View Full Version : [OT] Any Martial Artists here?
juvestar15
21-09-04, 15:21
Hello all,
I've realised i can no longer be lazy bludger and was looking for some kind of hobby that was fitness related. I want something a bit different though, I'm pretty much over the normal sports and was interested in taking up some kind of self-defense. Going to the actual sites of a certain styles wasn't really worth it. No one gave me the answers i was looking for. I don't even know where to ask, this is probably the only forum i can reach a large audience.
I'm not sure which style to study. I've read abit about each style, I kinda want to do them all. :D Punching and kicking doesn't grab my attention, something like Aikido or Judo does though. However I've been told in a real life situations it is hard to apply techniques learnt in such styles unless you are of very high skill. Do you think it's worth it to study maybe a few styles at once? Also i want to learn weapon skills aswell, samurai swords are cool. :P
I'd love to here from those who actually have had Martial Arts training and your experiences with it, both at training and in the real world(eg, Have you belted teh shit out of someone).
Cheers.
Go go Kendo, Go Kendo, Go Kendo!
Dribble Joy
21-09-04, 15:27
I've been thinking about taking up a martial art, but I am waaaaay to old to start. If it did want to learn one, I'd want to be able to reach a decent level, and I'm 22, you have to start like at the age of 3 to get anywhere before you are 40.
I am waaaaay to old to start.
You're never too old to practice the ancient art of 1337 kune do :p.
On topic, it doesnt matter what age you start, you get out of it exactly what you put in.
I know of a person in Japan, he is 93 and still attends Kendo ^^
JustIn_Case
21-09-04, 15:36
If you dont prefer kicking and want to be able to defend your self i suggest Jiujitsu. I used to practice Tae Kwondo (10 years ago, damn im old...) and thats all about kicking.
If you want to do it for sports, all of them are pretty good for you.
Since they all involve warming up, doing situps, running, stretching etc.
For condition training boxing is the best martial arts sport there is.
NOTHING beats a few rounds of swinging around full force and MISSING.
As for useability:
DON'T ever go using the realy dangerous stuff in a streetfight, unless you realy have to. I mean, breaking someone's elbow so that it can hardly ever heal back to normal WILL get you a lawsuit on your ass. Especially if they know you are doing martial arts.
If it comes down to you realy having to defend yourself, go for something that doesn't do permanent damage to someone , that hurts a lot and that makes them scared.
I'm thinking of strangulation techniques and pressing into a nerve here.
Best technique however is to just walk away from the fight.
The one that doesn't end up with a bloody nose and that knows he could have kicked the other guy's ass is always the winner.
On topic, it doesnt matter what age you start, you get out of it exactly what you put in.
Except at a younger age the discipline involved seems to take more effect and once the kids grown up a little, they've learned a heck of a lot more than they would as adults. That's the main advantage I've seen anyway, nothing a little extra time can't sort. :p
However I've been told in a real life situations it is hard to apply techniques learnt in such styles unless you are of very high skill.
The styles that are more focused on throws/grapples etc. are pretty good for things like that... you can put an end to a fight very quickly. Wing Chun is an excellent up-close style but finding a good teacher is sometimes difficult.
Touch of death or Poison touch as it is called as well :D
There is something to master :p
JustIn_Case
21-09-04, 15:48
Wing Chun is an excellent up-close style.
True, but hurts like hell to learn.
An friend of mine practiced Wing Chun for a few years, never saw him without bruises during thoose years.
Richard Slade
21-09-04, 15:51
Wushu, the only way to go
True, but hurts like hell to learn.
An friend of mine practiced Wing Chun for a few years, never saw him without bruises during thoose years.
Indeed, 'tis really painful if you're tall as well, style was invented by a really short woman. :p
DJ at 22 you are not to old, i started when i was 20, however i put everything into it and get a lot out of it.
i do wingchun/whitecrane/preyingmatis/hungar(sp)/eagles claw, and it also in corporates Juko ryu jujitsu(sp again i think)
tbh saying such and such a style is better than another is pointless, as its all about the person using the style.
just cos i can beat my mate who does taikwando(god my spelling sucks today)does that mean kung fu is better that above mentioned art, nah just means i the person is better.
tbh a good style would be ju jitsu, lots of take downs/locks/hold and some kicks and punches.
though you should just check out a few places around your area, see what the training area is like see what the instructers are like, a bad instructer will do you no good.
if you like swords then either kendo or iaido would be good place to look.
also some aikido stlyes still practice swords as far as i know.
tbh thou lee shan southern shaolin pwn joo ;)
edit: just wanted to add a little to DJs post, you say it would take till your 40 to get anywhere, well your 22 now, thats 18 years, you will learn a hell of a lot in that time.
the club im at, has in all its time only had 3 blackbelts(excluding the professer who started the club) there are 2 top level brown belts that have been at it for about 12-15 years each, they are actually going for there black atm, however with or without there black, they have in the past beaten black belts from other styles.
just having a belt doesnt make you better its the time and effort you put into whatever art you do.
