Hey guys, Just wondering if anyone does any martial arts and what/where? I personally do Muay Thai at the Wicker Camp in Sheffield, and have just passed my B2 grading! - Tibs
I do Kung Nu and Combat Kempo, both rather small styles. (I know every blackbelt in the second on a first-name basis). They're both good, quite fun and a good workout.
I've been to Thailand 3 times, Muay Thai boxing is harsh. I once saw a fighter get knocked out with a knee to the face it looked painfull.
Yea our fighters from the Wicker Camp have had a few harsh fights. One of our fighters called Imran was over in Liverpool fighting a guy who had 180 fights under his belt and Imran has only 24, but Imran knocked him out. Thai Fighters from Thailand are a whole other breed though...
I'll chime in from across the pond, or several. I'm currently practicing Aikikai Aikido here in Japan. Been at it for a bit over a year now. I haven't done any of the official rank tests as I'm mainly just doing it for relaxation and a good workout. Until High school I studied Tae Kwon Do up until Green belt iirc and then Jujitsu in a traditional Japanese method focusing on the Aiki. TKD was fun for a teen but it was far too much of a sport once I got a bit older. Jujitsu was my favorite, mainly because of the instructors who were great. Unfortunately school and a social life got in the way of training. Last time I looked the school had closed down. Luckily Aikido is pretty world wide.
Another aikidokan here. But i study a very different style. Yoshinkan. It is much more military like in its training and breaking down of everything into set forms and style etc. I am ranked but rank has little to do with it and is not something i chase after. Having a black belt of any sort does not make you any good in a dangerous situation. Edit: thought i might add a bit of explaining. Different places grade for different reasons and at different levels. Full time dojos with full time paid teachers need money. They like paid gradings or rewarding people so they want to keep coming. This gets people up the ladder quickly. I heard of some people reaching black belt in under 2 years. To me this seems impossible, im looking at 10 years minimum. Even still you could have the best technique, and know all the moves of your style and still freak out in a real fight. Also there is not a perfect martial art. Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu is great for grappling but terrible for more than one opponent, aikido could be considered the reverse. Some martial arts don't even deal with breakfalls. They just assume you will never need to fall to the floor without breaking something. I best shut up now though, before i get going about competition ruining martial arts too
I'd pretty much agree with you dom_ I got soured to competition martial arts by the time I was 15 or so. Our TKD school was gearing up because of regional try outs for the Junior Olympics. There was never a worse time to be a student. Anyway, that's one of the reasons I switched to Jujitsu. My school was far from the Brazilian grappling styles. Emphasis on aiki/harmony with the attacker; though much more breaking and atemi than in aikido. At that time I felt that aikido was much too passive and soft. I still pretty much agree with my Jujitsu sensei that an attacker should be neutralized. One advantage I have to my current sensei is that I have experience being the attacker and am flexible enough to respond well. I'm the demonstration dummy in other words. I guess it is just a philosophical difference really. My jujitsu school had no need for competition because it was basically self-defense and fairly deadly. Aikido has no competition drive because of its fundamental philosophy. There are actually two schools of aikido taught here though I only attend one of the classes. they are Aikikai and Seifukai. Maybe it is just this area or a Japan thing, but they seem to be the dominant schools. My sensei studied at both the Aiki shrine where O-sensei died, and at the Aikido headquarters in Tokyo. According to her, Aikikai is the original school as taught by O-sensei. I'm sort of into tradition and doing things in a fundamental kind of way, so that appealed to me. I once tried to get into the idea of self-defense or attack arts like Krav Maga, but after one class I was fairly well convinced that a) I would never train hard enough to be in as good of shape as those guys and b) I didn't ever need to be
Anyone else find the barrier to entry difficult? I hate starting new things in general but I want to learn a martial art again (I did Judo til I was 12, got to a high orange belt but was then so small and light and ended up fighting guys 3/4 years older and several inches taller. I just got my arse kicked cause people would pick me up and throw me around with one arm), but don't know how to source a good one and don't really know where to start :/ I've been meaning to for at least 3 years. I want to learn something useful and hand-to-hand but also enjoy my teeth in my mouth and not looking like I've been run over. I meet manufacturers very often and it's important I don't appear broken.
Well Aikikai is what O-Sensei taught before he died. But is not the only original. Yoshinkan is the other. As O-Sensei stopped teaching Shioda sensei started in the style O-Sensei taught at the time. Which was a much harder style than Aikikai. This stayed the same and became Yoshinkan. O-Sensei then started teaching again but changed his style as his power increased so it was much softer. This is Aikikai. As for you Bindibadgi, Judo is pretty much useless as a martial art, it is a sport now. Around a third of judo moves are taught now as the rest are unsafe in competition. The style of competition also makes real use almost impossible. Its terrible training, training for competition. Look into Aikido maybe? It wont kill you to try. Remember to choose a style that suits you though. In Aikido or anything. You obviously want something unlike kick boxing so scrap that etc. You will find the right one for you. It may take 1 session at one place or a few months at many places before you try it. "Perseverance conquers all"
Hmmm... I've been wanting to take something up for a while, but never got around to it. My GF took up Jujitsu a couple of years ago for her Duke Of Edinburgh award and is actually really talented, she's up to purple already and usually goes once a week on a saturday all day. I'll probably take up the University Jujitsu/Ninjitsu (was told I'd be good at it by a sensei, but never did anything about it).
Used to to TKD a while back when I was about 14 or so, got into it 'cos a friend of mine convinced me to try it out, had some great guys there. Did it for a few years but gave it up in the end. If anything else it was bloody good exercise, probably the most I've ever done in my life, probably had something to do with me turning from a chubby kid into a skinny kid I'd love to take up a marital art again, I'd love to do something weapony as well, wouldn't mind learning Tai Chi as well. As I said above, it's great for exercise, even if you don't become a talented fighter.
Tai Chi is good, as long as you get a Tai Chi for Self Defense class, not Tai Chi for Seniors. All those nice slow movements do all kinds of nasty things when done fast, and the hundreds of repetitions mean you're insanely accurate. Aside from that, how hard-core a school is depends more on the school itself than on the style. Don't be afraid to shop around, if the first school you find isn't what you're after.
I took Yagyu Shin-Kage Ryu Kenjutsu in college, but after a major accident, I'm not what I was. I'm still deadly with a blade, my hands, and anything i find in them, but I'm no longer able to dual wield or anything else cool, just one sword, one hand, and not as fast. Too bad they don't do kenjutsu for the handicapped...
I've done 5years of ninjitsu got down to 7que [greenbelt] and thoroughly enjoyed it taking a break at the moment to improve climbing and kitesurfing skills will join back when i move close to my dojo. Can whole heartly recomend it, did it 4times a week 2hours at time for 5 years will pick it up again once I move . Where - Portsmouth. Andy Thomas of the Portsmouth martal arts center, off albert road in southsea .
ive done TKD for about 8 years. gold medal at the jr olympics and a bunch of state gold medals and a bunch of other medals from local tournaments. I agree though with tkd being more of a sport. while ive learned a lot of stuff there i havent learned much that would help out in a real fight.
