What MA's do you do/What's your fighting style?

[plancheismine]

I don't do any MA's yet. :cry: BUt I wrestle and practice hitting the heavy bag. I also watch UFC and want to get into BJJ. 8)
ANd My style would be takedown and then Ground n Pound.

Unless you are fighting someone who won't let you take them down. ex. Chuck L.

[plancheismine]

Unless you are fighting someone who won't let you take them down. ex. Chuck L.
true....In that case I would have to be a very good striker or wait until he tires 8)

[TiogaJeep]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA

[plancheismine]

Cool! BJJ what belt are you?

[MainFrameSoldier]

I plan on BJJ and Kickboxing

[VingTsunMonkey]

Wing Chun Kung Fu, BJJ.

I'm also a 2nd Dan in Tang Soo Do, but I don't currently take it.

I think BJJ is raised on WAY to high of a pedestal. I enjoy it, but it's highly overrated for ANYTHING outside the ring.

[Angelic Upstart]

I studied Karate twice in my life for a total of three and half years, recently have taken up Wing Chun as part of my recovery (see my intro post) as well as the forms and stepping techniques, the class i attend practises the applications of the forms in a reality situation, so the forms are not consisting of punching air but can be applied to provide test of your technique, good stuff i am enjoying it .

[Moonduck]

I've studied a number of different arts over the years. My favorite, by far, was Sombo. Second to that was the mix of Kali-Silat, Muay Thai, and Ving Tsun trapping rang maneuvers taught by the PFS group I was in. Also done Kempo, Judo, and Western Boxing (probably my overall favorite pure striking style, and the one I enjoyed training in more than any other striking style).

Or you could boil all of that down to "Whatever Works", aka JKD.

[plancheismine]

cool list. isn't sambo like wrestling?

[Moonduck]

cool list. isn't sambo like wrestling?

Sort of. It has a lot of emphasis on takedowns and groundfighting, but also teaches strikes, kicks, and some trapping. Well, it does depending on the style, of course. Largely though, it's a grappling centered art.

It's good stuff. It combines a lot of the effectiveness of Judo with the brutal efficiency of the Russian mindset. Good stuff. The training was brutal though.

[plancheismine]

what's trapping? in sambo if you are on your back are you pinned? then is there any guard?
how old r u?

[Moonduck]

Trapping, in a very basic sense, is extremely close-range stand-up combat. I you are really up in somebody's grill in a fight, your' in trapping range. Think of it as close enough to swing an elbom and hit them with it, or like the 'clinch' in boxing. Trapping range is a great place to be if your opponent likes to do long-range attacks, or has reach on you.

Sombo can be taught as a combat style or a sport style. Unlike Judo, and especially Tae Kwon Do, sport style is very secondary to the combat style. As a result, while the guard is utilised, it isn't used to the obssessive extent that it is in BJJ. Don't get me wrong, there's some really good stuff in BJJ, but they go too far with the Guard. Wearing someone down by keeping them in the Guard for 20 minutes simply isn't an option in most real streetfights. But that is more of a tactical problem with some schools of BJJ than a core fault with the style itself.

And I am in my 30's.

[VingTsunMonkey]

Trapping is what we Ving Tsun folks do best 8)

Gotta love it, especially when you're goin toe to toe with TKD people... they have NO idea what to do lol

[Moonduck]

Gotta love it, especially when you're goin toe to toe with TKD people... they have NO idea what to do lol

No kidding. And, I agree. Ving Tsun does do trapping better than any other art that I've personally experienced. Though I will say that adding in Filopino and Indonesian techniques should be considered mandatory. Pananjakman and panantukan (probably spelled that incorrectly) should be mandatory styles for proper trapping IMO, and th eIndonesian stuff I learned taking some Silat was just purely viscious.

That said, when pressured, I revert to training. I punch like a boxer, kick Muay Thai style, and grapple like a Sombo player. My trapping is more designed to get me past punch defense and apply pressure prior to the grapple. Overall, I use the stuff I trained the most in, thus boxing and Sombo.

The saddest part about MA is that you can learn everything that you really need from a given MA in the first 6 months of instruction. This is because the majority of MA's teach the basic skills only for the first 6-12 months, minimum, and basic stuff is what will keep you alive in a fight. Flying kicks, and spinning maneuvers, and all that are just chi-chi. They don't get you anywhere unless you're trying to impress somebody. Learn the basics, and practice them. A lot.

[VingTsunMonkey]

True. With many of the arts out there they get into totally unnecessary things.. but a lot of it has a rich history and purpose in the art itself. I took Tang Soo Do for a very long time, and questioned the GM about flying kicks. He finally clarified: high flying kicks are to take people off horses.

I always carry faith in the older arts (not like TKD and modern sport arts), they were developed to kill, plain and simple. They saw their purpose in war and personal protection in those days. Not speaking for all arts of course, just a majority of those I've studied or taken.

A great example is how people question kata/forms so much. The REAL reason they were developed was as an encyclopedia of technique to carry on the art because in the old days literacy was rare amongst the poorer class.

There's always an underlying purpose...

[plancheismine]

i'd say muay thai is the best clinch style of fighting

[VingTsunMonkey]

For the ring, I'd agree. If a MT guy put a Ving Tsun guy with equal experience in a clinch, it'd be like standing in a blender in any other situation however

:)

[plancheismine]

For the ring, I'd agree. If a MT guy put a Ving Tsun guy with equal experience in a clinch, it'd be like standing in a blender in any other situation however

:)
ving tsun do you use knees and elbows?

[VingTsunMonkey]

Extensively.

Our particular school uses a great deal of knee 'stomp' kicks, headbutts, throat shots, finger breaking and the like. It's a style that's entire purpose it to fight at forearm's distance from your opponent. Phonebooth fighting, if you will. Ving Tsun is ALL about deflection and simple motion, basically it's the king of blocking styles. The entire class focuses on drilling deflection of an attack or series of attacks in repetitions by the hundreds. The second I see an elbow, my body just moves, I don't think about stopping it, I just do. Elbows and knees are easy to deal with in a clinch situation in this respect with this style. One of my favorite tricks for dealing with an elbow is to elbow it. Hook it with the underside of your arm and pull down with your lats. Like you're drawing a sword and swinging it over your heard... sort of...

With the momentum from that motion... say you blocked a right elbow with your left arm, you'd follow through and drive a right hook into the side of their neck. Game over :-D

[Moonduck]

There's always an underlying purpose...

They may have purpose, but they lack relevance. Short of taking on horse-mounted police officers or marauding cowboys, training in high kicks is silly. It is also rarely presented as a tactic to be used against horseman. It is taught largely as an impressive stunt. Useless.

For the ring, I'd agree. If a MT guy put a Ving Tsun guy with equal experience in a clinch, it'd be like standing in a blender in any other situation however

A comparatively soft blender though. Your school may well be different, but the few places I've dealt with that are VT schools rarely did sufficient conditioning, practical body hardening, and serious contact sparring. MT schools, on the other hand, are all about it.