JustIn_Case
21-09-04, 15:58
Wushu, the only way to go
Its a cool art yes, but not very usefull in rl situations unless you always have 2 umbrellas with you :)
Best technique however is to just walk away from the fight.
Sometimes i would recommend running. :p
Take a look a several schools. Most of them offer free lessons. Take them. Decide. As a starter don`t start several styles at once. You`re never to old to start beeing fit. :)
I'd love to here from those who actually have had Martial Arts training and your experiences with it, both at training and in the real world(eg, Have you belted teh shit out of someone).
In germany beeing trained in say Tae Kwon Do, your fists and feet count as weapons. Meaning: Hurt someone and it`s called armed attack! :eek:
By the way: A fight is no fun. Never ever!!!
Hello all,
I've realised i can no longer be lazy bludger and was looking for some kind of hobby that was fitness related. I want something a bit different though, I'm pretty much over the normal sports and was interested in taking up some kind of self-defense. Going to the actual sites of a certain styles wasn't really worth it. No one gave me the answers i was looking for. I don't even know where to ask, this is probably the only forum i can reach a large audience.
I'm not sure which style to study. I've read abit about each style, I kinda want to do them all. :D Punching and kicking doesn't grab my attention, something like Aikido or Judo does though. However I've been told in a real life situations it is hard to apply techniques learnt in such styles unless you are of very high skill. Do you think it's worth it to study maybe a few styles at once? Also i want to learn weapon skills aswell, samurai swords are cool. :P
I'd love to here from those who actually have had Martial Arts training and your experiences with it, both at training and in the real world(eg, Have you belted teh shit out of someone).
Cheers.
Basic defense from Aikido can be picked up fairly quickly. The police do it as part of basic training, and thats only a few weeks.
I have done a few martial arts since I was 6 (dad was really into it). I enjoyed Aikido, partly due to a good teacher.
With regards to using it and "belting teh shit out of someone". Yeah I've used it. You have to take control of the fight for it to be any use though. Different styles are aimed at different distances etc. Your wrestling on the ground with someone and strength is going to be the deciding factor in most cases.
The scariest part is when you've been doing it long enough for it to become reactionary. I did one style (not saying which) which was great exercise, but aimed at doing real damage rather than defence.
I got in a fight with 3 guys (I'm tall but skinny, so I guess they thought I was easy game). One caught a swift knee in the groin which lifted him 2 feet off the ground and left him puking on the pavement (yes this was a taught move!), another got a broken arm and the third ran away. I quit the classes straight after that. Scared the shit out of me. I didn't plan any of it, I just reacted and did it.
So yeah go for something defensive.....
Edit: OOOOO!!!! 45 posts to go then I r oooooober
I myself practise Taekwondo, which is koren for the art of kicking and punching.
Its basically very much a kicking sport.
You learn self defence, self control, and self disipline.
I love it, its great :)
Shotokan > ALL. Shotokan was the first form of karate invented (used by monks a long time ago so that they could defend themselves) and is still the most efficient martial art. Not for noobs tho
Im in Bujinkan Taijutsu (quite like Ninjutsu) and I can only say positive things about it. Sure training outside in the summer may sound scary but hey, thats how you learn that it HURTS to be thrown in a ground. Also we have full-contact fights but again, you wont learn otherwise :rolleyes: And the full-contact fights come after you are good enought in blocking, joint-locks and counterattacks.
Here is some crappy link with info (http://www.kenshin-dojo.co.uk/Frameset1.htm)
Basicly the Bujinkan Taijutsu was formed from the nine ninja schools. It teaches you how to defend your self with using minimal amount of power (hitting in nerve centers/preasure points), it has few kicks, few clever joint-locks and few good throws.
The thing that makes Bujinkan different from other Martial Arts is that nearly every kick/punch/lock goes where it counts. When you learn some of the basic punches, those may seem weird, but after someone hits you with it in training purpose you realise why its ment to be used that way.
Usually when you have joined the Bujinkan, you have few hours/week of weapon combat. This includes Bo's, Katana's, Yaris, Hanbos, Naginatas ect. You can learn how to use nearly every weapon here in Bujinkan. Usually tho every school has picked one or two weapons what they teach, and you go to camps to learn more about em.
Clive tombstone
21-09-04, 17:11
Personally I like Shao-lin Kempo allot. It covers distances of clos and medium range close combat, although Im only a year into it, I find it a lot of fun, not for the learning of self defence, but for its excersizes. I couldnt do the splits about 3 months ago, and now I can^^, mind you thoughs were a painfull three months >_<.
