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I've done a couple of them in my time so far. I started with fencing, and then moved on to Hapkido in College. My roommate really wants to get back into martial arts and wants me to come along. So far, we've visted some different classes, Mushin, Kung Fu, Karate, Muay Thai, and with the exception of the Kung Fu class, I've been impressed both with the teachers, and the style in question. So I guess what I'm asking is, who among the hundreds of Hatrack Members have done Martial arts, and what styles have you studied?
I ask mainly because I'm just curious, but also because I'm looking for something more traditional, while my roommate is looking for something practical (for whatever reason) and I'm not too knowledgable on the different forms, outside the main ones.
Posts: 681 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I've never gotten much into it, but i have always been impressed with Capoiera. I don't know if you know of it (i'm sure you do) but it is the Brazillian martial arts. it is a beautiful style that can be incorporated into many things. i have many friends that use capoiera for dancing.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I've done judo, kung fu (twice), and a little karate.
I think the judo was the most FUN, if only because there was a lot more sparring, and I got to work a lot on my flexibility. I get a little frustrated with martial arts in which you never spar with anyone because I don't feel I'm learning how to actually apply it.
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I have heard of Capoiera, but I haven't found a place that teaches it here. I hadn't considered Judo, I'll have to look into it.
Posts: 681 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Try Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It's a very, very practical Martial Art. I know there are many BJJ schools over there in the U.S.
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I was in Aikido for a while, but had to quit because of childcare issues. Sensai caled me "The Beast" Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I took one quarter of Karate in college and it was alright but it wasn't for me.
I'm going to read up on all the various styles because I'm really starting to get interested in joining a class. But there's also a lot of fear that will need to be faced if I do join a class. It's probably all in my head too.
Forgive me if this is piggybacking your thread but I'm interested in what people have to say.
Seems like everything around Spokane is either Karate or Karate (which I'm not too keen on). Maybe some Judo, there's a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sensei but he's not exactly a nurturing teacher and I like my family jewels. Temple KungFu has very bad word of mouth and the Defense Arts Academy I haven't looked up on, and don't know what system they're using.
What style would be good for me is what I'm trying to answer.
Posts: 1236 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Aikido is mostly defensive, in that all the moves require someone coming at you or attacking you somehow (of course, you take turns playing the part of the aggressor, so you do learn some stuff). It's all about balance and pressure points, stuff like that.
It was fun for a wee girly like me to learn to immobilize 250 lb. men with a thumb lock and less than 2lbs of pressure. But, basically, Aikido is 90% getting away before it turns into grappling, and 10% how to severely dislocate an attacker's joints.
Some people find it lacking in aggressive instruction, though.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Capoeira. It's the only form I can think of that you can't really learn by yourself (from scratch - I.e. Books, etc.)
Posts: 1138 | Registered: Nov 2005
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My fiance does aikido. He did a different martial art, that I can never spell the name of...a form of Kung-fu...before going to Japan last summer and learning from an amazing aikido teacher. Now he can't get enough of it! He's trying to convince me to do it with him, and I might start once I have enough money to afford it.
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I've dabbled in a couple of styles of karate, some brazilian jujitsu, and am a shodan in Aikido.
Jenny -- your fiance does Aikido? Where? In Provo or SLC? I've been a member of the Provo dojo for many years, although I've had to sit out for almost this entire year because of our pregnancy and newborn baby. I'm hoping to get back to it soon.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote: Capoeira is beautiful to watch. It really does seem more like a dance than a martial art.
Capoeira, in truth, is an African martial art, brought with the african slaves to Brazil. Of course their owners wouldn't let them practice a way to defend themselves, so they disguised it as dance. That's why Capoeira seems more like a dance than a proper martial art.
You can find many interesting articles and info about Capoeira at www.capoeira.com . It's in english.
Edit: From the site.
quote: Capoeira is uniquely Brazilian. According to tradition it was created by the African slaves who were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. Prohibited from fighting amongst themselves, the slaves developed a fighting style that appeared to be a dance. Capoeiristas would glide and float around each other using elaborate movements, rolling, cartwheeling, twisting and falling, always, always to the sinuous rhythmic twang of the Berimbau, an instrument made from the thin branch of a tree, a piece of wire from a nearby fence, and a dry cabaça, a hollow fruit found in the Amazon. To their white owners, the slaves would appear to be singing and dancing, but inside the circle of clapping and chanting spectators, two capoeiristas were honing their fighting skills, preparing for the day when they would rise up and fight against their oppressors
quote:Capoeira, in truth, is an African martial art
I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Eduardo. While Capoeiro would never have existed without the African slaves and is derived from African dancing and fighting, Capoeira is uniquely Brazilian, much like feijoada.
edit: I see that they agree with me. Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Sorry, MPH...sometimes, trying to convey an information using your second language is a major pain. Yes. Capoeira, as we know it, is a Brazilian art (as the quote shows). I blame this mistake to my bumbling english skils. :-)
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Sad to see that kung fu has been so poorly represented. Though I am well aware that there is some very dodgy stuff that passes for kung fu out there, even within my chosen form of it, there is also some very good, practical stuff out there under that banner.
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Hmm, there's a defense arts academy fairly close to me that teaches Aikido, Hapkido(?), and Tae Kwon Do. I'll have to look into that.
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Capoeira is a dance. It's useless as a martial art unless you know how to take a fall, which most practicioners (sp?) outside of Brasil don't.
Posts: 1138 | Registered: Nov 2005
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would you mind elaborating on that cheiros? I know little about capoeira and am afraid I don't understand what you are getting at... (which I am guessing is something other than "it's important to know how to break your fall")
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Cheiros, I guess it's just a matter of finding a good "Mestre" (master) - as it is with all martial arts.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Cool, Porter! Yes, Paul is training at the Provo dojo. When you come back you'll get to meet him.
The names of the martial arts that he used to do are Shaolin Ch'uan Fa, Tai Chi Ch'uan, and Shorinji Kempo. (Silly me, I thought there was only one. )
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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As far as I can tell, all of the Capoeira I've ever seen is as much a martial art as Tae Bo.
Of course, it's was originally designed to not look martial in nature, so the problem might be my perception.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Judo and Indonesian kung-fu. The former is fun, but I wouldn't count on it for practical self-defense. I do appreciate the tradition of gentleness, though.
The latter is practical, sometimes to the point of scary (...At this point, having broken your assailant's arm, smashed their groin, and broken several ribs, they're unlikely to get up to continue their assault...), but good luck finding it in most areas.
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What martial art uses the arms the most? My arms are very, very long and pretty strong. My legs on the other hand are very inflexible and not very powerful.
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I mean you're a fool for using a fighting system on someone when you don't know how to take a fall/hit in that system yourself.
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