That said, MT often sacrifices proficiency for conditioning, preferring to produce hard fighters, over brilliantly skilled one. This is not truly all that bad though, as good conditioning will frequently win over good skill in a real fight.

NOTE: When I studied MT, it wasn't as part of a MT school, but as part of my overall PFS training. As a result I never went through the insane amount of body conditioning that real MT fighters go through. We just got a taste of it now and then when the instructor was feeling sadistic. So, I do not claim to be a hard MT fighter, and never was. I just appropriated the stuff what worked from it, same as everything else.

Phonebooth fighting, if you will.

Perfect description of trapping range combat. Leave it to the VT guy to use such a cool phrase for it =)


The entire class focuses on drilling deflection of an attack or series of attacks in repetitions by the hundreds. The second I see an elbow, my body just moves, I don't think about stopping it, I just do.


Yup, pure muscle memory. Even having been out of MA for a number of years, the body still remembers quite a bit. I recently had a spill on my mountain bike, and I just naturally fell exactly how I'd been taught and practiced so many times. All the way down to one arm coming out to the side and my hand coming up (Sombo teaches you NOT to slap the mat like Judo does, as the slap could be interpretted as a tap out submission in Sombo). I was surprised at it, but quite pleased that I was unhurt.

[VingTsunMonkey]

Conditioning has an importance in the ring, but if someone's out to hurt me real bad, I'm going to grab their hair, grab their testicles, kick them in the knee like I'm trying to kick down a tree, crush their throat, whatever it takes to exploit their body's weaknesses.

"In Ving Tsun, we strive to kill or maim, no matter what the size or skill of your opponent. You must always assume he is better, faster, stronger, smarter and more skilled than you are, and fight him on this assumption. You must exploit his weakness in defense to crush his anatomical weakness." - Jeff Kohlman

We have a school called AMAFA down the road from us, American Martial Arts And Fitness Academy. They specialize in manufacturing MMA guys. A few of those MMA guys stroll down to our kwoon every month (no fail) to prove how superior their skills are. A few of them were so humbled, they're now students lol. I can't nearly say this for all VT schools though, our sifu trained in China for over a decade to teach the way he does. He lives in Flint, Michigan (one of the nastiest places to live in this state) and has 3 teen daughters. He knows what works and what doesn't and enforces it.

In a fight, you don't have time to sit and try and gain positive clinch position, a good MT fighter knows now to throw a knee if he doesn't have dominant position, cuz he'll get swept or taken down. We know this much: deflect attackattackattackattack. Deflection is typically only necessary when you're attacking and they attempt a counterattack, and should only have to happen once, if that. You don't wait for them to seriously injure you, the second that first strike is thrown you send them to the hospital.

[Moonduck]

Conditioning has an importance in the ring, but if someone's out to hurt me real bad, I'm going to grab their hair, grab their testicles, kick them in the knee like I'm trying to kick down a tree, crush their throat, whatever it takes to exploit their body's weaknesses.

*shrug* Having been in a few real fights, the ability to control my opponent and slam him hard to the ground has proven far more valuable than all the groin kicks and eye-sticks I learned in many, many, many Kempo lessons.

(Note: I'm mentioning Kempo because I took it, and it has a reputation in the MA community as being nothing more than groin kicks and eye-sticks. And it is a well-deserved reputation.)

The other problem with lack of conditioning and contact sparring is that neither you, nor I, nor anyone else is perfect. If I get into a fight, no matter how good I am and how bad/drunk/whatever the other guy is, he may just land a lucky shot and pop me square in the nose. If I've never been socked good in the face, I won't know how to react properly to it.

In other words, you've got to take a punch in training to be able to take apunch in a real fight.


"In Ving Tsun, we strive to kill or maim, no matter what the size or skill of your opponent. You must always assume he is better, faster, stronger, smarter and more skilled than you are, and fight him on this assumption. You must exploit his weakness in defense to crush his anatomical weakness." - Jeff Kohlman

No offense, but phrases like that get you in trouble if you use your MA to defend yourself and hurt somebody. I like plausible deniability.


We have a school called AMAFA down the road from us, American Martial Arts And Fitness Academy. They specialize in manufacturing MMA guys. A few of those MMA guys stroll down to our kwoon every month (no fail) to prove how superior their skills are. A few of them were so humbled, they're now students lol.

Yup, and the big reason there is that MMA has become a sport, and is debased. It's like Judo and TKD. Nothing more than football or basketball. A sport, with a bit more blatant brutality.


I can't nearly say this for all VT schools though, our sifu trained in China for over a decade to teach the way he does.

This may sound crazy, given all the negative things I've said about TKD, but I know a TKD instructor that is the same way. He's an older Korean fellow, that learned TKD some 60 years ago, and moved to America long after. He taught old-style TKD to his advanced students, and they were some seriously dangerous cats. He retred though, and all his studio teaches is sport crap. Booo.


In a fight, you don't have time to sit and try and gain positive clinch position, a good MT fighter knows now to throw a knee if he doesn't have dominant position, cuz he'll get swept or taken down. We know this much: deflect attackattackattackattack. Deflection is typically only necessary when you're attacking and they attempt a counterattack, and should only have to happen once, if that. You don't wait for them to seriously injure you, the second that first strike is thrown you send them to the hospital.

Actually, yeah, in a real fight, you can take the time to gain positive clinch. It's quick to attempt, not that tough to do, and, if you're doing it right, you're controlling your opponent anyway. A well-done clinch against the average joe on the street is a very capable way of handling issues.

That said,, I'm not dogging VT. Like I said, it was one of the arts that I happily pilfered technique from. I was just making the comment that the schools I knew didn't do enough conditioning and sparring. I'm sorry, but you just flat can't learn to properly defend yourself without live sparring. Witness Mike Tyson's horrible performances after getting out of prison. sure, he was in diesel shape, but his timing, distance, and footwork were all crap, all because live sparring is a no-no in prison. He got dull, and fought like crap. He only won, when he did, because his natural ability is stunning, and he hadn't totally lost everything.

VT has some killer concepts. The Straight Blast being one of the biggest, as well as sweet low kicks from the rear legs, and of course all the trapping. It also has some bad ideas IMO. That stance is murder on the knees, as well as putting the arms in a horrible position for anything but pure linear centerline attacks. And the foot work is WAY too linear, or at least it was in the VT practitioner I've ever seen. Then again, VT emphasises the centerline over all else, right? against most people, damned if it doesn't work too.

The lack of conditioning and contact sparring strikes me as being endemic to the various "gung fu" schools in general. I can't recall a single kwoon that I ever saw, or even heard of hereabouts, that did serious sparring. Bad idea.

[VingTsunMonkey]

In general, I agree completely. Many kwoons out there are powderpuff versions of what Ving Tsun was meant to be. I was lucky enough to find a reality based school with strong principles and lots of live sparring. I live in a real rough neighborhood, I've been robbed at gunpoint, I have a pretty strong understanding of what works and what doesn't. My neighborhood is what got me into MA to begin with, I was tired of getting my head bounced of lockers and being beaten just because I'm caucasian.