PS. I personally suck at close range combat, even with training for two years. I'm glad my uncles taught me the "way of the long bow"(taught me from age 7) lol
Too bad I dont see that comming in handy in the future
If you want to put in medium effort for little investment I have some Tae Bo videos I'll sell you :p
My personal favourite style of self defense is a Louisville Slugger beside my front door *hides*
If you are after a style which will be helpful in rl situations and will also give you a good workout I would recommend looking for something in your local area which involves kick boxing. Other styles like akido can teach you good techniques, however a lot of them would only really work if you have spent a lot of time studying them. In a situation where you are against someone who has had too much to drink then these moves might be possible to pull off.
I would also recommend maybe checking out your local area and visiting a few different classes see how they are ran, and what they teach. I myself are part of a small group of martial artists. Our teacher has a lot of history with multiply martial arts and we use things from a varity of martial arts. Basically we use what works for us as an individual.
A couple of things to remember, you dont want a martial arts that is mainly about grappling and holds cause most of the times if you get into a fight on the streets your gonna be fighting more than one person. If you get one of them into a hold the other one is gonna kick the crap out of you. You want a style that will allow you to attack and retreat fast, I would recommend a style that works on both kicking since that is the longest weapon you have is very handle if up against someone with say a knife and hurts a lot more than a punch. Learning to punch is also important cause there may be times when you dont have that much room between you and your opponent to get the distance to use your feet.
The martial arts I do is part of the Shen Chi Whu Shu Society and is called C.F.A which stands for Continuous Fighting Art. Its a modern mixed martial arts. We cover kicking, punching, weapons, grips, locks, throws, and knife defence.
I hope this helps you out a little, if you have any questions or want help finding a class near you send me a pm and I can help you find something in your area.
- Centuri
Basicly the Bujinkan Taijutsu was formed from the nine ninja schools. It teaches you how to defend your self with using minimal amount of power (hitting in nerve centers/preasure points), it has few kicks, few clever joint-locks and few good throws.
..and as you may know, Bujinkan usually dont want to get the "Ninja label" on it, because of all the crazy people comming to the dojos dressed up in Ninja suits.. (Those people are scary man !) Ninjutsu is just 2 schools and the rest are other types of martial arts schools.
I remember 2 yeara ago practicing "Gyokko Ryo" out in the rain with 4 others that bothered to show up... i wub Bojutsu and swords, i like Bujinkan as a whole martial arts because you dont have to be ubar fit/strong to defend yourself. If i could get my butt up and start practicing again... have to wait till i get cashflow again.
..and as you may know, Bujinkan usually dont want to get the "Ninja label" on it, because of all the crazy people comming to the dojos dressed up in Ninja suits.. (Those people are scary man !) Ninjutsu is just 2 schools and the rest are other types of martial arts schools.
True, but atleast you have to wear a Gi in our school, there is no coming in dressed up in a ninja suit :lol:
I remember when we started to have full contact training matches, everyone had to have one match againts the Sensei. Actually I dont think we even had kicks and punches in the matches then.
Well anyway I was the last one to have the match, the Sensei said that he will win the match using only one hand. Well we wrestled for a while and then I did a nice clean Judo throw (I was in Judo for 6 months before starting Bujinkan, I dont know what you call that throw in English). Well the Sensei flew to ground and all the air from lungs gone out (I really hate saying these things in English since I dont know the proper words for em).
Well I turned around and was like "Wohoo!! I won guys!!!" and in like 5 seconds the Sensei was up and made a nice joint-lock in my arm pressing me to the ground.
"Remember, the match is over when you have to quit, not when you do some flashy Judo throw in Bujinkan.." :lol:
Hehee, why I couldnt write it in funny way...
Anyway Im really sick so Im going back to sleep...
Shotokan > ALL. Shotokan was the first form of karate invented (used by monks a long time ago so that they could defend themselves) and is still the most efficient martial art. Not for noobs tho
What? Shotokan Karate is one of the easiest styles to learn and has some major flaws. The first punch they teach you to do leaves your entire side exposed. O_o
Not getting into the whole "my style is better than your style" argument, but as self-defence Shotokan is pretty poor unless you want to try and blindside someone with an extremely hard punch; in which case you might as well take up boxing.
juvestar15
22-09-04, 06:47
Thanks for the help people. :)
I'm from Melbourne(Australia) so my options aren't really that much. There is a nice range down here but they're usually a fair way away from me.
http://www.citywingchun.com.au/ The website guy talks the trainer up alot. :)
I'm going to check out a few soon, what should i look for though? Size of classes? Or is it all about the instructor? Also how many nights did you lot train and what is a good price to pay? Some of these guys charge from $5 to $20 per lesson.
