Martial Arts Options

Okay, this is deliberately placed in this section even though it doesn't fit entirely.

So I've decided to take up a martial art. #1 on my list is capoeira, #2 is krav maga, #3 is kung fu. However, it struck me that since many martial arts involve psionics, some of the people on this forum might practice a martial art and have some suggestions. So my question for those of you who take martial arts; what martial art would you recommend and why?

Bagua is a soft martial art, akin to Taiji chuan. It is very effective, but hard to find. I do Taiji and Wing Chun Kungfu, but that is in part because I managed to find good teachers in these arts. Neither of the martial arts you were interested in are popular. Finding a good teacher is actually more important than the particular style.

If you are interested in the energy work aspects (Qigong, Kiko, etc) then the soft martial arts would be your best bet. Qigong, Kiko, energy work, whatever you want to call it is the 'psionic' aspect that you are referring to. It is part of most martial arts, but in soft martial arts such as Xing Yi, Ba Gua, Taiji, and Aikido it is much more emphasized. In the hard martial arts it is taught near the end of the training if at all, while in the soft styles it is taught from the very beginning.

Bagua perhaps takes a bit longer to be combat ready than in Tae Kwon Do, for instance, but not that much longer. It is also generally more effective and comprehensive. But the effectiveness of the martial artist depends less on the particular style than on the individual's athletic ability, the amount of work they put into learning to perform the skills, conditioning and courage. As one of my teachers used to say there are only so many ways to throw a punch or block a kick. I would suggest that you ask for recommendations, talk to potential teachers (no matter the style), and ask them such things as how long they have been practicing, how long have they been teaching, do they include internal work (Qigong, Kiko), and try to get a feel for the potential teacher. Do you think they would be inspiring to you? Do they seem knowledgeable, ethical, hard working, easy to get along with? What do you want out of it? Does the teacher seem to be training the students to become competitors, MMA fighters, street fighters? How does this fit into what you want? Schools often are focused on turning out competitive MAs (martial arts as a sport), street fighters (self defense), or hobbyists (exercise, a way of getting an evening away from the wife).