Martial Arts Teahouse

.

As long as you have been interested in martial arts, there might not be many people who can tell you something you don't already know. I have only practiced Shoto kan karate and Aikido, each only for a short while. Presumably each martial art has something slightly different to offer.

I think what is most important is that you train yourself so you're getting the most our of your reflexes. In theory that happens from practicing the same moves for years, as opposed to learning all kinds of different moves. I doubt you can toss Wing Chun into "the mix" and have it be effective.

The martial arts that seem to have risen to the top (reputation-wise) are Systema, Kung-Fu, Krav Maga, and one or two others. There is always the "latest thing," such as one of the Brazilian ones whose name I've forgotten—kick-boxing? A Russian version of Systema looks strong, but it looked pretty inelegant to me. I wouldn't be practicing so I could stay alive and kill in wartime. Martial arts are ... arts, and any of them are going to be fine against the random guy on the street. I got into Aikido unexpectedly because I saw it being practiced and was entranced by all the flowing.

I have a hard time believing someone is well-rounded in martial arts if they haven't practiced Aikido, although others that use a person's force against them like Jiu-Jitsu and Judo might be OK. If Aikido was too soft for someone, they would just need to move to Japan where it isn't nearly as soft.

While Tae Kwon Do isn't on my list of favorites, it would resolve one of the weaknesses that most people have with their kicks (thanks to the painful persistent stretching of tendons) and would provide a great opportunity to practice them.

Something that teaches pressure points such as Kung-Fu would seem to be a part of a well-rounded mix to me, too.

Kendo has always interested me, probably from all the movie sword fighting. Was there a fencing-type one-on-one "game" challenge to it? That would have a lot of appeal to me (as fencing does), although my particular anti-talents would prevent me from trying it. Iirc this is one of the arts that takes years of practicing before you experience the real thing, though. True? (It's true for Aikido.)

Say whatever you like............. I was trained in the art of awesome by Chuck Norris himself.........




I believe the Brazilian art you speak of is "Capoeira".

I've been part of International Karate League for 8 years practicing modified Shorin-ryu and used to attend at Waimea Dojo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. I ranked to Brown belt (they're slow but that's not a bad deal) and candidly I forget--but I suspect if I were still active I'd be a year shy of first degree black belt although that's just the start of the journey. It was a good run and I miss it there. My father now teaches in Texas but it's not the same and my interest is waning some--but maybe I'll attend one last tournament someday.

sundewgrower said:

my interest is waning some--but maybe I'll attend one last tournament someday.

Click to expand...

Did you enjoy it at some point? Perhaps starting a different martial art would be enjoyable. They can be so different from each other, and needless to say, dojos can be SO different from each other.

Greg J. said:

Did you enjoy it at some point? Perhaps starting a different martial art would be enjoyable. They can be so different from each other, and needless to say, dojos can be SO different from each other.

Click to expand...

I did enjoy it but when we moved to Texas my Dad starting his own Dojo and being instructed by him is rather flat--it's not his fault but it's too weird to have it directly from him. IKL's deal is you just pay a due and later are expected to teach--most of the upper ranking sensei originated from japan so the quality is rather high. I did see a place in town and I suppose if the fee isn't too high I'd like to give it a shot; as I did learn a lot and have some innate skill in learning another martial art I suppose.

I've wanted to learn more for quite a while now. If I ever do find myself married then I'd like to learn more as a means of self-defence but primarily the defence of my wife and family.

I know a fair bit already and can certainly handle myself, but you can never know too much.

Post Tenebras Lux said:

but you can never know too much.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah sure........ I bet that was the serpents selling point in the garden too....



I plan on getting into something once I get into good shape again.

Id love to say it would be something graceful and beautiful..... but with my past and the fact that Im clumsy I gotta guess it would be an art that is heavy handed and takes a beating in the process.

For the last time, I don't do martial arts!

I guess my avatar doesn't seem to agree. Perhaps someday, soon when I have more time, I'll take up classes and maybe turn it into a sport. I also want to learn simulated combat where you actually use real rifles but with non-lethal bullets.

I boxed for about a year as a teen and took about a month's worth of brazilian jujitsu and muay thai classes. I didn't have a natural talent for martial arts, it's something I would have to work at really hard to be good at it.

A part of me wants to take up MMA and again and stick it through with muay thai and brazilian jujitsu. Train, compete... I'm coming close to the age where it'll be too late to start in it all if I want to compete and stuff so I'll have to decide soon.

I took some Tai Kwon Do classes and loved it. I had been previously injured prior to the classes, and the classes were too hard on the injury that had not fully healed, so I've had to take some time off. When I'm fully healed I think I'll go back. I learned some really great stuff and still practice. I feel much stronger and like I can take care of myself. It's a good feeling.

As a teen I used to train Taekwondo. Physically it offered great exercise, I got into very good shape. The stretching exercises were also helpful, I became really flexible.

However, I'm not so sure about the bit about improving our "self control" through martial arts... I witnessed people who got into a rage during training, and one young guy was kicked out of class because he assaulted a younger kid. Our coach was super-professional and very experienced with teenagers (he was a public school teacher), so it didn't have anything to do with the quality of the training, he had a zero-tolerance policy for violence. It's just that the principle behind martial arts is very different from "turning the other cheek"; you guys understand what I mean..?

I once had a friend who was a North American champion in Kung Fu. He didn't appear physically intimidating intimidating in any way, he wasn't tall or bulky. But he knew that he could handle pretty much anyone, and he didn't really hold back. If he was going out with his friends and some random guy bad-mouthed him, he tended to get confrontational: "You want to repeat that?" ...

So I don't know... As the famous adage goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." I believe that the majority of people aren't really ready for the responsibility that comes with this training.

Ubuntu said:

However, I'm not so sure about the bit about improving our "self control" through martial arts... I witnessed people who got into a rage during training, and one young guy was kicked out of class because he assaulted a younger kid. Our coach was super-professional and very experienced with teenagers (he was a public school teacher), so it didn't have anything to do with the quality of the training, he had a zero-tolerance policy for violence. It's just that the principle behind martial arts is very different from "turning the other cheek"; you guys understand what I mean..?

Click to expand...

Exercise doesn't teach self-disciple. It is the head of the dojo that teaches it. The belt system itself is to teach respect, but in the wrong hands it can mean degree of lordliness.

My guess is that this is what happened when martial arts became popularized around the 1990s. Prior to that the top instructors for a chain of dojos would be from foreign countries and they brought their philosophy with them.

Ubuntu said:

So I don't know... As the famous adage goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." I believe that the majority of people aren't really ready for the responsibility that comes with this training.

Click to expand...

Philosophies about honor vary a lot around the world. It seems it has become less meaningful over all, unfortunately. It's certainly the case in the U.S. Learning to be responsible means requiring a standard of discipline, the concept of which itself is anathema to lots of parents in the U.S. who are the ones that pay for the lessons for teenagers as well as the ones who fail to teach their kids honor and self-discipline because it causes them pain in the short-term. Then the cycle repeats itself when those kids grow up. And, for what it's worth, the parents and kids are genuinely less able to handle it than in the past because of the % of the population has been growing that has turned away from God.

I took a judo class for a phys ed credit last spring and loved it. It was great exercise and I loved the self-discipline it required.
My friend and I talked about taking a taekwondo class this summer but I think I might be more interested in aikido. The philosophy behind it is really cool

I have a friend in Tokyo asking if I'll go back and live there.
Doesn't' sound so bad to be honest. However, when i considered karate lessons there I realize how strict it is and that I'd likely be hosed even fi I could be considered "quasi decent" lol

.