I am interested in taking some martial art classes, any recommendations?
472919
Since you are as you put it "petite" I would recommend an Art that uses speed over strength. This will sound odd,but I would recommend Tai Chi. Although they train in what appears to be a very slow,and methodic way. It will teach you the correct placement of your feet to maintain balance.\nBear in mind that whatever you do slowly, you can do quickly. In this case also very effectively.
1092650
If you want to learn to defend yourself, martial arts is one good way; you have many choices in Asia.  Check the phone book or internet for nearest school to you.  All good martial arts schools and teachers will train your body, mind and spirit :\n\n1.  Kalaripayyat (from Kerala state in India)\n2.  Karate Do\n3.  Tae Kwan Do\n4.  Chinese Kung Fu (many varieties and schools)\n5.  Jujitsu\n6.  Judo\n7.  Aikido\n\nIf you want to learn to fight, that's a different thing altogether, and solutions include:\n\n8.  Boxing\n9.  Street-fighting\n10. Thai boxing ('muay thai')\netc
1089485
If you cannot locate a school near your area, I would begin by seeking out the closest, most reputable instructor that you can find and make a visit to their class/school. Introduce yourself to the instructor and tell them of your situation and the distance issue. With any luck, the instructor will allow you to train and will give you enough information so that you can spend some quality time at home working the material that you learned and then each time you get a chance, pay another visit to this instructor.\n\nThere is no replacement for real teaching: books, videos, online material, these are all very good tools but these alone will never get you to become a formidable exponent of any martial art.
1067397
Judo is definitely not a bad place to start. that is where I started and I am about the same size.  Judo will teach you how to take opponents down and what to do once you get them down (Choke holds, armbars etc.).  Something to keep in mind is that in fighting, there are 3 distances from which to attack or defend. they are what I call "away" (Aprrox. 3 feet from opponent), "close range" (self explanatory) and on the ground.  Judo will teach you close range and ground techniques.\nAs you progree though, you may want to consider other arts to cover the different areas of fighting.  I started with Judo until I received a brown belt (about 3 yrs). from there I went to Tae Kwon Do so I could learn how to kick and cover the outer perimeter (Black Belt). and then I moved on to Kung Fu to cover the short range.  Though I liked all of these arts, my preference would be Kung Fu. from what I've seen, a shorter stature person like ourselves could really benefit from it should the need arise.\nwhichever art you choose though, do your homework. many schools proclaim to be great one's and advance you quickly to get the testing fees out of you (belt factory)!. don't fall for these, they will give you a false sense of confidence that you don't need!\ncheck around, ask alot of questions, if you are interested in competing go one a tournament where the school u are interested in is participating.  If you a see a green belt from another school beat a black belt from your school of interest, then chances are you need to be looking elsewhere.\nGood luck to you!  I hope you enjoy as much I have throughout my life.
63216
There are many, but few have english speaking instructors.  I'm gonig to a place near COEX.  The teacher speaks some english, enough for me to understand what I need to do.  Mostly we do striking, Jiu-Jitsu and MMA striking/takedown.  If you're interested in knowing more send me an IM or email.
914471
lol there are a few around where i live... in independence missoure the guy who brought it 2 the us lives... retired i bet... u can take it in topeka k.s. and u can learn it and any ryu-te karate(or ryukyu kempo) place along with tuite jutsu the 2 things that make ryu te totally diffrent than all other karates.... good stuff.... u can rean kyuso online by its self off the oficial website... 4 a price... but scince its a independant study..... i cant say youll get quality
1167644
Here is a list of schools in the area.  You'll probably have to call for pricing:\nhttp://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Martial+Arts+Instruction/S-FL/T-Orlando/\n\nHope this helps!
697956
I Would consider other styles as well Tai chi and sho lin. But I would sit in on a few classes first and make sure of two things. One that the class is scaled down in difficulty a doesn't go for much more than an hour. And two that the class is ONLY taught by a patient blackbelt. Often classes for beginners are given to those who are not instructors and lack teaching experience of any kind. Also talking to parents of other students wouldn't hurt. But is he personally ready, that is hard to say for sure, but it might be good to stay for the first few classes and watch. Some do great scaled down classes for kids.
