Martial arts for a 40-something man

[Santander]

A question for the masses... what does this community think about Aikido and Ninjutsu?
I am 41 and I would like to learn some self defense techniques (aside from using my pistol) and stay in shape. I'm asking the question here hoping that you might be able to provide me with some insight or possibly better alternatives.

I'm in reasonably good shape. I've been swimming to work on overall cardio lately. I had my share of fights when I was a kid and most ended up in a grappeling match. For that reason I was originally searching out a Judo class/group. Nothing where I am at. I took Karate as a kid and remember how it helped the reflexes, strength, & flexibility. So now I'm trying to decide on a "type" of martial art. I'm trying to avoid the "Mac-Martial Arts" if you know what I mean. :-)
I was also looking at Kung Fu and Judo but it looks like there isn't anything nearby. Everything else around here is TKD.

Btw, I did do a search. There were lots of hits where it was mentioned but haven't seen anything answering the questions I'm asking.

Many thanks in advance.
Tony

[Steve7]

I take Brazilian Jujitsu/MMA class, but I am older than you.

One factor to consider is what's available in your area. The martial art may be what all the secret squirrels do or the fighting techniques of most dangerous men on the planet, but if you have to drive 100 miles to get to class you may not have longevity with it. At first you are excited and dedicated will make the drive. After a while you can't beg off working overtime anymore, the Wife starts complaining, or the kids have activities. The drive time start to be an issue and your training time drops off or stops. Something local can reduce these conflicts. I would take the best of what is available in your area.

[Benjamin Liu]

Ninjutsu is good if it is from the Bujinkan or an off-shoot like the Jinenkan or Genbukan and if you have a good instructor. I can't say anything about the Genbukan or Jinenkan training, but witht he Bujinkan there are things to look out for.

Some instructors are good and teach practical skills while others are New Age hippies who act like Yoda or David Carradine and are a waste of time.

Avoid any dojo that has some relationship to Warriorschool or any of its off-shoots, even if the dojo claims to teach practical skills, the instructor is military/LEO, the dojo is advertized as defense-oriented, etc. They might teach practical skills sometimes, but also they will really waste a students' time. The sign of this is if they have any "special" programs teaching "adulthood," "initiation," or anything to do with stolen American Indian traditions like sweat lodges, vision quests, etc.

For a little about what you'll learn in a good dojo, you will become more flexible, have better reflexes, strength, and timing, have much better balance, and a better ability to read attackers. You'll learn hand and foot strikes, joint locks, throws, evasion, blocking, trapping, etc. You'll learn to fight with swords, knives, various lengths of sticks, chains and other flexible weapons, shuriken, and a few exotic weapons in addition to expedient weapons. You'll also learn stealth, breakfalls, rolls, and other movement-related skills.

Some dojos will teach first aid, survival, firearms, and similar skills not normally seen as martial arts related. Just make sure the instructor has the skills he is teaching.

You won't learn poisons, explosives, arson, assassination, etc.

Most people start Ninjutsu as adults and it is common to have dojos where most of the students have had years of training in other arts, which can be a benefit.

The movement in Ninjutsu blends very well with Filipino Martial Arts, and it is a good idea to take ar least some FMA no matter what martial art you study.

Search for my posts on Ninjutsu, Bujinkan, and choosing a martial arts school for more info.

[snare]

You sure there are only TKD schools (other than aikido and ninjutsu) in your area?

If so, I'd say try both out. Definitely look critically at the ninjutsu school like Benjamin recommended.

Personally I did not like aikido, I also studied hapkido. Due to a move I studied aikido in more than one school and quite frankly I found the way it was taught to be less than realistically valuable in street fights.

I know of (and attend) an excellent school here in WNC (one student is an ~65 yo female with significant arthritis), but that may be a bit far for you. I highly recommend FMA too if you can find it.

[P.D.]

This old fart - I'm 62, is taking Krav Maga. But then I was dropped on my head as a child.

[ricco]

Your personality type will often decide what MA you will study. As always there are few absolutes but as an example, aggressive people tend not to do well in MA like Aikido. I found the constant Hyung practice in TKD to be tedious and the emphasis on belt rank was distracting. A Kali instructor I trained with had studied Ninjitsu and had positive things to say about it. What works for others might not work for you, look at as much as you can.

[truenorth]

Im 51, work out regularly and in great shape. When I mention to the Wife I would like to start MMA; she harumphed and said I could take Tai Chi. She walked away laughing..........

[Benjamin Liu]

Originally Posted by Santander

I am 41 and I would like to learn some self defense techniques (aside from using my pistol) and stay in shape.

To answer the question of age, I had a student who I think was in his mid-40s when he started. He worked out so he was in good shape, but he hardly had any training before. He was the best student I had and if I had the authority when I was teaching him I would have made him a black belt.

[RatDrall]

Originally Posted by Santander

A question for the masses... what does this community think about Aikido and Ninjutsu?

One of the toughest guys I know is an old school Aikido instructor. His balance is perfect, and being a big guy it seems impossible to get him down. He can also touch me lightly and cause me to lose my balance. I have a lot of respect for good Aikido.

The other dangerous guys I know train in Kali. Kali guys are extremely violent

I always steer people towards the Fillipino stuff (Kali, Escrima, etc.) because no matter the school, you will likely find stick, knife and empty hand stuff, along with great footwork and lots of balance disruption and a lot of breaks and takedowns. There is very little striking, focusing instead on ending a fight with disabling and killing moves. You get so friggin fast dodging and deflecting sticks, that by the time you move onto knives and empty hands you can really move. I'm twice as fast, after a year of Kali, as I was after 7 years of TKD.

[Tony Nester]

I live in a relatively small town (65000) and Phoenix is a two-hour drive. I am limited with training schools so I have a core group of a few guys I train combatives with- informally.

I was recently surprised to hear about a small Jeet Kune Do school off the radar that is advertised on Craig's List here- just a dozen or so folks who train in the instructor's garage. I know a few other "schools" like this- so you may want to check there to see what's in your area that are doing mainstream advertising. These won't be commercial schools by any means but may have a handful of dedicated practitioners.

Tony