Any Martial Artists Here?

if a guy jumps on you and your rolling on the ground with him will your training help you?
I have exactly the same thoughts
I've watched quite a few video clips where Tae Kwon Do guys look fine until they are taken down and you can imagine
I have seen such clips also ;)

what did I have in mind? I was thinking of ju jitsu (sp)
I'm gona ask my instructor if there's any hapkido club in Latvia
 
my master has trained me in the art of bushidou. plus other forms and is now teaching me the art of the mind.
 
Hey Cory.

Tai Chi Chuan is the art I currently studying. You will not do any sparing for a long time (A very long time). Push hands is leared after you have learned to root. The movements can be a beautiful expresion and the fighting techinques are extremly powerfull. Great for healing injuries it has been recomended to to Tai chi to heal your self before doing Pa Kua. (Apperently circle walking takes alot out of you. Ei: The tendon injuries as a resault of external arts. When I train there is not a day that goes by where I do not realize the geniues of the arts. Not only is it a fighting art but a comprehensive health system. Taijiquan us hard on the out side and soft on the inside.

Pa Kua Chuan
Trinity boxing....this art is based on the I-Ching (Book of Changes). This art fluidly combines all martial techinques. Circle Walking was used for about 5000 years in Daoist monistaries. This arts is know to be pretty effective agains multiple opponents. What can I say about this art..it kicks serious ass. I am still trying to find a teacher for this gonna go talk to him next week.

Go to http://energyarts.com/hires/indexed.html
Chi Kung or Qi Gong

If you study any internal art they should have chi gung included. but it can't hurt to learn more.

Hsing Yi Chuan
Five elements fist. One of the more harder internal forms. Great art icannot deny that and I plan to look into it some time soon. They are hard on the out side soft ont he inside the opposite of taijiquan. Hsing Yi is originaly a military art (to the best of my knowledge)

I understand over the years that many have flocked to martial arts for self defense and exercise. Allot of people I have met simply build until they believe they have enough. It seems like Karate and TKD are the worst for this. Not to be insulting but alot of them seem to have become a watered down version of their former selfs. Allot of them have become buisness. I can't stand the idea of being taught martial arts by a buisness.

Does anyone here think the belt system is even necessary?
I also must admit that my Shotokan Sensei was far more influential than the two TKD instuctors I worked with. He was more philosophical and taugh the meaning behind the form. It appeared to me that the TKD instructors were doing just that, instructing. Whereas my Shotokan Sensei was more of a mentor.

I would tend to agree there. I think anyone who teaches martial arts should also teach thier philosophy before teaching how to hurt some one. It is lie giving a child a gun before he realizes that other people are alive and hurt as well. With out the understanding and wisdom of the arts they seem to be little more then glorified violence. The difference between a soldier and a warrior.

The principles of the arts I study vary depending on which one you're talking about, and in what sense you mean 'principles'. Do you mean the fighting principles? The moral?
I mean talk about the art. The stories, the lesons, the ideas, the heart. As well as the principles behind the movement.

Martial Craftsperson or Martial Artist.

A martial craftsperson will work on his art untill he deems it to be "good enough"

A martial artist however will train with all his passion his skill and will. Every movement is an expresion from the core of his being.

Which are you?

(Notme I will defy you!!!) Ei:Not gonna do it LMAO
 
The site seems kinda wierd. Is it online training you are trying to do? I personally alwasy go and speak to the teacher. One to see If he has really martial skill, find out the names of his teachers and to see if your personalities are compatible.
 
Does anyone here think the belt system is even necessary?

Not entirely, but in today's society, and for most of the systems that it is used extensively in, yes. Children who do TKD and adults who do it as more of a recreational activity than hand-to-hand combat training value the encouragement and the recognition of progress they get.

Personally, I wouldn't really mind wearing a white belt as long as I did martial arts - as the quote goes, all the belt does it hold your pants up - the rest you have to back up yourself.

In terms of practical combat-training, there has to be some 'measure' or outward indictator of rank/experience. Not only does it follow with tradition, but it's logical that rank should be designated so that you know who to direct your questions to.

Sure, the belt system is vastly over-emphasized and the term 'Black-Belt' has lost much of it's meaning, but this doesn't really affect real-world training.

--

Empty Dragon - personally, I would be hesitant to call Tai Chi a martial art, quite frankly. I would say that it is more of a recreational activity, not to mention an art form, with some martial aspects and application. But I wouldn't call it a martial art.

I have no problem with people who do Tai Chi for what it is, and appreciate and emphasize the better aspects of Tai Chi. But it sounds to me like you think that it is a realistic and practical form of self defense. 'the fighting techniques are extremly powerfull'. In reality, Tai Chi won't really help you in a fight - take it from me. Tai Chi is a million miles away from realistic combat training.

Not trying to bash Tai Chi, just poiting that out...

-Distortion
 
I used to do Tai Chi Chuan... :p
I Loved to play with my sword...
MUAHAHAHA...:D:eek::bugeye::rolleyes::cool::m:

[Homer-like]
Huuuummm... art of the mind... :p
[/Homer-like]
 
Originally posted by Empty Dragon
The site seems kinda wierd. Is it online training you are trying to do? I personally alwasy go and speak to the teacher. One to see If he has really martial skill, find out the names of his teachers and to see if your personalities are compatible.

