Martial arts

[Dapper Dan Man]

I took a bit of karate, but I always liked martial arts and wanted to get back into it. I would like to study several different styles, though my eye has been on the various ninjutsu/taijutsu types such as Budo Taijutsu, Genbukan, and Jinenkan. I also thought about Krav Maga as well, though it is still up in the air as to what style I will eventually pursue.

 

[The Man From Utopia]

Fencing and kendo. I'm pretty good with a sword.

I'd so own you on teh battlefield

What makes you say that?

I always thought fencing and kendo were more of an art than an actual combat tool. They're based on procedures and point systems, right? In kendo, can't you hit an opponent and it not count because it wasn't "done right?" I honestly don't know much about swordplay so please; pardon le n00bage.

On the other hand, any skill with a sword is better than no skill.

 

[victor]

If you want to be good at *fencing*, do stick fighting, especially filipino. Kali and Escrima are good choices there.

A few words of advice though, especially in Taijutsu (or at least what I've experienced): Beware of Bullshidos and McDojos. Really. At least 5 taijutsu clubs have popped up in my neighborhood in the past six months, and it's starting to make me doubt how serious they really are. Also, if a club charges a lot of money, like more than $250 (I'd say $200 is pretty standard), and wants the money right away before you start, it might be a McDojo, i.e it values money over training, and just not worth the effort.

Another sign that it's a poor club, if it's a ranked martial art like karate or tae kwon do, is the amount of kids during training, especially kids with black belts, which shouldn't exist in a serious club. The black belt shouldn't be awarded to ANYONE under the age of at least 18.

The only solution to finding a good club/martial art IMO, is to train a couple of times at a few different places, and then decide which one you like most (usually this is free).

Try Taijutsu or Krav maga, by all means. They're some of the dirtiest fighting styles.

But don't get your hopes up too much on Krav maga. In most civilized countries (not sure about the whacky states), they don't teach you real krav maga (i.e neckbreaks, deadly stuff, ...) that they teach Israeli special forces. They're restricted to teaching you what's necessary in self defense in a Western urban environment.

We're taught how to kill our opponents.

I for one don't really see the point of this. Especially in jiu jitsu, which is meant to be peaceful and not harmful. Maybe in striking martial arts the only way to truly disable your opponent is to kill him (I guess it very rarely comes to that anyway), but if you've already taken him down with a throw or whatever, and he dropped whatever weapon he carried, there's really no point in killing him. Teaching how to kill makes sense for military special forces training, but I find it to be out of place in a civilian environment.

Also, in many countries, at least European ones, there's a proportionality in the right to self-defense. If you intentionally use more violence than necessary, especially if you're proficient in the martial arts, you will be charged in turn.

 

[Quantos Leap]

I'm in the process of learning kung fu. It's a slow process because I rarely go to the lessons nor do I practice outside of it.

I'm specifically learning an, until recently, closed family art called Shen Men Tao. It is a cross of Tai Chi, Hsing Yi, Bagua.

I hope to become more inspired with it all, but I just cannot seem to get past the metaphysical beliefs that seem to be so key in becoming successful in the style. Particularly the idea of "Chi" and all the other seemingly implausable factors.

 

[Ashmo]

Firearms and bladed weapons own martial arts.

Unless you're some crazy Tibetan monk and can break sharp surfaces with your pinky and make bullets bounce off you by channeling your karma.

Although it doesn't take much technique to "beat" an ordinary street punk.

Unless you live in the slums of Tyjinkistan you'll probably never get into a situation where the ordinary tricks (knee to the groin, foot to the knee, punch the small rib, etc) won't suffice.
Most people who get mugged / raped / violated usually don't "loose" because they suck at self-defence, they do so because they panic or value their lives and physical integrity high enough not to take the risk of loosing it by defending whatever they think they're about to loose.

Oh, slight hint to anyone who worries about getting grabbed from behind: quickly retract your foot to his groin by folding in your lower leg. Sounds weird, but if done fast enough, it'll hurt a lot -- other than that, just go for the spot below the kneecaps.

The only situation in which you're absolutely fucked is if you're seriously outnumbered, even more so if more than one of them has a gun pointed at you.
But in that case you realize you're in the wrong part of town anyway, and there's not an awful lot you can do unless you're Superman or a llama.

 

[Anack]

Firearms and bladed weapons own martial arts.

Yeah, but you don't carry your gun around usualy
But your limbs are always there for you

 

[victor]

Most people who get mugged / raped / violated usually don't "loose" because they suck at self-defence, they do so because they panic or value their lives and physical integrity high enough not to take the risk of loosing it by defending whatever they think they're about to loose.

If you train martial arts, you gain confidence. Confidence in being able to defend yourself should the need arise. That's how you avoid panic in such a situation. It's not just being able to master techniques or whatever.

This is why about a third of the kickboxers in Sweden are female. Aside from the workout, they're also afraid of being raped, a fear that's lessened by your confidence to be able to defend yourself. It's as simple as that.

 

[Ashmo]

Yeah, but you don't need no fancy shmancy karate to get that self confidence.

I guess it depends on how you were raised...

 

[Murdoch]

unless you're Superman or a llama.

Llama?

 

[Kahgan]

The problem with allmost *every* martial art is that it all run by certain rules where this and that is not allowed and so on. That's why an über karate nerd can be knocked down by two easy strokes. It's been proved over and over. And the karate nerd goes all "oh you're doing it THAT way?! That doesn't count!"

I myself train fighting with weapons from scandinavia from about 850 - 1066. Axe, sword, etc. Though, as this is also set by rules with regards to safety, it cannot be compared to the real thing, i.e. swinging an axe by full force to someone's head. It just looks real and it looks so damn cool.

