http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/crackhead912/0eVEv.jpgFirst off you need to decide what your goals are. Mainly it comes down to self defense or sport. That's not to say that sport martial arts can't be used for self defense. Judo, for example, is excellent for both especially if you combine it with something boxing.
Choosing a martial art
[/u]
Choosing a martial art is not all that difficult. First see what's in your area. Martial arts come in two categories: gappling and striking. Ideally you'll want to train in both. Personally I chose grappling since I have a low center of gravity and short arms and legs even though Im six feet tall.
Grappling arts go by a slew of names: Sambo, Judo, Jujitsu, wrestling and many others. Most of these arts focus on takedowns, throws, and submissions. Grappling arts have the advantage of competitions being plentiful if you are looking to be competitive.
Striking arts include styles such as boxing, kick boxing, karate, muy thai. They mainly focus on puching, kicking, knee strikes, and elbow strikes.
NOTE: Be very wary of any school calling themselves Karate, Tae Kwon Do, or Some form of Kung-fu. Most of these schools are scams. IF THEY DO NOT LET YOU SIT IN FOR A CLASS OR THEY WANT YOU TO SIGN A CONTRACT LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!
Finding the right school
Training should consists of drills, conditioning, and hard sparring (actually hitting eachother.) Point fighting is not fighting, neither are katas. An old adage in martial arts is "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face".
More to come later...
