posted
I've done cross-training. It's a good thing.
Mack -- let me elaborate about why I talk about how you need a good teacher. I decided to cross-train (train in 2 different arts at the same time) for a while. I found a dojo that did stuff that I really like and that I thought would compliment my aikido. I was correct -- the art was exactly what I was looking for.
But I couldn't stand the way the instructors treated their students. They seemd to thing that degrading somebody is the best way to motivate them. Everything seemed structured to keep people in their place. There seemed to be a big lack of respect from the top going down.
As a result, I just couldn't train there very long. I didn't like being there because of the spirit of the place, and I couldn't quite put my trust in my instructors or my dojo mates.
As a result, I decided to quit. I just wasn't willing to put up with it.
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posted
I don't see anything on a casual glance around. That's too bad. Are you going to get your deposit back?
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posted
pooka -- BYU used to have a pretty good fencing program, but that got axed about 10 years ago, IIRC. The program moved off-campus, and is located a little north of 800 south on State Stree, Orem. It's in the same parking lot as Mad Dog Cycles. From what I understand, they are a very good school. Our dojo used to sub-rent some of their space from them until they grew so much that the kicked us out.
posted
Mac - find a list of schools or instructors and what they teach.
We have enough experts to give you marginally informed opinions on the styles so you can make an educated selection.
Almost any martial art is going to push your limits - grappling styles like Judo and Jujitsu are going to be physically more demanding because of the hands-on nature and the full body action of throwing and wrestling.
Boxing and Thai boxing are striking styles and both are good physical fitness - Thai boxing offers and actually focuses on knees and shin kicks which capitalize on hips and legs.
posted
Heh - you'd enjoy Thai boxing for the @$$ kicking aspects. Since you have a lot of power already, it would just require developing the new skills.
As for upper body, traditional boxing is good - as is any grappling style.
Is there a college nearby? Typically they have clubs that are open to non-students if you want to get a sample of something.
posted
I took jujitsu for 2-3 years from ages 13-15. I only remember the arm locks. I took a summer of fencing junior year of college and that was a *blast* - I just wish I could find time in my week to actually do some more.
Also, if I could find an Aikido place in Rockford, I'd be there with metaphorical bells on. Aikido kicks lots of butt, and I'm a smaller person, to boot.
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posted
If I weren't going to do Tai Chi, I think I would do the Klingon rip-off of Tai Chi that they did on STNG. That, or Shao-Lin parallel parking.
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posted
Hey, y'all. Just found this forum, interesting thread.
Just got back from karate class. it was fun. I've been taking katate for about 4 1/2 or 5 years now at 3 different schools. I trained at Sensi Iha's dojo in Lansing , MI for 1 1/2 yrears before I moved to Canton, OH 5 years ago. I really liked it, but he focused mainly on kata and no sparring at all.
After I moved here I worked out at Canton Center for the Martial Arts, which was an interesting experience. Completly different from the place in Lansing. They do lots of kobodo, which is weapons training. I learned to fight with sticks of different sizes.
Monday night was sparring class. I learned quickly that kata alone doesn't teach you how to fight, no matter what Sensi Iha said. (No disrespect intended. Just the facts, sir.)
After a couple years there I laid off for a year or so, and when I got the itch to try it again I started at East Coast Karate here in town. Great bunch of guys, I really enjoy it. I like the organized ciriculum. (sp?)
I started there as a brown belt a year ago, they let me keep the rank I had earned. I like it that they teach you step by step what you need to know to earn the next promotion. Kata, one steps, self defense and sparring. It's a good workout and a good way to learn.
They also offer kickboxing and grappling classes. Grappling really kicks ass. It's a hard workout. On Wed. nights I do an hour of Karate and and hour of grappling. I'm beat when it's over.
Mack, if you want an art that focuses mainly on upper body movements karate is worth looking into. It's 70% punches and 30% kicking. Tae Kwon Do is the opposite, 70% feet. Your fencing skills will help you with moving in and out to attack or defend.
