I have always been interested in practicing Martial Arts. Several of my friends have studied Brazilian Jui-Jitsu & that sounds good. I am interested in getting a good workout, with self-defense. However, I’m not really looking to get my ass kicked in class every day to learn. Anyway, has anyone trained in & really liked one particular style?
Aikido is great if you do not feel like getting uinjured and hitting people. It is a pretty good workout too. But I would not choose it as my method of self defense. It takes a long time to get effective and even some of the blackbelts I know admit that they would revert to street fighting if they got into it with someone.
From a self defense perspective, tae kwan do is quite good. Don’t be afraid to do some shopping around- find a place that has a specific self-defense slant to it, since you mentioned wanting that.
I would suggest Tae Kwon Leep – “Boot to the Head!”
If you really want to avoid getting beat up, you should go with a soft art, as opposed to hard arts. Soft arts are things like aikido and tai chi, which try to redirect the opponents energy against them instead of just punching them in the face. The workout’s still there, too, but it’s not too intense. And like Mr.Zambezi said, their street effectiveness can be questionable.
The street is more suited to hard styles like Muay Thai or kickboxing or boxing, which not only are more intense, but also can get you beaten up a little. Karate and ninjutsu probably work on the street pretty well, too. Then there’s Krav Maga, the Israeli military’s official style. There’s surely little sparring involved, as the techniques are aimed at producing pain, and would not be appropriate for a class of friends.
If you’re mostly interested in a workout, try Brazilian capoeira. It’s a graceful art, with defense moves hidden as dancing. Tae Kwon Do and karate are also good for body conditioning.
You should check out rec.martial-arts, a newsgroup about martial arts. They have a FAQ somewhere that could provide more information, as it is written for newbies, I think.
Jeet Kune Do, the style that was created by Bruce Lee. He took the best of several styles, and created his own style. Using this style, you can misdirect your opponents strike, then strike them in a fleshy part of the body, causing lots of damage.
And not all hard styles are good for street fighting, as some other posters may have you believe. If you are a boxer and are only trained to use your hands, or a kick boxer trained to only hit above the waist, you aren’t going to be an effective street fighter. The only rule in street fighting is that there are no rules. If you don’t use every opportunity available, you won’t win. If you want to be a street fighter, study as many styles as possible, and pick what works from each.
How much your ass gets kicked also depends on who’s teaching you. All the kickboxing teachers I’ve met believed in being rigorous, but non-violent, with the novices. At the other end of the spectrum, even Aikido has its share of psychotic whackbats, as evidenced in Angry White Pyjamas. Your best bet would probably be to ask the instructor what his teaching style is. I would imagine they’d be pretty up-front about it.
–sublight.
(note: Unless you see it at the library or in the bargain bin, I wouldn’t recommend book linked above. It’s not particularly good. I just mention it as an example of violent Aikido.)
I agree with this completely. Most of my instructors were really nice people. When I first started, they took it easy on me, and steadily increased the intensity until I could go all out, with control. I was used as the guinea pig for most of the black belts, mostly because of my willingness to do it. After being punched and kicked by these guys for years, I was attacked by someone on the street, and didn’t have the opportunity to properly defend myself. Due to my training, and my instructors teaching methods, I was able to not sustain any damage due to this.
Because of this, I would suggest avoiding all schools who don’t allow contact, or don’t encourage some contact. If you don’t know what it’s like to hit someone, or be hit by someone, you don’t know how you will react in a fight.
I would be suspicious of anyone who wants you to call them Master or Grandmaster. It shows a lack of humility, which is a trait inherent in Tao and Buddhism.
I’d say that if you were willing to devote time and go on a spiritual journey as well as physical, go with kung fu. YMMV though, as I don’t know how you feel about Qi and the Oneness.
If you just want self-defence, go with Krav Maga or Escrima.
It all depends on what sort of defense you are looking for and what sort of person you are and what shape you are in right now…
I personally like Kuk Sool Won… it’s a Korean Hybrid, that does fairly vigorous physical training, and is a good mix of stuff… Great joint-locks and grabs for close in, a good foundation in kicking and punching. KSW also teaches sword, staff, short sticks, and things like fans and canes at higher levels… good stuff, man.
But it all depends.
The shape I’m in right now, if I tried to do a ful work-out, I would probably heave my guts up. I am going to be training again, no later than September but probably much earlier… I’m just not sure what. All depends on what’s in the Sacramento area.
Basically, I avoid any place that “Guarantees” a black-belt in a specific time-frame. I also look for places that have specific classes for kids, and splits classes up by rankings.
Indeed they might. That makes this a good candidate for In My Humble Opinion.
Off it goes.
I’m torn between Sinanju and Quack-Fu.
Studied Kenpo for a few years and liked it. Not an especially pretty art form as we learned it, but rather practical.
Lots of “punch em in the throat/ kick em in the balls” kinda stuff. If you’re in a street fight, the idea is to end it quickly and get away. The previous methods are great ways to begin to achieve this.
Tae Kwan Do? Too artsy/less pratical.
I’ve heard good things about jiu jitsu for sheer self defense. Though that’s what you’re trying to find an option from, eh?
If you’re worried about getting your ass kicked, the real ass kicking comes from sparring, which is optional at a lot of schools. Though I’d recomend it. Nothing teaches like experience.
