i_dont_know asked:


I’m twenty-one, a bit overweight. I’m thinking about taking martial arts lessons partly because I want to get in shape, but I’m not sure which kind I should take. Most of the places I’ve gone to seem to be running around with kids and teenagers, and I don’t want to be the biggest one around.

Also, what kind of price and lesson plan should I be expecting?

maguathehearteater asked:


I walk through alot of bad neighborhoods and I get alot of crap. Whats the best martial arts I could learn so I can start defending my honor to everyone? Btw I am 20 and 215 and 5ft10. So any other tips you would have would be great.

Phil Burney asked:


You shouldn’t be surprised that there are so many martial arts weapons that have been developed through the centuries. Since many martial arts have been around since ancient times, martial arts weapons are bound to have evolved too over time.

Take the knife for example – practically all martial arts will teach their students how to use knives as martial arts weapons because almost all cultures have developed and used some version of the knife. The Philippines has the balisong, also called a Butterfly knife, which folds into its handle when not being used. The tanto is a Japanese stabbing knife that was usually carried by Japanese women within their obi as their self-defense weapon. There is also the kris that was used in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia during more violent times.

Since many times commoners were forbidden to carry bladed martial arts weapons, proficiency in use of wooden sticks as martial arts weapons also grew. The Japanese have the long wooden staff called Jo, whose use is taught in the martial arts of aikido and which is still used in modern times by Japanese police. The term escrima has been applied to stick-fighting as done in the Philippines – it is said by some that an escrima (or arnis) master can use even a simple ballpen as a martial arts weapon in stick-fighting and come out the winner. Use of sticks (both long and short) as martial arts weapons allowed ordinary folk to protect their villages when invaders came to plunder their community even in the absence of bladed martial arts weapons.

Less commonly-known among martial arts weapons is the guang dao, which is a pole that has a blade with a spiked end. A tassel or red sash might be tied to where the blade meets the pole. Nowadays, the guang dao is one of the martial arts weapons used in the sport of wushu. But unlike other martial arts weapons that you can use to attack your opponent, the guang dao is used more to disarm an attacker and render him helpless. The benefit of such long martial arts weapons is that you can enter combat and keep your opponent at a safe distance from you.

It is not often you find martial arts weapons designed chiefly for women, but there is actually one and it is found in Japan. It is called the Naginata and it is a Japanese pole weapon whose use was reserved for samurai women. Some say the Naginata looks a lot like the Chinese guang dao. Modern female Naginata users may have been inspired to take up martial arts weapons like this one because of the famed Naginata user Itagaki who led an entire garrison in the 12th century. Samurai women were expected in the past to use their Naginata to defend their families if invaders came while their husbands were away.

There are so many martial arts weapons being used nowadays that it is hard to condense their uses to just one article. However, it is advisable for fans of martial arts weapons to take up just one weapon at a time to become proficient before trying to use others. This gives you focus and a sense of accomplishment when you master at least one of the many martial arts weapons available today.

Sara asked:


I am a 5′4.. 105 pound girl. I am extremely interested in learning some form of martial arts. However, I am a bit clueless on the different styles. I was wondering if anyone who is more experienced in the different styles could help me figure out the best style for me.

I am looking for a powerful more offensive fighting style. I am personally not to big on throws. The more punches and kicks the better. With my small size I believe my quickness may help whichever fighting style I choose.
Also to add to this. I am asking those who know alot about martial arts to begin with. Please don’t tell me to look into martial arts for myself and please don’t give me dumb responses. Just those who’d like to give me their opinion on what fighting style they think would best suit me. Other than that, don’t reply please.

Kelvin Ho asked:


Most practicing martial arts exponents claim that the particular style which they specialize in is the deadliest style of martial arts. Like in religion, there are the usual fanatics who profess that their own style is the best and deadliest of all.

For a lay person who is new to the world of martial arts, the terms and arguments used by martial arts experts can be very confusing. Most likely, you will end up wondering which of all the styles known, is truly the deadliest style of martial arts?

Let me first assure you that anyone who claims to know the deadliest style of martial arts is a big brag. If you use your common sense, you would realize that if indeed there was a style which was the deadliest of all, most people would die out on the streets and the field. Not only that, there would also be combative techniques developed to counter such ‘deadly’ attacks by another group of innovative researchers-cum-fighters.

The truth of the matter is that while certain martial arts moves can injure and kill, there is no style in existence today which can be termed as ‘deadly’. If there was, the world would not be a safe place to live in. if you are keen to know which of the many martial arts style was the most effective in a combat situation, you could study the history of this art and find out which of these styles were used in street fights and battle field which can be extrapolated to modern times.

Of course, all forms of martial arts began as a combat technique but how many of them remain as effective today as they were centuries ago? All these arts today are ‘diluted’ or ‘civilized’ forms which are governed by various safety rules and principles.

Take the example of karate which was originally created to kill or disable the opponent, can you imagine such a form of art being taught in karate schools in the country today? Most of the potentially hazardous moves have been ruled out to prevent injury or harm to the opponent. While karate might have been created with deadly combat in mind, it may not remain so today.

The ‘deadly’ image of martial arts which rest in our minds is mainly created by dream merchants of Hollywood and filmmakers of other Asian countries. ‘Deadly’ martial arts specialists like Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee might have displayed some ‘killing’ moves on camera, but remember they were movies where the more important aspect was to create a ‘dramatic’ effect in the minds of the audience.

In cinema, everything is larger than life, to create an impact and increase its box office returns. Display of martial arts skills is no exception. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a memorable movie in this genre but if you get yourself down to earth, trust me, no one can catch a flying bullet or defy all laws of physics and gravity to fly into air.

Another impossibility often shown in movies is an old Asian man killing or maiming an opponent using a technique called ‘death touch’ or ‘dim mak’. Though the movies will want to make you believe that such a death touch is possible, where you simply touch someone at a particular spot and he drops dead, it is a pretty absurd idea.

Think about it. If it was really possible, would everyone not learn and use it? If it was true, many people would learn this and start building defense against it too. Just for the records, you can check out the police records of our country to find how many people died of dim mak!

While there is no ‘deadliest style of martial arts’ in existence in modern times, there are many extremely effective lessons that can be learnt from schools which teach martial arts so that you could develop your self defense skills in the event you are touched ever by ‘dim mak’!