I'm going to sign up for a martial art for the purpose of self-defense and currently I'm looking at these since they are taught near to where I live: Eskrima, Aikido and Wing Tjun (kung fu)

There is also Tai Chi, judo, jiu-jitsu and karate that I know of

Basically what I'm looking for is a martial art that focuses on disarming and rendering the opponent incapable of attacking me as quick as possible. Any recommendations?

ti chi is good for down gritty fighting were i used to kick boxing as mad as it sounds teaches you how to get out of headlocks etc.. if that was any help

My preference is Hapkido, those throws are amazing. Someday I will learn it.

My preference is Hapkido, those throws are amazing. Someday I will learn it.

I used to take Hapkido.
S0meguy:
Aikido is really similar to Hapkido, just with less kicks(or so I've been told). Wing Chun is really cool imo, if I were to get into martial arts again(which I will some day when I have the money), that's what I would take. However, what's really important is the teacher; you should go check out the schools and see which one you're more impressed by.

ti chi is good for down gritty fighting were i used to kick boxing as mad as it sounds teaches you how to get out of headlocks etc.. if that was any help

taiji is a healing art based around balance and circles. taijiquan is a fighting art but unless you have studied it hard for say 10 years or so, your not gong to be able to dissarm many people in real self defence situations.


i have done taijiquan for ages (way over 10 years), you learn to use your opponents strength against him. also it is a soft style made to counter hard styles, i dont suggest learning this for a self defence style at first.


peace.

I'm going to sign up for a martial art for the purpose of self-defense and currently I'm looking at these since they are taught near to where I live: Eskrima, Aikido and Wing Tjun (kung fu)

There is also Tai Chi, judo, jiu-jitsu and karate that I know of

Basically what I'm looking for is a martial art that focuses on disarming and rendering the opponent incapable of attacking me as quick as possible. Any recommendations?


Krav Maga is a very good candidate for the prerequisites you have. If I wasn't so damn busy that's what I would be taking and learning. It is designed to cater to the person's size and ability, not the other way around.
It also teaches against multiple opponents and opponents with firearms.


http://www.martial-arts-info.com/119/krav-maga/

I'm going to sign up for a martial art for the purpose of self-defense and currently I'm looking at these since they are taught near to where I live: Eskrima, Aikido and Wing Tjun (kung fu)

There is also Tai Chi, judo, jiu-jitsu and karate that I know of

Basically what I'm looking for is a martial art that focuses on disarming and rendering the opponent incapable of attacking me as quick as possible. Any recommendations?

jujutsu works in the ring and against unnarmed opponents well. it focuses on very close quaters fighting with grappling moves galore. i would suggest learning this along with a striking art.

judo is another grappling art that focuses on throws and close quaters fighting. again learn this alongside a striking art.


karate, it is very hard to find a real karate dojo in the west that is worth going to. there are so many rookies teaching this art it is unreal, ofcourse real karate is amazing. take the late great mas oyama for example. but this art is not in its prime int he west nowdays. it dissapoints me, stay clear of mcdojos.


wing tzun, i have studied this art also alongside jeet kun do, befoe i started shaolin gong fu. it is a very fluid fast striking style.



escrima is famous for its armed combat with short sticks. it is a highly effective system with said weapons.


but all in all i would like to give you some advice, there is no bad fighting systems, only bad system instructors. many people compare styles and say what one they think will kick ass more than the other one. dont listen to any of that, you get good teachers and bad teachers. dont spend all your time comparing systems with each other. but instead compare instructors to each other.

i teach people self defence on a private basis, and alot of the time i do it for free. for the love of the arts, you will come across many people who are in it for the money. all of that flashy stuff with belts, rankings and chin stroking i do not care for. i practice many systems not just a couple. but i also teach a saying that goes "practice a single strike 1000 times over, not 1000 strikes 1 time over" but also having that in mind, do not just limit yourself to 1 school of thought.

