When a person thinks about a martial artist, they may conjure up images ranging from shaolin monks sitting in a temple mediating to elite MMA fighters with cauliflower ear. If two separate people both created these separate images both would probably argue that their induvial interpretations of the martial arts are correct; with one side arguing that the study of martial arts is less about fighting and more about self-development and self-cultivation and the other side arguing that martial arts are a practical skill and must be combatively effective to be considered a martial art.

Which side is right?

The importance of context

This is where the all-important word ‘context’ come into play, as in ‘what context are you practicing your martial art?’.

In this sense neither side of the above arguments is right or wrong, it solely depends on what you wish to achieve out of your martial art practice. But before we dive into that subject there is something else, I wish to touch on…

Being honest with your practice…

This may seem like a bit of an odd title but let me explain; it is perfectly fine to practice a martial art with the sole purpose of improving your mental and physical well-being, the problem is when people who only practice forms, kata and meditation claim that they can beat any combat sport athlete in the world… the practice does not match the reality of combat, the teachers and practitioners are not being honest with their practice.

Not that modern martial arts schools are not removed from this problem, there are plenty of schools that claim that their martial art is the best or that it works in any context from the ‘street’ to the ring. Unfortunately, there is no martial practice (not even MMA) that can make you effective in every martial context.

So, what martial art should I practice?

This will depend on your own goals. So instead of asking ‘what martial art should I practice?’ you should be asking ‘what do I wish to gain from practicing a martial art’.

If you want to practice your martial art for fitness? Then a boxercise or kickercise class at your local commercial gym would be your best bet. Want to learn self-defence? Find a qualified self-defence coach and book a weekend seminar. Want to compete and learn how to fight in a sport context? There are a plethora of combat sports and combat sports gyms to choose from. Spiritual enlightenment and self-cultivation? Find a martial art that works the more esoteric side of its practice e.g., kung fu or most traditional martial arts schools.

Whatever your goal and whatever you find, try to remember to be honest with your practice, remember that being a good fighter will not make you a spiritual guru and that studying a martial art for self-cultivation will not make you a fighter. Try to remember this, even if the people around you say otherwise, try to be honest with your practice.

What if I don’t know what I want to learn?

Usually, people do not enter martial arts with the clearest goals, some people do, but in my experience most people have a vague idea of what they want or ‘just wanted to give it a go’. To these people I have some very simple advice, experiment. Try many different classes until you find the one that is the best fit for you.

You may get lucky and the first class you enter is the perfect fit or it may take you six months to realise that this martial art isn’t quite right for you. Wherever your martial journey takes you I hope this article will help guide you along the way.