Starting out with martial arts can be a bit intimidating; you know you have so much to learn but don’t always know where to start. Yet, the beginning is often the most important part of starting something new. How you get started with a new endeavor, especially a lifelong practice like a martial art, can make all the difference in whether you stick to it.
The first step of starting a martial arts practice is choosing the martial art you’ll practice, of course. You’ve likely wondered what the best martial art for beginners is. Spoiler alert: There is no definite answer about what the best martial art to start out with really is. There are many articles claiming to have an answer, but claiming there is a single best martial art for beginners doesn’t give you the information you need to make the right choice for yourself. Everyone starts in different places because everyone is different, so let’s take into consideration all the different starting places you might begin your martial arts practice at.
Beginner Kids
One of the most important aspects of choosing a martial art for kids is safety. No one needs to get injured at an early age and parents are rightly concerned about their kids starting martial arts training. We’ve explored how martial arts practice is much safer than other common sports for kids in other articles. Check out those articles on the website if you want an overview of why and how martial arts are very safe for kids.
When it comes to the best martial art for kids to begin with, the answer is likely Karate. One of the important parts of studying martial arts as a child is the ability to keep learning into adulthood. However, families often move to new cities, which means changing schools and martial arts classes for kids. Karate is so widespread around America and the world that it makes a change in location much easier for kids to manage without losing their practice. Taekwondo is another great option for kids for this same reason; there are way more Karate and Taekwondo dojos around the world than for Kendo or Aikido.
Because Karate and Taekwondo have been popular for so long, often there are age-specific classes for kids. Due to their popularity, teachers and instructors can bring together enough students to facilitate different classes for different ages, which reinforces the safety aspect of popular martial arts like Karate. At Premier Martial Arts, children get the enjoyment and safety of taking age-specific classes where they can practice amongst other kids of similar age and size.
Beginner Adult
When it comes to starting martial arts as an adult, there are many choices that can all be suitable. It’s important to decide why you’re interested in learning martial arts to help make a decision that will serve you over the long run.
For those who already have injuries or are not in great shape, it may be wise to skip ground fighting martial arts like Jiujitsu; it may also be wise to skip martial arts which feature throws like Judo. While both these martial arts are safe, they do run some higher risks than others, especially Judo.
Self-Defense
If self-defense is your main goal for beginning a martial arts practice, then Krav Maga could be the best choice for you. Krav Maga focuses on winning fights efficiently; it’s not a sport because it teaches you to fight in ways that wouldn’t be allowed in a sports context. In other words, Krav Maga is about learning real-world self defense strategies.
MMA training is another interesting choice. This martial art does focus on competition and draws from many different martial arts. Jiujitsu, kickboxing, and wrestling are all part of MMA training. It also gets students into sparring fast, which is key to learning how to stay calm in real-life situations, making MMA training a good option for beginners seeking self-defense training.
Fun, Exploration, and Novelty
There are several martial arts that are little known but are interesting. Kendo is the Japanese art of sword fighting. Does it have a lot of real-world practical uses? Perhaps not, unless you are planning on living your life like an anime character. What Kendo is practical about offering is a way to deeply enter the Japanese culture and mindset.
Aikido is another less practiced martial art that’s also from Japan. The plus side to Aikido is that the philosophy behind it is about using a minimal amount of force and harm to your opponent; as such, it’s a very gentle martial art to begin learning.
Exercise
Nearly every martial art is great for the beginner in terms of physical fitness. There really is no “wrong” choice when it comes to gaining physical fitness from practicing martial arts. For those who want a great cardio workout, kickboxing and MMA are great options.
Start Your Martial Arts Journey Today
There really is no one best martial art for beginners because every beginner has different goals. At Premier Martial Arts, we train students in many different types of martial arts and at all different levels. If you’re ready to start your martial arts journey or still need a little guidance on where to start, reach out to one of our many studios near you to bring more wellness into your life.
