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Question for those who practice some form of martial arts

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S

Scrow

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I've been thinking of taking up a martial arts again (i used to do taekwondo as a kid), but I'm unsure of what to take up.

I've done some searching around and these are the ones that're practiced in my area (ignore the numbers beside each name).

Aikido (9)
American Kenpo (1)
Arnis (1)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (3)
Capoeira (2)
Five Animal Shaolin (15)
Japanese Karate (1)
Jiu Jitsu (1)
Judo (1)
Karate (19)
Kempo (1)
Kendo (1)
Kickboxing (15)
Kung Fu (15)
Muay Thai (5)
Qi-Gong (1)
Shaolin Kempo Kung Fu (16)
Tai Chi (6)
Tong Long Kung Fu (15)
Wing Chun (4)
Zen Do Kai (1)

To those in the know, what're considered really good ones to take up out of those listed above?

Mostly I'm looking for something that's going to be fun, have some variety and maybe even be "useful" if the need ever arised. And yeah, I was inspired to ask by that thread, but didn't want to bump it because it needed to stay dead. ;P
 
Capoeira is arguably the hardest, but the fuckin coolest. Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai are probably the most lethal of those. Although I'm not familiar with some of the styles in that list.

Regardless, if you have a lot of will...capoeira all the way.
 
I've trained in Capoeira for about 2 years some years back (and am still around almost every day). It's more acrobatic and rythmic than other martial arts, but that doesn't make it harder. It's more of a 'dance'.
 
Incognito said:
please, i train in capoeira nearly every other day. the only hard thing about is waking up early to see the trainer...
Click to expand...

:lol :lol :lol

I actually have tears in my eyes from laughing.
 
Scrow said:
no. got any videos?
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I guess the first easy example I can give you is Eddy Gordo from the Tekken series. That's Capoeira. Some may call it "breakdancing" and they'd be half right, except it's not really dancing when you're attacking somebody with it. :p

I don't have any videos, but you can just do a few searches around Kazaa, Limewire, etc. and I'm sure you'll find a bunch.
 
Mr. E. Yis said:
I've trained in Capoeira for about 2 years some years back (and am still around almost every day). It's more acrobatic and rythmic than other martial arts, but that doesn't make it harder. It's more of a 'dance'.
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oh! that one. yeah. i know that. isn't its history something to do with there being a law that banned any type of martial arts in some country, so the people modified it to look like more of a dance than a fighting style so they could continue practicing it?

If so, yeah I know what it is. Not what I'm interested in doing though, as cool as it looks.

Incognito said:
exactly, it's just that alpha isn't that flexible. w3rd up.
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I'm pretty flexible for someone who doesn't do any exercise. I can put both my legs over and behind my head.

Legs_Behind_Head_Reclining.jpg


sort of like that, but instead of under the arm pit I put mine behind the neck on top of the shoulders.
 
I take brazilian jiu jitsu, and that's what I'd suggest. BJJ, if you're not familiar, is a grappling martial art (either with a gi or without one). The emphasis is on securing position and forcing your opponent to quit via choke or joint lock, and there's no striking so it's pretty low impact (but high intensity) to practice. The great thing about BJJ is that you can go 100% when you're sparring without injuring your training partner, which gives great benefits to your development and your conditioning.

BJJ is very practical, and in a 1 on 1 scenario where you need to defend yourself, you should be well equipped to keep yourself safe, if you're concerned about that. In a street fight or if you have multiple guys on you I'd suggest you run away no matter what sort of martial art you're versed in (though if you really couldn't, for whatever reason, something like boxing, kickboxing, or muay thai would better serve you there...or krav maga if you could find a competent instructor, I suppose, but probably not).

The thing you should recognize is that BJJ has its roots in the traditional martial arts, but it's more of a competitive sport like boxing or judo. That's not to say at all that it's not as "real world effective" as most traditional martial arts -- I'd argue the contrary. You're far, far less likely to find a hokey BJJ school than you would a hokey kung-fu or TKD school, because it's plainly obvious from the start whether your bjj instructor knows what he's doing; in a traditional martial art you may end up having your instructor tell you what to do, then you do it in a cooperative environment...and that's where it ends.

I'm making generalizations about TMAs here, but that's not to say that they're all like this. Many are, some aren't, but the process to weed out the mcdojos from the genuinely tough, real places can be a difficult one.
 
Scrow said:
isn't its history something to do with there being a law that banned any type of martial arts in some country, so the people modified it to look like more of a dance than a fighting style so they could continue practicing it?
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Yes, is was started by Brazilian slaves, and they made their own instruments and songs for this 'dance'. Onlookers either wait their turn to enter the circle, sing, or play the music.
 