IMHO a good karate guy can kick a TKD guy's ass. Maybe I'm predjudiced. Muai Thai kickboxers can probably whip both of them with no problem. Ever watch K-1 on PPV or ESPN? That's what I'm talkin' about.
Re: the post about ranks and what does the Q mean? It's actually spelled kyu in Japanese, and it's used to designate the ranks from white belt up until you get to blak. When you reach black they're called dans.
In Okinawan karate shodan is first dan, or first degree black belt. Nidan is second degree and so forth. White belt is 13th kyu. It goes up through brown tip, which is first kyu, the last colored belt level before promoting to shodan.
Different styles have different ranking systems.
Posts: 16 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Hey, it was nice to create this thread. I'm learning a lot! :-) Does anyone over here likes to watch MMA (mixed martial arts) tournments, such as UFC? What do you think of them?
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Ya Krav Maga is another one, I don't know too much about it because I don't take it, I take Haganah because the national training center is 2 minutes away from me. I can't say which is better but I'll tell you Haganah is awesome
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quote: I am interested in Tai Chi solely for health benefits. I took it at the university way back when. I'd like to take private classes , probably with Master Liu who is also an accupuncturist.
I studied with Master Lu for about 3 years. In fact, I wrote a post about him here a little while ago. He's the best. Seriously, you can't go wrong with him. First, he was the prize pupil of a Shaolin monk and won two national kung fu championchips before he came to America. Second, he's a heck of a nice guy. His whole family is great. His son is also a kung fu master (and possibly the most amazing athlete I've ever seen in person), but he is leaving to go to school in Texas. Master Lu's wife is a physical therapist, and is also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
Another good thing about studying with him is that he runs his acupuncture practice out of the same building as the studio, which means that it's open all the time. Most places you can only go in during class time, a couple times a week. With Master Lu there are several classes a day, and you can come in outside of class and practice by yourself or with whomever is in the studio at the time, as often as you want, usually from about 6 in the morning to 8 or 9 at night. Much better value.
In case you don't know, the studio is on 3300 S. State Street, across from the movie theatres. If you go there, tell them that you know Mike the pharmacist, and that I said hi.
Anyway, on to the subject of the thread. When I was a kid I took some generic karate for a couple years. In college I took a year of Kenpo Karate. After my mission, when I moved to Salt Lake, I took the aforementioned kung fu/ tai chi for about 3 years. I'm currently trying my hand at Thai boxing, just for a different experience. If I stay in Salt Lake, though, I fully plan on returning to Master Lu's kung fu.
I've never been the top of my class at any martial art. In fact, I've always been fairly slow, clumsy and non-athletic. For someone who is 6'4" and naturally pretty strong, I make an ass of myself in any practice that requires coordination. It's genetic, too. As sad as I am, I'm the most athletic person, by far, of any member of my immediate or extended family on either parent's side. But I've decided that I'd rather round myself off by doing something I'm not naturally good at than sit around my whole life engaged in pursuits that I'm talented at without much effort. I try to judge myself by where I'd be if I never tried the sport rather than by where the rest of my class is.
And the cool thing about martial arts is that most people involved in it are remarkably understanding. Sure, there's the odd smeghead. But most people that I train with in any style treat me like an equal even though I'm clearly inferior. It's really nice.
posted
Re: TMedina's comment about MMA...Mixed Martial Arts was developed to be as close as possible to real fighting without killing each other. They don't allow certain things like knees to the face and groin strikes, but it's still pretty realistic, considering.
Tai Chi looks like fun. It's very graceful and fluid. I'd love to learn the forms some day, but right now I'm busy working on the stuff I need for my next belt. I'm on the verge of getting my black belt. I thought I was ready in June, but the sensi told me I wasn't.
That's OK. I'll keep practicing and going to class. With some more work and a little patience maybe I'll get there by fall. Whitehorse.
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Whitehorse- the separate thread of promoting is okay, but unless it involves martial arts it's a bit out of place here. Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Haganah looks to be philosophically much like my art, though what I study is less hybridized.