The reason it's so linear in many cases is because that's what's taught right off the bat, because it's an effective principle appliable from day one. Ving Tsun was once used to quickly train soldiers. When you get deeper into the system, you find that Ving Tsun has circular blocks (drum technique), lots of turning, and even hooks. It's because these motions take a tad longer to perfect than the 'straight blast', but applied correctly they're more economic than the forward principle.

Another common problem with Ving Tsun is it's practitioner's tendency to sit and block things. Our kwoon emphasizes being viciously aggressive and using the blocking and trapping to counter an opponent's attack in the process. That's what Chi Sao is FOR, when a fist gets in the way of your attack, you want to deal with it right away without having to watch their arms, and instead pay attention to their body's overall movement. People don't cross arms when a fight starts, but it's bound to happen once it begins (at that range).

If you look at the way the teaching structure is put together, you'll see MUCH sense in how it would fit the 'insta-train' ideal. Of course, back in those days, people didn't train for 8 hours a week, they trained 8 hours a DAY, as my sifu did for a decade.

We also don't believe in no physical conditioning. It's true that you don't NEED strength to overcome someone, but that's with PERFECT VT principle application. Which doesn't happen. Being strong doesn't hurt at all. We do pushups, shoulder squats, bagwork and full contact padded sparring frequently to condition ourselves.

It really makes me sad to see people packaging a sickly little version of a powerful martial art into a perfectionist's fantasy.

"The best defense is a good offense".. kind of a broad statement.. but look at people like Ramon Dekkers and Muay Thai's "Iron Mike"... :shock:

[Moonduck]

Yessir, powderpuff kwoons is a good way to describe. Sad too.

Damn, all this chatting about MA makes me miss doing it...

[riku]

I tend to go on yo-yo -type training: get into something, get interested deeply, work out hard, then work out too hard, got a burn-out/loose interest and, well... either return after a while or jump into something else. I've been training or still am at least this kind of things: Shotokan style Karate, Aikido, Sin Moo style Hapkido, Shorinji Kempo. Basics of some other arts have been introduced to me, too, but these mentioned I got somehow ranked. And I got MP group leader/corporal training over military service: less... traditional but had certain elements of combat skills, too.

Riku

[amorelli]

What did you think of aikido? I'm interested in a defensive art to study probably starting this summer and I have an uncle who has studied for many years. He is untouchable - he's around 55ish and still in good shape, but I've got about 20 pounds of muscle on him. Every once in a while we're messing around and it develops into a pseudo-sparring match (he's a really cool guy) and he just stands back, arms at his side. I'll throw a pretty hard punch at his shoulder, he'll wave his arms, and I'll be on the ground unable to move because he has complete control of my arm. Needless to say, I'm pretty impressed and thinking about studying it, also because the idea of solely a defensive art interests me as somewhat of a pacifist (though if you push around one of my friends, especially some of the girls I grew up with, you better watch out, if you know what I mean).

I know it's not suitable for MMA fighting - I'm not interested in ever fighting unless completely forced or possibly for sport. I'd much rather hurdle the nearest fence and just keep running. Helluva lot safer, IMO.

[Moonduck]

Aikido can be very, very cool. That said, it has its' limitations. I won't go too far into them, because it is largely personal preference. An example would be that it isn't aggressive enough for my tastes. So, as you can see, it is personal taste.

My only substantial concerns with Aikido is its' almost total focus on soft-style takedowns and single limb holds after takedown. It has its' merits, sure, but there are some situations where you really do just need to swat the other guy, and Aikido doesn't teach you. I am also concerned that Aikido doesn't do sparring, more of an uke/tori thing in an overly controlled environment. Again, if you don't take punches in training, you'll not survive them in practice.

The second part should be expected though, and I would say it about any art that does not seriously do sparring.

Heck, I made some mildly disparaging comments about the Kempo training I had. I spent more time with Kempo than any other single art, and learned quite a bit from it. But the real reason I did was that my instructor was a former Silver Gloves boxer and a semi-pro kickboxer. He believed in sparring, and was perfectly happy to teach boxing and kickboxing techniques and tactics. The Kempo stuff was almost ancillary by comparison.

[VingTsunMonkey]

Aikido is rewarding in many aspects, but it REALLY depends on the school you attend. Where I take Ving Tsun, the day after all 3 classes the building is used by Aikido people. I've watched classes, and I can say in some aspects I'm impressed and in others I'm not. It all depends on how you train of course. Just because your school doesn't offer sparring doesn't mean you can't incorporate it into your personal usage of the art. Just find a friend who wants to have a friendly throwdown and train with him a couple times a week. The experience is irreplacable.

[Moonduck]

Just because your school doesn't offer sparring doesn't mean you can't incorporate it into your personal usage of the art. Just find a friend who wants to have a friendly throwdown and train with him a couple times a week. The experience is irreplacable.

If you are already skilled, this is a good thing. It works even better if said friend is already involved in what you do. Otherwise, it can be bad. If you are new to your training, you can very easily hurt your partner or yourself. I harp on sparring in class so hard because there is an instructor present. Presumably your instructor is competent enough to essentially referee a sparring match, and make sure no one gets hurt.

Additionally, it helps greatly to have a knowledgable observer watching the sparring match to be able to give both parties involved corrective advice. It is very easy to become too focused on the match, and not pay enough attention to what you're doing.

[riku]

As other have already pointed out, Aikido schools comes in very wide variety. The soft, take-down -oriented art can be teached or used in very very harsh way.

Personally I don't know much - well, nothing at all would be closer to truth - mixed martial art competition and tactics/techniques suitable there. However, a friend of mine, doing Brazilian Ju-Jutsu (which, as far I've understood it, is well recognized in MMA circles) claims that there's certain similarity in tactics and strategy between Aikido and BJJ altough techniques vary.

It's also matter what you're looking for your martial art training. Not everyone is combat-oriented, not everyone works in such an enviroments in such a jobs that constant training to self-defence/use of force -skills is needed. Several elements of martial art training can be easily seen connected to general body weight training ideas, too.

Riku

[amorelli]

Thanks for the responses.

-amorelli

[Moonduck]

As other have already pointed out, Aikido schools comes in very wide variety. The soft, take-down -oriented art can be teached or used in very very harsh way.

The 'harsh' version of Aikido is Aiki-jutsu, a bit different. They share the same roots, much like Judo and Ju-jutsu. In general (with Japanese styles), "do" indicates a more peaceful style, practiced for the various health benefits and sports use. "Jutsu" indicates the more visceral combat form.

However, a friend of mine, doing Brazilian Ju-Jutsu (which, as far I've understood it, is well recognized in MMA circles)

That's a bit of an understatement =)


claims that there's certain similarity in tactics and strategy between Aikido and BJJ altough techniques vary.