if you can find one it will pay off, attend a realistic self defence class. like a street combat class or system. they are springing up all over the place nowdays. traditional martial arts has its place in self defence, but if you want real combat and self defence training, you have to take part in realistic training sessions. like knife fighting, 2 on 1 fighting, art of escape, reading body language, avoiding harm, i make people wear white t shirts, and give the attacker a black marker pen. and see if you can dissarm the marker pen without being stabbed by it. its not easy you know. each black dot on your top obviously is a stab wound.

one realistic word of advice, is to not try and get close to somebody who has a knife. real life is not a jet li movie, where you can kick 3 guys asses who have knives. the reality is more along the lines of you getting stabbed up by the 3 guys while managing to punch 1 of them to the floor.

if you can escape, then run away!, distance trainign is important, know when you are in range of being hit by a weapon (including fists and feet). footwork is very important in and out of the ring. one thing that most guys dont understand is this though. you cant take your MMA UFC training and try to take on a guy with a stun gun and baseball bat. you will get your ass kicked if you slip up, and trust me people make mistakes even trained 7th dan black belts.


if where you live allows it, i suggest carry a weapon. if you are facing an opponent who is armed, its better if you are also armed. CS gas, a knife, coshm baton, or even a gun.

tell me your area and i will see if i can look up a good realistic self defence system for you. or some kind of military training system, dont get me wrong im all for traditional martial art forms, but today they dont incorperate reality training for todays streets. because they have not been updated for hundreds of years to compensate. i take traditional systems and uprade them for todays world.


peace.

Krav Maga is a very good candidate for the prerequisites you have. If I wasn't so damn busy that's what I would be taking and learning. It is designed to cater to the person's size and ability, not the other way around.
It also teaches against multiple opponents and opponents with firearms.


http://www.martial-arts-info.com/119/krav-maga/

Krav maga is very good i agree, people nowdays associate that with UFC, but forget that it is a realistic combat form that works in todays world aswell. its not just for the ring.


there is a wealth of good tactics and knowledge in all fighting systems, the only thing i compare with styles is if they are designed for real combat or for the ring.

like for example, if you train with boxing gloves on all the time, that is not practical for real self defence, and if you train all the time with sporting rules in place, that is not good. there are no rules in battle or on the street, and 100% no gloves :).

i would like to study krav maga.

peace.

If a guy is wearing a black belt, and no one is around to see it, is he really a black belt?

If a guy is wearing a black belt, and no one is around to see it, is he really a black belt?

Yes because he would have a blacked out belt.

Basically what I'm looking for is a martial art that focuses on disarming and rendering the opponent incapable of attacking me as quick as possible. Any recommendations?


Here's a question, what if the guy that is attacking you also knows a martial arts style? If you were to try and do something he just may kick the shit out of you or worse he could shoot you. Just do what he asks and usually you won't get hurt, they only want to rob you by the way, not kill you.

If a guy is wearing a black belt, and no one is around to see it, is he really a black belt?

ofcourse he is, just like a doctor with a MD is still a doctor with a MD regardless of who is around,

but does having a black belt mean you are any good? in my opinion i think it doesent mean much. all that matters is experience and your skill. because nowdays you can gain a black belt in under 5 years. and after 5 years of training you have no way mastered the art of combat. back in the old days, people were black belts because the wite belt they trained in got so dirty over years of practice that it turned black.

its just a gimmick nowdays to gain students. giving children ranks and awards is the mcdojo way.


peace.

Here's a question, what if the guy that is attacking you also knows a martial arts style? If you were to try and do something he just may kick the shit out of you or worse he could shoot you. Just do what he asks and usually you won't get hurt, they only want to rob you by the way, not kill you.

what if he asks you to bend over?


peace.

I took some Tai Chi, but not nearly enough to call myself experienced. However, what I did learn was invaluable. It seemed to me that, in one hand, people refer to Tai Chi as "the old mans martial arts", simply because it is in actuality a form of slow-moving meditation. But at the same time, Tai Chi, teaches the fundamental basics of combat. Once you learn the slow moves, it CAN be adapted for fighting. So you could find yourself in a fight one day and use Tai Chi to defend yourself, while the next day you can use the meditative moves to help you sleep at night.

Like I said, it's diverse. But then, Kung Fu just sounds really cool :)

what if he asks you to bend over?


peace.