Any martial art can be "fun", so I can't give you any advice according to that criteria. The best thing to do when trying to find a martial art that is best for you is simply to go there and try a class and see how you like it. Every martial arts club I've ever been to has allowed you to take at least your first class for free. And if they don't give you your first class free, you shouldn't bother with them.

Muay Thai is an excellent art for striking (kicking and punching), and Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a great art for grappling (chokes, armlocks, etc.). Judo is also great for grappling and throwing people. Different karate styles can be effective, but it can be hit or miss, so you should definitely check it out before committing to it. Some Kempo/Kenpo schools can be good, but like karate, is hit or miss.

Capoeira is useless for self-defence.

If the Brazilian jiu-jitsu clubs in your area have websites, I can have a look at them and let you know how good/legitimate they are for training.
 
Which would you say is more lethal in an everyday situation, or street fight situation, boxing or karate?
 
EviLore said:
BJJ is very practical, and in a 1 on 1 scenario where you need to defend yourself, you should be well equipped to keep yourself safe, if you're concerned about that.
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i wouldn't say it's a concern, as if I'm getting into fights all the time. it'd just be nice to know i could if i needed to.

Someone mentioned Bushido Kempo JuJitsu in that other thread, and the description sounded just like I'd want to do, but as you can see in the list above there's no where around where I live that teaches it. :/ If there's anything in that list that is similar (I don't mean just by name) I'd like to know.

As long as it's fun, keeps me fit and doesn't have too strict a "doctrine" or whatever I'm down for it though.
 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5465267884925530570

That's marcelo garcia and renzo gracie at ADCC. Both are top BJJ practioners. That gives you some idea as to what it's about (in the no-gi environ).


Santo, you're probably just trolling the thread to try to start a 50 page argument...

...but I'd say boxing. Karate can be effective, but it's usually after a *lot* of training and very dependent on how you're learning (hardcore kyokushin 23 hours a day style...). Boxing will yield real-world results faster. At the top level of competition it's another matter entirely, because it really comes down to which popular competitive style has the least rules/restrictions.
 
Boogie said:
If the Brazilian jiu-jitsu clubs in your area have websites, I can have a look at them and let you know how good/legitimate they are for training.
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Well this is the general BJJ Australian organisation
http://www.bjj.com.au/

This is a list of clubs in my area: http://www.bjj.com.au/clubs.html#queensland

edit: after seeing the vid I'm not so sure it's for me ;P

too much rolling around on the ground, heh. if it was something more like remaining on your feet and trying to throw your opponent to the ground or making them submit through a hold or something (while standing), that'd be more up my alley. I'm not sure, but is that what Judo is like?

And what about good martial arts that focus on striking and stuff?
 
Advance martial arts looks legit. The BJJ instructors are active in competitions, and I'm not seeing any warning lights. The other ones with websites...eh. And the ones that don't give anything besides a name and number I can't really discern anything about.



too much rolling around on the ground, heh. if it was something more like remaining on your feet and trying to throw your opponent to the ground or making them submit through a hold or something (while standing), that'd be more up my alley. I'm not sure, but is that what Judo is like
Click to expand...

Judo is pretty much what you said you wanted right there. Limited ground stuff, mostly working for throws. Standing submissions? Er well there's really not a whole lot you can do there, in any style. Standing guillotine if you're tall enough, or a flying armbar ;b I wouldn't discount BJJ though.

And what about good martial arts that focus on striking and stuff
Click to expand...

For striking, boxing/kickboxing/muay thai can all be great. Though I see a lot of "aerobic kickboxing" nowadays, so watch out there. Boxing and muay thai may be safer bets, and of course muay thai covers a larger range of strikes.
 
EviLore said:
Standing submissions?
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yeah... i dunno. getting behind them and locking their arms so they can't move them? *shrugs*
EviLore said:
Er well there's really not a whole lot you can do there, in any style. Standing guillotine if you're tall enough
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I'm 6'4"

Is there anything that combines Judo's style of throwdowns with striking? Like I said, something along the lines of Bushido Kempo JuJitsu. Something with a mix.

edit:
demon said:
umm...
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just shopping around for other suggestions and keeping options open :P
 
Is there anything that combines Judo's style of throwdowns with striking? Like I said, something along the lines of Bushido Kempo JuJitsu. Something with a mix.
Click to expand...