[EDIT] DJ you're not too old. I'm turning 20 in November but that was never really an issue. Take a look at the places that run the lessons, alot say you should be 18+. Don't wait till you're 40 then realise that you could have probably done it. Start now, then when you turn 40 work out if it was worth it or not.
If money is not a problem (as it should not be if you really want to do something) you should first look if the Sensei (teacher) is good, then look at the size of the class. If the Sensei is really good he can teach a really big class but if he/she aint, try to pick a class with small number of people.
Anyway:
Small class: You will learn much faster and it will be easier. More flexibility in classes, the Sensei will listen what you guys want to do.
Big Class: You will have many people to train with, but you will prolly go as fast as the slowest to learn person is in the class (you will train same things alot, wich aint such a bad thing)
Join the Army, that's the only way ! You've heard me, not Navy, nor Air Force, but the Army... Apply today.
What? Shotokan Karate is one of the easiest styles to learn and has some major flaws. The first punch they teach you to do leaves your entire side exposed. O_o
Not getting into the whole "my style is better than your style" argument, but as self-defence Shotokan is pretty poor unless you want to try and blindside someone with an extremely hard punch; in which case you might as well take up boxing.
The techniques that you see people learning in Shotokan are ones which are meants to be over exagerated so to strengthen yourself and to hammer the technique into your head. If you have ever seen shotokan freestyle fighting then you would know different.
PS. I'll be happy to fight you if I ever see you :D
Richard Slade
22-09-04, 14:14
My personal favourite style of self defense is a Louisville Slugger beside my front door *hides*
Women with guns are just sooo sexy... ;)
Right.
Here is my interpretation:
For a start 22 isn't too old to begin your career in the martial arts. Your never gonna be Jet Lee, your not living in a culture that supports training 24/7 anymore. You have to work etc. But you get as good as you train and the training your given. It is said that it is better to spend 3 years looking for a good teacher than 10 years with a bad one!
Onto Styles:
Do what you like the look of, I know what I like and stick with it. Used to be a die hard exponent of Northern Shaolin Gong Fu. Now I've seen the light of mixed martial arts. I mix up the tradition and ethos of shaolin (plus taiji quan and qigong). The brutal attacking techniques of Mau Thai (elbows to the face baby! One lightning strike at close range and their getting 20 stitches in their face, also fantastic for stunning an opponent) I would say that I personally think that Mau Thai is the toughest and most dangerous of all the martial arts that I've seen. Boxing for punching speed, general fitness and conditioning (your gonna get hit, might as well be able to take it). And that just leaves enough space for Brazilian JuJitsu to cover ground work! You can punch and kick as hard as you like but if your taken to ground by a wrestler, your fucked!
Anyway, thats my take on things. But like I said, so with what inspires you!
DjSKum
/EDIT Oh and I totally agree Richard! The bikini Kill factor is almost overwhelming! Was on a stag do last month and saw a fit bird with camo on, bumped into her later by chance... I don't want to bring these forums down to my level of deoravity so I'll discontinue this subject... Hmmmm, camo lady!
The techniques that you see people learning in Shotokan are ones which are meants to be over exagerated so to strengthen yourself and to hammer the technique into your head. If you have ever seen shotokan freestyle fighting then you would know different.
PS. I'll be happy to fight you if I ever see you :D
Sure, I studied Shotokan for 3 years and had a teacher who loved nothing more than to set up "proper" situations where it could be used. I still didn't like Karate's lack of flow and the amount of brute force it seemed to have.
I got black belt in videoviolence. My sensei is Bruce Lee but since hes all dead i got a new one, Jet Lee.
I got black belt in videoviolence. My sensei is Bruce Lee but since hes all dead i got a new one, Jet Lee.
Jet Lee > all
DjSKum
Dribble Joy
22-09-04, 17:07
Erm.. no.
Jackie Chan > all.
JustIn_Case
22-09-04, 17:09
Steven Segal > all (J/K)
looks like i w ont be doing karate for a while now since my arm is fucked from rugby coz some1 landed on it. waiting for someone to come home who can drive me to the hospital :(
Jet Lee > all
DjSKum
yup im with the skum on this one
cornelius5
22-09-04, 18:15
If you want to put in medium effort for little investment I have some Tae Bo videos I'll sell you :p
My personal favourite style of self defense is a Louisville Slugger beside my front door *hides*
rofl@taebo do more damage throwing the tape at thieves, especially if u have the 3 vhs set
Women with guns are just sooo sexy...
fyi - a Louisville Slugger is a bat used in baseball
With regards to the streetfight and non-use , you shouldn't need to snap someones elbow ......... but if you are attaked in the UK and you think that is what it will take to end it then so be it.
