Can you tell me anything about starting martial arts as a fat/out of shape person with crappy stamina? I'm interested in this, especially as I see a lot of overlap with dance. It's not an option now (language barrier) but may be in March/April after I relocate. So too might be an adult ballet (or maybe jazz) class. But I'm struggling with the fact that most likely everyone in those dance classes is like far more fit than me, even if they have less underlying technique. I may be able to do a better jete, but they can do more/faster! The potential humiliation of having to go sit down during floor work in order to catch my breath is a bit much. (Hopefully by then I'll have made enough progress that it won't be an issue.) What about a martial arts class? If I can find a beginner adult class (not sure which martial art specifically, and it may not matter much for my purposes), do you think it would be problematic for someone with lousy stamina? Can a fat girl learn karate in a group class?
Watch out for brain dump!
Fat is fine for most martial arts - it's a performance issue! A friendly place will allow you to go at your own pace.
First thing is to decide what you want out of it. Specifically, how realistic are you about self-defence. Many styles will try to sell you on that, but really, it's mostly a sham. Look up "McDojos" on youtube for a chuckle. No style will make you into a fighter that doesn't incorporate real sparring with non-compliant partners.
So to get this our of the way, if you want to actually fight/spar, then it's really about how much pain you want to take:
- Even the "mildest" martial arts (and the quotes are important) will injure you once in a while. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is extremely popular, partly because you can spar non-compliant opponents with less risk of injury, since striking isn't allowed and you can tap out before something breaks. HOWEVER you do still get hurt, another beginner can put their weight on your lowest rib leaving it sore, you can twist a toe etc... But that said, as imperfect as it would be in a real-life situations (as the sparring situations don't reflect real life), as least you gain real skills and have a shot as hurting your attacker. Also, it's trendy, so there are tons of clubs, they usually have female members who are keen to recruit more, people are nerdy/friendly... good for meeting nice people. Of course there are exceptions, if you take a class in a gym that teaches to wannabe MMA fighters then forget what I've just said.
- For striking arts, if you don't constantly carry some injury as you do it then it's likely fake! To be clear, I am referring to striking arts that incorporate meaningful sparring. Like muai thai. I really don't think that's for most people, and doesn't sound like it's for you, but I'm just including it for completeness.
So that's my own take on "real" fighting martial arts. Now if you want to improve coordination, fitness, etc, then you have a much wider choice. Some suggestions in decreasing order of my preference. But it's very personal, and you are very smart (I can see from other posts), I think when you get where I'm coming from you can do your research and find something very suitable.
- Join a fitness class in a boxing gym (not a boxing class in a fitness gym if possible)! you'll get a super workout, but with actual boxers. from then you could try your hand at light sparring, body sparring etc. only if you want. Google the gym to make sure it's not run by psychos, and that they are friendly to beginners... Perhaps you can observe a class. Knowing how to throw a punch isn't a bad skill. You can shock someone and run away. I've heard it said that for real-life situations boxing and wrestling is the best combo you can have. Make of that what you will!
- Taek Won Do very good also for a flexible dancer, clubs are big and everywhere, they often take adult beginners, and while some sparring can get rowdy they aren't shy about using protection. that's not a concern for beginners anyway.
- If the dance aspect appeals, you could look at capoeira (sp?). If you fancied you could always take up kickboxing after, having picked up flexibility
- Karate is good for coordination and such, but for a lot of styles (that you are likely to sign up for) it seems like it's a lot of repetitive moves, and katas. Repetitive drills (say the same punch for a half hour) can get you injured. not sure you'll get so much out of it.
In terms of what to avoid, again read up on mcdojos and you'll get an idea. Not a fan of boxercise taught by Personal trainers (explained above). Why not learn it right? And things like Krav Maga I'm dubious about. Firstly because I've heard they don't teach the full curriculum to outsiders, too dangerous, second, I don't see how you can practice an art that's meant to kill people without faking it.