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Martial arts practitioners?
- Thread starter GriegPlants
- Start date
Got back on the mat yesterday after a month long hiatus due to MCL injury. Awesome to be back! Going again today for more abuse!
All Okinawan te background here - Shorin (on Okinawa), Isshin (in college) and Goju.
I know you count Judo. Newaza baby!
Of course! Seoi nage and o soto gari are my go tos.
I've finally decided to give martial arts a try. I wanted to get into as a kid in the 80s, but my folks thought it was silly and a waste of time ... too much farm work to do ... not paying for you to jump around in pajamas ... blah, blah, blah.
Now at 46, I can do what I want, so I've pulled the trigger. My buddy told me how he'd started doing TKD, so I figured now or never.
TKD doesn't interest me because I don't want to break boards or learn choreographed dance routines. I want something that is practical if someone tries to sucker punch you in the parking lot of the liquor store.
I have gone to one BJJ class. It was fun and intense. I got my tail handed to me again and again. I left soaked in sweat and bruised. It was grueling, and I liked it ... even though I didn't know what the heck I was doing. My only problem is the class seemed more geared toward sport than the street. In a real world situation, you don't have a chance to tell your assailant to lay down so you can get in the missionary position to start.
I have gone to one Combat Hapkido class, and I was less than impressed. The entire class was people doing slow motion joint locks. Some of what I learned was pretty good. I never broke a sweat in the class. I brought two bottles of water and didn't even bother to crack either one during or after the class or even on the way home. I think some of the joint locks and arm bars could be useful for a female if she were grabbed by a drunk at a bar or party, but outside of that, the situations just didn't seem realistic to me. I asked the instructor if they ever sparred or went full speed, and was told no. Honestly, I walked in off the street and within 30 minutes I was told to take it easy. "Take it easy? I'm not even real sure what's going on other than we are twisting each other's arms."
I'd like to try Krav Maga, but the closest place to me is an hour away, and I know I'm not going to make that trip regularly.
Does anyone have any experiences that might be useful for real self defense scenarios?
Now at 46, I can do what I want, so I've pulled the trigger. My buddy told me how he'd started doing TKD, so I figured now or never.
TKD doesn't interest me because I don't want to break boards or learn choreographed dance routines. I want something that is practical if someone tries to sucker punch you in the parking lot of the liquor store.
I have gone to one BJJ class. It was fun and intense. I got my tail handed to me again and again. I left soaked in sweat and bruised. It was grueling, and I liked it ... even though I didn't know what the heck I was doing. My only problem is the class seemed more geared toward sport than the street. In a real world situation, you don't have a chance to tell your assailant to lay down so you can get in the missionary position to start.
I have gone to one Combat Hapkido class, and I was less than impressed. The entire class was people doing slow motion joint locks. Some of what I learned was pretty good. I never broke a sweat in the class. I brought two bottles of water and didn't even bother to crack either one during or after the class or even on the way home. I think some of the joint locks and arm bars could be useful for a female if she were grabbed by a drunk at a bar or party, but outside of that, the situations just didn't seem realistic to me. I asked the instructor if they ever sparred or went full speed, and was told no. Honestly, I walked in off the street and within 30 minutes I was told to take it easy. "Take it easy? I'm not even real sure what's going on other than we are twisting each other's arms."
I'd like to try Krav Maga, but the closest place to me is an hour away, and I know I'm not going to make that trip regularly.
Does anyone have any experiences that might be useful for real self defense scenarios?
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Real (street) self defense is knee strikes, elbow strikes, and eye gouges, and kicks to the groin.
Even then you need to train effectively so that you are able to kick and not fall on you butt. Throw an elbow and know how to do it effectively so that someone who bigger than you doesn't just laugh when you hit them. These thing take time to develop maybe not every style or instructor is to your liking, but ruling out and entire style from a preconceived notion, or from taking 1 one hour class is doing yourself a disservice.
I guarantee the Krav school is going to start you out slow as well, learning the basics is for your own safety. The bottom line is you don't even know what you don't know. Stick around one school for a month, be a sponge and take in everything, and if it's not for you move on, but don't expect to be going 100% out of the gate.
Even then you need to train effectively so that you are able to kick and not fall on you butt. Throw an elbow and know how to do it effectively so that someone who bigger than you doesn't just laugh when you hit them. These thing take time to develop maybe not every style or instructor is to your liking, but ruling out and entire style from a preconceived notion, or from taking 1 one hour class is doing yourself a disservice.
That is exactly why you need to take it easy. You have no idea what the tension of a wrist lock feels like, or an arm bar and all it takes is a half second ignorant (in the true meaning of the word) movement by you and the other person is recovering from a pulled tendon in their wrist or shoulder.
I guarantee the Krav school is going to start you out slow as well, learning the basics is for your own safety. The bottom line is you don't even know what you don't know. Stick around one school for a month, be a sponge and take in everything, and if it's not for you move on, but don't expect to be going 100% out of the gate.
Joint locks should only be practiced at speed after many hours of perfecting it slowly. Beyond just dislocating the joint, you can tear or rupture ligaments and tendons if you're applying too much pressure.
Muay Thai, Boxing, Tenth Planet Jiu Jitsu here. Haven't been to the gym in a while though. Instructor just opened a new gym, so maybe I'll get back to it.