There are some very basic similarities in style, and a few interesting similarities in tactics. BJJ is much more of a "yielding" style than Japanese Ju-jutsu. BJJ players can get honestly passive at times, the Guard being the premier example.

[riku]

As other have already pointed out, Aikido schools comes in very wide variety. The soft, take-down -oriented art can be teached or used in very very harsh way.

The 'harsh' version of Aikido is Aiki-jutsu, a bit different. ---.
Let me put it different way, then: I am not qualified to define what is *true* Aikido or *true* Aiki-jujutsu. However, school claiming to teach aikido can teach the art of curriculum in such a way that techniques used in full force & intention will be very devastating and efficient. Hence, depending on what potential student is seeking, s/he should take a good look to the school, not the label of art. This is true often with martial arts as well, altough situation can be somehow underlined in Aikido.

Riku

[VingTsunMonkey]

One thing about Aikido is how people bash it for how soft it is.

If you throw someone into the concrete, and they don't know any ukemi (proper falling), they're going to either break something or end up with some very nasty scrapes.

[Moonduck]

Erm, most Aikido throws aren't properly throws. At least not the ones I'm used to seeing taught. They are soft takedowns. Aikido specifically avoids trying to injure the opponent. Judo, on the other hand, frequently attempts to throw one's opponent somewhere into the next time zone. I know, I've had it happen to me. Thank goodness for lots of falling practice.

Note: This is not a bash. Just a comment. I think Aikido is a very cool art, and one of the few truly soft arts that has a chance of succeeding in self-defense. I am just very aware that it does not suit my personality.

[riku]

Erm, most Aikido throws aren't properly throws. At least not the ones I'm used to seeing taught. They are soft takedowns. ---.
I agree, but only partly. Let's take throws like tenchinage or kaitenage, for example: it does'n even have to be concrete if the a)opponent don't know how to land properly or b)opponent is not allowed land properly - guy will land onto neck. With speed.

Locks, and take-downs connected to locks are usually done with gentle way in training, yes. That is because if you yank lock tight withouth giving time to go down in controlled way, you'll cause at least a strain and run out training partners.

Riku

[plancheismine]

apparently aikido takes a while to get good at....but most of the throws are when the person is charging at you :roll: in a real fight that usually doesn't happen. It is also hard for an aikido person to catch a strikers wrist to wrist lock them.....so stick with wrestling :wink:

[Moonduck]

I agree, but only partly. Let's take throws like tenchinage or kaitenage, for example: it does'n even have to be concrete if the a)opponent don't know how to land properly or b)opponent is not allowed land properly - guy will land onto neck. With speed.

Locks, and take-downs connected to locks are usually done with gentle way in training, yes. That is because if you yank lock tight withouth giving time to go down in controlled way, you'll cause at least a strain and run out training partners.

*shrug* I've always learned that what you do in training is what you'll do in a fight. I've also experienced it personally.

That said, it is certainly plausible that the adrenaline and uncertainty of a fight will cause you to apply said technique faster and harder than in training.

[riku]

apparently aikido takes a while to get good at....but most of the throws are when the person is charging at you :roll: ---
Really? Are you sure?
Riku

[plancheismine]

apparently aikido takes a while to get good at....but most of the throws are when the person is charging at you :roll: ---
Really? Are you sure?
Riku
yes. :) or lunging at them. when they are practicing against someone with a knife the person just lunges forward and misses :roll:
wrestling> aikido
bjj> aikido
judo> aikido
muay thai> aikido :wink:

[riku]

Ok. Well, since internet debates about martial arts soon enough go to yes-no -level, and to describe the possible attacking methods of uke even from aikido beginner's course would take quite much time (and obviously need to be explained), I'll drop the subject :roll: :roll:

Riku

[Moonduck]

Avoidance is very Aikido.

[plancheismine]

Ok. Well, since internet debates about martial arts soon enough go to yes-no -level, and to describe the possible attacking methods of uke even from aikido beginner's course would take quite much time (and obviously need to be explained), I'll drop the subject :roll: :roll:

Riku
lol this one guy was talking about going to an aikido class and they were practicing catching punches and the kid was whining about the way the guy was punching at him (try that in a fight :wink: ) :lol:

[Moonduck]

To an extent, I agree. This goes back to reverting to training, as I mentioned before. If you are not used to someone coming at you hard and fast, you'll have a lot of trouble handling it if someone does just that. I've not see much in the way of aggressive, capable technique used by the assailant in Aikido.

[Varg05R6]

My background is in Muay Thai & Wing Chun.

Thinking of having a go at Bujinkan Taijutsu too.

One of my closest friends has been studying Aikido for about 10 years. I can eat him alive at kickboxing and trapping range but once the grappling begins he ties me up like a pretzel :oops:

[samurai69]

I have been training in and teaching aikido, for a number of years

i also train in muay thai and jogo de pau (stick fighting)

in the past i have trained in

wing chun
shantung black tiger KF
western boxing
shotokan karate
some ju jutsu

also some judo and fencing when i was at school

[Doug]

I train in Choy Li Fut Kung Fu. I trained in Aikido for two years before i started Kung Fu.

[NuMack]

I started in Shaolin Kung-Fu at 7. Have studied Tae kwoon Do, taijutsu, and JKD(More a personal journey). Learned wrestling from my uncle(State Champ in Highschool) and dad. Both of which did alot of streetfighting in there day, and taught me how to fight. Also exchanged techniques with my Aikido friend, a Kempo guy, and a MMA friend. And been in Capeoira the longest, or rather have lived Capeoira the longest.

[Boxhead]

I am not currently training because of college, however I have trained in Muay Thai and Krav Maga 1 year total.

[warriorscholar]

I study a Korean Martial Art named Hwa Rang Do. It teaches a wide range of skills from traditional "art" to street fighting.

[hara_12]

I study Kuk Sool. Similar in family to Hwa Rang Do.

[Stormy]

i train in Kali - particularly Dog Brothers Martial Arts. Intense stick fighting. I love it!

[desperado11288]

I had about a year of Tae Kwon Do as a little kid (boy, that sucked), then went through a BJJ and Muay Thai phase about a year and a half ago, but stopped after 6 months. I've been doing Capoeira now for about a year, and have definitely found my niche there.

[Torre]

I train in wado-ryu karate since I was 13 (21 now), and I love it. It incorporates a lot of jujitsu techniques as well as some very aikido-like movements. It puts a lot of emphasis on being soft, but we still do semi and full contact sparring with grappling allowed. :smile: I also started capoeira about two years ago, and I love it. Plus contrary to popular belief, it has some very good techniques for actual fighting :smile:

[juszczec]

Japanese style karate (think Shotokan with an open mind) since 1982.
Jujutsu, standing and on the ground, maybe 7 years or so.

I help run a karate/jujutsu program out of a health club in the Akron area.

