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What type of Japanese martial arts should I take?

Ok, well I told my dad I wanted to take martial arts, so he told me I could either take Japanese or Filipino martial arts--As to honor my heritage, and since there's so many martial arts relating to Japan and the Philippines, so it's very hard for me to choose. I'm 5'5" and I tend to work with bladed weapons and my punching and kicking is stronger than the average twelve-year-old. I've heard of Kendo and Aikido (and of course those two are excellent courses to take), but my dad said to choose only one. So if I take Kendo, I'll be missing out on the defensive grappling moves of Aikido, and if I take Aikido, I'll be missing out on the honorable way of the samurai that's in Kendo. I'm really confused. Little help?

Public Comments

1. I'd take kendo.
2. Aikido also has honour too, and Aikido does teach bokken waza too since it is a martial art that can be applied to armed and unarmed combat situations. That being said, Kendo has a lot of wonderful aspects to it too, and has (in my opinion) a far more greater focus upon the spiritual aspect than Aikido does with the concept of Zanshin (which you would learn about if you took it). For me, I enjoy the path of being a Kendoka.