Howdy:
My wife is interested in martial arts for self-defense exercise purposes. Start would be in the JUN2009 time frame. She is 5' ~100 lbs.
I expect to check out a few dojos. Watch some classes, speak with the instructors & students. I would like to narrow the field down with some local knowledge.
The ideal dojo would have the following characteristics:
1. Competent, stable, and quality instructor(s)
2. Positive atmosphere
3. Emphasis on SD, not tournament competition
4. Not a belt mill
5. Prefer a mixture of hard & soft styles (See Taiho-Ryu below)
6. Traditional oriental styles preferred
7. Near Richardson
Brazilian JJ or MMA is definitely NOT on the table. I am also not interested in the newer disciplines such as Krav Maga. IMO, she needs a firm grounding in the traditional martial arts before going off on a tangent.
Most likely I will do it with her and if they have a kids program, that would be nice, too, but the primary customer is my wife.
My Experience:
* Taiho-Ryu (Taiho-Jitsu) 3 years Little Rock, Arkansas
Okinawan & Japanese Karate and also Japanese Jui-Jitsu (among other influences).
Traditional atmosphere with emphasis on self-defense. Name changed from -Jitsu to -Ryu so as not to scare the straights at tournaments.
Beginners start with hard Okinawan karate and learn more jui-jitsu a bit later. There were good reasons for this, especially with folks new to martial arts.
I had a wonderful experience with T-R.
* Kickboxing 2 years Little Rock, Arkansas
Very casual on my part and I did not do much full-contact sparring in deference to my limited skill and remaining brain cells.
* Brazilian Jui-Jitsu 3 years Ft Benning, Georgia
Standard for combatives at the 75th Ranger Regiment when I was there.
* HS Wrestling 1 year Tarpon Springs, Florida
Provided a decent foundation for the BJJ later on.