Mark

[tumpaijohn]

I don't do any MA's yet. :cry: BUt I wrestle and practice hitting the heavy bag. I also watch UFC and want to get into BJJ. 8)
ANd My style would be takedown and then Ground n Pound.

Have you ever heard of Catch wrestiling? It is an awsome form of submision wrestiling that is wrestiling based. all the fundementals of wrestiling apply. why start to learn BJJ, and have to re-learn or apply other principals to your training of summissions. check it out online and think about it.

[juggledex]

Yes! Catch wrestling, real good stuff. I found a lot of it real easy to learn and understand .

[rawmark]

Krav Maga is the choice for me. Just makes sense for real world applications.

[fatdragon]

currently I'm studying Kyokushin Karate, we treat both striking and grappling as important parts of Karate.

Daido Juku Kudo looks pretty cool, haven't trained in it though. (videos)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5AvCcLwaJQ
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5869307558314227439&q=kudo&total=3831&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=7
http://youtube.com/watch?v=usCbSgt-zls

[sulsa]

I study a Korean Martial Art named Hwa Rang Do. It teaches a wide range of skills from traditional "art" to street fighting.
Another Hwarang! Cool :)

I studied Hwarangdo for 7 years and got my 1st degree black belt and instructor certificate. That was about 8 years ago though... ;)

[daeinwolf]

Studied JKD concepts for 10 years, MMA concepts 3 yrs, European Fencing per Fabris style, SPEAR system (informally) 2 yrs.

All fun stuff.

[neckcranker]

Submission Wrestling. I love takedown training and enjoy the submission game. The two together make a very fun activity for me to do.

[Chico]

Started boxing today, really fun.

[crazydan]

i box so if you hve any questions feel free to ask

[Erik]

Black Belts: Moh Kempo (found only in Canada, eh), Shaolin Kenpo
Brown Belt: Alambra style Arnis de Mano

Dabbled in: Aikido, kung fu, Woo Gar Mo Sut, police & RCMP hand-to-hand

Studied by way of book: military hand to hand combat (modern & WWII), chin-na (chinese joint locking), san-shou (Chinese throwing technique), juijutsu, judo, kenjutsu, boxing, wrestling, various esoteric forms of kung fu, Western rapier, broadsword and smallsword technique,

And the reason for studying all that was that I spent 10 years studying and directing stage combat, including: single sword broadsword, smallsword, rapier & dagger, rapier & companion, martial arts, unarmed combat, spears, knives, sticks, chairs, clothes, found weapons, and anything else we could think of and/or try.

One of my favorite fights I designed followed the stage direction "they fight by the ears a while." Now that was fun! :)

[tumpaijohn]

Boxing is an under-rated American martial art, although I don’t feel it is a complete style that covers all ranges of fighting it is the most affective punching range style, in my opinion. Good luck and train hard.

[Adriaan2000]

Goju Ryu and ITF Tae Kwon DO

[charolastra00]

I'm the only person in kokondo here.. sad! I feel like it's a more regional form since it was created about 50 years ago in central Mass and is now more or less headquartered in CT- but there's quite a large following in Israel and Finland, apparently.

It's also not as aggressive as most of you seem to like. It focuses more on defensive moves. Since I'm at a pretty low fitness level in general, this seems like it will work better for me to get into more a more intense fitness regime. Also, as a 19 year old girl who regularly walks around Boston and (soon to be) some of the more economically depressed cities of Latin America, I feel that this will work well for me.

I've also done tae kwon do (4 years in elementary/middle school.. then the instructor was arrested as a child molester :\) and capoiera for a few months last year before an ankle injury took me out of commission. Eventually I'd like to get into aikido, hapkido, or Brazilian jiu jitzu.

[Fatman]

I've also done tae kwon do (4 years in elementary/middle school.. then the instructor was arrested as a child molester :\)

LOL :) :) :)

Sorry, I know I shouldn't think that's funny... but it's like something out of a South Park episode.

[tumpaijohn]

Wow!

there is nothing wrong with the hands on method of martial training. well unless your a Cho Moe...........................

[Adriaan2000]

I stopped doing TKD yhis year, it just wasnt taking me anywhere, although I reached 4th kyu. I went over to Goju Ryu and I must say that in the eight months that I have been their I became harder and tougher then ever. I must also say that my Sensei is a gruelling teacher and we do a LOT of conditioning, for example 320 bodyweight squats a session and thats only the beggining.

[Trarup]

I was in japanese juijitsu for about 9 months, And have been doing Kempo Karate for the past 2.5 years. managed to work my way up to green belt in it, so only another 5-7 years till i test for black...

just remember that the concept of ground and pound fighting is very flawed if you intend to rely on it in real life situations. Yes if your good at it you can destroy your opponent, but if your on the ground with a guy, and he has a friend with steeltoes, guess who loses the fight.

[waylon]

gracie jiujitsu is the best in my opinion jus most schools dont teach it the way it should be taught they leave out the self defense part

[waylon]

if your by yourself and fighting a guy with a friend with steel toe boots you will probally lose any way wheather its on the ground or not i think it would be difficult to deal with two people trying to bust your head no matter what you train

[Erik]

Depends on how fast you can drop the first guy.

[waylon]

yea but i wouldnt wanna rely on hoping that i could drop one guy before i get dropped not saying it cant be done jus saying you would need some luck any way thinking other wise is lying to themselves and probally never been in a real fight

[Erik]

Quite true.

[TheSwedishChef]

I did TKD as a kid.
I did about 3 1/2 years of a shaolin family style that incoporated a fair amount of ground fighting.
4-ish months of an internal/soft applications style called Fook Yueng Chuan.
1 month of private lessons in Sun Family style taijiquan.

After the holidays I plan to start Wing Chun... which I've wanted to do for years. Don't know why I never did.

[Dienekes]

i love taichi, bagua, and kung fu in general.
I fight with basic kung fu.
i guess my style would be... fight em till you win style! lol

[pedro luiz paulucci]

I want do shaolin kung fu and ninjutsu, but at my country, Brazil dont have any school that teach this.

[Dominator350]

Id hit a heavy bag if i could but ultimately i think the objective that goes through my mind is the ground and pound, its the only realistic strategy for the street. However standing at 6 feet there are people who are bigger and heavier then me so it wouldn't hurt to master a teeth shattering knockout punch either... collapse the right side of his face you know what im saying...

[Erik]

Id hit a heavy bag if i could but ultimately i think the objective that goes through my mind is the ground and pound, its the only realistic strategy for the street. However standing at 6 feet there are people who are bigger and heavier then me so it wouldn't hurt to master a teeth shattering knockout punch either... collapse the right side of his face you know what im saying...

I"m not sure if ground and pound is the right strategy for the street. Generally, a***oles run in packs, so if you take one guy down his buddies will probably be there to take the boots to you, plus it's harder to spot a knife when you are grappling on the ground.

The US army's hand to hand combat manual used to be centered around "thump him and dump him" which sounded like pretty good advice to me: hit him hard, knock him down, stay on your feet.

