Best Martial Arts?

I'm over weight, and am looking for a good martial art to do to help me lose weight.

What would be better for me to start with?

for you my friend, try mood do kwan first.. it's a martial arts full of forms, or
if you plan on losing weight.. Kung-fu.. just a suggestion!
also eat well and lots of running

I don't really think there is such a thing as the best martial art. Every martial art has it's up and down sides. But if you find the right teacher and train hard you will lose weight with every martial art..

I myself have been practicing karate for over seven years now, and I lost a lot of weight in the beginning, now however I'm getting the same weight back, but in the form of muscles. So you should decide what you want, because of course karate isn't the only thing I do to lose weight..

I also drive to school and back home: 20 km/day as fast as I can. And at school I practice gym for 2 hours every week.

As for karate I train 5-10 hours a week. Just so you might see, that if you really want to to lose weight, you should really go for it and do everything you possibly can to get it going.

I agree. I don't believe that there is a such thing as "the best martial art." But of course, I was always one to practice wrestling--yes, it is not a real martial art, but it is very demanding. Wrestling is a very demanding sport, and I think that even martial arts would have some form of it in the different styles.

I've found out that as long as you have self control, discipline, and the motivation to continue with whatever you choose, then you will most likely be successful. Karate was something that interested me for a very long time, and I have read quite a few articles on it while searching for martial arts. But what I can tell you from experience, is that usually the most demanding sports/forms of training out there would help with weight loss.

Wrestling has taught me a great deal about that, and even though I no longer do it, I still keep up with some habits that I have gained from practicing it. I suppose I've gone off topic a bit too much already, so I'll end my post here now.

Good luck!

learn jujistu/brazillian jujistu or some form of kickboxing. do weights on the side and eat healthier too.

Pick your martial arts correctly.
Here are a few suggestions
Tai Quan Do helps you have strong legs and lower body.
Kick boxing is good aerobic exercise as there is a lot of motion (this might be good to loose weight)
Kung Fu/Karate is good if you want agility and flexibility.

Since you are looking to loose weight I would suggest you to do Kick boxing. If you dont have that option then I am sure any martial art that you learn can be helpful

Before learning any martial art one must first learn the foundation of all martial arts. This is first chi kung, then tai chi. If these are ignored, all further martial art training is spiritually empty and therefore totally useless. Also if tai chi and/or chi kung are not practiced, you leave yourself open and vulnerable completely to those who have practiced and they will be able to defeat you without standing up from thier comfortable chair. In other words, they have already won.
There are plenty of instructions on learning tai chi and chi kung not only all over the internet but also in bookstores, libraries and clubs. It is better to be trained by a master who already knows what to do but it is possible to teach yourself, though this way is much harder and requires far greater discipline and self control than being guided by a teacher.. If you do not know how to manipulate energy and anticipate your opponents next move then you may as well enter a drunken bar brawl and see how well you come out. Some individuals enjoy that path and that is all they will ever achieve. They may learn some karate kicks and punches but eventually they will be crushed by someone bigger and stronger.
The true master doesn't ever have to fight. but if you pick a fight with him, you will be humiliated and destroyed in one instant and you will likely not even know why.

I think kickboxing would be a good way to go. That way you don't have to be concerned too much about your technique, but just punch and kick around and have a bit of fun


This post has been edited by inverse_bloom: Sep 14 2009, 02:11 AM

You can't really call any martial art as the "best" because there's no such thing as a perfect martial art. There will always be a lot of pros and cons. There are a lot of suggestions made here, so I'd suggest you read up on all of them and try a few and decide which one will suit you the best. Ofcourse if you try you can master most of them, but it's best to stick with just one.

Dude, if you want to lose weight while having a lot of fun in martial arts, you should definitely consider Capoeira. It's mostly a brazillian dance art which is translated into fighting. There is constant musical movement and it is largely based off of music and beats. You've got to admit, that sounds fun doesn't it? XD What I like most about it is the fact that it's not so cut throat and competitive, it's a lot more relaxed. If you aren't the most physically fit, I can almost guarantee you that the constant rhythmical movement will cut you thin in months. It's a strenuous practice, but the music and the beat help, a lot.