Hi,

I am 30 yr old male. Want to learn martial arts. I am lean, 5'9", not muscular, but I show good stamina in aerobic exercises or sports like badminton. Based on this information, can anybody advise me which martial art should I learn first?

While going through some material on different martial arts, I understood that Tai Chi is an excellent martial art. But I also read that the evolution of a martial artist is from the external to the internal. Does that mean Tai Chi is not a beginner's martial art? Should we learn it only after we master an external art like Kung Fu first?

Thanks you.

It depends on what you want out of a martial art. If you want inner peace - then Tai Chi is the way to go. If you want self-defense then it's not the way to go. I'm not saying it's not good for self-defense, I'm just saying it's not good for self-defense without 25 years of practicing it every day.

Based on what I know now (brown belt ju jitsu, 4 years of Arnis practice), I'd go with Muay Thai and cross train it with Ju Jitsu first and Kung Fu after that. If I wanted some knife and short stick skills, I'd go practice Arnis (also knows as Escrima or Kali).

I agree that this decision would depend on what you want.
If you want fast self-defence abilities, internal martial arts are probably not best suited. But the question is, do you really need it? How many persons are in the situation that they know they have to defend themselves in unarmed combat in the near future?
I think for most people self defense is more a nice-to-know than a necessity. Fact is, most people don't train any self-defence method, and still survive. To achieve quick self-defence ability, most effective would probably be buying a pepper spray.
Internal martial arts deal with relaxation, body awareness, and mental well-being. I'm a beginner myself, with only 2 years of internal art experience, but I'm thrilled as I get step by step deeper into this world.
I can just recommed to try it as well, as it will also benefit to your heath - bad health is probably bigger danger for most persons than a crime.

The teacher/school ist of course also of very strong importance - I suggest you go to look at different schools and see what you like.

Peace!