I really don't think most people that want to rob you will ask you to do that. Just give up the cash and usually nothing will happen.

I took some Tai Chi, but not nearly enough to call myself experienced. However, what I did learn was invaluable. It seemed to me that, in one hand, people refer to Tai Chi as "the old mans martial arts", simply because it is in actuality a form of slow-moving meditation. But at the same time, Tai Chi, teaches the fundamental basics of combat. Once you learn the slow moves, it CAN be adapted for fighting. So you could find yourself in a fight one day and use Tai Chi to defend yourself, while the next day you can use the meditative moves to help you sleep at night.

Like I said, it's diverse. But then, Kung Fu just sounds really cool :)

taiji is an internal art for bringing the body harmony and building core strength. taijiquan is the combat form of taiji, it is a combat system disguised with flowery movements, in china back in the old days learning martial arts was banned. so they worked combat into a set of movements to hide things.

taijiquan is one of the 3 main internal systems. oppose to the hard fighting forms that western people know as "kung fu" wich is gong fu and means hard work and dedication. the combat art of taijiquan is not practised by many chinese nowdays. i have trained with taiji grandmasters it is very good to get into, but people expect taiji to be somethign it is not. for combat it is good but it is not something you can just pick up in a year or 2, it is like the bagua system wich has the fighting art of bahuazhang. or qigong, wich has the usual fighting art of shaolinquan.

peace.

I really don't think most people that want to rob you will ask you to do that. Just give up the cash and usually nothing will happen.

what if they dont want to rob anything but his ass cherry? what would you do?


peace.

I've taken Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for quite a long time. I can easily take your average 180 pound man to the ground and break his arm within seconds. Took a little Tae kown Do when I was younger, so I can stand up kick pretty good.

After 7 years Tae Kwon-Do and 8 years Shaolin Kung-Fu, I will only vouch that Tae Kwon-Do is almost entirely useless and Kung-Fu is one of the most demanding and intricate undertakings I've ever begun. If I wanted to know how to defend myself, there is no question in my mind that kung-fu is what I would be using. Tae Kwon-Do is good, essentially, only to fight against other Tae Kwon-Do fighters. It is, in my experience and witnessing, entirely useless against anyone strong at other martial arts, boxing or street fighting.

Of the options you listed, I would first figure out if the kung-fu teacher was good. If so, go with that. You will find it, I think, a much more well-rounded fighting style than nearly all the others available in most Western regions.

After 7 years Tae Kwon-Do and 8 years Shaolin Kung-Fu, I will only vouch that Tae Kwon-Do is almost entirely useless and Kung-Fu is one of the most demanding and intricate undertakings I've ever begun. If I wanted to know how to defend myself, there is no question in my mind that kung-fu is what I would be using. Tae Kwon-Do is good, essentially, only to fight against other Tae Kwon-Do fighters. It is, in my experience and witnessing, entirely useless against anyone strong at other martial arts, boxing or street fighting.

Of the options you listed, I would first figure out if the kung-fu teacher was good. If so, go with that. You will find it, I think, a much more well-rounded fighting style than nearly all the others available in most Western regions.

I mostly agree. Tae Kown Do is usually useless in an abrupt street fight, because to practice it effectively requires adequate stretching and space. The other week I threw a roundhouse kick when training and nearly pulled a muscle because I didn't stretch.

Boxing is probably the most practical and common streetfighting method, though. If you're like me and use my style, and take fights to the ground, you'll likely be called a "dirty fighter". I seriously hate that term.

After 7 years Tae Kwon-Do and 8 years Shaolin Kung-Fu, I will only vouch that Tae Kwon-Do is almost entirely useless and Kung-Fu is one of the most demanding and intricate undertakings I've ever begun. If I wanted to know how to defend myself, there is no question in my mind that kung-fu is what I would be using. Tae Kwon-Do is good, essentially, only to fight against other Tae Kwon-Do fighters. It is, in my experience and witnessing, entirely useless against anyone strong at other martial arts, boxing or street fighting.

