There are various styles in Marital Arts, and these vary in formality in terms of etiquette, ceremony and style of dress. Many of the most formal disciplines are Japanese or Korean, and as well as learning the correct moves and forms, you will also be expected be accomplished in presenting yourself, and addressing your teachers and elders correctly.
These formal styles are not often popular in the West, as many people simply do not have the time to learn all of the many difficult and complicated rules, and instead they tend to take up
martial arts more for fitness and self defense benefits, rather that as a whole way of life.

The most formal Martial Arts include Kendo/Kumdo, Aikido and Tae Kwon Do, and many forms of Karate are also very strict. Jujutsu, Kung Fu and Silat also include many aspects of formal disciplines, but place less emphasis on traditional moves. Ninjutsu and Tai Chai are less formal again, allowing a greater degree of interpretation. The least formal of all the Marital Arts disciplines are Capoeira and Kickboxing, and these allow a great freedom of interpretation and are easily combined with other exercises for all round fitness.

Martial Arts – Combining the Four Main Aspects of Fitness: Speed, Stamina, Strength and Agility.

Martial Arts include some of the most versatile fighting and fitness techniques in the world and many disciplines focus on defending against, and overcoming a wide range of opponents by breaking down all aspects of fitness to provide the greatest versatility possible.

Speed – this governs how quickly you can carry out moves on your opponent, and also how quickly you can avoid their attacks. Speed is vital in fight situations, and must be balanced with strength and agility for maximum effect.

Stamina – this is vital, as it defines how long your body can provide enough energy to maintain continuous and vigorous movements or activities.

Strength – in fighting disciplines the key is to overcome your opponent as quickly as possible to avoid serious injury or defeat, and so your ability to exert force (strength) is very important, both in terms of getting power into short, sharp movements such as kicks and punches, and also dynamic strength in your muscle structure to support your body weight as you carry out moves.

Agility – it is important that your joints and muscles are supple, to enable you to move quickly, and give you the greatest possible range of movements. Agility combined with speed can help you to avoid powerful punches and kicks, and also give you more range in which to make your own attacks.

Whether you are a beginner at Martial Arts, or you already have a favorite variation, it can be difficult choosing a new school to join in order to learn or improve this sport. Even in the same disciplines of Martial Arts, schools and teachers can vary greatly and one school of Kung Fu may be much more formal and more challenging than another.

Practical Approach
Before approaching a Martial Arts school you need to think carefully about why you want to learn, and how much time you can devote to the task. If you are joining just purely for fitness reasons, and have little interest in learning the full rules and attitudes of a discipline, then less formal types such as Kickboxing will be more suitable. If you are interested in all the aspects of Martial Arts, including etiquette, ceremony and lifestyle, then more formal styles such as Aikido and Tae Kwon Do may suit you better.

Trial Lessons
Martial Arts lessons can be very expensive, so before you sign up for a term, ask if you can sit and observe a few lessons in the school of your choice, just to ensure it will be suitable for you.

There are many different variations and disciplines under the banner of ‘Martial Arts’, and if you are interested in taking up this type of sport it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you to try.

Why Martial Arts?

People want to study Martial Arts for a number of reasons, and this should be the starting point for you to choose a particular style. If you are taking up Martial Arts to improve your fitness levels then an informal class with high cardio workouts may be best, such as Kickboxing, but if you are interested in technique and self defense then Ketsugo Jujutsu may be more suitable as it focuses on close combat fighting and defensive moves.

Style

Each variation of Marital Arts varies in style from Kendo to Kung Fu, and each one has its own focus that appeals to different people and levels of fitness. Kendo is a very formal style, which places great emphasis on technique and etiquette, and teaches the use of weapons. Kung Fu is all about lightening fast kicks and punches, and mainly hand to hand combat is taught.

Teachers
Variations of Martial Arts differ under the individual teacher and school, so it is worth asking if you can observe lessons before you sign up for a term