New MA. Looking for help from the experienced

If at any point I come off like a troll it is unintended and due purely to the fact I am so inexperienced.

Anyone close to the Lincoln, Ne area? I am in my search of an MA to devote myself to now that I am engaged and now have a 5 month old baby girl to boot. Small fears are creeping up when I think of being able to protect this new family that is slowly growing. In my search for a MA reflecting self defense and something very adaptable. I have only been able to find a traditional aikido school, cardiokickboxing(kickboxing used loosely) or a a muay thai/bjj school. With limited options and my own lack of knowledge I was hoping to find help/helpful criticism here. Happy to answer any questions.

Two places I have researched slightly
www.aikidonebraska.org/
www.midamericama.com/

 

Mid America MA seems like exactly what you are looking for out of those three.

 

What made you say that about your choice?

 

[/SIZE]

Well, they have classes on pretty much anything you could wish for. Muay thai, MMA, FMA and BJJ with fairly successful competition records for each.

The other club has, well, aikido.

 

Mid America MA for me too - good pedigree, no inflated credentials and wide range of styles

 

I appreciate the feedback thus far especially after you looked over their site. Based purely on self defense does Aikido really fall that far behind the MA's listed for the MAMA site?

 

In terms of self defense a good bet would be to go with the mid-america martial arts and look into some situational awareness type courses as a side-line. There's a fair bit of literature out there, and lots of people on here more widely read then I am to point you in the right direction. It's my intention, and has been for some time, to supplement my MA training with something RBSD ish when I have the time and funds. Although to be honest, I don't expect to use anything much I've learned outside of training, I just like hitting things!

 

I feel limited being in the Midwest and having so few options. Although I suppose having a couple good legitimate options is better then 12 mcdojo's(thanks MAP for teaching me that term). I am surprised not to see one proponent for Aikido so far, unless that website threw up red flags I missed(very likely with me).

 

At the risk of being overtly controversial, yes

Aikido does have application and is a perfectly valid system, but as often as not lacks the pressure testing required to fully functionalise the art. There are "harder" dojos out there, but often they are more "art" than "martial" (not that that's a bad thing if it is what you seek)

 

I can't say there has ever been an interest in BJJ for me. MT and the FMA do however jump out at me. I realize body composition really does not make a difference but being 6ft8in tall and 250 could you see one being more welcoming to work myself into? I can't reiterate enough that I appreciate all the feedback. I was mildly surprised by the lack of Aikido proponents here. Not that I was trying to instigate a debate.


and through more research I also found....
www.shoreishobukan.org
www.lincolndojo.com/

 

Congratulations on your baby girl and impending mariage. Defending my family is one of the primary motivators for me to train.

IMO, Get yourself to judo.

If nothing else you will learn to fall over properly, and there is nothing more satisfying than hitting someone with the planet

I like judo from a SD perspective because to subdue an agressor without striking them seem to me to put the judoka on the legal/moral high ground.

A striking art that involves decent sparing will obviously be a boon. There is no better way to get used to getting hit that to get hit a lot, but personally, if I could only do one style, I would do judo

 

Thank you finite monkey. These women changed my life and now I need to do some changing to keep them in it for as long as possible. Amazed by how helpful everyone is so far to even a post from a first timer. Was not expecting anyone to chime in with Judo.

 

The first one shines out for me. Multiple arts, dedicated sparring classes and competent instructors. Plus the head instructor has an amazing moustache.
Shotokan tends to be very hit-and-miss in my experience. I've sparred and fought against a couple of BB-level shotokan karateka, and while most of them were fast and proficient facepunchers some went apart like a deck of cards with the merest hint of aggression.

To be honest, both of these sound like really decent schools,if i put the style vs style masturbation aside for a second. . No BS contracts, no inflated credentials and both offer free introductory classes.

 

Karate holds even less interest to me then BJJ but that could be due to ignorance. When people begin talking about katas and the training it seems.....not sure the word I am looking for..textbook?(i am sure that's not getting my point across but my tongue just got tied)

 

Aikido is a good art to get into if you find a decent club. However with the specific example you've post the part that'd put me off is where the web sites says they teach "duty, honour and courtesy". It's likely just my bad experiences firing off alarm bells. But I'd run a mile from any club telling me how to do anything other than martial arts.

 

It is things like that I don't notice aikiwolfe so I appreciate the input until I can spot those no no signs myself. What would would have to say about the other 3 posted sites?

 

This school also seems like a great training opportunity. Lots of solid styles, sparring is included, and the instructor has some impressive credentials. I would recommend trying out some classes at the locations that interest you and getting some feedback to help you make your decision.

 

I agree Kuma, he has quite the history. His full bio is very interesting. I am going to take advantage of the free class there since it has such an interesting collection of MA's.

 

I would really recommend you do so. His Goju Ryu credentials alone are pretty impressive. Goju Ryu may be something you might feel fits what you are looking for as well. Add into that the other systems they offer and you would get a very well rounded foundation.

 

I only wish I understood goju ryu karate more or at least talk to someone on here with more then a few years experience with it. I think Daitoryu has a lot to offer when comparing it to aikido. I would also like to have the bigger difference between Judo and Jiu jitsu pointed out to me because even after reading i just keep seeing grapple, locks, takedown in both. I am trying to read about 4 different forums on here to get a better idea but anyones 2 cents is appreciated.