if you think training twice a week is enough to make you a tough street fighter you will be disappointed. I think a minimum of three times a week is required to get those fighting reflexes and form. So make that an important issue while choosing.
- I see a lot of young dad’s and family men coming to my boxing gym, relatively late in life, and definitely not your regular young clients. I have noticed that this new “need” to be the protector of your family, with the lack of confidence in one’s abilities drive them to start doing a relatively tough MA like boxing.
The problem is that they usually don’t lest more than a few good months, and though they improve, and get an ego boost, i don’t think they gained anything substantial. My point is, don’t born quickly. Don’t start going 5 times a week like a man on a mission just to burn out, and stop altogether after 4 months.
When choosing, choose the most comfortable art/place. If you have a half alright Karate or traditional JJ 5 minutes from home, with good guys that are fun, and an option to train enough and with enough realism, i would go for the latter especially if it means not driving for almost an hour (back and forth) even if it is to an excellent boxing gym.
You need to think of this as an important and constant Hobey/passion. Basically most of your fitness should come from your MA.
Find a place that fits best with your schedule and life stile.
P.S if you like kicking, do MT. A good knee with an elbow is a powerful combo even against a big black guy. You can always improve your boxing with some sparring with ex “boxers” that train with you MT. Good luck.[/QUOTE]
I second that, the art is not as important as your training. However I would definitely meet the teachers, and try a few classes. A lot has to do with how the instructor teachers and what skills you’ll learn. Some dont’ train you they simply show you the movements and take your money. Combat drills are essential for a street fight. You want it to be reflexive.
If you can find it you might want to find an MMA school, do your research but many of the ones I see focus on real life combat situations.
Ultimately too you want to do a style your comfortable with and feels natural for you. Granted you can become more natural with it the longer you train.
Boxing: Good foundation and probably the quickest you’ll learn to defend yourself. Nothing fancy straight to the point. Once again though depends on your coach.
Muay Thai: Make sure it’s a real Thai school and not American kick boxing and it can like wise be very effective though most of the training and condition can take years.
Judo: Personally I would do jiu jitsu over Judo. Judo though it can be effective it’s a soft art where as jiu jitsu in my opinion is more street worthy. Judo in many schools has become a “sport”
Escrima: or Kali as I’m heard the art often called is pretty brutal, however most of the best techniques require a stick and short knife.
mentally preparing yourself is very helpful, work on your physical conditioning and be aware. don’t be a victim of circumstances.
Also bare in mind no matter what you study or for how long a single bullet will end it. Be smart when confronted.