Help me pick a martial art

[jthegreat]

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Aikido, like most TMAs, is practiced with a cooperating opponent. Thus, in a "real fight" when your opponent isn't cooperating with you, most TMA'ers get their ass handed to them.


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I don't know what styles you're talking about, but what I studied was nothing like this.

[cbloom]

OP : you should find a good teacher/class and do what's fun for you. The truth is the exact style doesn't matter that much, and the schools/teacher differ a lot. I highly recommend a school that focuses on sparring, not forms. You want to spend your class time fighting, not standing around listening.

I did Wing Tsun seriously for about 5 years. (similar to Wing Chun but a slightly different branch with minor style differences). I had a school/teacher I liked; I moved to a different town and the teacher sucked, I never would have done it there, so it varies a lot. The emphasis was entirely on practical training, and we trained a lot of other styles to learn them and how to fight against them. I've sparred with experts in many styles, and to me there is nothing that comes close to touching hands with an export in WT/WC. (I've sparred with Emin Boztepe and Leung Ting among other). They feel like water, you just can't touch them - every punch/move, they slip away, and suddenly their hand is in your eyes, your throat, your groin.

That said, I thing WT/WC doesn't do much for you at first. You have to actual train and practice for years to get the feel. Proper WT/WC comes from long practice of "Chi Sau", which develops soft muscle reaction. Those who know the history know that WT/WC was developed as the "easy to learn" Kung Fu, in that it could be mastered in only a few years, as opposed to animal styles which take 10+ years to master. Also, Kung Fu was really developed to be used against opponets armed with blades, so that trading blows is unacceptable, you can't just lie on your back like a Jiu Jitsu fighter because someone with a sword will chop you up; you have to block/dodge their blows and criple them. Obviously in a fight with gloves, etc. different styles will be optimal.

Also, the point of modern day martial arts practice is not really to become a "killing machine" and anyone who judges it that way is being foolish, because that's not the goal. If you want to be a killing machine, spend a lot of time working out and fighting in high-contact sparring. Martial arts are about the training, the history, the technique.

I like Sambo/Sombo too because it's totally practical and they've worked out techniques for various situations (opponents armed in different ways). It's very hard to find a good school in the US, though.

[cbloom]

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The universal problem with all Oriental martial arts is that they heavily emphasize cultural BS which is not necessary when learning to fight. There is nothing wrong with this if you want to learn and enjoy as a hobby, but when it comes to fighting, I want to avoid the bowing, the uniforms, useless ancient weapons and instead get real.


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This is totally not true about Wing Tsun or a lot of other styles, so you are totally generalizing in an unrealistic way. It is true about some styles, but it's more just a matter of the school/teacher, so if you like that stuff or not you can choose the school that's right for you. A lot of MMA teachers will have you stand around a lot and watch them demonstrate, which is equally lame. Any school that doesn't have you sparring in realistic situations is a bad school in my book.


RichS got it totally right that the #1 attribute to have in a real fight is to get punched in the face and stay calm, keep your eyes open, keep thinking and continue. It's a lot like poker - the real winners are the ones that can take an awful "bad beat" and stay on their A game. If you close your eyes and turn away from your attacker, you're doomed. Experience with real contact sparring is the only thing that can get you used to that. Someone with experience in real fights is definitely going to have an edge over someone who's just trained.

[phydaux]

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Thanks for all the helpful replies. It seems there are a lot of differing opinions. I think Im going to try Judo, and then maybe move into some brazilian ju jitsu after that. I have a few more questions. If I did this for the next 3 months or so, for roughly 5 hours a week would I:

a. learn something that might help if I ever were to get into a fight (Im not planning on it, and I realize that if I ever get into a fight with a badass dude Im going to lose either way)
b. enjoy it
c. get a good workout

Is there another option out there that would better prepare me for a fight? Thanks again.

-Evan

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Judo will definitly give you a good total body workout. If you're in to sports in general, then the compatition aspect of Judo, going to and participating in tournaments and such, should appeal to you.

As to how good you're going to get after just three months, well, that depends on how much of an athlete you already are.

And for protecting yourself, I stand by my statement - Only arts where you regularly practice with fully resisting opponents will in any way help you if you are called on to defend yourself in the street. That means Judo, BJJ, Sambo, Muai Thai, western boxing and darn few others. I can't speak to Kung Fu San Shou, although I've heard good things about that as well.

Where in the Bay are you? San Fran? Daily City? Alameda? Berkley? Freemont? Reply and I can try to find you a Judo Dojo near you.

[Ray Zee]

richs has it right. so pick judo. its gets you in shape and you can throw the drunk away from you and the real bad guy run from. you are not going to out hit a street fighter at all. get it in your head. go to blows with a street fighter and most black belts will lose. after two seconds you are both on the ground and he is ripping parts of your body off even if you stop him you lose big time. and most times he will have some weapon to use that you didnt see.
but for self defense learn to use various weapons, and how to use any convenient object for one. you would be surprised at who you can disable in a flash with any piece of wood 4 inches long, a magaazine, pencil, car keys,or the knife you carry and know how to open it as you are drawing it from you pocket unseen.
forget about fighting and assuming a martial arts stance. first time you do someone will pull a gun and shoot you knowing that his life is in danger from a trained killer. end of fight.

[cbloom]

some of these with Emin are okay :
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/selfdefense/videos.html

http://www.wtkungfu.dk/?show=galleri6

"Movie #2" is okay
http://www.wingtjun.nl/teevee.html

These guys kind of suck, but it's funny for the room they're in (!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ0EAhB8B...arts%20fighting

This is decent chi sau demo :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeqOCTVsB...arts%20fighting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85sGwakiD...arts%20fighting

Meh, there's a lot more at youtube, I love fighting videos.

[Frills]

thugjitsu pwns

[Biloxi]

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If you want to learn something simple and effective, Jeet Kune Do is a good choice. I took a lot of Isshinryu with Kempo weapons and Judo throws, which was beneficial.

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A fellow isshinryu brother! Did you do the forearm toughening exercise? That was a bitch
We did alot of real life situations, unlike what some say about it.

JKD is a good option if you have quick reflexes. Go with more submission/grapple if you are strong