Martial arts advice for a newbie please

[Draggon]

Bouncer,
I do agree with these guy's expose yourself to as many Art forms as possible. You will find one that suits you. As for lifting and doing martial arts, I haven't found that its a problem. I do it to help with strength. My favorite art is Muay Thai. I also have tried Grappling, Jun Fan/JKD & have just started Vale Tudo. Like I said try them all out and do what is best for you.

 

[Super Girl 22]

i've been weight training for the last 3 years and i've been doing martial arts (taekwondo) for 11 years. the only problem i have with combining the gym & martial arts training is that my muscles take alot longer to stretch. they are alot less flexible in my MA training. overall, they are 2 totally different workouts. you can't get in the gym what you can in the dojo... and vice versa. martial arts is not only great physically but mentally. try it out...results may differ for different people

 

[LeviathanX]

Kwai-Chang Caine, my comments weren't meant to establish me as the authority on martial arts. I've only been training for 15 years, while many others I've trained under have trained for 3 times that. However, I do think it is important to remind people that martial arts is 80% mental, and only 20% physical. I've seen these arguments on what the "best" martial art is over and over again, but the entire discussion is based on techniques - not the individual characteristics of the person or the quality of their instruction.

I speak out of frustration, not egotism, because I've competed and believe the quality of competitor has decreased even from 10 years ago. Full contact fighting has been televised since the late-1960s, it isn't something new to the martial arts world. Try to get your hands on a few copies of fights back then, and I think you will agree that the respect that the competitors show each other in and out of the ring and the quality of their technique is superior to that of competitors today. I am frustrated that so many schools have become "black belt factories," and these "black belts" walk into a competition as if they were streetfighters - no respect, no honor, no humility. It is sad to see this occuring.

Of course, there are exceptions (i.e. Sakuraba), but I speak in general terms.

I respect everyone's opinion, but I think it is important to make the distinction between martial arts and fighting arts. Even if you disagree with me on that definition, I've spoken with many masters that have this same perspective, and would like to preserve the traditional values that the martial arts instill.

I'm sorry if I offended you.

 

[edgecrusher]

Bouncer,

Chances are since you have been bulking recently and probably have not been doing incredibly intense cardio, you will lose some muscle initially. However, one to 2 days is a good start for most beginners. So long as you give the techniques some practice when your not training.

 

[ZenMachine]

Bouncer,

What styles are available in your area?

I am partial to any art that uses techniques at or about full power in realistic scenarios. That is why I like boxing vs. Karate/Tae kwon do (I have studied both). When you spar in boxing you hit each other. When you spar in karate you "nearly" hit each other, or with reduced power.

A grappling style would be a great addition too, Currently I am starting Judo. Wouldn't necessarily be my first choice but it is what is available.

Zen

 

[Thaibox]

Zen, Boxing is just as restrictive as TKD. Any traditional art studied in a dojo within the bounds of the particular 'safety concerns' of the prof will be inadequate on the street. Study what you can and create your own ideal art. Study Thai or Shansho. Even if good dojos are limited in your area, make your own. There's always dudes willing to learn realistic combat techs. I built a ring in my backyard and train with several other NHB fighters(Most with amature or pro experience). We create a very realistic situation, sometimes with multiple opponents and fight full contact. An excellent learning atmosphere.

 

[ZenMachine]

Thaibox,

Using your definition, Muai Thai would also be just as restrictive. My criteria for differentiating certain arts is that they allow full or near full power strikes (within the confines of certain safety restrictions.). Rereading my orginal response I think I can see where I wasn't clear. When I said realistic situations, that isn't necessarily what I meant. Just trying to reinforce the need for contact.

My early experience with TKD taught me I never had to protect my head. You couldn't punch me there anyway, so why bother. That is until I duck into a ridgehand and popped my nose. Point is in boxing/Muai Thai etc. You are taught to strike and how to handle being struck. At least to a degree.

I absolutely agree with your Bruce Lee like philosophy of study lots and find things that work for you. I too have found the most success in training with a variety of people and learning from them.

Personally I like styles that incorporate the NHB type of fighting.

Why do you use a ring if you are trying to simulate a realistic situation? Or is that in addition to NHB training?

 

[rgosit]

Ne oppionions on JKD
i realized classes were available at gym i was thinkning about jioning near by.
mostly in my community the only thing u find is taekwon do.

i was thinking about wrestling this year for my highschool, i have never wrestled before. im a senior. i play football

do u think wrestling will help me for self defense in the future??

i was planning on wrestling then going into jkd.

in the future i plan on trying muay thai, and bjj and whatever else is available.

 

[Thaibox]

I guess I misunderstood you bro. I agree there is a significant need for contact. Thats is what virtually every art trains for, is to protect against some one trying to hit you, and everybody gets hit. If you don't know what its like to take a nose shot, even a light one, its shocking, and you will lose your focus and fail. Muay Thai is constant impact full and otherwise. It is the most practical stand-up art that I have studied. Thats why it is the primary stand-up weapon in NHB fighting. Its simple and brutal.

We use a ring for almost everything. Its used for Thai practice and upperbody work(boxing) primarily, But we also use it for NHB training a lot. We also do work on a large slab of cement, because thats where most street fights will be, and many techniques are very difficult when you're eating hard unforgiving cement. We also built a small phone booth looking box out of 4x4s and chain link fence used for close quarters training. When you are forced to fight in an area that size, many conventional techniques are useless. We find that a lot fo Wing Chun, Boxing, and Thai elbow/knee strikes are the most practical.

rgosit, from what I understand, if you want to train in JKD, look for a dojo that refers to it as Jun Fan. JKD died with Bruce. Same art-different name.

 

[rgosit]

well theres actually a Bruce lee piture on the wall for advertsiing

how is boxing alone for self defense?