I can't really offer any advice there, besides training MMA (which that advance martial arts place does offer). I really only look at competition-related disciplines, which excludes most traditional martial arts. TMAs may or may not be for you, but you'll have to ask karasu or someone else about them ;b
 
oh yeah, that's the other thing I was thinking about. I was talking to the girl I work with today and she was describing this self-defence practice that uses both pressure points and weaknesses. So if someone comes at you with a punch, you dodge it, grab their wrist, let the momentum follow through and then roll the wrist, apply pressure and twist it a certain way to make them feel like you're about the break their hand off. A whole bunch of ways to use pressure points, joints and leverage etc.

Is there a martial art that practices that sort of stuff, or is it purely something taught in a straight self-defence class?
 
For real life self-defense, no martial art can touch boxing.


(I myself have a brown-belt in Shotokan Karate)
 
Scrow said:
oh yeah, that's the other thing I was thinking about. I was talking to the girl I work with today and she was describing this self-defence practice that uses both pressure points and weaknesses. So if someone comes at you with a punch, you dodge it, grab their wrist, let the momentum follow through and then roll the wrist, apply pressure and twist it a certain way to make them feel like you're about the break their hand off. A whole bunch of ways to use pressure points, joints and leverage etc.

Is there a martial art that practices that sort of stuff, or is it purely something taught in a straight self-defence class?
Click to expand...

That sounds like aikido. Aikido is taught cooperatively and usually at a low intensity level. All about harmony etc. Not really anything you can use in the real world, and your physical condition isn't going to improve as well as it would somewhere else.


So if someone comes at you with a punch, you dodge it, grab their wrist, let the momentum follow through and then roll the wrist, apply pressure and twist it a certain way to make them feel like you're about the break their hand off
Click to expand...

Is not going to happen outside of class ;b
 
For "fun" try Capoeira. Most kids get a kick out of that. Especially if you like kicking and flipping and all of that. It also has more subtle techniques that can be quite useful. If anything it'd up your fitness.

I'd recommend BJJ as well but you said you weren't into grappling. You should try it anyway though. Once you apply a couple of submissions/get submitted a couple of times you'd see it's value.

Aikido is similar only in that it focuses on manipulation of joints. There isn't any 'rolling around on the ground' but you do learn submissions/breaks. They're pretty easy to apply, even if it won't look exactly like it does in the Dojo. Think Steven Seagal with less aggression and more spirtuality.


Wing Chun is cool if you want to learn some tricky hand techs that are easily applied against your garden variety puncher. You're kind of tall though, so scratch that one.

I wouldn't recomend Five animals because of your height, the stances and footwork would murder you. Scratch mantis as well. "Kung Fu" doesn't tell me a whole lot, it's basically a catch all american term for all chinese martial arts.

Muay Thai is great, especially since you have a background in Tae Kwon Do. You should take to it pretty well, and it'll expand your kicking by giving you a few new angles to work with.

Kendo is the best Martial sport in the world IMO, I'd recommend that in a heart beat. Your height would work for you.

I'm always ready to suggest Tai Chi but most teachers don't even bother with combat application and tend to focus on the health benefits. Same with Qi Qong


Devote your life to it and try em all.
.
 
capslock said:
For real life self-defense, no martial art can touch boxing.


(I myself have a brown-belt in Shotokan Karate)
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Let's not go there, please.
 
karasu said:
Kendo is the best Martial sport in the world IMO, I'd recommend that in a heart beat. Your height would work for you.
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Ohhhhh......So, THAT'S what kendo is, a martial arts. My classmate in college, told me his favorite sport is kendo, I was wondering what it was, he never told me, because we were running out of time....

< Tae Kwon Do. Two yellow belts, but that's it. :(

I feel the urge to try again, and dedicate my time to martial arts sometime, but the reason I stopped going, is because there was a midlife crisis when I was 14/15.
 
Nintendo X said:
but the reason I stopped going, is because there was a midlife crisis when I was 14/15.
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Do you plan on kicking the bucket at 30 or something?
 
Nintendo X said:
Ohhhhh......So, THAT'S what kendo is, a martial arts. My classmate in college, told me his favorite sport is kendo, I was wondering what it was, he never told me, because we were running out of time....
Click to expand...

cover_kendo_1.jpg



Kendo's good stuff.
 
Santo said:
Because he is right?
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What if a Muay Thai fighter knocks the boxer down (leg kicks) before he connects with a good punch? What if the BJJ dude takes the boxer down(grappling) before the boxer applies a good punch? On and on and on. What happens when the boxer is taken out of his preferred range? It's not about a style being better than another style. Styles don't exist independent of fighters. It's about which fighter connects with what first and each fighters response to that connect. No law says every boxer connects with a knockout punch before a fighter of every other discipline connects with whatever it is he does. I mean, jesus. get real. If I train arnis and I'm up against a boxer, what happens? I try to stab him, or beat him with my stick :lol
 
I think it would be the coolest to learn Muay Thai, Capoeira and Judo. If I wanted to bother with martial arts in life, that's what I'd do.
 