Tell them you practice a martial art loud and clear and then unleash fury ....... sorry controlled rage ;-)
Of course always run if you can but if you knock them on their arse and they kinda look like they aren't going to purse, don't attack them because they then become the victim.
I did Ju-Jitsu for about 6 years and it trimmed me down nicely ....... of course its all gone tits up now and Im back to my original rotund self.
I fancy taking up fencing to help with the weight loss and general fitness this time.
when I was younger, I took Kempo. But I got lucky that there was even a school for it here. Supposedly it's pretty rare in the US. As part of my military training I also got a crash course in Aikido and their hybrid martial art (but not as good as the Marines get ; ; ). I also Briefly took Tae Kwon Do, but I didn't like it much. For an older beginner, I would highly reccomend Aikido for self defense. It's very quick to learn and very practical. Also, if the main means for learning it is to get into shape, you may want to look into Tai Chi Chuan. I've been looking into this myself and it looks intresting. While not very practical for self defence, it's supposedly an excellent way to get in shape.
there are much better ways to lose weight and not be lazy tbh
i thought martial arts was boring, tried 2 different disciplines and dropped both after a few months.
I did Tae Kwon Do for a while, but I got pissed off at a) The lack of contact sparring b) Their incessant need to make me do those fucking belt tests.... I didn't want to do them every three fucking months and just rush through the belts and have shite technique, I wanted to do everything well and properly.
But no, apparantly thats not an option where I did TKD. :rolleyes:
My mate did Ninjitsu and he pulled a well harsh wrist grip thing on me a few days ago.... I really regretted giving him a dead arm. :(
Jackie Chan > all.
Jackie is jusst a clown stuffed into a chinese guy...
Jackie is jusst a clown stuffed into a chinese guy...
That must hurt.
Richard Slade
23-09-04, 00:15
fyi - a Louisville Slugger is a bat used in baseball
I was a hint not a compliment ;)
Taebo (sp O_o) is good for some things......
Anyway..
To sum this thread up :
Stevan segal - noob.
Jackie Chan - too funny.
Bruce lee - dead but pwn.
All your styles are belong to me..
hax tbh..
@ Richard if she gets a gun then i have some things to worry about..
Richard Slade
23-09-04, 00:26
@ Richard if she gets a gun then i have some things to worry about..
You shoulda known before, what Nid (And Danae, and Ziu, and Carb, and Akuji) has thaught me during the years:
Never fuck with the GMs...
;)
I had a nice reply for that...
It'd get me a very swift and hard kick in the balls though :lol:
awkward silence
23-09-04, 10:09
Just got my first dan in judo. =)
I can really recomment that if you want a as much non violent art as possible.
Started kendo aswell a while ago and its fun.
I used to do MMA fighting aswell (thai, boxing, savate),
but i wouldnt recomment that. Atleast for a living. You get bruised as hell if you want to train em full combat.
As for self defence... i can give you a hint RUN statisticly solves 90% of all fights to your favor.
As for martial arts are hard to learn and you need a disipline...true but most important things of martial arts you learn in the first 2 lessons ie. when in kendo keep ur sword in front you, boxing/savate/muay thai keep ur chin down and hands up and in judo learn how to fall properly. You learn those PROPERLY ur half way.
If you look at mixed styles tournaments youll find that kickboxing/savate/Muay Thai are VERY similar to each other. Simple crude and effective.
Richard Slade
23-09-04, 12:24
I had a nice reply for that...
It'd get me a very swift and hard kick in the balls though :lol:
plz PM, that sounds to good to miss tbh..
Anyways, don't fuck the GMs anymore, ok?
*COUGH*Did I miss a word?*COUGH*
Just got my first dan in judo. =)
That's quite an accomplishment, congratulations on that. Few people in any art make it through to the dans.
I completely forgot about Judo. It's another good art if you want to learn self defence. I think most courses on it are based on a hybrid Judo/Aikido tecnique set. Might be wrong though. My experiance with Judo is limited to being thrown alot by a blackbelt.
I compete all over the UK in MMA, Brazilian ju-jitsu and combat wrestling. There all pretty similar apart from the striking element of MMA.
Cross training in martial arts imo is the way to go because of its variety and I have been training for 5 years now 3x a week. After this time I can now say that I am almost guaranteed a medal position at every competition in the amature leagues I fight in (AMA & BJJA) although I only own one gold :D
I fight for Hull sport ju-jitsu and the competitions (about 5 a year) we attend are regulary reviewed on the sf-uk website. You cant beat ju-jitsu in a 1 on 1 fight but due to it being ground based you are vunerable to outside intervention.
If you want a good all round martial art I suggest MMA probably in the format of vale tudo which is a striking variation of wrestling (see UFC) but thats just my favorite format, but as others have said it can be a painfull sport.
