Martial Arts

ok, you asked for real, here's real. Real stupid
<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wnjb8Hx76u8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I enjoyed watching that Russian Fight.

I would have however enjoyed it a great deal more,had the Pool contained Hungry Sharks.
 
I enjoyed watching that Russian Fight.

I would have however enjoyed it a great deal more,had the Pool contained Hungry Sharks.

It was almost like a Three Stooges episode how those guys kept getting dumped in the pool. Pretty funny.
 
My 2cents FWIW

I think Aikido can work but requires a huge level of dedication and only a true master could make it work in a self defence situation......coupled with the fact that you can't exactly go an practise it yourself on a heavy bag...you always need an equally devoted partner......it would take years to attain a good practical level

For self defence, and looking at an art that most people can pick up quick enough to do damage with in a reasonably short space of time, id say thai boxing without a doubt.

MMA is arguably the best of the bunch though.

I'm in a similar position to you Ed...im keen to take something up again. I did thai boxing for 8 years and loved it, but found the injuries i sustained from it on a regular basis were starting to interfere with work...as much as id like to take it up again, at this time in my life i dont really feel its worth the risk.

With that in mind, and whilst i think its pretty crap, I have been considering taking Karate. Not for self defence, but just for the excercise benefits, and plus it would be nice to attain a blackbelt, if nothing else than to satisfy a childhood ambition i had when i was about 8
 
.

With that in mind, and whilst i think its pretty crap, I have been considering taking Karate. Not for self defence, but just for the excercise benefits, and plus it would be nice to attain a blackbelt, if nothing else than to satisfy a childhood ambition i had when i was about 8

Care to elaborate on the crap statement?
Apparently I've wasted almost 40 years on "crap" so I'd like to know where I took the wrong turn.;)

And for the black belt, you can have mine.
I gave back all my Dan degrees a couple of years back and the only reason I wear a black belt is that wearing a white one makes for some akward situations when teaching people who don't know me.

The black belt has been devaluated to the point of being a joke.
When a kid can start training at 8 and get a black belt at 10, I'd rather not wear one.

But to pease my sensei, I still wear one, with no stripes on it.
 
Oh, dont get me wrong. Karate has its own merits for sure, and i know of several karatekas who id think twice about taking on.........they're probably in the minority though to be fair. It obviously varies from class to class...some are far more realistic in their training than others. Take my sons instructor for instance. I used to train with him in thai boxing about 18 years ago. hes done a variety of martial arts since and now teachs kickboxing classes aswell as karate classes....the karate class is pretty mixed up, quite a lot of cross over moves and its probably not too bad to be honest.....the crap statement refers more to the general structure of the classes and the general tediousness of learning the patterns/katas.

Totally agreed with the blackbelt losing its status though. theres several kids in ethans class who hold blackbelts, some of them arent even 10 years old i dont reckon. In fact, if it were allowed....with my past experience in martial arts, if i were given a few weeks to learn the blackbelt pattern i honestly think i'd have a better than fair chance of passing the exam right off the bat.
 
Don't worry, Steve.
With probably several hundred different karate styles or more by now, a blanket statement like that has a more than fair chance of being right.

I think you'd like what I do, though.
No sports karate, no competitions, only focus is on self defense and the only rule when sparring is : don't frig each other up too bad!
My dojo used to be the official Danish police karate dojo, untill we went private ½ year ago. Teaching selfdefense and unarmed combat to cops and prison guards , sure keeps the stuff that doesn't work out of the dojo:lol:

When I took my black belt test,apart from the tecnical test, I had 10 full contact fights with 10 different opponents. Broke 2 ribs and my nose. We have a sake' ceremony afterwards, where the graduate gets to toast each participant in the promotion, and has to empty his glass every time.

That really helps with the pain:D
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #85
If only there was a dojo like that round here. They have a Karate class in my local gym. To quote a phrase. its crap ;)
I dont think Ive ever seen any sparring there, and to many 10 year olds.

Again, going back to the original post I made, I think Wing Chun can be very effective, but the local class is taken by a guy who whilst an excellent practitioner, is a crap teacher.

I recently found a local MMA gym that specialises in Muay Thai and Jiu-jitsu, whilst offering MT based circuit training. Going to pop over this week.

fwiw, I'm not really interested in street fighting. Most 'street' fights (brawls) I've been in, I've given my opponents a good pasting because I'm sober and they've been pissed. I really don't like people who get aggressive under the influence.
 
