i was deciding between Baguazhang and Aikido, but now I might want to do Kenpo (don’t know which form) or Tai Chi. Any suggestions or addition martial arts choices?
I prefer indirect fighting, more defensive, open hand, and quick footwork/stance. *I don’t have much upper body strength =P and my dad doesn’t want me to “hurt” pplz*
thanks 
oh… i only can do one martial arts. and im in high school
i ment not totally injuring the other person. and my friend said that tai chi can be done quickly in battle.
From 5 years of experience I can tell you Tae kwon do is very good, as an excercise and also to be use as self defense. It focuses mainly on the lower part of the body but they also teach you in some extent to use your hands. In any martial art you can get hurt specially when you do not do things as indicated. You can avoid injuries if you do not participate in tournaments. You will also improve your concentration and learn how to relax by controlling your breathing.
On the other hand, if you want a more relax martial art, Tai Chi will be for you.
Good luck with ur decision!
Report Spam/Abuse
If your primary goal is fitness, any of those will work well. If you want “quick footwork” then Tai Chi is definitely not the one you want to choose. In Tai Chi, the slower the better. If your primary goal is self defense, you might want to think about taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, or Muay Thai. The first two (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo) are grappling based martial arts, and don’t require much upper body strength if you are doing them correctly. Muay Thai is Thai kickboxing, very fast paced, but it’s not indirect and it’s not defensive. The problem with most of the indirect, open palm martial arts is that they aren’t really effective for self defense, but for exercise they are just fine.
Report Spam/Abuse
hi there! maybe you could try aikido, i’ve been doing it for about nearly a year, very gentle, beautiful art. Circular movement and very defensive.. and Aikido doesnt require strength; a number of the people in my aikido class are in their late 40s or 50s and are still going strong.. =)
There’re classes going on at the shinjukai aikido association and Tanglin CC, which is under the Ueshiba Aikido Assocation.
hope this helped
ervin,
Report Spam/Abuse
Not a lot of fighting with Tai Chi, Tai Chi is mostly Low impact or Meditative.
Kenpo is not indirect, Kenpo is one of the stand up styles.
Baguazhang is a gungfu, another stand up style , its definitly not indirect.
Aikido is probably the best of those three for you if that’s all you are choosing from. Aikido is very indirect, Aikido Martial Artists typically only engage the enemy when attacked and it is a throwing style.
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
Kenpo will work for you more effectively and efficiently than most martial arts styles. Here is a list of some styles of kenpo.
Kajukenbo
CHA 3 kenpo
American kenpo
Shaolin kenpo / kempo
Ryu kyu kenpo / kempo
Kara ho kenpo
Chinese kenpo
Shorinji kempo
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
I am a Tai Chi practitioner, hands form, sword, broadsword and pushing hands Yang style. I should also mention that there’s a Baguazhan section in my club.
I confirm Tai Chi can be very effective in actual combat, but as it emphasizes balance and low stance it can be seen as a “static” style, and footwork is not studied as such.
In combat, because Tai Chi uses a lot of non lethal techniques such as locks and throws, you don’t need to wound or hurt an opponent to “win” a fight.
Baguazhan on the other hand is specialized in footwork, palm striking and swift stance change. striking is always circular and as a fighting system its principal quality is unpredictability. It uses specialised striking which aims at nervous endings and acupuncture points.
It is a very complex fighting system.
One last note : Bagua teachers are very rare but you’ll always find plenty of good Tai Chi teachers.
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
All martial arts require good footwork to be effective. However, Baguazhang does have a stronger emphasis on it than some of the other systems given it’s nature of constant motion. If your choices are limited to the four you’ve mentioned, I would recommend Baguazhang. As hard as it is to find a good Baguazhang teacher, it’ll be harder still to find a good Taichi instructor that goes beyond the run-of-the-mill “move your arms around, feel good, and let’s have tea” types.
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
Tai Chi, judo or Aikido — those are the soft styles.
Aikido and Judo has a lot of rolling or falling.
Whoever said Tai Chi is not for fighting, he does not understand the style. Tai Chi Grandmaster Yang was the head instructor of the Royal Guard in China -Ching Dynasty. The Emperor did not appoint him to teach the Royal Guard if Tai Chi is slow and useless. Grandmaster Yang learnt Chen style Tai Chi and was the founder of Yang Tai Chi
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
any form of martail arts is excellent training in defensive situations and the real benefit is the self confidence and physical conditioning that is gained so it is really a matter of watching each style your considering and practicing the one that you feel the most comfortable with.
http://martialarts.about.com/od/choosingaschool/a/choosestyle.htm
Report Spam/Abuse
Your question is really should you choose between hard or soft style. It really depends on what you want. Try many different styles and schools until you find something that fits.
It really comes down to the artist not the art.
Ive trained for 9yrs in Taekwondo and Hapkido. Ive also studied Combat Hapkido a little. I love them all because they are different and compliment each other. Taekwondo is about high kicks and strikes. Hapkido is about using your opponents energy against them to throw, sweep, trap or redirect them.
I do wish to study Yang Tai Chi someday when I can find a good teacher in my area. From what I ‘ve read in the Qi Journal it appears that Yang Tai Chi is the perfect art. Im also into the internal energy aspect of the martial arts and Tai Chi has cornered the martial arts market in that area.
Good luck and train hard.
9yrs training
Report Spam/Abuse
it’s farewell if you choose aikido b’coz aikido is a martial art with smooth movement. it use the enemy power and we counter it. so it will be not tired to do it. aikido use speed, step and good form in standing so we don’t have to block the attack but we have to return the attack to the enemy.
thx b4
9yrs training
Report Spam/Abuse
Try them all and stick wirh the one you like best
http://donsfitnesspage.spaces.live.com
Report Spam/Abuse
Try Judo Aikido or Baugua.
They are all fine MA.
http://donsfitnesspage.spaces.live.com
Report Spam/Abuse