martial arts

[starfire]

hmm..well, I'm pretty sure this is where this thread should be.

Anyway, my parents have decided to allow me to take up martial arts again(I think they've almost given up on me becoming a cheerleader)!!! I was hoping that, maybe some of you who take martial arts as well, would give me some advice as to which one I should choose. I would REALLY appreciate it as I'm kind of torn between a few! And I haven't been to a school in a while.

Kung Fu
Taijutsu(ninjutsu, yes we have a ninja school here! )
A mixed martial arts class, Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, about three others

So, if you have any suggestions besides these, that would be welcome too! Thanks so much!

[CDLviking]

I like the third mixed class. Sounds very well-rounded.

I'm also a huge fan of Shinkendo and Arnis.

[Slater]

I've taken Tae Kwon Do... and I wonder what type of Tae Kwon Do is being offered. The one that I took seemed to focus a lot on the legs and becoming a skilled kicker... I know it sounds funny, but those who didn't take that class with me look at some of the wacky kicks I can do and are baffled (some of them even surprise me). So I'll agree with CDLviking on taking the third one...

Also, The martial art that I specialize in is Kajukenbo, which is a mixture of Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Kempo, and Chinese Boxing... It is excelent for street fighting. Any time that you mix many styles up into one big... thingy, it's a good thing. You'll learn the most and be a more effective fighter if you take the mixed course there.

[starfire]

Yeah, that one has the nicest gym too. My only concern is that since there isn't one speific style, that it'll be a sugarcoated class. I don't want a sport I want to know how to defend myself, ya know?

On the other hand, they might not make me do kata. That never made sense to me. In an actual fight, you won't be able to use them. Does your class have kata?

Thanks for the advice guys! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

[CDLviking]

For self-defense I still think the third class is best. It allows you to fall back on different disciplines as the occassion calls for. Different styles are suited to different situations.

Shinkendo is just about the least practical martial art there is though, which is one reason why I took it.

[Slater]

My class has katas. They are for learning balance and agility.

[BigZam]

my class does kata. and what on earth can you possibly mean that katas don't help you in self defense?! i'm sorry but thats just hogwash. not only what frwl said but katas also help you put strings of moves together. in fact for some of my ranks we do whats called bunkai which is applying a section of a kata into self defense. right now i'm taking Okinawan Seidokan. i'm really enjoying it....if you can find a Seidokan dojo in your area good luck. from what i understand there aren't too many of them in the U.S. i'm surprised theres one here in lil old St. George. but you've got ninjitsu there so we're even now that i think of it the style i do is also mixed....Seidokan, Kempo, and i think some Toide/Jujitsu. so technically its called Kinkoshinkai Shorinji-ryu Kempo, my sensei's own personal expression.

[Uriah]

I took choy le fut for a few months. It's an agressive form of kung fu, basicly, you advance as you attack, and keep hitting your opponents until they are down. It has alot of short, fast movements.

It was difficult, but It's a good one to know, if your interested in it for combat sake (not just a sport). But it has very few holds of hold escapes, the idea is to not get into them

I soppose it mostly depends on what you enjoy. Do you like using holds, punches, kicks, ect? If we knew more we could probably help you better.

[Jaltus-bot]

What about Krav Maga, the unarmed defense method of the Israeli Armed Forces? I think that would be cool to learn.

[CDLviking]

I wonder where you could learn that.

[Slater]

what's that branch of Ninjitsu called that deals with firearms?

[HwaRang777]

I personally feel that three martial arts is best, focusing in a few basic things in combat:

1) offensive attacks

2) counters

3) defensive attacks

4) blocks

and if you want

5) melee weapon/combat

here are the three I recommend

1) Kickboxing (muay thai or regular, it's a really basic art when it comes to actual moves, but it is really good for your body and learning the basics)

2) Aikido/Judo (for counters as well as defense, you can make a guy crumble with one swift move)

3) Jujitsu/Kung-Fu (it can defintely help if you take Jujitsu b/c they teach you how to use your surroundings as weapons, but Kung-Fu is more for advance moves and blocks

[Sammy Boy]

I think it would be good if you can take Wing Chun and boost that with some kicking skills from another discipline (e.g. Tae Kwon Do).

