* Standing Style

Without a doubt the most popular of all of the styles of martial arts instruction is the standing style. This includes the disciplines of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Kung Fu, San Shou and Kickboxing. These all involve combinations of kicking, punching, footwork and blocking and have levels that are suitable for people of any age and experience. Each one has its own individual appearance and techniques.

* Throwing Style

Judo is the most familiar of all of the disciplines of martial arts instruction that fall into the throwing style category. It is practiced by people of all ages around the world. However, there are also others that are recognized by the fact that they begin with both opponents standing. The aim is to use a combination of throws, trips and locks along with other techniques designed to place an opponent off balance. Hapkido, Aikido and Shuai Jiao are other, less well known, forms of throwing style disciplines.

* Grappling and Ground Fighting

This is possibly one of the least popular styles of martial arts instruction for families, especially for girls. Greco-Roman Wrestling is the most familiar of these but Brazilian Jujitsu, Shooto and Sambo are all variations on the theme of wrestling combat.

* Weapons-Based

Now days, the weapons-based style of martial arts instruction is not a form of real combat and is performed with replica weapons or as a cultural display. Some of the disciplines in this category include Kali, Lado and Kendo and the variety of weapons employed depends on the area of origin.

* Low Impact or Meditative

This form of martial arts instruction remains popular with people of all ages and abilities. It includes the well known discipline of Tai Chi and is designed to help combat the stresses of modern life. Although this style has its roots in combat it has evolved into a series of breathing techniques and gentle movements. Chi Gong and Ba Gua are two other forms of martial arts instruction that belong to this category.

Martial arts schools offer lessons for people of all ages and abilities. They will help you to gain confidence from your new found skills and, if appropriate, show you how your chosen discipline can be used for self-defense.

Finding Martial Arts Suitable for Each Family Member

Learning any martial art should be fun and people who regularly have some form of martial arts instruction are often healthier than those who don't. There are some that are more appropriate for the different members of your family. Which one is most appropriate for each depends on their reasons for taking martial arts instruction. For example, children often benefit most from taking up a standing style martial art, such as Karate. There are a number of reasons for this but the main ones are that it helps boost their self-confidence and teaches them discipline instead of resorting to violence.

More and more women are learning some form of martial art. This is quite often for self-defense reasons. Sadly, women are at a higher risk of being attacked than ever before and women need to have an alternative to brute strength to enable them to beat off an attacker. The choice of which of the martial arts that would benefit a woman and make her more confident about being out on her own is immense. The most commonly undertaken ones are Karate, Kickboxing and Judo.

You should only take martial arts instruction from a qualified trainer. You want to ensure that you are receiving the proper guidance to avoid any injuries. There are plenty of martial arts schools for you to choose. You and your whole family could learn something new that has real value in increasing self-confidence and self-defense tactics as well as having some fun.

Summary:

Learning any martial art should be fun and people who regularly have some form of martial arts instruction are often healthier than those who don't. There are some that are more appropriate for the different members of your family. Which one is most appropriate for each depends on their reasons for taking martial arts instruction.