Martial Art

[!Luck]

Which fighting sport would you recommend for someone to take up, who has no knowledge of anything?

!luck

[KoRnholio]

Is this person interested more in the sport/exercise or self-defence aspect?

[bikes]

KRAV MAGA

best of both worlds

[!Luck]

1) Unpussyfication.
2) General fitness

I am already a runner and lift weight 2x week.

!luck

[BooG690]

Muay Thai.

[d0zer]

gotta vouch for my jiu-jitsu. brazillian for just groundfighting, traditional (Japanese) for a more comprehensive self-defense package.

krav maga's solid too, but they don't have much of a sport aspect.

[wufwugy]

Find An MMA School Or Gym

[NightGizmo]

I took Kung Fu for a year, loved it, it quickly got me into the best shape of my life. But if you decide on kung fu, look for the Shaolin variety, not Wushu. The former is an actual fighting style, the other is more about learning the forms rather than practical use.

[!Luck]

Thanks. Muay Thai and Boxing are the way to go. I see two gyms by me that I can join.

!luck

[Nekrogovner]

Muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, MMA...great if you want competitive full contact sports
If you like Buddha, chakras, LSD or ballet you can try kungfu, taekwondo, capoiera and aikido. Most of those teach you very cool dance moves, and some are even super deadly...like kung fu, where you can touch enemies nose with your index finger and make his heart stop, however it takes 100 years of training on daily basis to learn that technique.
And if you are into self-defense you can go learn stuff like kravmaga, it teaches you to effectively eyegouge and mutilate enemies and stay alive in ghetto, but other than that, no + points in charisma.

[d0zer]

why would you take boxing and muay thai? They teach you how to use your hands in muay thai, the boxing just seems redundant.

[Monty3038]

Tai Chi worked great for relaxation for me, also for general flexibility.

Too bad I became lazy and quit doing it. Maybe that can be my winter goal.

[BooG690]

why would you take boxing and muay thai? They teach you how to use your hands in muay thai, the boxing just seems redundant.

I agree. I would complement my Muay Thai with BJJ...not boxing.

[Luco]

...disappointed that nobody on this poker forum suggested origami

[!Luck]

Well, there are two gyms by me (5 minutes from work), it only offers boxing. The other is a little further away and offers Muay Thai. Based on comments that I read those are both good disciplines, meaning I can't go wrong with either.

When I do my first class, I will post a mini TR.

-!luck

[d0zer]

boxing sucks. no kicks, no elbows, no knees, no clinch, no groundfighting, just big mitts and no fun.

[deadstraddl3]

I took Kung Fu for a year, loved it, it quickly got me into the best shape of my life. But if you decide on kung fu, look for the Shaolin variety, not Wushu. The former is an actual fighting style, the other is more about learning the forms rather than practical use.

^^^Shaolin Kung Fu is the most strenuous thing I've ever done, make sure you get your abductors and hip muscles used to some strain before you do it.
I would suggest that for a mix of exercise and technique, or Krav Magaw/Ninjitsu if you wanna just learn to kill people with your hands.

I would also read Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee in the process, so you can learn to think about why you're doing what you're doing.

[wufwugy]

Based on just that information, I'd do Muay Thai

[bjsaust]

I'd do Muay Thai, great workout and you get to hit people. Nothing wrong with boxing with your stated goals, but the Muay Thai will help flexibility as well which is nice for overall health.

[jyms]

Not a fan of boxing either, although the conditioning aspect is always top notch. Muay Thai would be awesome to try. I taught Karate for 10 years and am a Nidan (second degree) black belt. Haven't been in a long time though. Most martial arts are great for conditioning at first until you learn to relax and let it flow, and stop fighting the form and speed. It becomes so much more mental after a while than physical.

The best thing for you to do is spend time looking at what's available, find what interests you. Martial arts is a long term commitment and not just a couple days a week sport. Just because boxing is close, you may not enjoy it and just stop going if that''s the case. Talk to the lead instructors, get a feel what they are about. They make all the difference. It's all punching, kicking, wrestling and is only an art form when the teacher teaches the art and not the former.

[bikes]

being a first dan blackbelt in taekwondo i would recommend against taekwondo

[Warpe]

ice hockey

[BooG690]

Agreed. TKD sucks.