The 'problem' may be that Wing Chun takes a long time to learn. But once you get good at it you can fight in space as confined as a toilet cubicle (not that you'd want to).

Tae Kwon Do has good kicks, but is rather 'gentle' (at least the form I learnt). There were no sweep kicks (taught but not applied), and no hand based attacks (80% leg and only 20% hands).

If you find you have to defend yourself in the streets, try to avoid high kicks as much as possible.

On the spiritual side, I recommend going to a place that separates martial arts philosophy/spirituality from the actual practice. In Kung Fu terms, find an instructor that focuses on the "wai jia" (externals) rather than the "nei jia" (internals).

I am not trying to say don't concentrate or take a deep breath when doing moves, but it's best not to focus or do anything to do with "qi" (or "chi"), since that is linked to eastern spiritual / philosophical concepts. By the way, I assumed you were a Christian so this is why I wrote this. Pardon me if I made a wrong assumption.

And I'm not trying to start a debate or flame anyone .. just giving me 2 cents' worth. Thanks.

[oro!]

I take a martial art with taekwondo, hapkido, and jujitsu. I really enjoy it because it teaches attacks, counterattacks, and what to do if you are caught on the floor. IN advance Seon Ki Do, you also learn how ot implement weapons.

So, I say all of that to agree to go with the third one. You are not limited to one style, and thus ideally can defend yourself better.

[starfire]

Thanks everyone! You've given me a lot to think about.
And, yes I'm a Christian, so that's good advice about the qi. I wasn't sure how much of a factor that is, but now I know to ask.
And I didn't mean that kata doesn't have a point. It's just that I've never seen how you could do the exact moves in an actual fight. you never know what your opponent is going to do, so you would usually have to improvise(theoretically ) But I can see what you mean about the agility and balance factor.
I am really looking for a martial art in which you don't have to be really big or strong, which is why I was thinking Kung Fu. Ninjutsu for cool factor. But the mixed class may be more practical. And I do like not being tied down to one set style.
They all sound so great! It's so hard to pick one! But thanks, and I will take all of your advice into consideration! Domo arigato gozaimasu!

[Slater]

actually, the idea of chi may have links to spiritual things, but it is a very real force that isn't grounded in bad religion or anything. My chi is stronger than most peoples but I didn't know it for years until after I had developed it. It is very useful, being able to sense when somebody's behind you and stuff.

[Jaltus-bot]

I wonder where you could learn that.

Krav Maga? I know this one place near my home that costs about $60 a month for lessons.

[Sammy Boy]

actually, the idea of chi may have links to spiritual things, but it is a very real force that isn't grounded in bad religion or anything.

Sorry frwl, please allow me to clarify. I am not denying the power of qi (chi). I realise it is a very real and potent force. However, to the best of my knowledge the cultivation and improvement of this area always involves a person focusing on the self instead of Christ.

So far I know of no system of teaching qi (chi) that does not involve grounding or exposure to Eastern philosophical / spiritual concepts and beliefs. While powerful and definitely an advantage to have, it is something I think is better to forego for the sake of Christ.

Cheers.

[desperado]

Tae Kwondo does have several sweeps and takedown moves. One i can think of right of the bat is a jumping siscor kick. I have yet to see a person not go down from that move executed properly.

[Wise Dragon]

Man I can believe I didnt see this thread earlier. I never even come in this section.

Ok just because there are several diferent styles incorporated into it doesn't necessarily mean that its the best choice. (Though Im not saying its a bad one just hear me out.) You have to look at how well the instructor can teach. If the instructor doesn't fully explain everything to the students then they really don't know what they are doing then its not a vey strong system.

Another thing is determine why you want take martial Arts in the first place. If its for a hobby then you may want to look at the kung fu system because they tend to have lots of weapons and its reall pretty. If its for self defense then you should look into the ninjitsu or the other one.

Go watch all of them train see how you like it then choose.

