I have been wanting to try a martial art for inner discipline and outer strength for a long time, which one?

Other tidbits: I am most drawn to Tae Kwon Do, but I really don't know the difference between lots of others. I am a petite female. I LOVE to kick. Not so interested in grappling. Oh, and I'm a little spastic.

I have been wanting to try a martial art for inner discipline and outer strength for a long time, which one?
It sounds like you have already made your decision. Tae Kwon Do it is then.
Reply:You need both. To have a balance You need physical strength as well as a perfect Mental condition.
Reply:I listed some of the more interesting martial arts for your ADD reading pleasure. The ones bellow are good for new comers, some are famous, some are not. All are interesting. If you have questions about the psychology of combat feel free to send me them as thats a very broad issue for which answers are more individually packaged ;) .





The differences you should know:


Tao Kwon Doe: (not a fighting technique for defense considered an art) Korean, kick specialization.





Karate: Power, centerline conditioning.





Nin po: Stealth, one strike kills





Dim-Mak: Pressure points.





Capoera: Brazillian, originally considered an art, now a fighting technique. (Looks like break dancing)





Krav Maga: Dirty knife fighting, arm locks, Israeli martial art
Reply:I have no answer, I liked the question and I wanted to see the answers.
Reply:Since you already have stated a preference, it seems you are drawn to arts with kicking.





For the best kicking techniques I recommend either viet vo do from Vietnam.





But since you are interested in Korean arts:





hapkido, is kicking, striking and grappling





hwa rang do, lots of kicks and strikes, not a lot I know about it.








Japanese:





Only one i can recommend it karate due to your preference for kicking.





There are many arts out there, all will give you what you want as long as you put effort and learn the discipline.
Reply:There is also Karate, which is very similar to TKD. Both have lots of kicking. They are the most popular Martial arts in the world, so you shouldn't have a problem finding a school to train at.





Since you stated you're not interested in grappling, then stay away from Judo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You also wouldn't like Aikido or other types of jujutsu, most don't have hardly any "leg work."





There is also Muay Thai, which has a lot of kicking. However, it is currently a very "macho" martial art due to the free publicity from the UFC, so I'd stay away from that unless they have a females-only class.





If they have a Krav Maga school in your area, I'd suggest you look into that...it would provide what you're looking for. Also, if you decide on either Karate or TKD, I'd suggest taking a course from your local YMCA or community center first. It's really cheap, lasts for a couple of months and would give you a taste of what it's like before forking over lots of money at a commercial school.
Reply:I'm disabled. Keep it as simple as possible.





Headbutt them. Grab their nads. Bite their anatomy. Throw heavy stuff.





(1 month wrestling 4 months boxing 7 years hoplology)
Reply:While others have already mentioned a lot of kicking oriented styles, here's a few Chinese systems that love to kick,





Cha Fist: One basic routine called "Spring Legs" and 10 essential sets. They believe that kicking does 70% of the work. Probably has the most and the prettiest kicks in Chinese martial arts.


This is the first set.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH5CCqAtc...


This is the second set.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpWELFWec...


This is the third set performed by an old guy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOaIi4HB2...


This is one of their spear sets.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXhhf-eq-...





Chuojiao: Many sub-branches, many forms. All have that distinctive backward nail kick. Yes, they also kick a lot.


Here's a modern example:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoORLpYRG...


Here's a traditional school, but they are a bit hardcore with conditioning, so it may not be your cup of tea.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIXeXQMEr...





Yuanyang (Mandarin Duck) Fist:


Can't find an example on youtube but they are a well known style with a lot of double kicks in their sets.





And of course, Shaolin basic sets normally all have a lot of kicks in each.





Depending on where you live, Shaolin and Cha Fist schools will probably be easier to find than the others.
Reply:I have many years of practice in multiple disciplines (shotokan karate, ju jitsu, hapkido, kempo karate, etc.) and the instructors attitude, passion and demeanor is of the utmost importance. Any form can provide the desired discipline if you are dedicated and are able to focus internally on what it is truly about - not fighting and hurting people. You should seriously reconsider the grappling aspect. I understand not wanting to get into it but in reality Tae Kwon Do while useful in it's own right, is not very useful when someone has grabbed you and you can barely move. Tae Kwon Do is for more distance and the odds are higher that you would need something for a closer proximity if it came right down to it. Tae Kwon Do would be very useful to keep someone away from you - if you know they are there and not sneaking up from behind.





Good luck in your endeavor, this can be a very rewarding part of your life
Reply:Tae Kwon Do....You didnt mention how old you were but I do Tae Kwon Do, and it involves far more kicking than Karate. In Korean, Tae Kwon Do, means Kick- Punch- Art. So I would reccomend that. I have done Tae Kwon Do since fourth grade.
Reply:Do TKD, you were right from the begining.
Reply:I would avoid most Tae Kwon Do schools. Modern Tae Kwon Do schools train people in a sport. If you want something more spiritual, look for a more traditional Tae Kwon Do of a Northern Kung Fu school.
Reply:A good well rounded style would be freestyle Karate.You will learn stand up,ground,grappling and weapons.What a lot of people don't understand is that freestyle Karate is about practical street defence not who can kick the highest or punch a pad the hardest.It's definitely not a sport martial art like TKD or BJJ.The motto of my style is the best of everything in progression.Basically that means we don't care where the technique comes from we improve it and integrate it into our style while still maintaining tradition as do most freestyle Karate's.


The hardest thing is finding a good experienced instructor.I would recommend Bushi Kai or Zen Do Kai, but if your not in Australia or New Zealand you may have some difficulty finding some one who teaches these styles.These styles also usually have separate classes available to everyone in Muay Thai and BJJ/Submission/Shoot wrestling.If you can't find one of these i would suggest Kempo or Enshin or another freestyle Karate.


http://www.zendokai.com.au/countries2/US...
Reply:i do moonlee tkd and am loving it. it involves a lot of kicking and you become more controlled within yourself and gain more confidence. im 12 now and am a first dan (have 1 stripe on my black belt) and plan to keep on going.
Reply:If I were you, I would cross train between two martial arts. I would choose a style that fits what you want to do in terms of physical strength and style. Since you seem to like Tae Kwon Do (even though I personally hate the Americanized tournament-oriented crap its become) go with it. But to truly get the inner strength try Tai Chi. You might like Tai Chi Chaun style as it is more physically oriented, but any style is good.





The Tai Chi will really bring you the inner discipline, control, and spiritual aspects of martial arts, while whatever other style (like Tae Kwon Do) would cater to the physical outer strength. Not that Tai Chi can't help your physical strength cause if you harness (and believe in) chi it can be quite impressive.

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