Fairburn's WW2 commando combat manual "Get Tough" also advocated jumping on your opponent afterthat, but that way lies jail time.

None of this, by the way, negates the importance of knowing how to fight from the ground. I just don't see it as a good strategy to want to be there.

[praenin]

yea i agree with erik taking someone to the ground might be good in the UFC but best to be avoided on the street, still should kno it tho just incase you cant avoid it. the MA's i take are ninjutsu (with aliveness), jujutsu, sambo, muay thai, a little boxing, and a little san shao (chinese boxing), and ill be starting judo in the spring semester as a college course so that pretty sweet. one of my life gaols is trying a little bit of everything and take what works

[Dominator350]

This is true, but what i mean or forgot to mention was if some haggard crackhead tried to knife me id knock him on his ass so hard... if he was much bigger though obviously id have to keep distance no sense in getting tangled with someone whos much taller and heavier.
Its funny were talking about this i moved to a haggard ass part of town recently for school. The other day 2 homeless people, one of them so cracked out he forgot how to speak, the other raging cause i wouldn't give away my groceries, i mean i had no food in my house at the time i don't got time for a job. And these crackhead like 20 years older then me raging at me i couldn't believe it. The colder it gets i guess the more desperate they get. Its a maniac neighborhood 3 women got stabbed in the face down the road a few months back.

[praenin]

damn what school do you go to

[Silumguy]

I started martial training with jun fan kung fu (I think thats spelled right), which I did for about 6 months. I then did northern shaolin for about 2 years. Finally, I have been studying Tai chi for about a year now (mostly yang style, but I have learned a few movements in chen and sun style, the more martial versions of tai chi). I also learned very small amounts of kali, judo, and western boxing.

[Yuri]

i started with playing soccer 'its good for getting strenght in my legs, but afterwards bit harder to be more flexible'. after 7 years of soccer i did judo for 2 years, and now im doing Kung Fu 'hung gar style' over 3 1/2 years. I like kicking and palm style thats why im studieing these arts.

If someone knows more about palm arts pls let me know

[Silumguy]

If someone knows more about palm arts pls let me know

Northern Shaolin has quite a few palm strikes and is known for high kicks (someone once told me that taekwondo borrowed heavily from it, but I don't know how true this is). Also, in most Northern schools I have heard of, they teach some form of iron palm training that toughens your hands considerably (I know from experience). Northern Shaolin movements are quite a bit more fluid and graceful than hung gar and not quite as hard and agressive.

[juggledex]

If someone knows more about palm arts pls let me know

Pancrease?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2A9SjPhC0pM

[Yuri]

thnx for your reply. its hard to find a school that teaches northern shaolin style and teaches the right/good arts 'like the ones in china' here in holland. i even know a "sifu" who teaches students from videos he watches... and thats what im trying to avoid.

here is a youtube file that shows a high form of the hung gar im studying.: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQW55fdJxA tiger, crane form from my grandmaster himself when he was younger though... he shows tiger, crane and elements.

[Silumguy]

its hard to find a school that teaches northern shaolin style and teaches the right/good arts

Yeah, tell me about it. It is extremely hard to find a traditional chines martial arts teacher nowadays. After my Northern Shaolin sifu moved away, I couldn't find another teacher for about a year and a half. Luckily, I found my Tai Chi (which also has a lot of palm striking and pushing, although almost no kicking) instructor, who had actually trained in China.

My best advice for finding a traditional school is to go to any demonstrations or gatherings you can. In my experience, there are always little martial arts schools popping up around the place. I actually found my current instructor at a chinese new year gathering. I find that tends to be a good time to find traditional Chinese intructors and luckily, it is coming up very soon.

Anyways, good luck in your hunt and here is a pretty good video I found of a form I began learning, but unfortunately never finished. The guy isn't a master, but he flows very well: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=DfLhto6H6i8

[cheesedog]

Isn't that the Plum Flower Fist form? Learned it years ago, my memory may be a bit faulty.

[Silumguy]

Yes it is. The form is Shaolin #7/Moi Fah/Plum Flower. Good eye.

[brianlkennedy]

Greetings from Taiwan, I am kind of new here so I thought I would chime in on this thread to say what I do. On the traditional Chinese side; xingyi (hsing-i), Cheng style pakua (bagua) and Taiwanese Crane Boxing (did Bucksam Kong's hung gar way back in my college days).

On the modern side: western boxing, a bit of judo, about 6 months of Brazilian jiu jitsu and submission wrestling. That was with Andy Wang when he was here in Taiwan.

take care,
Brian

[judojack]

I box a little at a local gym and I practice Judo at the local university. My instructor is also a level 2 US Army combatives instructor.

I have studied JKD, Kempo, Kali, Krav, Kyokusin, GoJu, TKD, Savate, MT, and wing chun. However, of that laundry list I only practice a few Krav moves, Savate kicks, and I work a few Kali drills.

I've tasted a little of everything, but my stomach is far from full.

[jacktheblack]

I fence and practice European art forms. My studies are mostly in the wrestling and short blade forms from western Europe and southern Europe respectively. I have been a marshal of fence for the SCA and I have won a few tournaments.

[blambell]

I have been studying historical European martial arts for the past two years. Its a great mixed martial art system covering fighting with weapons (longsword, sword and buckler, spear, dagger and more), grappling and limited groundwork. Its a highly efficient and pragmatic form designed to end fights quickly by whatever means necessary.

[jacktheblack]

I have been studying historical European martial arts for the past two years. Its a great mixed martial art system covering fighting with weapons (longsword, sword and buckler, spear, dagger and more), grappling and limited groundwork. Its a highly efficient and pragmatic form designed to end fights quickly by whatever means necessary.

Are you working with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) ?

[blambell]

No, I have no affiliation with the SCA. At the moment I am working under the banner of the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts but I really consider myself more of an independent scholar of the art.

[tigerheart57]

Hi there everyone,
I am new to this forum. I was recommanded to this forum to study the exercises for the body the proper way. Plus I am a martial Artiest. I came across this thread.

Well, I do Shotokan Karate as my major style. I also enjoy playing with Krav Maga and JJ. I know Shotokan is stand up art but Karav maga or JJ can be a very good supplement for it.

Hisham

[nready]

Wing Chun - been at it for 5 years, I like the methods related to centerline theory and both defense and attack at the same time. There are a few more basic principles that are very important to me.

Taijiquan - been at it about 20 years, studied Yang first than meet via the Chinese new year in Kansas City meet at Chen teacher we practiced at this church on the Plaza and there I meet a Old woman doing WuHao system. What I learned from Taijiquan is how to read a persons movements via the bridge hand. They all three systems have allot of very advanced ideas of principles.

Pakuaquan - also Baguazang, 20 years of study under the same instructor of Yang Taijiquan. Learned how to throw and attack using a version of clinching. The style of Pakua was Original Form.

