what martial art should i take?

[Dominic]

what would a good martial art for someone who is 240lbs and 5'7. i dont want to take things like karate because i think it requires speed and for someone like me its not going to workout.

i am not fat by the way, its all muscles.

[Jacob]

Give honest info and I might give you an answer. Unless you have been downing steroids and spending all day bodybuilding there is no way your 240 at your height.

[LamontStanford]

Jiu Jitsu, look it up.

[Tony]

Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing or Brazilian Jiujitsu.

[JasKey]

Don't think about physical limitations so much, because many of those limitations will change with training. Think more about what would you like to do. Do you want to strike, grapple, flying kicks, ground fighting, clinch fighting, pacifistic defense, etc.? Your goal should be more important than your current ability. After you don't need to go train for something you should be able to do well right off the bat.

[Ben]

Judo, Hapkido and BJJ are three good ones to have a look at.

[Joey]

you are not 240 pounds of ALL (thats impossible) muscle expecially at 5'7. first off if you were that big you would use the correct lingo saying something like, low body fat percentage because people who lift talk the talk. so for your stupid question i will reply with... do you even lift bro? however since you are concerned about your speed and you are mentioning the you are a short person who weighs alot (im guessing you are fat because you said you weren't) i would say you should try a heavy cardio combat sport such as boxing or kickboxing to get your weight down but you could also try BJJ, which in my oppinion is the best form of martial art you can use for self defence. but if everything i said is correct about the REAL you then go try one of the martial arts i suggested to you and also go get a membership and get your weight to a managable level for you... i would say 180 should be a good bench mark.

[Jim]

You can do any martial art you want. Whatever you choose you will adapt your style based on your physical attributes. That is the art of portion of Martial Arts. See below my previous post on how to select a Martial Art School:

1. Define your goals
Before you begin your search for you a school you should try to understand your motivation for wanting to train in the martial arts. Everybody has different expectations as to what they plan to get out of there training. For example some people are just in it for fitness, some self-defense, and some want to compete. It could be a mix of any number of things. Understanding your motivation will help guide you in selecting not only the school but the style. Try to answer the following questions honestly:

What is my primary motivation?
i. Is it Fitness?
ii. Learning a Traditional Martial Art?
iii. Competition?
iv. Self Improvement?

Once you can define what your goals are this will help to guide you in your school selection.

2. What is your budget?
I have trained at a number of schools they ranged in price from 90-125 dollars a month. Couple of things you should look out for are the schools that charge extra money for belt tests, which is more common in traditional schools like Karate. A monthly fee plus some basic training equipment is all you should have to spend money on. Decided I ahead of time what you can afford to spend on classes. Typically you are charged a flat monthly fee.

3. Visits Some Schools
Once you have completed the previous two steps it is time to start visiting schools. I recommend calling ahead of time and ask the head instructor if you can watch a class. Watching a class is going to tell you a lot about the school, and typically after the class the instructor will talk with you to answer any questions you might have. They usually offer you a couple weeks of free classes so you can try it out before you commit.

As you look around take note of the cleanliness of the school, what kind of training equipment they have, if it is a BJJ or wrestling school do they have padded floors.

Once the class begins you should note how it is run. For example:

Is the class organized and well run by the instructor? Ideally the instructor has a strong lesson plan and is able to control the flow of the class

How many instructors on the floor? If you have only one instructor and there are 50 students you are not going to get much in the way of personal attention. Ideally the instructor should be able to provide critiques on your form or performance during the class.

Do they take safety seriously? In all sports you run the risk of injury, but a good school will take steps to mitigate injuries. I trained at an MMA school that got fighters ready for the UFC, and believe it or not that was the most safety conscious Martial Arts school I have trained at. In comparison I have trained at a Muay Thai school that didn’t even require students to wear mouth guards. Instructor is going to set the tone of the school so it is important you agree with that tone.

4. Try before you buy. Once you have visited a couple of school it is time to give it a try. Most schools will give you a couple of weeks for free. This will give you a chance to see if the school is for you. If you have any questions about this process feel free to send me your questions. Also check out my article on being the new student in the class.