 

[Ashmo]

unless you're Superman or a llama.

Llama?

It's called sarcasm. That's why I also wrote it in lowercase.

Shame on me for not adding a "(sic)" for people who don't have a sense of humor, tho.

I myself train fighting with weapons from scandinavia from about 850 - 1066. Axe, sword, etc. Though, as this is also set by rules with regards to safety, it cannot be compared to the real thing, i.e. swinging an axe by full force to someone's head. It just looks real and it looks so damn cool.

Combat reenactment, display fighting or Medieval European Martial Arts?

 

[Brother None]

I did boxing for some time. Good for your health, not that useful for self-defense. Except that you learn to punch hard and fast and accurately, and learn to ignore pain. But the sport and its rules itself are not too useful.

If you are looking for a workout I'd recommend Tae Kwon Doe.

And Muay Thai. Probably the meanest, dirtiest, toughest, roughtest "martial art" out there.

I practice "O Na Nism" on a daily basis. It's a very good workout, and very much a style of actual fighting. Look

Heh.

 

[Kahgan]

I myself train fighting with weapons from scandinavia from about 850 - 1066. Axe, sword, etc. Though, as this is also set by rules with regards to safety, it cannot be compared to the real thing, i.e. swinging an axe by full force to someone's head. It just looks real and it looks so damn cool.

Combat reenactment, display fighting or Medieval European Martial Arts?

hmm hard to decide, it could be defined as all of those I think

boxing can indeed be good for self defence. Are you seriusly meaning that a kung fu nerd would stand a chance against a man like mike tyson?

 

[Member of Khans]

I'm just curious if somebody here ever got involved in a fight where he/she/[enter pronoun here] was in serious danger. So, anybody?

 

[Lazarus Plus]

Fencing and kendo. I'm pretty good with a sword.

I'd so own you on teh battlefield

What makes you say that?

I always thought fencing and kendo were more of an art than an actual combat tool. They're based on procedures and point systems, right? In kendo, can't you hit an opponent and it not count because it wasn't "done right?" I honestly don't know much about swordplay so please; pardon le n00bage.

On the other hand, any skill with a sword is better than no skill.

I do a great deal of sparring with people that have no training other than what I've taught them. Some of the things taught in sword styles are kind of ridiculous. Sorry, but I maintain that if I can step out of the way of your swing, I can hit you a lot faster than if I try to block it. Countering it is entirely a different story, though. I spar without armor with shinai.

 

[victor]

Muay Thai is pretty rough, but it got pretty de-roughened during the 20th century, when it was transformed into more of a combat sport, like boxing.

 

[DirtyDreamDesigner]

I'm just curious if somebody here ever got involved in a fight where he/she/[enter pronoun here] was in serious danger. So, anybody?

Right here.

Two punks tried to beat me up once.
I broke a finger and I still have a scar just behind the hairline from hitting a bench.
One of them ended up with a broken nose and probably a concussion and the other one with a broken collar bone. (I kinda knelt on him with his arm behind his back, it wasn't a conscious grab or anything).

When two guys are attacking you you go for the balls and all the fancy moves go out the window because you can't afford to get grabbed. In a situation like that you just want to do the maximum amount of damage...

 

[Brother None]

boxing can indeed be good for self defence. Are you seriusly meaning that a kung fu nerd would stand a chance against a man like mike tyson?

If it was just an unexperienced kung fu nerd, no. But even Jet Li could beat Mike Tyson and Jet doesn't even know real kung fu.

The problem with boxers is that anything below the waist basically doesn't exist. This means they don't watch their opponent's feet, making them vulnerable to kicks, and don't guard their own legs, making it easy to bring 'em down.

Too many rules for boxing to make it really useful. Like I said, it's the speed and power and durability you learn that's useful, not the sport itself.

 

[Lazarus Plus]

boxing can indeed be good for self defence. Are you seriusly meaning that a kung fu nerd would stand a chance against a man like mike tyson?

If it was just an unexperienced kung fu nerd, no. But even Jet Li could beat Mike Tyson and Jet doesn't even know real kung fu.

The problem with boxers is that anything below the waist basically doesn't exist. This means they don't watch their opponent's feet, making them vulnerable to kicks, and don't guard their own legs, making it easy to bring 'em down.

Too many rules for boxing to make it really useful. Like I said, it's the speed and power and durability you learn that's useful, not the sport itself.

Any sport that doesn't embrace the "totality" of human potential will be inferior, ultimately, to one that does. That's why martial arts that emphasize ways to instantly disable or kill are very dangerous to those that do not. You may be just as "good" but he might kill you with the first blow that lands while you won't.

 

[victor]

If it was just an unexperienced kung fu nerd, no. But even Jet Li could beat Mike Tyson and Jet doesn't even know real kung fu.

Not really. Jet would be knocked out after a single punch. And that punch would eventually be landed.

The problem with boxers is that anything below the waist basically doesn't exist. This means they don't watch their opponent's feet, making them vulnerable to kicks, and don't guard their own legs, making it easy to bring 'em down.

Also the fact that they cross their legs, which is pretty much suicide when facing a kicking or grappling martial art.

That's why martial arts that emphasize ways to instantly disable or kill are very dangerous to those that do not. You may be just as "good" but he might kill you with the first blow that lands while you won't.

Don't take that too seriously. The touch of death is mostly hyped up bullshit. The only way I see instant disability is a kick to the balls, or if you're lucky, and elbow to the temple.

Although Jiu Jitsu has chokes and locks, which allow the instantaneous disabling of an opponent, outside the rules. Getting your opponent on the ground is a different matter though, and requires a certain amount of skill, especially if he's a martial artist.