(no subject)

[em_h]

So ... if I were going to try to pursue doing some sort of martial arts class, anyone got ideas about which specific kind might work best for me?

And, Toronto people specifically (I know there aren't many on here), any ideas of good places? Ideally near the university, but near Bathurst and Queen might also work.

Comments

[boubabe.livejournal.com]

That is a complicated question. It's not just the martial art that you want to try to choose, but it is the gym/school/dojo as well.

In what are you interested? Self-defense? Fitness? Meditation/stress relief? I've had exposure to tai chi, karate and a self defense course that was taught by instructors who had studied a variety of martial arts (judo, kung fu and karate). Even within those martial arts, though, are a variety of styles and philosophies.

Maybe these links will help you:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Moore41.html
http://martialarts.about.com/od/styles/a/martialartstype.htm

The biggest thing, though, is finding a dojo where you feel comfortable and where you like the instructors. Even if you like the style of martial art, you will not want to go if you don't like the school.

I hope that helps!

[tedesson.livejournal.com]

You may want to ask futabachan. She's local to TO and does martial arts with naginata.
therealjae knows her also.

[misslynx.livejournal.com]

I would recommend visiting a few different dojos teaching different martial arts, and watching a class (most will let you do that) to see if it looks like something you'd feel comfortable with.

If you're looking for something fairly gentle, you might want to check out Tai Chi (as someone else recommended) or Aikido. If you're looking for something a little more hard-edged, maybe Karate, Ju-Jitsu or Kung Fu (Wing Chun style is supposed to be particularly good for women).

Personally, I found I got more benefit from the hard styles than the soft ones (Ju-Jitsu is what I stuck with for the longest) - they required me to push myself more and ended up giving me a lot more strength and confidence. If you're trying to break out of your usual habits and expand your boundaries, sometimes something that pushes you further out of your comfort zone is best. But everyone is different, and checking out several different things is the best way to get a sense of what might work for you.