Of the options you listed, I would first figure out if the kung-fu teacher was good. If so, go with that. You will find it, I think, a much more well-rounded fighting style than nearly all the others available in most Western regions.The problem with TKD, like karate, and soon, many people fear, BJJ is that there are tons of those McDojos that EFOC was talking about.

ti chi is good for down gritty fighting were i used to kick boxing as mad as it sounds teaches you how to get out of headlocks etc.. if that was any help

WHAT?! Are you mad? Tai Chi is just fancy gymnastics, there is no fighting in it.

I did manage to have a good Tae Kwon-Do teacher, who sadly left for Korea shortly after I attained my first dan. Our school regularly won tournaments in Toronto, both domestic and international. I myself managed to win a few competitions, though I was far from the best student at our school.

But yes, my kung-fu teacher was world's ahead.

The problem with TKD, like karate, and soon, many people fear, BJJ is that there are tons of those McDojos that EFOC was talking about.

Meh, I still learn TKD (ITF) and this is my 8th year of serious training and I learn at no McDojo.

I've too become dissapointed in that TKD, even if it haves very many moves, in practice is quite limiting, but no martial art is perfect.
After I [again] finish university next year, I'll complement TKD with Aikido and maybe Thaibox.

if where you live allows it, i suggest carry a weapon. if you are facing an opponent who is armed, its better if you are also armed. CS gas, a knife, coshm baton, or even a gun.
None of that is legal here... You're not even allowed to carry pepperspray or a stun gun. The constitution here even defends the attackers, your not allowed to do more harm to him than is absolutely necessary for defending yourself. This may seem OK at first sight but its not, the attackers use it to threaten the defender and the 'line' is rather vague...

tell me your area and i will see if i can look up a good realistic self defence system for you. or some kind of military training system, dont get me wrong im all for traditional martial art forms, but today they dont incorperate reality training for todays streets. because they have not been updated for hundreds of years to compensate. i take traditional systems and uprade them for todays world.
I guess you're assuming that I live in the US... But I actually live in the Netherlands as shown in my profile, Amsterdam to be exact, so I don't think that you can be of much help there...

But one advantage of living in Amsterdam is that there are many martial art schools near me.

I like the sound of Krav Maga and there seems to be a school near me that teaches that. I'm going to look into it.

because they have not been updated for hundreds of years to compensate. i take traditional systems and uprade them for todays world.


Jeet Kun Do.

I'm going to sign up for a martial art for the purpose of self-defense and currently I'm looking at these since they are taught near to where I live: Eskrima, Aikido and Wing Tjun (kung fu)

There is also Tai Chi, judo, jiu-jitsu and karate that I know of

Basically what I'm looking for is a martial art that focuses on disarming and rendering the opponent incapable of attacking me as quick as possible. Any recommendations?

You want to learn how to fight? Simple, A combination of striking and grappling. Brazilian Jiujitsu would be a good choice...

Of course, the best tool for the defense of life would be a firearm.

I mostly agree. Tae Kown Do is usually useless in an abrupt street fight, because to practice it effectively requires adequate stretching and space. The other week I threw a roundhouse kick when training and nearly pulled a muscle because I didn't stretch.

Boxing is probably the most practical and common streetfighting method, though. If you're like me and use my style, and take fights to the ground, you'll likely be called a "dirty fighter". I seriously hate that term.

TKD is completely f*cking useless. I should know, I was given a black belt.

Boxing is more grounded in reality, but if you're going down that route, supplement your training with grappling (ground fighting). Why? Most fights end up in shoving/holding matches and sooner or later, someone will lose balance and it's going to the ground. You'll learn plenty of chokes, locks and bars (eg. armbar)... enough to disable your opponent without necessarily inflicting grievous bodily harm. Well, if that's your cup of tea, anyway.

If someone attacked me, I'd make sure his ass would be in a hospital for a prolonged period of time.

Solidus:

TKD is completely f*cking useless. I should know, I was given a black belt.


Same here. Your sentiment is shared by others on the thread, and I also agree.

EmptyChi is right about the McDojos. I was about 13 when I was given my black belt, and it had taken me about 3-4 years to earn. But to be honest, I was pretty good for a kid. I never messed up on the patterns, I wasn't bad at sparring, and I remembered the Korean terminology off by heart. Pretty good for a kid, considering the 'competition'.