Whichever format you choose it is always degrading for the first year or so of getting your ass kicked at training so stick with it and dont quit after the first couple of months.
Btw I started at 22yrs and im regarded as one of the top ten fighters in my format/weight division in the country So NO your not to old if you put in time and determination.
Dribble Joy
23-09-04, 14:01
I had a friend at school, who by the time we left for uni had just finished his 2nd dan in tae kwon do, one of the cleverest in the year too, one of those types :p.
I'm probably going to look into one of the clubs at my uni, but I don't know if there is a big selection, and I doubt I can afford to go to a class outside of uni.
DJ, even if you can only afford one class a week. Make sure you train hard in your own time. Go through what you've learnt that night, even if it's in your mind. Then practice what you've learnt 2-3 times a week. Push yourself. Don't do 10 mins, do 1-2hrs. Early morning training is best, but probably won't suit your new lifestyle ;-). Push urself hard, strive for excellence and precision. It will hurt, there is no easy way out of that. But you'll come to love the feeling of aching the next day and hurting even more the day after!
After having not trained for 4 months due to an injury, I feel tired, lethargic, unmotivated. I'd rather ache like fuck and feel alive than not ache and feel like a couch potato!
SKum
PS JKNY, let me know if you’re competing in London anytime soon, I'll come and watch. I come more from the striking side than the grappling side of MA. But I need to improve my BJJ allot!
PPS Just looked up vale tudo, nice! I've used most of those styles but didn't realise that there was a structured discipline based around them. I've just picked the bits that I find effective out of the styles that I've done. Now to find a club in London...
Necrosadistic
24-09-04, 00:18
Unfortunately I play in a band, which does lots of gigs, so I can't really do anything that can fuck up my arms or hands for longer than a few days...
Our music is complex enough that even a month break will take a lot of practice to repair...
Unless there is a martial art where anything almost never gets broken :lol:
Unfortunately I play in a band, which does lots of gigs, so I can't really do anything that can fuck up my arms or hands for longer than a few days...
Our music is complex enough that even a month break will take a lot of practice to repair...
Unless there is a martial art where anything almost never gets broken :lol:
Taiji or Tai Chi (to use the modern spelling ;-))
Dj
I had a friend at school, who by the time we left for uni had just finished his 2nd dan in tae kwon do, one of the cleverest in the year too, one of those types :p.
God... don't you just hate those motherfuckers.
Its like "Hey, I'm better than you at everything.", "Erm, cool. *smack*"
:p
QuantumDelta
24-09-04, 01:40
Green Belt; Tae Kwon Do.
Haven't done any in years, though, and tbh I never felt Green belt was particularly high for my capabilities, even as a child.
awkward silence
24-09-04, 07:41
Unfortunately I play in a band, which does lots of gigs, so I can't really do anything that can fuck up my arms or hands for longer than a few days...
Our music is complex enough that even a month break will take a lot of practice to repair...
Unless there is a martial art where anything almost never gets broken :lol:
judo is pretty safe aswell
@ djskum,
give london shoot fight a try, couldnt tell you fee's ect but i figure its expensive compared to the £2.50 i pay for a 2 hour training session.
Theres a competition on 31/10 in Batley (or Batesly something like that near London, I'll pm you when i find out the correct venue tonight) for BJJ which my club is fighting in but theres one in Crewe with the British squad on the same day which im in 2 minds to compete in.
@ djskum,
give london shoot fight a try, couldnt tell you fee's ect but i figure its expensive compared to the £2.50 i pay for a 2 hour training session.
Theres a competition on 31/10 in Batley (or Batesly something like that near London, I'll pm you when i find out the correct venue tonight) for BJJ which my club is fighting in but theres one in Crewe with the British squad on the same day which im in 2 minds to compete in.
Funny you should say that! I was on their website yesterday. Yeah it's not too far for me to get to, but they only do one night a week, still, I'll be training at the Shaolin Temple in Tufnell Park again soon, so hopefully both of those should sort my training needs out.
Cool, PM with with the place and date and I'll come watch if I'm free, which I should be.
DjSKUm
Well juvestar15, i can see you have gotten a lot of suggestions. I feel however that many of the ones who answer missed the point with your question (as I saw it) and started the whole "My-style-is-the-best-one-there-is-and-we-can-kick-everyones-asses-anyday"-talk.
The first thing you said was that you wanted to "take up some kind of self-defense". But then you said "Punching and kicking doesn't grab my attention". For me that is like saying "I want participate in a gunfight, but this whole thing with loading the gun dosn't grab my attention."
Selfdefense is not a sport. You can't compete in self-defense. Selfdefense is about useing whatever means possible to get away with little or no damage to yourself.
If you can compete in something it is not selfdefense. Sure you can develope some skills that are good in a selfdefense situation. But in competition there are rules, and they are there to keep people from geting hurt. In a selfdefense situation (this meens you can't run or talk your way out) someone is going to get hurt.
