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Anonymous
So, I'm 17 yeah.. been losing weight thanks to /fit/ (primarily for motivation, burn the fat feed the muscle for information and technique) for about 3 months, and now that I'm nearing a level of fitness that I'm happy with, I'm thinking of taking up a martial art, primarily for fun and as a way to help maintain the current physical form, so my question is this /fit/.

What is a martial art which is both practical and requires enough conditioning/exercise to maintain some degree of fitness?
>> Anonymous
I've done quite a few, trying to find a perfect match for what I wanted (which is is high intensity, high combat effectiveness). The thing you should know is that martial arts will vary SIGNIFICANTLY from instructor to instructor. Any legit gym or dojo will let you try out before paying. TRY LOTS OF PLACES. I'll give you a rundown of what I've done. Note that I wasn't just going and doing the 1-2 day tryouts, I spent at least 2 months at all of these places. I'll try to rate their effectiveness at combat and as a self-contained workout.

Karate (Goju-Ryu), Intensity: High, Effectiveness: medium-high
My sensei was an ex-paratrooper who used to teach defensive tactics to police officers. Therefore the effectiveness of how he taught is atypically high. I did this for several years in high school and it was my first martial art. There are MANY different schools of Karate. This is not considered one of the "sport" varieties. i.e. you are taught "punches go to the throat, kicks go to the groin" and that sort of thing.

Tae-kwon do (olympic), Intensity: Very high, Effectiveness: VERY LOW
The legs and hips are big and heavy. Moving them around at high speeds really takes it out of you. From a combat standpoint though, using primarily kicks is a bad idea as most fights occur at a very close range. This school was particularly bad. There were blackbelts who couldn't even make proper fists.
>> Anonymous
>>133560

Judo, Intensity: High, Effectiveness: High.
Taught properly judo is both fun and exhausting. learning throws isn't terribly draining. Doing ground grappling and wrestling/escape maneuvers can be murderous exercise in any moderately long duration. (**This is my "official" recommendation**)

Krav Maga, Intensity: Low-Moderate, Effectiveness: VERY HIGH
Krav Maga is some brutal shit and is technically not a "martial art" in that at no point will the system ever contain a technique or movement that is meant to "look cool" or be more "elegant". it is not a sport and can not be practiced. The intensity steps up considerably at more advanced levels with the addition of sparring and wrestling but those take time to get too (because of the high risk involved).
>> Anonymous
MMA.
>> Anonymous
Judo
Boxing
Kickboxing
Wrestling

All of these are good and practical.
>> Anonymous
OP here. Cheers for the fast responses, seems like I might look into judo or/and some kind of boxing/wrestling.
>> Anonymous
>>133572
Oh, I forgot (These were me>>133560,>>133561)
. Price may of course be a factor for you too. And if you're a student like me it can sometimes be THE factor in deciding whether a school is doable.

You will generally need a uniform for any traditional martial art (these can be obtained fairly cheaply) and any sparring equipment that is required by the school. The ones you've said you'll look into just so happen to be the lowest cost options in my experienced. Good choices. Boxing will more than likely be the most expensive.
>> Anonymous
>>133582
Yeah I'm just looking over expenses now, I should be able to cover it fine, thanks for the help anon.
>> Anonymous
teakwandoo, you'll get very fit and it gives 100+ agility.

also kicking is badass