^^^^ yeah do that ! then you can be like Jan Lee !!

seriously though, i would personaly go play some DOA and VF4e (moreso VF4e) and see what martial Arts i liked :P those games and probably tekken too ( i dont play tekken much so i dont know) could give you a pretty good idea on what you would be in for.


though, some of them moves are harder to learn in real life...like the whole Hyabusa turn into leaves and teleport up to the guy 20 feet up and slam his head into the ground...


hehe :P seriously though, good ole video games can give you a pretty good idea
 
Nobiru said:
hehe :P seriously though, good ole video games can give you a pretty good idea
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yeah, except I don't like fighting video games.

is kendo a weapons only martial art?
 
I think it'd be fun to do some weapons stuff, but I definitely want to do unarmed stuff too.
 
Maybe you'd like Arnis then. You learn weapons first and you eventually learn to apply what you've learned with weapons with your empty hands.
 
i did Bushido Kempo JuJitsu for 9 years - i found that really good because you learn everything - strikes, take downs, throws, reversals, holds, locks, etc...

Highly recommended.
 
Nobiru said:
^^^^ yeah do that ! then you can be like Jan Lee !!

seriously though, i would personaly go play some DOA and VF4e (moreso VF4e) and see what martial Arts i liked :P those games and probably tekken too ( i dont play tekken much so i dont know) could give you a pretty good idea on what you would be in for.


though, some of them moves are harder to learn in real life...like the whole Hyabusa turn into leaves and teleport up to the guy 20 feet up and slam his head into the ground...


hehe :P seriously though, good ole video games can give you a pretty good idea
Click to expand...

umm, no?
 
Here's my advice:

If you don't have a super specific discipline in mind then maybe pick a few different ones you think you're interested in and go visit all those schools. The school is the most important thing. Muay Thai is excellent, but maybe the Thai schools in your area aren't particularly good and don't have the most experienced instructors. You've gotta find the right fit ouside of just style. Take into account things like price, how much you'll be training, whether it fits your schedule, whether it's enough for you or too much and how close you are to the place.

I've recently just started training again after moving about a year ago. In the past I've done Tae Kwon Do as well as some Judo. I've had a very long standing interest in Kung Fu, specifically Wing Chun and Qin Na, so that was the first thing I looked into. Unfortunately those schools were across the city and time and transit costs made it inconvenient or impossible at this time. However I found a very nice little Choi Lee Fut school near me in Chinatown that had a great amount of training each week for a good price, as well as a very strong tradition. In the last couple years I've also developed a great interest in Thai martial arts for their uniqueness and strength. It turns out one of the best Muay Thai instructors in North America has a school here and has a student who teaches a group downtown not far from me.

So with these two possibilities I then went to make a decision and now train with a group I'm quite happy with, that I enjoy and have met some interesting people in.

I still hope to train Wing Chun someday as well, but for now I'm quite content.

So, just check 'em out. Visit them all even or do some research and find two or three styles maybe that you think might suit you and then find the best fit.

Sawadee Khrap
 
DCharlie said:
i did Bushido Kempo JuJitsu for 9 years - i found that really good because you learn everything - strikes, take downs, throws, reversals, holds, locks, etc...

Highly recommended.
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yeah, except no one seems to teach that around here :(

That would've been my first choice too. At the moment I'm thinking Judo or MMA would be what I'm looking for, or even Arnis as karasu suggested.

edit: good advice all round Sinn Fein. thanks.

I figure I'll find the styles I'd most like to do and then narrow it down further based on convenience and those other factors you mentioned.
 
Actually, the best thing might be to just see if you can take an intro class at each one and see what you like.

Also, some teachers are better than others, some are good, some are bad, some are total dicks, and some can teach you in a few classes what it takes others months to do.

Before i did BKJJ i tried Judo and i couldn't get into it at all (albeit i was pretty young at the time) - given i'd start playing rugby after that as a front rower , i was already concerned about a future of busted ears!
 
My girlfriend does Capoeira, I've participated in a lesson with her. It's pretty fun to do, but difficult to execute correctly. I'm thinking of picking up Tai Chi, going to participate in an intro lesson soon. I like the focus on both body and mind in Tai Chi.
 
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