What was disgraceful is that many kids who were completely useless (forgot their patterns during gradings, cried after getting a light kick in sparring, couldn't learn a word of Korean) managed to get black belts.

No kid should be given a black belt in any martial art. I don't care how good they are. Even if their form is good (un-fucking-likely), they still don't have the maturity to understand how to apply said art in a social context.

What's funny is that most of the chaps I knew in martial arts were pussies. I remember one teen who was a black belt, who got smashed at school by three bullies while refusing to fight back. Dumb ass. Why spend years learning self-defense, if you aren't going to employ it when the opportunity arises?

I wish I had the time, will and health to take up a new art. I always wanted to learn Judo, because it seems quite practical, especially against larger opponents. Given that I'm short and light weight, I'd rather use my opponent's weight against them instead of relying on punches to a barrel chest.

back in the old days, people were black belts because the wite belt they trained in got so dirty over years of practice that it turned black.


I have long heard this. Do you know of any schools which still do it this way? Of course, quantity of practise/=mastery, but still it's pretty cool.

I mostly agree. Tae Kown Do is usually useless in an abrupt street fight, because to practice it effectively requires adequate stretching and space. The other week I threw a roundhouse kick when training and nearly pulled a muscle because I didn't stretch.

Boxing is probably the most practical and common streetfighting method, though. If you're like me and use my style, and take fights to the ground, you'll likely be called a "dirty fighter". I seriously hate that term.

no, boxing is not practical for self defence. it drills in rules and ristrictions that hinder your reactions in a street fight. boxing is a sport not a realistic self defence system. any training system that requires you to wear protective gear will be bad for non sporting no rules defence.

it limits your entire fighting range, you are only allowed to punch thats it. no grappling, no kicking, no knees, no elbows. and you are trained and drilled into not engaging in anything but strict punching in a confined space. you dont learn knife fighting, no weapons handling, no 2 on 1. boxing is a sport not a self defence system.

but its good if you want to improve stamina and simple striking. but i advice people to not wear any form of gloves or protective gear.

peace.

Jeet Kun Do.

and how is bruce lees jeet kun do, a traditional system? he has done exactly what i do. updated traditional systems and turned them into a realistic modern system.

how is jeet kun do traditional? i study jeet kun do.

peace.

None of that is legal here... You're not even allowed to carry pepperspray or a stun gun. The constitution here even defends the attackers, your not allowed to do more harm to him than is absolutely necessary for defending yourself. This may seem OK at first sight but its not, the attackers use it to threaten the defender and the 'line' is rather vague...


I guess you're assuming that I live in the US... But I actually live in the Netherlands as shown in my profile, Amsterdam to be exact, so I don't think that you can be of much help there...

But one advantage of living in Amsterdam is that there are many martial art schools near me.


your laws are the same as our laws here in the UK then. there are ways of getting around those laws. you can carry a cane or walking stick, wich can be a very good weapon. it has a range advantage over knives also. i didnt assume you lived in the US thats why i asked what area you lived in, many countries allow you to own guns.


i can help you, i know some instructors that come from holland, but im not sure if they are still living there. i will search for a good instructor thats local too you.

peace.

What do you think of Thai-box, chi?

I have long heard this. Do you know of any schools which still do it this way? Of course, quantity of practise/=mastery, but still it's pretty cool.

nah, i dont know anybody that does it this way, the tradition is long dead i assume. the closest thing i have seen to this, is my black gong fu uniform with white cuffs. the cuffs have turned dark dark grey from sweat dirt and general training over the years. also it has hundreds of holes and rips all over it.


peace.

What do you think of Thai-box, chi?


real muay thai is excellent. i practice muay thai at a place called the KO gym in east london. it is very good and highly respected even in thailand. the sports side of muay thai can be negative towards real combat. but unlike boxing muay thai uses nearly all bodyparts, and is an old military system.


muay thai is demanding and can create rock hard warriors, but the sparring is brutal and i have come home busted up so many times. muay thai is the second best training i have ever done, second only to shaolin gong fu.

in my opinion the 2 most demanding systems.

peace.

but its good if you want to improve stamina and simple striking. but i advice people to not wear any form of gloves or protective gear.
Funny you should mention that. My friend has 2 pair of 16 oz gloves. I want to get a pair of 10 or 12oz gloves. He wants to use the 16oz because one can block easier. I want to use my smaller gloves because they are more realistic.

and how is bruce lees jeet kun do, a traditional system? he has done exactly what i do. updated traditional systems and turned them into a realistic modern system.

how is jeet kun do traditional? i study jeet kun do.

peace.