Oh and one more thing. *crowd sighs from the endless speach* I believe that every person posesses a power inside of them that is usually brought to the suface by physical and mental training. If you want to call it Chi, Ki, Adrenalin, Chakara or The Eye of the Tiger I believe that it is a natural power everyone posess and there is nothing supernatural about it.

I tried to shorten it; but im done now, in theory anyway. I could talk endlessly about the Arts I love it.

[starfire]

Thanks, that's good advice. And I'm looking for something that will teach me self defense, not a hobby. So I think I'm probably going to go with the Ninjutsu. It's always been a dream of mine to do, anyway.
And I think you're right about the energy thing. I think that qi and other terms are just a way to explain it. But I doubt it's totally connected with religion or eastern philosophy. But everyone has their own opinions.
Oh, and I heard about Krav Maga. I wish we had a school where I live. It's supposed to be the art that the Israeli military uses, isn't it? Sounds hard core.
It's funny, but until a few years ago, I never realized how many martial arts there are. I mean, it goes way beyond just Karate, which has a ton of styles on its own.

[Wise Dragon]

One day when I get stronger I would like to take Ninjitsu; but there aren't any dojos around here that offer it. Ninjitsu is a good system for self defence. I know a little about it because my Sensei studied it and sometimes refers to things in our system to show differences in there philosophy. I heard that jujitsu was once a softer branch of ninjitsu. As for Krav Maga I know next to nothing about it.

[girlninja]

I'd like to give my two cents as well..if that's ok *bows*

I've studied in many different styles of the martial arts and I have to say I like these the best however I find one in particular is the best to take..

and a side note..there are very very few ninjitsu schools out there and ninjitsu really is a system that incorporates many different martial arts along with stealth, the art of hiding in shadows and sensing energy..

Shoalin Kempo *non traditional* tends to be real good for kicks *at least in my style we have all korean tae kwon do kicks along with a few extras* punches, *teaches how to use elbows and all aspects of the hand* and blocks *our system to get to black consists of 13 different systems *about 100 different types of blocks totale but i'm not entirely sure how widespread that is*

Kung-fu can teach alot of concepts such as if it's tiger: that tends to be for power and straightforward defensive/offensive attacks

crane: circular movements and continuous motion *also deals with shaolin*

Leapard: angles and the use of these on a bigger stronger opponent and the list goes on...

Japanese/Brazilian jiu jitsu are both excellent to learn how to throw and flip your opponent as well as ground fighting

Muay Thai Kickboxing is good for kicks and power and learning where to necessarily strike although for self defense purposes I think that it takes too much unecessary energy

Tai Chi can be good to teach balance and used to learn strenghthening as well as continuous energy

Weapons *at least in my system* are taught on the side such as the bo staff and such but defense against knives, gun, and clubs are taught to all students as part of the shaolin system but i'm not sure how common that is

I am not trying to boast or anything i'm just explaining my experiences from these particular styles and I hope that I am not offending anyone *bows*

*ninja poof*

oh and originally there was 42/43 sytles of martial arts with only 42/43 10th degree Grand masters however that has had to change and involve in recent years...

and for the Chi, I believe that that is simply your own manipulation of your own energy , I don't think it has an eastern mysticism /spiritual connections unless you make them... i learn how to control where my energy flow is going while i concentrate on God..but that's just me and again I do not wish to offend so please forgive me if I have *bows

[Esoteric]

I don't have too much input, but generally there are 'hard styles' and 'soft styles' of martial arts. 'Hard' being where you hit and punch. 'Soft' being where you manuver, grab, throw. I've been taking Aikido for a year now which is a soft style. It suits my personality and low strenght level. So consider whether you want to learn hard or soft, an 'offensive', or a 'defensive' art.

[Ingemar]

what's that branch of Ninjitsu called that deals with firearms?

Gun Kata?

