I personally do not recommend styles for several reasons:
- I can't name one style out of the thousands of styles that exist.
- I don't know what's in your area.
- Out of the schools in your area, I have no way of knowing what's good or bad.
So, you should look into the schools in your area and pick the one that you like best and has a good school and instructor and you'll be all set as long as you train right.
Muay Thai and Krav Maga are very good, HOWEVER with your Aikido background you may want to try Judo or Jujitsu (Japanese or Brazilian). Aikido is closely related to these styles but they have aspects that are much more applicable in real life situations. You may find it an easier and quicker transition than starting with a completely different family of martial arts.
I really enjoy Aikido, but you are right. The training style and philosophy of many Aikido dojos does not prepare students for real world confrontations. This is especially true if the dojo follows the later teachings of O Sensei as opposed to his earlier ones. Later teachings of Aikido are much more effective for honing inner focus, awareness, and control. Judo and Jujitsu will use many of the basic fundamentals you learned in Aikido, but present them in a way which can be applied outwardly more effectively. As usual, look around and see what is in your area. Dojos may differ greatly even within the same style.
[Here we're gonna practice this but whenever you get in this situation out on street, you better run away."]
I understand your frustration. What if you're in a situation where you can't escape? What then? Most martial arts schools don't train with enough realism and intensity.
Search the internet and phone book. The sites www.meetups.com and www.dojolocator.com, might help you find what you're looking for. If you find a school that interests you ask if you can watch a class, to see if it meets your standards.
I agree 100% with IIclem. Krav Maga is the best, most effective martial arts for realistic/ street fighting. I have been taking it for 7 years and it is awesome. I feel totally comfortable that I could hold my own in a street fight and I am a 15 year old girl.
The key is finding a gym that trains full contact. If your not applying your skills and techniques against a fully resisting opponent than your training is useless. Combat sports like Muay Thai, BJJ, MMA,etc. pretty much all train like this and you will get into great shape. Out of these I would take MMA if you can as its not restricted and will learn to fight in all areas(standing,clinching,ground). Their very rare but if you can find a traditional martial arts dojo that trains full contact that will work well too. But make sure it's a hard martial art like karate, stay clear of soft arts like tai chi.
Try ones with a good school. They work best, not necessary "Krav Maga". It's not the only art out there you know, if it was everybody would've taken Krav Maga.
I would highly recommend the very lethal Krav Magna - it will get you in shape and is used by a lot of the military and security forces especially body guards - so from a self defense perceptive it is more than very good.
This article was specifically written to answer your question:
http://cookdingskitchen.blogspot.co.il/2...
Hi,
I'd like to try something new. Martial Arts/Self defence. But I don't know which one I should choose. I know some but I'm sure there are more out there. It should not only be effective but also realistic, if you know what I mean. I once tried aikido but stopped after 2 years because despite attending the trainings 3 times per week I wasn't getting in a better shape. And the trainer started basically every demonstration with the sentence: "Here we're gonna practice this but whenever you get in this situation out on street, you better run away." So I was extremly disappointed. Summerized: I'm looking for something that will get me in a good shape and will also help me out of a sticky situation. Not that I'm looking for it, you just never know... :)