There are basicly two ways to stop an attacker. One is to make him change his mind (done by pain) and the other is to make him unable to continue (done by damage). The choise is yours. Of course you always have the option to go down Ghandi-style if you don't want to *gasp* hurt the attacker.
My point is that eaven if you learn some good moves in a Martial Art that you can compete in, you are still training within the rules and learn that you are not allowed to kick someone in the groin or poke him in the eyes, etc. This does not hover meen that is sux. Just don't trick yourself. You get some good moves and reflexes playing racketball to, however i've never met anyone who calls that selfdefense.
As you might note i have talked an awful lot and not gave you a suggestion on what to train. I have tried a few differend arts and will tell you what i thought about them. I don't claim to know everything mind you! This is just my thoughts. So here it goes:
Judo - Highly enjoyable! I stayed with it for about 6 years. Fun if you like to compete. I were around 14 when i hit my judo peek.. so all my mates were all to happy attacking me saying "what would you do if i do THIS!" and i would respond "NO! You're not allowed to do that!" So it's fun and good exersice, just don't call it selfdefense near me! :D
Aikido - I were in kind of a fight and realised i wanted more selfdefense and less play. So i quit judo and tried for Aikido. You can't compete here but that is not because it is to violent or for lack of rules. It's for lack of attacks. The whole point is to take an attack and turn it away while twisting the attackers hand something firce. Sounds like fun? Well it is! It's great for takeing care of your mates 'pretend attacks' without hurting them to bad, but in a real fight I'd say you have to have been at it for att good set of years before this helps you.
Kung Fu - Now this is cool! Just like Bruce Lee! You wave your arms alot and look really cool! You get great reflexes to. Althoo same here. Fancy movements that dosn't feel quite natural and are therfor harder to do under stress. Lotts and lotts of fun thoo! If going for kung fu in a selfdefense situation look more to Wushu or Wing Tsun, not so traditional ie. less yacking more smacking.
Tajutsu / Ninjutsu - Ever wanted to be a ninja? Tajutsu is the unarmed combat part of ninjutsu if my memory servs me right. This is great all round. To nasty to be able to compete in this so it works in my book. Negative side is that it's old and japanese and therefor complicated. With Ninjutsu I think you will be able to protect yourself from most therets, but it will take time.
Krav Maga - This is what I do now. This is selfdefense in it's purest form. We train against and with knives, pistols, riflies, baseballbats, chairs, backpacks etc etc. We not only train on flat ground but also in stairs, cars, elevators and such. We use elbows and knees. We hit, kick, scream, bite and poke in the eye. This was developed by the Israeli-army. Say what you will about thier politics, they have A LOT of experience in fighting. FBI, DEA, GIGN all use Krav Maga. It is a system that is tested in real life daily and if a certain techniqe shows inadequate or down right dangerous to yourself it is reworked or removed. Just over the three years i've been training a few techniqes have been changed or removed completely, always with the explanation and demonstration of why. Also the techniques are very natural and easy to learn. They build on natrual reflexes, like if someone hits towards your groin your hands will drop down automaticly, and so it builds on that. I seem to remember reading you lived in Australia if that's the case check this site if you are interested http://www.kravmaga.com.au/. Nedless to say you can't compete in Krav Maga... And once again: This is selfdefense!
Someonw once said:
Hit him in the eyes and he can not see to fight you,
Hit him on the throat and he can not breath to fight you,
Kick him on the knee and he can not stand to fight you,
Do all of these things and add a kick to the groin and you have done Krav Maga!"
So first sit you ass down and think. What do you REALLY want? Selfdefense? To compete? Or just to have fun?
I've enjoyed every Martial Art i've tried so far. But to separate and sum up.
Judo - Compete
Aikido - Playfighting and wrist-bending.
Ninjutsu/Tajutsu - Ninja! With all cool ninja weapons! The ninja-stamp might stick if you try this thoo.. some of my friends still call me "Ninja-Martin".
Kung Fu - Just so much fun! And some style have funkey animalnames!
Krav Maga - Fun and Selfdefense, NOT to use on friends thoo.
Last a little link to The Myth Of Self-Defense (http://www.selfdefense.org/selfdefense.asp?id=2), nicly put.
Oh. and if you want books on selfdefense i recomend:
Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault by Imi Sde-Or
and
Dead or Alive: The Choice is Yours: The Definitive Self-Protection Handbook by Geoff Thompson
Wao. You've read all the way down here? Cool! Thanx for the effort! I probably should get back to work now... hehe-- :lol:
Hope you find something you like!
martin
Ill just add some of my experience but, alas, I have not read all other posts
in this thread so I might just be reiterating stuff thats already been said.