I will have to second Arnis. People who have heard of that (or Filipino Martial Arts in general) are inaccurate if they say it's just a stick fighting art. True, it primarily focuses on weapons, but the idea is that most stick (or knife, or bolo) techniques can be practiced empty-handed. It is the best and most straightforward art for weapon disarming. The school where I practice Arnis also teaches Kempo, which has its own disarms. The Arnis disarms take a split second at the longest whereas the Kempo ones take numerous steps which I felt were unecessary.

Arnis has both hard and soft techniques. If you can find it, there's a FMA discipline called Escrido which incorporates Aikido techniques. Even in my school, we have takedowns that are very similar to ones used in Aikido.

[starfire]

Thank you girlninja! You didn't offend me at all. I'm grateful for your insight as well as everyone else's.

Yes, I've heard of Aikido. It sounds very cool.

[agasfas]

I agree with CDLviking, you may want to consider taking a mixed form of martial arts. I did Tea Kwon Do when I was young and didn't care for it because all they wanted to teach were kicks and focus on tournaments.

(You get points for landing a kick but you end up on the ground and the other is still standing... )
Though I will admit the kicks are useful, but there's more to fighting then kicks.

I later learned jujitsu and wrestling (at school) for my grapling. I really ejoyed that. Then leanred various things from boxing, kenpo and kick boxing. I know a bit of aikido, but not too much. The throws, graps, using momentum and stuff.... It's pretty neat stuff.

Mixed martial arts is in my opinion ideal because you get an overall feel of the different styles and are versatile. If someone lacks boxing/kicking skills, then grapling is ideal and vise-versa. Being well-rounded is much better then being good at one thing. It's not a bad thing to be dominate in one area, but a good understanding of other styles is more benefical (like knowing what to expect).

Take the UFC (ultimate fighting champion) for example. The first few years there were only a few grapplers and a lot of hard hitting fighters. Grapplers tend to win more often. I mean, the hard hitters weren't able to punch or kick while tied up on the ground. Then as the years progressed more and more fighters started to learn a bit of ground game to avoid submissions, chokes- Or just t be able to esacape a hold and stand back up. Now it's hard to find a decent UFC or Pride FC figher who doesn't have a good understanding of both the ground and stand up fighting.

ninjitsu in my opinon has okay things like certains like the idea of sleath, some of the moves and wrestling and such... But in todays world some of it is unpracticle. When one gets attacked, how often does one have a sword, ninja stars or a smoke bomb handy?

Oh well. Good luck finding a dojo. Whatever you choose just make sure it's something you'll enjoy.


I think I may have went off into a tanget...

[starfire]

When one gets attacked, how often does one have a sword, ninja stars or a smoke bomb handy?

You don't know me very well, do you?

Yeah, from what I understand Tae Kwon Do is mostly about the kicks. I read in a martial arts book that it's because the people are generally taller than say, people in Japan, so as opposed to Karate's punches, kicks are more practical. Tae Kwon Do has a very interesting and rich history. Really worth researching, or at lest trying. Especially for people concerned with the religious aspects of the martial arts. Generally, classes in America do tend to focus more on fighting and code of conduct than spirituality. Competitions ARE big, though.

And don't worry. We all go on tangents from time to time!

[CDLviking]

I will have to second Arnis. People who have heard of that (or Filipino Martial Arts in general) are inaccurate if they say it's just a stick fighting art. True, it primarily focuses on weapons, but the idea is that most stick (or knife, or bolo) techniques can be practiced empty-handed. It is the best and most straightforward art for weapon disarming. The school where I practice Arnis also teaches Kempo, which has its own disarms. The Arnis disarms take a split second at the longest whereas the Kempo ones take numerous steps which I felt were unecessary.

One of the things I like most about arnis is that it's principle movements and such can be used in almost any situation with barehands, or with anything you can pick up to use as a weapon.

[Wise Dragon]

I just want to say that a lot of martial arts instructors have studied in many different systems and that they usually incorporate sections of them into there system. So even though it says its just one style often you will learn many other things in addition.

Im just saying that just because they say that there are many systems incorporated into it that doesn't neccessarily mean that its better than a dojo that is supposed to be based on just one.

Girlninja, you left out Karate. Thats what I study. Now I feel left out.