martial art descriptions?

[phoenixrising]

Does anyone know of a good webpage or website that defines and describes the different martial arts to help someone decide what would be a good fit for them based on their likes/needs?

[BruceSteveRoy]

try looking on wikipedia. the information might not always be 100% accurate but for the most part it has a lot about a lot of different styles. its worth a shot if you have the time to read them.

[PangQuan]

you wont find too many places that have real in depth acurate descirptions of many different arts. often if someone is listing pro's and con's of different arts, they can only go by what they actually know. Not many people know every martial art.

when i did a lot of researching on different arts to start my martial path, i found sources from many different martial arts by experts in those fields.

by compiling sources on say wing chun for instance, i would get literature and video from at least 10 "experts" read through the material, and see what i liked. Then i would move on to reading about a different style.

i spent a lot of time in the library and large bookstores with good sized martial arts sections.

i did some research online, but not much other than looking at school websites and reading history.

[David Jamieson]

wikipedia is iffy at the best of times on almost any subject. I really don't regard it as reliable and have all to often seen gaffs and editing blunders in it, too open, no controls, lots of outlandish nonsense etc etc. Lots of content but virtually worthless despite it's best intentions.

however, you could spend a little time cross referencing stuff on the web and in various publications.

For Kungfu styles, starting here at this site is good. Check the ezine. If one in particular catches your eye, use the key words to search further.

For Japanese styles, well, there's plenty of sites for that.

For Korean styles there is just as many sites for that as well.

and all the rest is all the rest in the same way.

I don't think you'll be able to find everything under one roof.

[SPJ]

http://www.geocities.com/ottawakungfu/900Links009.htm

they have some info on Tai Chi, Ba Gua, Xing Yi, Ba Ji and Shaolin.

http://www.geocities.com/ottawakungfu/400Others001.htm

some other styles.

http://www.geocities.com/ottawakungfu/400Others003.htm

a lot of people starting with long fist if you like northern Chinese styles.

:)

[EarthDragon]

Find a good teacher.......... from there it will matter none, of the art in which you practice. A bad teacher in a really good style is far worse than anything