How could I start?

Recreation Martial Arts
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Last month I ran a half marathon, that strikes off something from my “bucket list”.

Another thing would be to practice fighting or martial arts. Taipei without COVID might be the perfect place for this.
I’m 33 years old, a little overweight but still somewhat athletic. My half marathon time was 2 hours ~ 10 minutes (they say a good “novice” time is under 2 hours). I liked running because it’s something I can easily do alone. I eat too much, but also I feel more anxiety than usual when dieting, so I should exercise somehow for my entire life. And I’m not very competitive, but I think personal safety is motivating and also overcoming fear or trying new things. I work as an engineer. I’ve lived in Taipei for 2 years, have a contract for 1 more year, hopefully many more I think.

One of my Taiwanese friends (a bit distant) goes to a class at a gym. I thought why not ask around here before doing something like that. I don’t really like gym memberships. Going outside is usually nicer and the public parks have pull-up bars and things.

Perhaps I should learn a more aggressive attitude, try lots of things. I think I could ask instructors for free intro evaluating classes, right?

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Congrats on the half marathon. 2:10 is a very good time, IMO.

Watching this thread. Learning some sort of martial art has long been on my to-do list and I’ve just never got around to it. The main thing that puts me off is that it seems to be a very expensive hobby - good trainers are not cheap, particularly since trainers and gyms are generally packaged together by contractual obligations.

Just a thought: you’re probably not “eating too much”, and feeling anxiety while dieting is completely normal, mainly because it’s pointless and unpleasant. If you’re a bit overweight you’re just eating too many of the wrong things (and perhaps messing up your metabolism by dieting).

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Assuming OP wants to know how to start learning martial arts, for the past 5 years there are lots of MMA training popping up all around Taiwan. I have friends to goes to train at one of these MMA places every week and enjoys it immensely.

Just google with these key words 台北 武術 館, replace Taipei if you live somewhere else, and probably pick one that is closer to where you live.

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It’s over 20 years since I last trained, but my advice would be to start with a traditional style and then move to MMA. Get the basics right first.

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stretching

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I’ll try and get those box splits again

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Ooh, that was a bad idea

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stretch properly

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If youre looking to learn real mma with sparring, id recommend ufc gym in taipei. If youre looking for boxing i highly recommend eagle boxing near kunyang station.

Those group classes offered in regular gyms are basically dance classes, you wont learn anything useful from them. Most trainers in regular gyms also dont know a thing about boxing or mma but will gladly charge you money and put on pads to play around with you.

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First question you need to ask yourself- why do you want to study a martial art? This is an important question.

If you want a more cultural experience, with some positives in dealing with your average, untrained person in a potential encounter, traditional martial arts are the way to go. Depending on the group, they tend to have a good community, but in some of the more hardcore traditional groups, it may take a little bit to get accepted, though. Regardless, don’t get caught up in the whole “it is useless in a real fight” mentality that often gets aimed at the more traditional martial arts.

However, if you want MMA, take MMA. As a straight up fighting style, it is hard to beat. That being said, it does tend to attract the more aggro types that want to learn to fight - the exception being the straight up BJJ gyms, which Taipei has at least one - even though I still met some aggro types in my time there, they tended to only be beginners, and definitely was not there for any of the higher belts, who were great. It generally has a more "sporty’ atmosphere, if that is what you are looking for.

If you want pure self defense, there are other options. However, real self defense is not pretty, and often doesn’t resemble martial arts very much. But that is another topic altogether.

Enjoy the search for a martial art you enjoy practicing - it is a huge part of the fun. I personally miss practicing, but I have so many injuries now, I don’t know what I even could do anymore.

All of the above is said after doing martial arts for 30 years or so. On a final note, look at the senior members, they are the representative of the style. Is that where you would like to be in 2,5, or 10 years of practice? If no, move on. If yes, you may have found what you are looking for. And above all, remember that the general atmosphere of the dojo, gym, guan, etc. is the absolutely most important thing - you need to enjoy yourself there, all while feeling safe to push your limits with the other members there.

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Are there actual MMA classes? How would that work?

MMA is what it sounds. Mixed martial arts. MMA fighters learn different specific disciplines and combine together. It would take a lifetime to master 1-2. So I’m not understanding what MMA class actually looks like.

Maybe you just want to do it for fun and get in shape. I guess there are some classes that are target as that as MMA classes.

But if you want to master a discipline, go with a single one first. Successful MMA fighter often are often competent in some of these disciplines. Boxing, Muay Thai, kick boxing, BBJ, Judo, and some form of wrestling. Not all of them, but they would likely be strong at one and competent in another.

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What’s wrong with yoga? Good for you and you can go to a class or go it alone.

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There are some Yoga-ish stretches that I really like, but it isn’t on my bucket list to try to be a yogi or take a series of classes. Part of the goal here is to have a novice level of fighting, sort of like the other goal to get a novice level half marathon time.

BJJ does sound like it lines up with my goals a lot, with one big missing part, and that is local culture. So I think this one goal is turning into two. And I don’t think it would be good to split focus in two different things.

I hope to live in Taipei for a while longer, but can’t guarantee it. I’m leaning toward trying 太極 or something very local first. But also I get a feeling I’m chasing something dumb or too poorly defined.

The next plan is to show up at a few places looking dumb and ask to take a beginner class.

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Many Taipei parks have free tai chi classes/meet-ups, usually early in the morning. I used to go to Saturday push hands at CKS Memorial and Sunday tai chi at 228 Park (both of which start eight or ninish), but haven’t been since the pandemic started, so not sure about the current situation.

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Regardless of whether Taichi is actually practical in real combat, certain styles of Taichi are great core workouts.

Also, let’s face it, for most of us the best defense is no be there, regardless what style we learn. It’s ultimately the workout and socializing that keep people coming back to a dojo.

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Right. Practically, I would run whenever I could rather than fight, if it even gets to that.

But on the other hand, they say that knowing how to fight is nice and preventative. Like how the lock on a door is not a perfect deterrent but it keeps people from trying something they shouldn’t.

Either way, I feel I have some motivation to do something with this, enough that it’s the next thing on the bucket list.

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they say the same thing about owning a gun

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I agree with @depot here. Nasty people generally target people who look weak. If you carry yourself like you can handle yourself then you are less likely to get attacked in the first place.

Guns are a bit different because obviously the more people who carry guns the more people get shot. However, carrying a gun would be preventative if you were the only person who had a gun.

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Yes, just looking healthy and fit and having an air of confidence is a pretty good deterrent. Of course, looking batshit crazy works too.

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i’m just saying what they say, not opining

i puff up, squint, and strut, when i’m in dodgy surroundings

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