I'm not real fond of cage matches or cross-training myself. Both are good in theory but I don't have the time to devote to either one. More power to those who do.
A note about different styles-- you know, it doesn't come down to style versus style, but person versus person. a good Tae Kwon Do person will mop the floor with a bad Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Muy Thai person. It comes down to learning to fight *your* fight and then executing it. Fight the style that *you* feel makes you the best fighter.
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another thing is that the whole fight in a tournament match is contrived. You have no other options and no choice of when and where to fight. In the real world, those choices are of enormous consequence. It doesn't mean that training for tournaments is useless by any means, but "the closest you can get" is still, in fact, a long way off.
posted
I agree with you, Jim-Me. The skill of a fighter will mean more than the style. Attitude and training means a lot. And in the maelstrom of a fight your carefuly practiced techniques can quickly go right out the window.
That's why I like to cross train. A little kick boxing and grappling knowledge seems to complement my previous training. If a fight does go to the ground it seems to me that it would be helpful to know what to do.
Not that I get into fights, becasue I don't. In fact, my wife used to ask me why I train. I explained that it's because if the situation ever comes up there are two possible results. You win or you lose. I want to be the winner.
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posted
Have any of you trained with weapons? I've found that I simply can't practice a martial art if it isn't a weapon-based discipline, and unfortunately, I've found myself severely limited. There just aren't the right teachers in this area for it.
Martial arts doesn't hold my interest until there's a staff in my hand, but when there is, it's a small nirvana. It's an extension of myself, and to me, there's nothing more peaceful about me, an empty room, and the twirl of a lengthened stick.
You seeming veterans: Do you have any suggestions? I can't seem to find instructors in the area, but then, I could be searching for the wrong thing. Are there any disciplines that are solely based on weaponry, or is it a Calculus-only-after-Trigonometry kind of deal?
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posted
Most styles I am aware of, or at least commonly found in the US focus on weapon training after sufficient skill has been developed in unarmed forms.
However, some styles focus on weapon forms early - Philipino Arnis, for example. I believe some Japanese schools teach the staff exclusively - bojutsu and so forth, but finding a school near you may be complicated.
I remember reading about one school that started with weapon forms and then moved to unarmed, but it was not a widely accepted philosophy, hence the article.
You may want to approach some instructors and see if they know or could recommend a school or even another instructor more geared to your interests. Try local college (if you have one) and talk to some of the instructors who offer courses - they are more likely to be aware of the subculture and will likely be happy to provide any information they have.
I don't know how many martial arts schools can be found in your area - Atlanta seems to have a profound lack, although that may be changing.
It's a lot of fun....for Jesse. I always end up being the throwing dummy. It's mainly defensive manuevers with weapons training. It's probably more about having fun than being accurate. We wear black gis and tabi and practice at night in between the trees in the park, and spend the first half of practice exercising, stretching, and throwing each other so that we can practice hitting the ground with a roll, and being uke in general. It seems silly, like it's all about the atmosphere, but the guys really like it. I saw a kid from the advanced class that was about ten years old wielding a bokken and fighting our instructor...he was really good. At any rate, I know we are really learning, so if we want to be ninjas in the dark, more power to us!
Regarding Q:
quote: the belt thing fascinates me. what do the "Q"s stand for?
I'm almost certain this is actually "kyu" and it means grade (like rank).
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I take staff and Darndao (chinese broadsword, curved, single edge, mid-length blade) and love them both, though my primary training continues to be open hand... largely because carrying a staff or sword will get you arrested in Texas.
Where is your area?
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In about a month, I'm moving up to Waterville, Maine for college. Admittedly, I haven't done extensive research on martial arts there (although I haven't yet found a class at the college, and don't expect there to be one. It's a tiny business school), but if you've got a handy quicklist or something, it'd help. I can't say I'm expecting much; Waterville isn't the most populated of places, heh.
Here (not sure about ME) you have to get a permit before you can carry a blade. After that, anything goes. Not sure if you need one for a staff, although I can't see myself carrying one around just to have it handy.
