How do you know I haven’t been in the movies? I haven’t, although I did train a guy who is now a stuntman. If he ever wins an Oscar (do they give those out for stunt work?) I hope he remembers to mention me.
Woo-hoo! At least I get to be a boss bad guy.
ROFL! Me too!
Atreal:
Speaking from the perspective of self defense, forget style. It just doesn’t matter all that much. What you want is a good instructor who is going to work you out until you can’t go anymore and then get you to go further. Spirit of Osu! Good self defense technique is quick, solid and strong that doesn’t require lots of fine motor control, and you can find this technique in almost every style. Practicing the fancy stuff is fun and it teaches you how to do simple techniques better (for example, yes, in my dojo I teach the spinning back crescent kick as useless as it is). Personally, I am not big on pure grappling for two reasons:
- Susceptability against multiple opponents
- Loss of fine motor control
But you want to learn some grappling/counter-grappling because without it you are dead meat. You don’t have to master it (although it helps), you just need to be good enough to play the game.
Anyway, it all comes down to the instructor. Interview the instructor and make him sell you what he teaches. Keep you b/s sensors on full alert, and watch some classes. It is suprisingly easy to tell the difference between a good instructor and a poor one if you keep your ears open and listen for the common crap, like “guarenteed black belt in X years”, “my technique is sure to work on the street”, etc.
Ideally, you want a guy who says this “Come on in, try the class, have some fun, we train hard and the harder you work the better you’ll be.” Because that’s all there is. Nobody is the almighty keeper of the ancient deadly secrets of the martial arts. You want to be good, train hard, take some shots, and learn how to deliver some in return.
Yes and no. Weapons training (kobudo, for example) is great … if you have the time to invest in it, which most people don’t. Don’t sacrifice your unarmed training to take a smattering of weapons training because you simply end up diluting both. Really, you have to pursue both with equal intensity and not half-and-half, which again is a major commitment of time and money.
Surgoshan:
I wouldn’t use the term pansy. Depends on what is being sold and what you think you are buying. I know a lot of people who do not under any circumstances what do go to work the next injured (bruised, sore, etc). I understand, boy, do I understand. There is nothing wrong with that in the whole wide world. Again, boy do I understand. What is “amusing” though is these ones that do this and feel that they are “samurai/ninja/shaolin warriors” because they now possess the “Hammer of Thor” techniques passed down from generation to generation, and they didn’t have to work for them like those ancient masters did!
I’ll second that for sure! You won’t learn anything in a school where it is everybody for themselves. In fact, you will get severely hurt by some jackass who feels he needs to prove himself.
As for the “traditional” vs. “non-traditional” thing. Again, keep in mind that there are two types of traditions. There is the modern western tradition that is becoming more and more common and the older eastern tradition of hard work, sweat and yes, if need be some blood. Take some shots, and deliver them back. Both of these “traditional” approaches share a lot in common, in that you can “become a better human being” out of them. I have the same level of respect for a school that churns out mindless, undisciplined and uncontrolled violent thugs (i.e. what I believe is meant here by “non-traditional” or Joe Kickboxers Self Defense School) as I do for schools that churn out overconfident, undertrained black belts, which is to say very little.
The eastern traditional approach is a blend of the two that, by using some modern techniques and adjustments for what no longer works in today’s need for crime survival (remember 1/8 chance of being a victim of violent crime in your lifetime), develops a controlled, disciplined and prepared crime survivalist.
Sqrl:
Based on everything you said, sounds like you would enjoy a grappling art. Consider jujutsu, aikido, or judo to name three of the most popular. Judo is much more sport oriented and many instructors require or lean on their students to compete, which can be a real bummer.