No, the online training you see is just for support in your spare time. I will check it out myself first. Most of the styles seem to be once a week except for Long Fist which is three times a week. I will take what ever has the most lessons a week. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Ju-Jitsu is great for what it does - but unfortunately all it does is grappling, really.

Sure, you'll be able to take 1 person on IF you can manage to take them down.

If, however you are faced with multiple opponents, weapons, or the guy is a knowledgable stand-up fighter, you're screwed.

-Distortion
 
Distortion,
Do you do any martial arts yourself or just the art of destroying others' love of a martial arts?
 
If you had read the thread, it would be quite obvious that I do martial arts - extensively.

I don't mean to 'destroy' anyone's love of martial arts, I'm just pointing out things about them that the person might want to know if they're looking for practical self-defense.

There are more well rounded arts, but jujitsu is great in combination with a striking art.

-Distortion
 
I apologize. But what if someone were to do more than one style? So where one is lacking, they make up for it in another?
 
have no problem with people who do Tai Chi for what it is, and appreciate and emphasize the better aspects of Tai Chi. But it sounds to me like you think that it is a realistic and practical form of self defense. 'the fighting techniques are extremly powerfull'. In reality, Tai Chi won't really help you in a fight - take it from me. Tai Chi is a million miles away from realistic combat training.
I once thought the same way.

Tai Chi started with Chen style it was used for combat and was highly effective. After Yang Lu-chan left the chen village with his art he became trainer of the imperial guards. Too say that it is not an effective fighting style is a product of shallow knowledge of the art. Granted there are many who do it strictly for health and logitevity, who obviously cannot fight. Taiji is an amazing fighting art. In the first year of internal arts you will learn the highest levels of external art. I do not mean to be insulting, but there is a saying in Internal martial arts. "External arts are for hurting women and children". They are extremly limited.

You spoke earlier about multiple opponents. I agree it would depend on the fighting level of the opponent. Only eight opponents can attack you at once (assuming they do not have long spear). If you can fluidly deal with the instantaneous changes what is the issue. For that you would need a state of wui-wei, obvious kung-fu (Skill), a lose and untensed body.

External martial arts tend to rely on muscle strength while internal arts rely on a complete conection of the body and internal power. Tensing your muscles will only slow you down. You can strike just as effectivly with out tension. So why waste the effort?

You are a grappler you should understand the importance of being lose and formless. Form changes to hold onto it is foolish. Why become ridged when you can easily yield and return the same force upon him?

Do not draw conclusions on something you do not understand. Shallow perceptions are misleading.
 
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And I add to what Empty said...

Tai Chi is basically composed of about 3 or 4 movements. In the first you just lift you hands and bend your knees, simply like that. The others in the middle are too hard for me to explain. The last one is the opposite of the first, to close.

What is interesting in Tai Chi is that the whole martial arts is based on those first little movements, with some variations of course. There are other movements that are more advanced, but those are enough for many years of trainment.

The power of Tai Chi is resided in the energy that moves within, not without. The basic concept is that you use your opponent's energy against him. You simply move yourself in a way that your opponent's energy might turn to himself. It is like if someone would jump to you and you would move aside and let him fall flat with the nose on the ground (somewhat)... :D

It is all about the internal energy. When you do it slowly, it moves the energy and helps you to memorize it in your heart (it becomes natural to you, you don't need to think to move). When you get familiarized enough you can each speeds that you would never imagine.

There are also many weapons that make Tai Chi even more powerful for fighting. Basically, there are movements in Shao Li where you cut someone in two pieces from the head to the legs!!

There was some ancient warriors that could fight an entire army with the Shao Li sword. It was pretty incredible to watch him... :eek:

Tai Chi is extremely powerful. Tai Chi is nothing innofensive (unless you do it just for a few years...). Many people have wrong ideas about Tai Chi just because it is slow... :bugeye: But appearence does not reflect Truth... :)
 
To add his words about muscle and internal power... some internal teaching of Tai Chi...

A tree that seems very strong and hard can be easily broken by a strong wind, but the grass and the willow never brakes with the wind, it just flows with it. Where is the real strengh? When the grass dies and flowers wither, they become hard and breaks easily. Where is real life?

Real strengh and real energy come from flexibility and gentleness. It comes from the capacity of flow and adapt easily, without hardship. That's real strengh.
 
each person has his unique fighting style and feeling.
I couldn' t do Tai Chi I think because I put my entire strenght and power in just a few tenths of seconds, when I do many many hits and combinations. If by then the opponent isn't to the ground then I' m screwed because then I would have exausted all my energy.. My instructor doesn' t allow me to do that on tournaments, because it's not sportical (you know- humble olympic princip - honour your opponent etc) blah- when I'm into it, I completly give myself away - that doesn' t mean that I hit not watching where- no all is thought of and a bit of intuition.
lol- I've been said that then I look completelly insane and out of my mind lol :D whatever
what I wanted to say with this is that slow, gentle motion isn' t my method , which is extreme speed when I expense all my energy in some 30 secs.
maybe it isn't good from the logical side, I would like other artists to comment on that, but that is how I like to fight
 
Empty Dragon,

I trained for about 4 years (I think..) 2 years of those I did sword.
Unfortunatly I had to stop cause it got hard to go... too far away...
 
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