I did Aikido for six years, then I got tired of it because frankly its boring and
its not even one tenth as useful as other martial arts when it comes to real
life situations. After that I started with taekwon-do, now here is where it
gets interesting - Taekwon-do has two different schools called ITF and WTF
(dont laugh), ITF is a bit more like kickboxing, you learn quite alot of
punching techniques, and the competitions/sparring is alot like kickboxing.
Then there is WTF, which is what they do in the olympics, and its also the
dominant school in the US. Its also horrible crap which is useless in real
situations, because you are supposed to fight more or less without using your
hands. I did ITF Taekwondo for quite a while and competed a bit, I liked it
because its a nice combination of more realistic fighting and more traditional
martial art training - it also includes alot of flashy high kicks and spinning in
the air, something which I always liked doing (the only non-martial art sports
Ive ever really liked is snowboard and diving). Ive also done some kickboxing
and taeboxing but nothing extensive really.
Anyways, if your goal is to learn to fight in somewhat real situations, get fit,
and have a good time, then I can recommend ITF Taekwondo, Kickboxing or
Taeboxing and those three also have alot of competitions if you would come
that far. Im not a big fan of recommending things I havent tried personally
but i still want mention Krav Maga if you are just interested in winnning rl
fights.
Shoudn't this be moved into OT? :o
juvestar15
04-10-04, 15:30
This post thread was started before the new forum structure and has only resurfaced now.
@ Rade. I hear that Aikido was a waste of time for alot of people. They studied it for sometime and just found it way too hard to use in a real situation. I was told though it comes down to the artist and how they aren't using it right. I guess it just isn't for some people.
@ Wiz. I'm glad you saw this thread because I've never actually spoken to someone who has had experience in quite a range of martial arts. When i said i wasn't into kicking/punching i meant that i didn't want to rock up to the dojo and kick and punch all day. I've watched some Muay Thai and TKD training and that's all they seem to do. I wanted something more.
What really caught my eye though was Wing Chun(Thanks Xian for telling me about it. :)). A form of Kung Fu that comes highly recommended by many. This place in particular http://www.shaolinjeeshinwingchun.com.au/ seems to have it all plus more. They teach Wing Chun, weapons, extra self defense techniques(head locks, bear hugs, etc...) that a few schools around me don''t teach.
The wooden dummy is also pretty cool and once you get to higher levels you can do all sorts of different training. Pressure points, Iron Shirt/Plam(VERY COOL), special chinese medicine/healing/meditating stuff that i don't quite understand. :D
Krav Maga though, is closer to me and i like the idea of it. It' doesn't look like a "fuck around - lets learn some traditional shit that doesn't work". It seems direct and to the point. I'll definetly look into it, hopefully i'll get started in one by the end of November(exams will be over then, yay \o/).
Are you familiar with the instructors that teach at the Melbourne school?
I did judo for about 4 years when I was younger.... Strangely enough I don't remember anything funny happening to me while doing it o_O
I am not at all familiar with the instructors that teach at the Melbourne school, I live in Sweden so it's a bit of a trip for me, guess my englinsh wasn't as bad as i thought, eh? :D However they are part of the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF for short) wich is the the kind of Krav Maga that is still practised and developed by the israeli army. And seeing as they are a sub-site to the official website of the Krav Maga Association of America i think it's a safe bet. I really like it. It is so full of variations and always new things to learn and consider, like when you can take care of yourself fairly good you start learning to defend a third person. What is to say that it is you who is attacked and not your mate or girlfriend?
I think Wing Tsun is good to and simmilar to Krav Maga on sevral points. But when i traind it i did not feel tolerance to new techniques and new thinking and the answer to questions like "Why can't i just do this and that?" is that they show the 'correct way' that always has been ever since the short little nun (or whatever) started the system. When I ask a question, i want a better answer than that. I want a solid reason. However if i didn't have a Krav Maga club at a workable distance from me I would go for Wing Tsun (don't think you can compete there either). I didn't see as much techniques for dealing with pistol/knife therets, or bearhugs but i didn't stay that long with Wing Tsun. And now with krav.. I have it all in one place :D
Once again I'm all about selfdefense and not about learning "the way" or bowing to pictures with wrinkly ol' japanese guys on em, or memorizing terms in chinese so I know wacking a guy on the head is really a metaphor for an eagle who catches fish in a pond at sunrise... I want to bite im', kick im' in the groin and wack im' with a chair! If the attacker has trained something that does not allow this behavior he will be at least a little surprised :D And for those who think that Krav Maga practitioners fight dirty, brutal and ugly, the solution is simple: Don't attack us! :p
I'm glad i could help, and i hope you got my message. That it is what you want that is imoprtant! I just can't help talking good about krav maga :D
good luck
/martin
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