Muay Thai, Boxing, Tenth Planet Jiu Jitsu here. Haven't been to the gym in a while though. Instructor just opened a new gym, so maybe I'll get back to it.
I understand that you can never really go full speed with joint locks, etc. because someone will get injured. But if that's all your gym ever does, I can't see ever getting fully proficient. Real life doesn't happy in slow motion.
From research, the training that looks the most useful and appealing to me is Gracie Combatives.
From research, the training that looks the most useful and appealing to me is Gracie Combatives.
There is no "perfect" martial art. It's all in what works for you in a given situation. I'm not especially fond of grappling or wrestling. Those only allow you to deal with a single individual at any given time. I also distinctly prefer to remain on my feet so I can run away like a scalded dog if the situation requires. More tools in the toolbox never hurts though. *shrug*
Stopped by the gym after work today, the new place is pretty nice. Saw some new faces and a couple of old regulars.
Stopped by the gym after work today, the new place is pretty nice. Saw some new faces and a couple of old regulars.
Yep, a real world situation to me would be deflecting a sucker punch, possibly landing some sort of counter to back the guy off, then getting the heck out of there. I'm not going to start a fight, and I am long past the point in my life where I really want to engage in one. That's what holds me back from BJJ. That class was fun, but even the advanced people (brown belts) always started on the ground. To me, that's not self defense, that's sport grappling.
Whatever martial art you study will only be as good as the instructor/school you attend. There are good instructors and bad ... and lots of mediocre. There are those who focus on sports competition, and those who focus on "traditional", and those who focus on "self defence" and so on.
While you should not limit your athletic training and workouts to your martial arts classes, your martial arts classes should be an athletic work-out (at least more often than not). You need to experience the techniques in a high-energy, physically demanding format, where the physical intensity is cranked up and you sweat and pant while trying to do the stuff.
Shop around for a good school/teacher. Remember, you CAN change schools/styles/arts from time to time, and what you have already done will still be of use to you in all aspects except getting a higher belt in your new school.
DON'T discount 'sport-focused' schools. One thing you will know for sure is that you will get a lot of focus on high-intensity, physically-demanding training & techniques that work at least in a sporting context. Don't discount actually competing in sporting aspects of your martial art ... this is the one chance you get to experience some guy trying to actually beat you in a "fight". Yeah, there's rules and stuff, "and they don't have rules in the street" ... blah blah blah ... the "street" is often over-rated in terms of how "special" it is.
Is "sports martial arts" perfect for self defence? Of course not ... but it will probably give you more and better training suited to being actually ready for self defence than most of the other options in your neighbourhood.
Tenth Planet style is no gi, and at least at my gym, we start from standing as often as anything else...with the exception of drills on a particular technique.
simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
I'm surprised I missed this thread. I'm getting to old for that stuff now...I have to sit down and rest after about 30 minutes of chainsaw work around the house (I've developed a lung disease) but I used to do TKD at a few different dojos then went to Kang Duk Won. Roger Greene was my main instructor. Talk about things that will work in the real world. Tai Chi may be something I could benefit from now...or just start doing forms again for a bit...that might help if I ever get off my butt.
Roger was a good friend of mine before I moved out of state. I reloaded my first handgun rounds with him.
Sparring with State and Regional Champions will give you a sense of humility.
rogergreene.com
Roger was a good friend of mine before I moved out of state. I reloaded my first handgun rounds with him.
Sparring with State and Regional Champions will give you a sense of humility.
rogergreene.com
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Aikido is defensive. Intended to subdue an opponent without injury. There is a class local to me, but it only meets on Sundays. I'd like to take the class, but that just isn't frequent enough for me to really learn and retain it. Same for the local Eskrima and knife class.
Are bruises and sprains considered normal as part of practicing MMA?
LOL. Yes. Been bruised through strike pads on numerous occasions. Took my lumps sparring with people way above my skill level too. Pretty normal stuff, even with full protective gear on. That being said, not everyone is up for that and that's respected at my gym. We've had people recovering from serious injury/surgery in class, and there is a ~60 year old woman(plus some good looking younger ones 
) who is a regular.
) who is a regular.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I grew up training in Northern Shaolin 5 Animal Kung Fu and some Wing Chun. As an adult I’ve transitioned to Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. I am primarily focusing on Judo and BJJ currently over Muay Thai due to the vast depth of these grappling disciplines. Let’s say somebody can learn the basic stance and strikes of boxing in one or two classes. In Muay Thai the stance in one class and the basic strikes over the course of a week or two. One can’t learn to connect all of the movements in Judo or BJJ in anywhere near as short a time. It’s like being thrown in the ocean without knowing how to swim.
I would argue that while there really aren't all that many basic strikes in Muay Thai, executing them correctly is a different matter....and then there are the other forms of Muay, which are much less known and probably far more valid for self defense. Muay Thai is a sport, evolved from significantly more brutal forms of Muay so that participants had a good chance at a career rather than maiming or death in a single bout.
I do agree that in Jiu Jitsu there are substantially more avenues of attack, and the flow of movement is crucial. It's rather similar to a symphony from a major composer and having to play all the parts simultaneously.
I do agree that in Jiu Jitsu there are substantially more avenues of attack, and the flow of movement is crucial. It's rather similar to a symphony from a major composer and having to play all the parts simultaneously.
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