Black Belt Magazine

How to Pick the Martial Art That's Just Right For You!

By Matthew J. Numrich

(This article was originally titled "Ultimate Student Guide: How to Pick the Art That’s Just Right for You" and appeared in the March 2003 issue of Black Belt.)

Traditional martial arts like kung fu are perfect for students who love Asian culture.

Traditional arts like kung fu are perfect for students who love Asian culture. (For illustrative purposes, Shi Yan Ming
is shown.)

Since their creation as methods for waging war, the martial arts have taken on divergent forms. Many of the current incarnations no longer warrant the label “art of self-defense.” And that’s fine because many modern-day practitioners are not looking for down-and-dirty, blood-and-guts combat skills.

A problem arises when a prospective student tries to select a style. To the uninitiated, every form of karate, kickboxing and judo is a method of hand-to-hand combat that bestows the same physical benefits along with a plethora of mental ones. Most people are unaware that some arts lean toward fighting, while others may focus on competition, meditation or sport.

You can’t blame non-practitioners for their lack of knowledge of the martial arts. What you can do is offer to educate them. This article is a starting point. Tear it out and pass it on to anyone who is thinking about taking lessons—or keep it for yourself if you’re ready to take the plunge. Feel free to seek out anecdotes and advice from experienced practitioners. The knowledge you gain—or provide—may lead to a more enlightened school selection, a more informed video purchase or a more responsible commitment to a dojo contract.

The first step in choosing an art is choosing a category of arts that best meets your needs. In general, the myriad of styles taught in the West can be broken down into seven categories:

• Traditional Arts: Based on culture, lineage, discipline and respect, they date back hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. They dominate the business of teaching the martial arts, as one of their biggest benefits is character building through an emphasis on values and morals.
Examples: aikido, kung fu, karate
Benefits: Students become better citizens and learn about other cultures.
Self-Defense Caveat: People do not always fight as they did 500 or 1,000 years ago.
Bottom Line: These styles can serve as an excellent foundation for beginners and those interested in an art’s country of origin.

• Meditation Arts: They use traditional concepts to increase concentration, reduce stress and enhance certain metabolic processes. Western medicine is becoming increasingly interested in their methods and results, especially with respect to the mind-body connection.
Examples: yoga, chi kung, tai chi chuan
Benefits: Students learn to balance their bodies, and they enjoy increased mental and emotional control.
Self-defense caveat: Mental attributes are a plus for self-defense, but you cannot light a candle and chant to fend off an attacker.
Bottom Line: These disciplines offer productive ways to gain balance in your life and improve your health.

• Exercise Arts: They became famous during the aerobic-kickboxing craze of the 1990s and were revolutionized by Billy Blanks. They teach students how to use kicks, punches and footwork to boost their cardiovascular capacity and tone their muscles.
Examples: Tae-Bo, “power yoga,” cardio-kickboxing
Benefits: Students enjoy increased conditioning and rapid fat-burning.
Self-defense caveat: Regularly attending an exercise class will not necessarily make you tough.
Bottom Line: These workouts will make you sweat like you never have before.

Competition arts (for knockout/submission) include hybrid grappling and striking systems like the one Vitor Belfort uses.

• Competition Arts (for Points): They emphasize the learning and execution of techniques designed to score points in tournaments. Many of their moves come from traditional arts, and they often include plenty of forms practice.
Examples: judo, taekwondo, fencing
Benefits: Students gain much from being in a competitive environment where a mistake carries no serious consequences.
Self-defense caveat: Your attacker does not care about points or forms.
Bottom Line: These arts are often used as a competitive outlet for those who love traditional arts.

• Competition Arts (for Knockout/Submission): They have been around in some form for decades, but most arts in this category rose to prominence in the 1990s. The limited-rules matches of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE shows continue to evolve their techniques.
Examples: shootfighting, vale tudo, various hybrid arts
Benefits: Students profit from having survived in a competitive environment where hard-core consequences await anyone who is not at the top of his game. Students also gain knowledge of all fighting ranges.
Self-defense caveat: The referee makes you play by the rules, but on the street there are no rules—and your attacker wouldn’t care if there were.
Bottom Line: These high-velocity endeavors are the ultimate step for the martial arts sportsman.

Sporting arts such as Thai boxing allow competitors to go all-out with a limited number of techniques.
(Photo by
Robert W. Young)

• Sporting Arts: They are often confused with the arts that fall into the two previous categories, when in reality they should be thought of as a happy medium between the two. They may be as combative as the arts used in limited-rules competitions, yet they often follow rules that are more stringent. They usually force practitioners to stay in one range or use a limited number of techniques, and they may use points to help determine the winner.
Examples: Thai boxing, sport jujutsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing
Benefits: Students learn how to compete hard in a tough environment.
Self-defense caveat: If you lose a round in a tournament, it does not conclude with a mugging, rape or funeral.
Bottom Line: These arts are perfect for people who want to specialize in a specific range.

According to Black Belt magazine, self-defense arts seldom involve uniforms or sparring mats because they focus on techniques that work in any environment.

Self-defense arts seldom involve uniforms or sparring mats because they focus on techniques that work in any environment.
(Photo courtesy of Matthew J. Numrich)

• Self-Defense Arts: They are no-nonsense fighting systems that are seldom taught commercially in the dojo. Some of them are more realistic and effective than others, but they almost invariably offer exemplary mental and physical self-defense training. Several established fighting philosophies dominate this category, but there is also a tendency for people to flock to the “flavor of the month.” The best ones focus on adapting to different ranges, fighting on the ground, dealing with weapons and fending off multiple assailants.
Examples: jeet kune do, various military- and police-oriented systems
Benefits: Students learn survival skills that work in all environments.
Self-defense caveat: These arts may not be suitable for younger students due to their lethal nature.
Bottom Line: Those in search of true self-defense need look no further.

About the author: Matthew J. Numrich is a freelance writer and the head instructor of Elite Defene Systems. For more information, write to EDS, 215-B East Lake Street, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108.

Fuzzy Boundaries

As you peruse the information presented in this article, remember that there may be crossover between the groupings. Often an art will fall into one category but still contain a hint of everything else. Self-defense moves exist in all seven categories, and similarly most arts can be turned into a cardio workout when performed a certain way. The point is that each art has its strengths, and they tend to make it better-suited for one pursuit and not others.

To help you make the final decision, dig for answers to these questions:
•    Why was the art created?
•    Is it still taught in a way that passes on that benefit?
•    Does it have limitations, and do those limitations help categorize it?
•    Where is it best used: in the ring, in the gym or on the street?

—MJN

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