JKD is another style I would like to learn. One of our district managers here studied JKD and one of the fighters he trained was supposed to be going into the UFC. I would love to take lessons from him but he lives in FL and I'm in TN.

Bruce Lee: Be formless, shapeless. Be water my friend. Be water.

Funny you should mention that. My friend has 2 pair of 16 oz gloves. I want to get a pair of 10 or 12oz gloves. He wants to use the 16oz because one can block easier. I want to use my smaller gloves because they are more realistic.

thats what i dont like about drilling boxing training into people. because it gives you the instinct that putting up a boxing gaurd can block punches. but when you take the gloves off the boxing defence does not work, ungloved fists just pass through a boxing gaurd. thats why in the UFC people dont use a boxing gaurd. they use a long stance, and try to evade rather than block. when sparring i use 4 OZ fingerless gloves, like UFC fighters use. i do iron fist training and if i didnt wear gloves i could seriously indent peoples skulls.



JKD is another style I would like to learn. One of our district managers here studied JKD and one of the fighters he trained was supposed to be going into the UFC. I would love to take lessons from him but he lives in FL and I'm in TN.

jeet kun do is great, you dont find many UFC fighters using that style. but my guess is that it would work well. but again UFC has rules so it will usualy favour grappling styles, because in real life JKD is brutal, you cant use it fully in the ring. say a BJJ fighter takes you down and has you in a lock. you cant use your JKD to get out of it. bruce would have told people to rip his balls off, or plunge 2 fingers into his eye sockets. wich will work on the street. but ofcourse you cant do that in the ring. so the BJJ guy will have the advantage with his holds and locks.


peace.

I have known some with black belts that have almost gone light grey, almost white again from so much fading and use...full circle as with many things. The most and least experienced in martial arts wear white belts :)

EmptyForceOfChi,

Your description of Shaolin Gong Fu has made me interested but it isn't really a self-defense martial art right? Since from what I understand you have to learn long forms but what is the purpose of that? You don't really learn how to react to specific attacks right?

EmptyForceOfChi,

Your description of Shaolin Gong Fu has made me interested but it isn't really a self-defense martial art right? Since from what I understand you have to learn long forms but what is the purpose of that? You don't really learn how to react to specific attacks right?

shaolin gong fu or shaolinquan, is to condition your body to the maximum level of human endurance. it is everything rolled into 1, internal, external training, strength of body and min. and hardcore conditioning training combined with a deadly combat art.

it can be used very well as a self defence art. but dont get shaolin confused with wushu. the drawback with shaolin is that you wont find many real shaolin temples in the west. luckily for me we have a real shaolin temple right here in london. lead by my master sifu shi yanzi, a great man and warrior alike. but shaolin is a lifetime commitment, it is traditional and does not teach direct street defence for example how to dissarm guns and knives etc. it teaches ultimate conditioning and real combat though. and how to weild a number of deadly weapons. spears, swords, staffs and a manner of weird and wonderful tools of death.

it is the most demanding training i have every taken part in, the sessions are brutaly difficult, we have 5-6th dan karate masters comming in and struggling with the basics. the first thing you will learn, is horse stance, horse stance and some more horse stance. and you will practice that until your legs fall off. you will have to combine your shaolin training with real street defence sessions though. but in my opinion shaolin is the best conditioning training you can do. after 2-3 years of doing it you will not be the same as before. you will have ascended to new levels of strength. the long stance is great for distance training and knowing your limits and restrictions. the old chinese systems were seperated between south and north. northern form and southern form. northern for tall people and southern for short people. the northern style was mainly for kicking and long strikes, to take advantage of the long body frame, the southern style was for shorter people, with was all about hand speed upper body strikes and fast pace. nowdays they have evolved into 1 form in many places. but the general rule applies in my opinion. if your tall practice a long northern style, if your short practice a short southern style.

but there is a saying that goes "a good hand fighter will beat a good leg fighter" basicaly saying somebody who uses his hands well will beat somebody who uses his feet well. but ofcourse you combine the 2 and compensate.

here is a link to my temple.
http://www.shaolintempleuk.org/


peace.

