Help with martial arts

[Beanman]

For those of you who know me, you know I work out. For those who don't...I weight lift a bit. I want to learn some formal martial arts training, but due to my lack of knowledge in this area, I am unsure on which place/style would be best. A few things I wish to avoid:
1)High cost- I work two jobs, but that doesn't mean I want to be spending $100+ a month on lessons.
2)MMA- I am not looking to get into any MMA fights, nor do I want to learn from a place that specializes in mma fighters. From what I understand, there are certain rules in MMA fights, so some martial arts must be pruned so they can be effective in the ring. I want to learn something practical, without it being "Look at me fight in the UFC bro!"
3)Bad lessons- I don't want to waste my money.

I think thats about it. I am leaning towards muay thai but everything I find seems to be conflict with #2.
One last thing. What do you guys think about this? Unsure how good the lessons would be considering the gym is based out of someone's home.

I know there was a martial arts thread a while ago, so I figured you guys must know a thing or two about this stuff.

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

Muay thai is wonderful, but I don't advise it as a first martial art to pick up. Read up on it first; Muay Thai is a very brutal and dangerous art, it's not something to just jump into.

If you don't want bad lessons, simply look up the instructor on google, and see what you can find. If you can't find anything on him, don't get lessons from that person.

High cost really isn't something I can help with. One of the best Muay Thai instructors in the world lives literally down the street from me, and his lessons are known to be out of this world. However, he doesn't charge much at all. Not even 99 USD a month. Not even 50 USD a month. He only charges about 39 USD a month for his lessons. It's awesome.

What I would try and do if I were you is look for teams which have top ranking instructors at the dojos. It really depends on what you're interested in, but....


http://www.teamnog.com/

If what they say is true, then one of the greatest BJJ fighters in the country teaches there, and you would be wise to check out what they have to offer.


Though I'm not surprised, he lost his title to a RUSSIAN.

If you want help with any of this stuff, feel free to hit me up with a PM, or one of the three IM programs I have listed.

 

[Gerbil]

Mooney has it right man.

I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu myself, and Muay Thai is not an easy beginner's martial art. There is a lot of power in it, but a lot of danger too.

ALWAYS check any instructor you might be interested in. A good instructor will not hesitate to give you their credentials and allow you to watch one of their classes. Also, take note at how the show respect for their art. My (deceased) instructor always had extreme respect for the art of BJJ, and he was a second degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. I could background check him through Gracie Magazine and just googling his name.

Any instructor worth their true salt you can do the same for.

Roughly 100$ a month is expected typically, but you will find those that are cheaper.

Also, would you prefer a striking art or grappling art? Grappling would fit for BJJ. It's a hell of a workout, a LOT of cardio, and you can truely test your strength as well as your wits.

Striking wise, Tae Kwon Do is always a good starter until you move on to something higher up. I know a guy that has done Kung Fu for 6 years as well as BJJ, Tae Kwon Do, and a little bit of Muay Thai.

 

[Beanman]

Thanks for the help guys.
I just looked into them a bit and muay thai seemed to be the most practical, hence why I was leaning towards it. But considering you guys, who have much more experience in this area, are saying it shouldn't be my first martial art maybe I should look into something else. I will probably avoid tae kwon do until I can increase my flexibility and strength in my legs. Will check out some local kung fu stuff.
Also, will look into ATT's one week trial. For $10 it says you can try out any number of their lessons...perhaps thats the best way I can get a feel for what I want to do?
Thank you again for all your help

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

If I were you, I would conserve your money, and try to find an instructor who will give you a free trial as nogueira would.

Personally, if I were you, try and get into Kung Fu first. And if possible, get into Sambo. It's the greatest martial art!


you're really lucky to have such a great teacher near you

http://www.teamnog.com/2010/02/countdown-to-ufc-110-nogueira-vs-velasquez-video/