Hsinyiquan - Learned it from the same person taught me Yang Taijiquan and Pakua studied it for about 20 years. Learned a more fluid way to constantly attack on the center line based fighting using stepping and everything is combined attacks in Hsingyiquan to me.

Boxing - Did it for some time but mainly do the interval workouts to stay in shape. Can not always find Gym that have boxing partners every where. So it would actually be hard to say how long trained in it did not always have someone to stay on top of it.

The last 2 years been without martial arts practices. Recently after getting up to 260 pounds have looked around for somewhere to train at. Found a BJJ/MMA school thinking seriously attending, instructor Mark Bradford. I have pretty much always used martial arts of some kind to stay in shape, never been in all that many fights. It is kinda like someone said to me that like when you have a dog as a child you often have one later as an adult, same with martial arts.

I do not consider myself a martial artist or a warrior, I do see it as being a player at martial arts though. Meaning I try not to take the martial arts to seriously, meaning at times I have been all I know martial arts I fight you type attitude but now I am a grownup. That being said I have at times wondered why I have kept doing it as an adult, I mean all the martial arts personality is more around the 14 year old kid thing. That is why even though I have taken karate before never liked the be a Japanese not American. The ranking system of Japanese martial arts I don't like it really does not speak to the level of the fighter in the system. I found in Chinese system that is taken out the ranking, you are assessed by how you practice on your own through the eye of the instructor and that allows you to learn more. That is the Chinese system seem to base your learning around how you are practicing on your own, there is no rank given just more knowledge is shared the more you practice and improve.

[Later]

At the moment I train B.I.F.F Escrima (have trained for five and half months). So far it has been really fun: I love those stick techniques and sparring with rubber knives is so exciting.

[Amato]

I'm 1º Dan in Krav Maga, and since I've started it i can't think about any other fight. It is simple, fast, useful and improves my reaction time ALLOT!

I did BJJ for a while but didn't liked it much, to much rules, needs a proper floor and cloth, and most of it is on the floor, so it's limited for real life use. So i looked up for a real fight, one with no rules, no special cloth, only pure defense offense techniques based on a fast option to neutralize or in some cases permanently disable the opponent. Then Krav came up, and since i started doing it i can't think on a better fight.

[Brand.N.J.]

Did 6 years of judo and total of 8 years Jiu Jitsu.
Wanted something more realistic and went to Shooto / Shootfighting.

After a while switched to Krav Maga, doin this 6 hours a week
( 3 days of 2 hours).
I am in the (Royal Netherlands)Marines and this realy is as realistic as combat (or a fight) gets. Im looking in to visiting Protect USA in Jerusalem and train there for a week or so. I currently train with someone that is teaching our special counter terrorism unit. We do a lot of scenario, multiple opponent and stress training/fighting. I realy have to say; this is some good sh*t:D

[tonymcclellan]

BJJ for six months last year. Now with school and work I am waiting for school to end to start again.

[Richmond]

I actually got my start in martial arts as a teen in the amateur / Golden Gloves boxing program in the 60s. I started I started Japanese martial arts with shito-ryu karate in 1973. My instructor was a student of Sensei Fumio Demura and in 1976 I graduated college and traveled to CA to train with Demura Sensei. I stayed for about a year, living in the dojo.

I am still with Demura Sensei 34 years later - which says more about his patience than my perserverence. Through him I have had a chance to meet and train with many of the legendary sensei of that generation - Enoeda, Kanazawa, Nishiyama, Mikami, Sato, Iwabuchi and the like.

Demura Sensei was a direct student of Shinken Taira, and we do Ryukyu kobudo in the Taira lineage - bo, ekubo, nunchaku, kama, tonfa, sai. I am a co-owner of our full time dojo.

In sword arts I started Toyama Ryu Batto-Do in 1991 under Demura Sensei and Ueki Sensei, president of the All Japan Batto-Do Federation. Toyama Ryu focuses heavily on use of a live blade in training as well as "proving" your technique through cutting targets. Several years ago, I was accepted into koryu study with Niina Gyosoke of Mugai Ryu. Mugai-Ryu includes training in wakizashi as well as katana. I do not hold rank or a teaching license in Mugai, but have permission to lead a study group of my senior Toyama Ryu students under the supervision of the North American director, "Big Tony" Alvarez of CA.

I teach sword arts a little differently than mainstream martial arts - perhaps more "old school". I limit students to 6. I typically require students to hold dan rank in another art - some drawn from our karate dojo, but I have also had students from aikido, etc. We focus on the sword syllabus - which is plenty, but we also do some cross training twice a week in ju jitsu and escrima with a LEO who is an instructor and long time friend.

I have my own private dojo on my property, so I am able to train daily. I do physical training - bodyweight, dumbells, kettlebells, sledgehammers, as well as hiking with a weight vest - 3X week, escrima/ju jitsu 2X week, JSA class 2X week, karate 2X week, plus some extra training on weekends. Several of my sword students live some distance away and come to stay for the weekend and train. Those weekends, we pretty much train and eat for the whole weekend!

[essa]

Sweet, how did the Kali silat go mate?
I used to do PD silat for many years before my instructor moved away.
I currently do traditional JJ.
Was very interested in Kali Silat but couldn't find anyone who taught where I lived. Practical martial arts in my country can only really be found in the city areas but not country.

[itachi_kisame]

currently taking muay thai (modern ring style)
hope to learn muay chaiya

from my experience i've learned that it is better to study and be good at one style first then to just randomly pick different ma in order to become well rounded. when you study your own art very carefully you'll find that they all teach grappling and ground fighting (some may teach it more/less than other styles). you will learn very quickly that some of the techniques that the miltary uses derive from some of these ancient arts. and why not? if you look at all martial arts most if not all were born out of war in order to protect oneself and/or others. I know they didn't have guns back then but, could you not use those same knife/sword disarming techniques for a gun in close quarters?

some other thoughts i have is that you don't need to buy these "real" street fight dvd's because like i said before all their doing anyways is using techniques and methods from other arts anyways, and maybe throwing in some of their own methods. your own art should be sufficient enough for you to stand your ground you just have to constantly practice, practice, practice!

in conclusion no one art is better than the other its all about the practitioner and how hard he/she practices and learning different styles shouldn't just be learned to be well rounded but to make-up for the weaknesses in your art. for ex. muay thai has many excellent leg and elbow techniques but is very weak when it comes to the hands and grappling so you'd probably have to look into boxing and various forms of grappling such as judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, etc. lastly you must have confidence in yourself others all you've learned and trained will be in vain.

once you've done the above its all about practice and hard training. anyways hope this helps and made sense

[itachi_kisame]

if someone understands what i'm trying to say pls. elaborate more for me if needed thanks on advance

[tonymcclellan]

On Human Weapon they were doing Sambo. That looks pretty cool.