At your age ( sorry, but you are a late starter to martial arts) I'd go for something simple, with few tecniques, but high intensity.
That way you won't be eaten up by frustrations about having a hard time mastering stuff, but get a great workout instead.
 
That is good.
I was 45 when I started groundfighting, and while locks, throws and the whole kick and punch thing is second nature to me, having to learn a whole new concept was really hard.
Would have been way easier 20 years ago.

While I can fight quite well on the ground today, There is no way I'd go there voluntarily.
Much rather KO the opponent while standing up.
 
My instructor said it would take 6yrs to become a black belt.
Any where there is a time frame placed on getting a belt credibility a lot of times goes with it. Not every one has the same physical capacities. Just to many facters.

My X wife was wanting to instruct our son because of the lack of any good schools or dojo close by. After discussing this with her over a period of time we decided to put Luke in Taekwondo.
His instructer is very good with children. The kids get moved at a very fast pace regarding belts. Much to fast, depending on what your thoughts are.
Fact is Steve, Lukes instructer who is very qualified, could not earn a living doing what he really likes if he taught all his classes in the strictest sense of the discipline. Kids accustomed to a soft life wouldnt commit to the level of discipline needed. Some parents would probably try to sue him for scarring little Bobby.

This same type talk thats going on in this thread goes on regarding getting in shape. Ask 3 different people what getting in shape means & you'll get 3 different answers. Ranging from looking good, running for miles to bench pressing 400 lbs.

I know a man who teaches handgun to our troops. He teaches the best way to use a handgun to kill with. Most who came through his classes where our elite, mostly special forces. Reason being they needed what he taught & also had all ready shown they had the discipline to learn it.....It's just shooting a pistol. But most here wouldnt last a day in his class. Very grueling!

Point is, this stuff gets talked about a lot, few have the discipline & just all around intestinal fortitude it takes to be just average at any type of defense. Much less to show or say which one is better.
 
My daughter's in taekwondo as well. No black belt until you're 16 atleast as I understand it in her school. My daughter is very into it, she will complete the kids belts in a year or two from now when she'll be probably almost eight. At that point she will graduate to a yellow adult belt.

I like their system she will have gone through all the belt colors as stripes on a white belt to get to this yellow belt point.

This fall she has asked to go into her first competition, she trains hard and seriously at home every night and never misses class of her own doing. Most kids take the summer off and she asked us to keep her in through the summer so she could get more one on one time with her instructor. I'm quite proud of her motivation and focus at only six years old.
 
In Japan, I don't know if you can say to the extent of being traditionally so, but the disciplines like flower arranging, tea, learning a classical musical instrument like the bamboo flute (shakuhachi) or the stringed koto, and martial arts, for a long time have been much tied into the money making aspects of it for the sensei. Often the teacher willl have to share his profits with his own teacher, or the association that he is part of. Taking tests and gaining rank is a big part of it, it holds people's interest and raises more money, as often taking a test requires an additional fee. Sometimes the testing gets accelerated at a less than what should be normal rate, prompted by the business aspect of it, and the student may get the satisfaction of having achieved a certain goal, justifiably or not. The gear too, tools or special clothing is often bought through the teacher, so more money in hand. It is a lot of business. I have a teaching rank in bamboo flute, having gone through the process many years ago, I know how it works. Like anything else, some instructors are more interested in the profit aspect of it than others, and there may be varying pressures from above. The people at the top are in powerful positions. I don't believe that the situation as it often stands, is the ideal in terms of pure learning for the sake of it, and people who can't afford the costs, may have few alternatives to be able to still study.

Pertaining to martial arts, I think that jujitsu and kendo may still be in their purest forms, being much taught in the schools initially (almost every junior and senior high school), with less of the profit incentive a factor.
 
So can anyone recommend any good books on martial arts? The history in particular.
 
Hey Stig,
as an old time Martial Artist, whats your opinion of Wing Chun? I've never done any martial arts (always been a boxer and a brawler), and last night went with a friend for a taster session. The Sifu was a Karate Instructor for 25 years before going this route, and claims its superior.
I'm interested in taking up a martial art of some description, for health, mental and physical reasons. What do you think? I was'nt convinced by last night, but mainly as I thought the instruction was poor....

Heh Ed, I did it for a year. Give me a call.
 
I remember a movie once, it mentioned a secret Scottish martial art, I believe the name of it was 'Fu Kyou' . It apparently involved a lot of head butting and indirect kicking.

Refer to the movie: So I Married an Axe Murderer, if you require further info

:)
 
Back
Top