Well there actually is a Shaolin temple in Amsterdam.

geez all the options! Looks like I'm going to combine Krav Maga for it being adapted for use in modern 'street' fighting with some other martial art. I've test lessons scheduled for Krav Maga, Aikido, Wing Tsun and Wing Tjun (is there even a difference other than the name Wing Tsun being trademarked?) Eskrima and I'm going to see if I can sign up for a test lesson of Shaolin GF

Well there actually is a Shaolin temple in Amsterdam.

geez all the options! Looks like I'm going to combine Krav Maga for it being adapted for use in modern 'street' fighting with some other martial art. I've test lessons scheduled for Krav Maga, Aikido, Wing Tsun and Wing Tjun (is there even a difference other than the name Wing Tsun being trademarked?) Eskrima and I'm going to see if I can sign up for a test lesson of Shaolin GF

yeah man thats the spirit, go and try them all out and see what works best for you.

wing tsun and wing tzun are one and the same, its just the translation from chinese to english thats all. and it is usualy called wing chun in the west. jeet kun do has its roots in wing chun and other chinese systems, but it was changed to adapt to modern times and self defence.

i always suggest people mix up the systems, if you stick to a single system you can master it and become good. but then you have limited yourself and drilled in set patterns. and as mike quoted from bruce earlier, "be like water" bruce lee was right, to be like water means you can change and adapt to your enemy. dont be predictable and easy to read, always be able to transform your system to meet the needs of the situation.

rock Vs water.


peace.

I've also seen people harden certain parts of their body by letting others repeatedly attack them or repeatedly attack something with them such as hitting a concrete wall hundreds of times with a newspaper between the wall and the person, letting someone repeatedly attack certain weak parts of the head, stomach, back, or even balls. Is this a Shaolin Gong Fu thing (the guys that I saw doing this sure looked like Shaolin monks)? I wonder how this works and is there a result other than psychological (being able to withstand pain for longer)?

I've also seen people harden certain parts of their body by letting others repeatedly attack them or repeatedly attack something with them such as hitting a concrete wall hundreds of times with a newspaper between the wall and the person, letting someone repeatedly attack certain weak parts of the head, stomach, back, or even balls. Is this a Shaolin Gong Fu thing (the guys that I saw doing this sure looked like Shaolin monks)? I wonder how this works and is there a result other than psychological (being able to withstand pain for longer)?

yup thats shaolin, getting monks to kick you in the balls over and over is serious. they can retract the testicles nearly all inside themselves. personaly i have never attemped this training before, and i dont think i ever will. thats a bit too extream for me!.

but the other training your talking about i do that all the time, nail a newspaper to a brick wall, and punch it 1000 times per day. this is part of iron fist training. when they hit each other over the head and strike each other, that is not actualy part of the conditioning training. that is to test the defence and takes place after you are conditioned to a certain degree and level. the bodyparts that are struck are already conditioned with various other iron methods.

i do iron fist, iron sand palm, golden palm, steel jacket and a few other conditioning methods. shaolin is a seriously deep system with so many sub systems involved. there is not enough time in 1 mans life to even study and master them all. just the animal forms alone would take a lifetime to master. without all of the other forms and iron conditioning methods.

you can keep yurself busy for 100 years just learning shaolin, and still have another 200 years worth of training to complete before you have even accomplished 40% of the overall training in shaolin. most monks started training at the age of 4 years old. and run up a mountain before breakfast every morning. then back to the temple for 14 hours of training per day.

i started martial arts at the age of 4 also, but i have not studied shaolin gong fu for anywhere near that long. i am still a rookie in the eyes of a master and the eyes of myself. i have done martial arts for 18 years and i dont even consider myself half decent. then you get some guys who call themselves a master after 7 years of training, thats laughable.

we all are students tillt he day we die.


peace.