[veganjkd]

I train Jeet kune do as part of the impact martial arts academy/magda institute association,under which i also train in Filipino kali,indonesian silat and gracie jiu jitsu.:D

[judojack]

Well, if you are in Tulsa, OK area, Triton Gym has a great BJJ program. Pete Wilhelm is a good instructor. I went there briefly. I wrestled in high school and have been doing Judo on and off since I was 8 and I learned a lot.

They have an awesome gym and he and his wife are great people. The only drawback is that Summer, Pete's wife, can be a tad gruff.

That said, if you are in HS and don't have access to a good MMA gym, I would stick to wrestling and get a heavy bag, a speed bag, and a double end bag.

Be sure to wrap your hands. :cool:

[Silumguy]

On Human Weapon they were doing Sambo. That looks pretty cool.

Yeah, Sambo looks awesome. I've always wanted to try it. 'Course I don't know how well that would work because I'm not a big guy (160 lbs).

[Dave.cyco]

I started with Kempo Karate when I was 14, but it was only sport karate. Still it laid the foundation of knowledge in basic kicking and striking techniques.

A few years and much strength and flexibility later, I took a look at Hap Ki Do for a couple weeks, and for all its merit as an exhaustive style which includes very powerful kicking, striking, and trapping/locking/throwing techniques, there was just way too much to learn and it would take years and years of practice to even become proficient, and I just didn't want to make Hap Ki Do my all.

I then moved on to kickboxing at age 26, mostly to test myself with the vigorous conditioning and because (at the time) I wanted to compete. I felt the instructor was second rate. Would you believe he condemned training both orthodox and southpaw stances, saying that he never knew a champion fighter who did both?

My weakness had always been (in my mind) grappling, since I had never done any to speak of, so I joined an informal groop of people practicing Jujutsu, Gracie style. I will be training with them periodically from now on. Probably one month on one month off, since they are a bit pricey to train with, but high quality workouts and small classes.

I don't really believe in styles anymore (to borrow a quote from Bruce Lee). I would rather find an art that focuses on my weak link, train it until I reach a level of competency that I can manage, and then reassess my strengths/weaknesses and start all over. This way I can develop all aspects of my fighting abilities in order to be proficient in all ranges (Shooting, Kicking, Striking, Trapping, Grappling).

I have it in my mind as well to some day take up Kobudo, since to my knowledge Tonfas are not illegal weapons, and they are quite powerful for both offense, and more importantly defense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQImb5j3eoM&feature=related

One last thing: To make up for the silly pulling your technique habits that were ingrained in me with sport karate I plan to construct and use a makiwara in the very near future.
http://www.karatetips.com/articles/howtomakeamakiwara.asp

[Hakon]

I train Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Capoeira at a freestyle martial arts school. (We practise most Kung Fu.)

[oki27]

Hi all,
I learn pencak silat since i was 6 year old. Then i practised taekwondo for 6 years and Kyokushin Karate for 3 years.

Now i train in traditional pencak silat (back to my basic :-) ), because it best suited to me

[Phoenician]

hey, i started my martial arts training about 3 months ago i'd say, and i was doing an MMA class, my instructor has a background in Goju, muay thai, judo/bjj, i believe he was competitive in all except grappling.

just last week, i tried for the first time a kickboxing/muay thai class, which was pretty good, like a few people have mentioned in here, i found it a little bit overwhelming at times learning all aspects of combat simultaneously, which is why i decided to focus just on striking for the meantime, and keep drilling all the grappling basics that i learned, like sprawling takedown defence, basic positional dominance, and basic submissions.

[Tgarber77]

I love Martial Arts. I try to train in every style that I can. If I had to pick an absolute favorite it would be difficult... maybe Filipino Kali. Because, all the footwork, hand movements, and stances easily translate to any situation. Be it empty hand, one stick, two sticks, a stick and a knife etc. etc.
:-x:cry::lol:

[emaun]

lets see.
My first ma is catch wrestling. did it sense i was a kid.
than technical street fighter.
Boxing mix with some Muay Thai.
right now im studying jeet kune do.
I am going to try tai chi because i always wanted to take it.

[demarcoa]

Yeah, Sambo looks awesome. I've always wanted to try it. 'Course I don't know how well that would work because I'm not a big guy (160 lbs).

Sambo is actually ideal for small guys. It uses leverage techniques like bjj does mixed with meaner stuff. Look at Brett Jacques or Scott Sonnon. Little guys, but champions in Sambo.

Oh and emaun, Tai Chi is wonderful just remember that as a martial art the emphasis is on the 'art' not the 'martial' aspect.

[Kanik]

Oh and emaun, Tai Chi is wonderful just remember that as a martial art the emphasis is on the 'art' not the 'martial' aspect.

I beg to differ. If you find a good tai chi instructer, than tai chi is the most hardcore, useful martial art I have ever done. Sadly my instructers just seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth :( But yeah, just to stress the point a lil further, I got more out of tai chi, than anything else I have ever done.

[demarcoa]

Obviously a master in any of the traditional arts would be pretty much undefeatable...

Here is a true master of Tai Chi Chu'an. This is not faked by the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSnUDkCQ0WU

after years of work, this master has become an expert at swiftly finding and dxploiting his opponents' center of gravity.

[EvilOne]

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[footsouljah]

hey guys,
ive been doing kyokushin karate for 11 years now, also a bit of kickboxing for 2-3 years and boxing the past year to help with speed and what not.
My fighting, probably due to the kyokushin, is very much centred around my legs, keeping balanced and stemming all power from my strikes from the ground up. I'm an average height, so ive learnt to really come in close

[knuckledragger74]

I have been training "mma" for lack of a better word. My instructor is very accomplished in brazillian jiu-jitsu , Tang-so-doo, savate, western boxing and kickboxing.We are a small school . we train gi on in the winter month's and pants and rashguard in summer it is more traditional oriented than sport oriented. I love it . One of our guys just got back from Bita Lima's school in Brazil.

[Ashiro]

Ju Jutsu.

Japanese - not BJJ.

[USMC machine]

Obviously a master in any of the traditional arts would be pretty much undefeatable...

Here is a true master of Tai Chi Chu'an. This is not faked by the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSnUDkCQ0WU

after years of work, this master has become an expert at swiftly finding and dxploiting his opponents' center of gravity.


:neutral:

Dragonball Z isn't fake either.

[EvilOne]

I like to keep my mouth shut, and suprise kick in the biscut:p:p:p

[demarcoa]

OK, that vid isn't something fantastical, although it does require a great deal of skill. Imagine fighting someone who's trying to balance on one leg, or on a tightrope. You can push them over pretty easily right? And everything they do will be slow, etc.

If you can find someone's center of gravity easily, then it is much the same. Keep in mind that the guy in the vid is someone with transcendent skills, there are only a handful of people on the planet who can do that, even after a lifetime of training. Obviously many will still doubt it, but oh well.

[SpartanKimura]

Muay Thai, BJJ and Wrestling.

[KVD990]

Ive been doing Uechi-Ryu Karate for almost 2 years and HS wrestling for soon to be 2 seasons. I love martial arts :)