1059345
Well I can't think of one art that focuses on all of the things that you name. Brazillian Jujitsu probably comes the closest. It focuses on grappling, pressure points, and submissions. I believe they do have some takedowns but most of it is groundfighting so I wouldn't consider take downs to be a part of the focus. On the flipside, Judo focuses on takedowns, grappling, and submissions but not so much on pressure points because it is a sport. Then there is Japanese Jujitsu, which is what I practice, and we focus on take downs, pressure points, and submissions. We don't do so much grappling but it is there. So all in all, if you want to focus on all of the elements you named, I would combine a couple of martial arts (BJJ and Judo would be quite effective if you want to compete in a fight competition or just get in good shape. If you are looking to study for pure self defense, then BJJ and Japanese Jujitsu would be good).
943406
Check out the links posted on these sites, and search:\n\nwing chun kung fu\n\nIt is an effective art form that is realitively easy to learn, and will get you in shape if you remain commited to it. \n\n\nhttp://www.wingchunassociation.com \nhttp://www.pacificwingchunassociation.com
376438
go to your yellow pages and look at them.  If you want something that will actually teach you how to defend yourself then i would find a place that teaches one of these arts:  \nwing chun\njeet kune do\nmuay thai \nshoot wrestling\nsilat/escrima/kuntao/kali/arnis\nbrazilian jiu-jitsu\nrussian sambo\n\nDon't take anything like karate, aikido, judo, kenpo, tae kwon do, etc...  They are more for show or competitions.  They do not help you to learn how to defend yourself.  My advice is to find a place in the yellow pages and then call them up and ask if you can try it out for a day or two to see if you like it.  Here is a website that shows some really good technique from the styles i mentioned above so you know what you will be getting yourself into:\nhttp://www.afsacademy.com/home.htm\nJust click on the demo video and watch it
54660
i would suggest Krav Maga, which is Isreali Army self-defense...profieciency can be achieved relatively quickly, esp. compared to more "traditional" martial arts.\ni think the real question is, what are you trying to learn?  Do you wanna know how to beat people up?  Why?  After enough time in study, you can learn how to start fights before they start, and how to not be in a position where violent situations occur in the first place.  You CAN learn how to beat people up in little time, but, if you stick it out, you'll learn how not to need to.  Good luck on your search!
92857
Tang Soo Do is great. It is not all just about fighting. It teaches you alot more. Check out this site to learn more:\nhttp://www.wtsda.com/
801373
here's all i've found near arlington: \n\nhttp://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypResults.py?Pyt=Typ&city=Arlington&state=TX&uzip=76010&country=us&msa=2800&cs=4&ed=KV8m9K1o2TwYALwKke7SAI9De_Uvx5aMnXJDt1jmMmhf&tab=B2C&stx=8120454&stp=y&desc=Martial+Arts&qtx=martial+arts&offset=3&FBoffset=17&toggle=&stat=ClkNxtUpper&ls=&lp=\n\ni'd suggest giving a few of these places a call, they might be able to point you to a tai chi chuan instructor... you can also check and see if there are any physical therapist that do eastern medicine, they tend to give taiji and qigong classes at their practices.. \n\nsorry i couldn't be more help, i'll ask my sifu if he knows anyone near arlington that would be good to see.. \n\nsorry\n\n~*good luck*~
508784
I'm looking for a dojo around that area too.  Davis Square Martial Arts provides Kung Fu and Tai chi.  House Samurai Shotokan Karate also in Somerville.  Somerville offers a wide variety of other martial arts such as muay tai, jiu jitsu, and judo.  You can look them up on Yahoo's yellow pages or citysearch.com.
213539
You may be able to find classes at your local karate/taekwondo school. I know we have classes offered at our local taekwondo school. Just call around to your martial arts schools.\nGood luck!
749420
judo\nsambo \njujitsu\nthats pretty much all i have heard of