Karate makes spines bend and fists bleed...so I recommend it.

Imo any martial art that is practiced well makes fists or other parts bleed.
But bending the spine doesn't sound too good.

p.s. You talk like an amateur, Karate nowadays mostly sucks.

Imo any martial art that is practiced well makes fists or other parts bleed.
But bending the spine doesn't sound too good.

p.s. You talk like an amateur, Karate nowadays mostly sucks.

thats cause I never tried it, I only did Judo as a martial art. Judo as a pacifier martial art. Bend their spines, makes them fall hard, squeeze them till they cant crawl. rawwwwr

So you recommend something that you've never tried?! Wow...

p.s. You talk like an amateur, Karate nowadays mostly sucks.
Which styles where?

I studied Tang Soo Do when I was younger. I think just about any martial art is helpful if you practice it. The highest skill is being able to avoid fights in the first place.

ofcourse he is, just like a doctor with a MD is still a doctor with a MD regardless of who is around,

but does having a black belt mean you are any good? in my opinion i think it doesent mean much. all that matters is experience and your skill. because nowdays you can gain a black belt in under 5 years. and after 5 years of training you have no way mastered the art of combat. back in the old days, people were black belts because the wite belt they trained in got so dirty over years of practice that it turned black.

its just a gimmick nowdays to gain students. giving children ranks and awards is the mcdojo way.


peace.

You are absolutely right!!
I have been into judo for many year on a very high level...I usedto refuse getting other collors of belt...cause my 'lower collor belt' confused the black belt...and in many cases the psychologicaly game came out in my favor

thats cause I never tried it, I only did Judo as a martial art. Judo as a pacifier martial art. Bend their spines, makes them fall hard, squeeze them till they cant crawl. rawwwwr

Hi Dragon,

where you into competition?
I think the beauty of Judo is psychologicaly game...feel what your opponent is going to do even before he/she was thinking of doing it...

Rei! :)

Jujitsu/hapkido/judo are good. I like and practice a blended form (elements of different styles) called Lung Fu Do. There is disarming in this style with a philosophy of not being the aggressor, though I usually eschew that as I am more of a grappler and given my build and strength, I go in close and hard.

Eskrima is fun, but it is essentially Philipino stick fighting that provides a basis for knife and short sword fighting.

Well I just went to Krav Maga and the training was brutal lol. Like every muscle in my body hurts like.. well really bad (and I loved it).

But anyways... I really liked it. You basically train every aspect of your body thats needed during a fight. He focuses on making the defense/disarming (of things like knives and guns) attacks a reflex and you learn to keep track of your surroundings and act accordingly. To defend and quickly take out a bunch of people one by one while defending from the others so that you can take on several enemies practically at once. You learn moves that other people might use against you (learn your enemy) such as moves used by karate, boxing and other martial arts such as judo and jiu-jitsu. They're very easy to counter if you're allowed to fight 'dirty' and they are not used to that (which is what krav maga is all about: in order to survive your allowed to do anything). The simple 'moves' are all about destroying the opponents ability to attack as quick as possible without giving him the time needed to respond. No matter who you're defending against... he won't know what hit him until he wakes up in a hospital. On top of that the training this guy gives is very intensive and its a good work out for both the physical body and the mind.

Ive learned that aikido and ju jitsu are extreamely efective in fighting, after all, how many real fights do you see where the fighters do a flying spin kick or whatever? Ground fighting is key

tell me your area and i will see if i can look up a good realistic self defence system for you. or some kind of military training system, dont get me wrong im all for traditional martial art forms, but today they dont incorperate reality training for todays streets. because they have not been updated for hundreds of years to compensate. i take traditional systems and uprade them for todays world.


peace.


Hey Chi, I randomly stumbled upon this thread while looking around for a good place to start. I'm simply overwhelmed by the amount of chooices out there not only in forms but also in studios. I'm quite a ways from you (Mountain View, California), but any help you could offer on finding a "good self defence system" in my area would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, just reading your posts helped narrow my search quite a bit.

Cheers, Jason