BJJ is a wonderful art and a phenomenal workout (as is any type of grappling). I see no reason why you should have to “get your ass kicked in class every day” to learn it, but you will have to get used to swapping sweat with some guy sitting and lying on you for a good portion of the time. It is, uh, for lack of a better term, rather intimate.
Boxing and kickboxing are also great workouts. Many old time clubs will show you a few punches, and then toss you in where you will “learn” through acting as a punching bag. They do not need to be taught that way, but realize that if you are training boxing, at some point you are going to take some serious shots, including to the head.
You also get a phenomenal workout swinging sticks and knives. And the practical defense applications are tremendous (if you are not opposed to carrying a weapon). There are some awesome escrimadors around Chicago.
But instead of a “best art”, I’d suggest you look for the “best instructor” for you in your area. It always sort of surprises me when I hear some guy from Podunk Nebraska asking, “What art should I study?” You may not have much of a choice given your location. I see you are from Chi, however, as am I. If you wish to e-mail me, we can talk about various instructors and schools.
You might want to try out a couple of different schools/styles before deciding which is best for you. Martial arts can be a lifelong pursuit, so you don’t need to worry about rushing into the “right” art. You will learn something from every MA experience you have that will be of use to you in future MA pursuits.
Bottomline, you should train somewhere where training is fun. And a convenient location doesn’t suck.
I can’t add too much to this except to agree that your trainer/school must be a place you feel comfortable in, and the style you go for as well.
It’s been my experience that whatever style you choose, ultimately it won’t matter. What matters is your’e building of confidence in being ready to be met in a real life situation should it happen. Being ready so to speak.
I’ve taken Tae Kwan Do for a few years, and later switched to Judo, then finally Capoeira. I found Capoeira to be my favorite because of the movement which fascinated me, I love to dance, and the workout was the most intense I felt. I also like being upside down alot
…and there were really cute girls in my class, yeah, they could probably kick my butt, but it was a pleasant way to lose
I am starting Kung Fu soon, because I have met a trainer that I like, and I feel it’s a good step to make, though none of my training has been for the sake of defense really, I just like dancing, and the movements are good for that.
Take your time looking, talk to lots of people in the classes if you can. I know here in NYC, you can walk around the park sometimes and see people practicing everything from Capoeira and Tai Chi(Qi) to fencing, Kung Fu or just plain Qi Gong. Take your pick.
LOL…I have that on CD!
I agree that you should primarily look for a place and an instructor you’re comfortable with. I hung out socially with my favorite instructors–we’d all get together for barbecue, or hit the bars, or what have you.
It’s also nice if you can find a studio where multiple styles are taught–it’s a good indication that the instructors aren’t too arrogant, and it gives you more opportunities to look at/learn other styles. Our studio did American Kenpo, Modern Arnis-Aikido (a more fluid relative of escrima), and kickboxing, all of which are arts that I would recommend both for workouts and for practical self-defense training.
Be warned: “No contact” is practically the same as “no training”. You may get a workout, but you’re not learning to defend yourself. You don’t have to get the crap kicked out of you, and you won’t if you pick a good school, but if you don’t spar you’re not really learning enough. Trust me, you get used to it–my arnis class taught me (and my classmates) to ignore getting hit on the knuckles with a club (swish-thonk of wood on bone-“Welcome to arnis!”)
Yes, but you have make sure to get in the first shot.
Ah, Krav Maga (the phrase means “contact battle” in Hebrew". I had a few lessons in Basic Training, and some friends taught me some more later on. Never got to use it, though.
I still remember what the instructor said, at the beginning of the first lesson:
"If a guy comes at you with a gun or a knife, run away.
"If you can’t run away, pick up a rock and bash his brains in.
“If you can’t find a rock, then you should consider employing martial arts.”
He went on to show us the weak spots of the human body - shins, balls, solar plexus, throat, etc. - and the best method to hit them.
That’s why I love the system. It’s result-oriented.
…on what you’re there for. All are practical after ten or so years. Some have a lot of ceremony and “head space”, others are more like a visit to the gym.
If you are thinking about surviving an attack in the next few months, I’d recommend Jeet Kune Do. I also enjoyed the “practicality over ceremony” attitude.
If want to drop weight fast, nothing beats American Boxing. The longest three minutes of your life!
If you want to get really old and still get about like a young person, Tai Chi Chuan is what you want.
If you really want to get into the Warrior Space, go with what lights your board. That’s how I got to spend a lot of time with a sword in my hand(s). Don’t know how practical it is in a street fight (unless I get a pipe or a stick:)) but it teaches a lot about this corporeality stuff.
If you’ve got years before your first practical encounter, and just enjoy physical poetry, I’d choose Aikido.
If you’re not suited to regimentation and strict obedience, the Japanese forms are probably not for you.
Hope this helps
Thanks everyone. Got some very good information. Maybe I shouldn’t have even mentioned that ‘I don’t want to get my ass kicked every day to learn’, because I certainly would not want to go withour sparing.
BTW, I’m in decent shape, play hockey, and broke my hand several times back in my fightin’ days in H.S… I mostly would be in to get in better shape, learn to strike properly if needed, and the spiritual side of it all interests me a lot, also.
Any specific info in the Chicago area would be great.
Keep 'em comin' & Thanks again! - JC