Best martial arts?

What is the best martial arts, that develops fitness and good overall self-defence. I am a 14 year old male, that hasn't had much experience in the past, but now thinking about taking up martial arts to improve my health and give me some self-defence skills for the future. What would be the best? Thanks.

Best martial arts?
Tae kwan do or jeet kun do
Reply:I would recommend Origami.
Reply:Everyones answer will be different, it's all an opinion. Go to some of your local dojang's, or dojo's and try a few classes out. Sometimes it's not the style but rather how it's taught that will have the most health benefits. I have been involved with TaeKwon Do since I was 14, and have see hugh differences from dojang to dojang. I am going to suggest you go try TaeKwon Do, but go look into a MMA club, kung foo, etc. Find what works best for you.


EDIT: Dachman, you are an idiot, that is a fact.
Reply:Dan......you'll probably get as many answers to your Q as there are forms/schools........but, for me, th one I've enjoyed the most is Kook Sool, good wide spread of skills, doesn't seem to attract testosterone crazed loons and pretty good on the gerneral self defence stuff...................in the end give one a try, most of the arts will improve you fitness but alo your confidence...perhaps even better than knowing how to kick soemone's kidneys out..............good luck
Reply:I'm not right that what you want but I think that for self-defence the betters are Kombato and Krav Maga.
Reply:take Taekwondo or Wado Ryu Karate
Reply:Muay Thai for stand up fighting and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the ground game.





I would stay away from traditional Karate, TKD and Kung Fu. None of these would stand up to an equally trained person in Muay Thai or BJJ, this is a fact.
Reply:Try Defendo
Reply:boxing cause it is highly regulated and safe [shut up it is safe want to fight about it :P]





apart from boxing (oh the awsomeness of that sport) i would look around at different places until you find one that you think you could practice at home and be happy. Its all well and good to go to lessons but if you cant bring it home and make it your own buddy it will be little more than a hobby.
Reply:I agree with neo there when he said that it depends on the instructor. I think what you can say definitively is that that something like aikido or jujitsu won't give you as good of a workout because it has more to do with manipulation of joints and pressure points rather than the harder systems that will work your body more. But when it comes to styles other than throwing/joint manipulation styles like karate, or kung fu, or anything like that, it all depends on the schools. Someone said definatly not karate but i take karate and i never leave a class without being drenched in sweat. Even before we start training our "warm up" consists of a hundred jumping jax, a hundred push ups, and hundreds of stomach exercises. And I don't think that it is because of the fact that it karate either.
Reply:Aikido, BJJ, Boxing and Kickboxing! Those 4 styles will do the job! Another words do MMA!
Reply:lol I'll just say my one "Kuk sool Won" since it does many major martial art techniques that make every week interesting and diffrent from the last. I found Karate too repetitive.
Reply:The argument of what martial art is best is an age old one. It is more important that you focused on who is teaching rather then on what is being taught. Then you need to focus on YOU!





There are literally thousands of martial arts styles out there today. You can find practitioners of any one of those arts that are amazing to watch and are extremely well skilled in both the technical performance of the art as well as highly skilled in self defense. So instead of focusing on WHAT art is best, you need to look for who is a good teacher.





A good teacher takes the time to teach the class. They will not continually leave this up the their subordinates. A god teacher tells you WHY you should do a technique as well as HOW to do it properly. A good teacher can DO what he is telling you to do, or, in the case of a handicapped teacher I once knew, he has someone that is proficient enough to demonstrate the technique properly. A good teacher will teach you more then just combat, but the philosophy as well. A good teacher works WITH you and encourages you to grow and become better, s/he does NOT berate students or hand out punishments to show his skill and knowledge or that he has authority over you. So look for a GOOD teacher first, then worry about the art.





Honestly, any martial art is good. If you are looking for all over body conditioning, I would personally recommend a good Tang Soo Do School or perhaps a Tae Kwon Do School, but those are MY preferences for a good workout. You might prefer Goju ryu karate or Shaolin Kung Fu. It's all up to you.





However, once you have chosen as school, be ready to work on YOU! YOU need to got to every class you can. YOU need to push yourself every step of the way. When you are exhausted and can't push any harder, it's up to YOU to push anyway. When you start to get a little board because you haven’t leaned a new form in a few weeks it's up to you to stick at it anyway. It's also up to you to ask why you haven’t learned anything new. Maybe your instructor things you need more work on something you are currently working on. It's up to YOU to practice at home so that you can learn more in class.





So, keep this in mind. 1 - Find a good instructor. Check credentials. A good teacher will gladly show you what he has, a not so good teacher will get angry and or defensive. 2 - then once you have a list of good teachers, pick an art you think you are suited for. If you don’t like to kick, DON’T pick Tang Soo Do or Tae Kwon Do. If you don’t want to roll on the floor, don’t pick Judo, Jujitsu or Aikido. Then, once you join a school, give it 100% all the time. Not sometimes, but ALL THE TIME.





I hope this helps you out!
Reply:well, u can try capoera (brazillian martial arts). it promotes body balancing (kinda like break dancing) and momentum for striking people. or maybe the one used by Steven Seagal (hope i typed his name right!). that type of martial art is deadly, too. and teaches you how to strike and defend at the same time! cool stuff!!
Reply:KARATE