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posted
Thank you for the corrections everyone. Q = kyu, of course... Need to go now, but I see this thread has become more and more interesting, I'll check it out later.
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posted
Re: J. A. P.'s question about weapons, Kali is another Fillipino MA style that involves lots of weapons work. Mostly sticks and knives, I believe. There's a studio here in town that offers that along with JKD and something called Silat. I've never heard of the latter, but he says it's from Maylasia.
posted
I have really enjoyed the weapons training I've done, but it's probably some of the least practical training I've ever done. Not impractical because it doesn't work, but because I don't carry a staff or any other weapon with me.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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As for the Malayasian Pentjak Silat, it's supposed to be a very dangerous knife/weapon form(s). I haven't been overly impressed with the information I've seen as it involves a lot of leg work.
posted
If you learn the short stick forms, you can use improvised clubs to dangerous effect.
However, you have to be careful - a young, healthy person carrying a cane will arouse suspicion. An ASP baton is a nice toy, but it is classified as a weapon and the police won't be amused if you get stopped.
You could, however, carry a set of drumsticks - those things make for nasty poking weapons.
posted
I'm thinking about taking Kenjutsu lessons (fighting with japanese swords). Does anyone around here ever trained something similar?
Oh, someone asked a few days ago why don't I go back to judo and get my black belt (since I already have a brown belt). The thing is: I don't know...since I once was a very competitive judo athlete, the thought of training it just for "fun" saddens me a bit. I keep thinking how far I could have gone if I did not stop training due to university/career pursuits (I was my State two times champion, and 4th place once at the brazilian judo championship).
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posted
Trevor: Over here there a few kendo schools, but only a couple kenjutsu ones. I was told that kendo is more a "sport" martial arts, and kenjutsu is more like "real fighting". What do you know about practical differences between them?
The Kenjutsu school I checked out also has Iaijutsu courses.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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And the hanbo - which is roughly three feet long or so. Exact dimensions and names will vary depending on the school and tradition you choose to follow.
Kendo is like Judo - meaning no offense, but Judo was designed as a sport form. Not as a means of quickly killing and/or incapacitating a foe.
Kenjutsu would be more like Karate - less emphasis on the sporting aspects and more attention paid to quickly dispatching your opponent.
I would highly recommend taking Kenjutsu classes if you can manage it - you won't often find yourself in a position to use a katana, but the techniques are often transferrable to clubs and tends to be infinitely more practical than Kendo.
Iaijutsu (pardon my misspelling) is all about quickly drawing the sword and striking. Not unlike the American "quickdraw". Most schools teach it - I've seen some schools focus on it entirely.
posted
I honestly couldn't tell you - cultural differences, perhaps?
-Trevor
Edit: Although the 9' staff is moving beyond quarterstaff technique and more into spear/polearm use.
If you keep the 5' and 7', they are more or less in line with comparable Japanese weapons - the jo being listed as anywhere between 3 - 5 feet in length.
posted
Guess you may be right about the Kendo/Kenjutsu, Trevor. I'll see to it. I can train once for free, in one of the schools I sought, so I'll try it this saturday.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Martial arts doesn't hold my interest until there's a staff in my hand, but when there is, it's a small nirvana. It's an extension of myself, and to me, there's nothing more peaceful about me, an empty room, and the twirl of a lengthened stick.
And here I was so sure this thread wasn't going to be about onanism.
posted
Coming into this conversation a little bit late... But I've been in Tae Kwon Do for almost eight years, and I got my black belt a little less than two years ago. It was really... one of the greatest experiences of my life.
At this point, I know I could be happier with my skill in TKD, I've been out of it a lot due to school, financial difficulties, and injuries... But it's one of those things that makes me happy, even though it's not really like anything else I enjoy doing. IE: It's physical.
I feel like I have to learn doubly well how to defend myself in a possible fight situation because I can't run; due to my asthma I tire out very quickly. Thankfully, though, I never have had to use my skill. There is this feeling I have that I'd someday like to try it out, though.
That said, anyone who knows martial arts coming to Kamacon? I'll bring my sparring gear....
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