You're new to martial arts and looking for an art to study... Which style is best to study from a physical fitness point of view and which is best for self defence? And which, if any, satisfies both criteria best?

I would recommend Choy Li Fut. The extensive range of forms provide good stamina training as a cardiovascular workout, and the wide range of hand techniques requires use of the torso in a completely three dimensional manner. The stance work can look odd and difficult but trained correctly and often will ensure strong leg muscles while staying agile.
These work outs are preparing your body for a full blown fight so whatever the reason for your training the results still satisfy. The CLF attacks emphasize on sweeping and penetrating your opponent without much regard to what it is their doing so you should succeed if you complete the technique.
Im done selling Choy Li Fut, is there any other styles that someone would like to put forward?

I'm no expert, but I think that most people would agree that boxing is up there in the fitness stakes, and it's not a bad method of self defence either!
Am I correct in assuming that western boxing is a martial art? If not there's Thai boxing, Chinese boxing....any boxing is gonna give you a good cardiovascular workout.

Magic7 wrote:


Yes boxing is a Martial Art.

Etymology 101.

The english word Martial is taken from the Latin root Martialis or, 'Belonging To Mars'; Mars being the Roman god of War and Conflict, so all arts which have their basis in combat are Martial Arts.

This, in my opinion includes Boxing, Wrestling, and Fencing, etc, etc.

I think you should get that tattooed on you Alcatraz! ive seen you have to post it so many times

Wjlangton3 wrote:


I don't know why, but it just winds me up a tad when people (not Magic7) assume that in order for a fighting system to be a Martial Art, that it has to be Asian in origin.

As far as I'm aware, Latin wasn't widely spoken in China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, etc, etc.

It winds you up because people are silly. I don't think the romans ever invaded china did they?

Well....

I was watching a programme on the History Channel a wee while back which looked at the possibilty of a lost Roman Legion making it to China, and DNA tests have showed that in a particular area of China, whilst the population look Han Chinese, there were genetic markers which are alien to Han Chinese, and which are normally found in peoples of Italian and Greek origin.

Wow... really? Thats quite interesting. Did it explain how they got that far? I bet the march was a bitch.