Thinking of taking up a martial art...

[Xordium]

Well I've done Muay Thai (including a rather painful trip to Thailand), BJJ, Judo, Karate, Aikido, Boxing and I started off in Koshti. All of which can be learned slowly with all the other beginners who are frightened of making a fool of themselves.

Where are you in the country - might help us point you in the direction of a good club irrespective of the style/discipline. Also what your goal is - fitness or self defense etc. Having actually had to do some close combat in the Army I can tell you that most of the above is pretty useless and it was small joint manipulation I learned in Aikido that saved my *** - but most people will say Aikido sucks for self defense. If I had to advise you to take one it would be boxing - good footwork and cardiovascular fitness is then applicable to any other martial arts and you'll get this in abundance and any sort of wrestling/judo will give you great strength but with judo you have to be careful as there are some very good and some very bad teachers out there. I have heard good things of Krav Maga but I doubt my body could take that these days

 

[Col_M]

A few of my friends go to Systema training and they love it, I've been meaning to go but I haven't found time yet.

I did a bit of Karate when I was a kid but after a few lessons I didn't get on with it, it was more of a sport with rules and etiquette, I was looking for something more along the lines of fight dirty, incapacitate the attacker so they won't get back up anytime soon and take advantage of that to run away.

 

[Xordium]

I was looking for something more along the lines of fight dirty, incapacitate the attacker so they won't get back up anytime soon and take advantage of that to run away.

You don't need to go anywhere to do that you just do THIS

 

[Kavalree]

The place that does these classes near me is http://www.umacrewe.co.uk/ so I shall have a wonder in next time I'm up town and enquire. Thanks for the pointers and advise.

 

[hurfdurf]

That place should be OK, it will at least keep you fit and it looks like it will allow sparring.

 

[Xordium]

The place that does these classes near me is http://www.umacrewe.co.uk/ so I shall have a wonder in next time I'm up town and enquire. Thanks for the pointers and advise.

Maybe have a look here too: http://www.theukama.org/contact.php

 

[Van Hellseek]

Do Aikido. Then you can keep fit without hurting people!

Somehow I expect that isn't what you want though...

 

[hurfdurf]

Do Aikido. Then you can keep fit without hurting people!

Somehow I expect that isn't what you want though...

And you won't be able to hurt people who attack you in the street either, you will be keeping fit whilst learning nonsense and how exactly not to fight or defend yourself.

 

[Redz]

I've posted this before, but it's worthy of a repost.

http://cosmicfighting.atspace.com/

In 1976, George Salusbury was abducted by an UFO. Having spent 11 years on the aliens' planet, he acquired the knowledge of a revolutionary fighting system -- Grand Celestial Do : The Fighting Art of the Cosmos.

 

[Xordium]

Do Aikido. Then you can keep fit without hurting people!

Somehow I expect that isn't what you want though...

You can seriously hurt someone with Aikido - it's like all the people who say Karate is a sport. I'd like to see them last a few minutes in Kyokushin. Aikido is a very good self-defense art when practiced properly - is it applicable in MMA with no small joint manipulation, wearing gloves and no concrete floor - then no it is not but give me all the those and mistime your kick or punch and you are going face first into concrete at high-speed with a couple of fingers and a shoulder being dislocated en-route.

 

[Banzai_Joe]

Another "which is best" thread eh? Always good for a laugh.
Spent of over 24 years studying martial arts, and i've taken the good from all that i've tried and dismissed what i found useless.
I'll not argue points but i have to counter this remark:
"boxing the best self defense"...really? How would a boxer evade/block a low kick? Boxers have one weapon, hands. And if they fail to connect, they're done for.
I've only been in one real fight when out, and after spending years studying aikidio and kick-boxing, it was a leg sweep (kick-boxing) that floored the assailant, then when he got up and him and a friend attacked me it was aikido movements that avoided them when they rushed at me....lol....and banged into each other.
Then....i got arrested (wth?) but that's another story.

Every art has its merits......you just have to find them.....and its not likely to be a short journey either. One technique that you think rocks in the dojo, may not work on every different kind of attacker.

I laugh when folk say "xxxis is rubbish, you'll get killed in the street!"
Its NEVER the art that fails, but the artist.
Someone suggested to me that kendo was useless in the street if you are empty handed. I proved them otherwise when i moved forward so quickly and entered their 'space' that they didn't know what to do after that. They certainly couldn't kick me, which was their only real weapon tbh.

Find an art that you have an interest in anyway, otherwise it will be a long, hard journey for you. If you can enjoy it, you'll learn much quicker and be able to adapt much better.

 

[hurfdurf]

You can seriously hurt someone with Aikido - it's like all the people who say Karate is a sport. I'd like to see them last a few minutes in Kyokushin. Aikido is a very good self-defense art when practiced properly - is it applicable in MMA with no small joint manipulation, wearing gloves and no concrete floor - then no it is not but give me all the those and mistime your kick or punch and you are going face first into concrete at high-speed with a couple of fingers and a shoulder being dislocated en-route.

Is this something you practice on people on a regular basis in training? How many people have you seriously hurt doing so, it must be all the time? How do you train with your small joints so brutally injured every training session when you practice?

 

[hurfdurf]

Sorry but that is totally wrong, I did Tae Kwon Do for many years and it teaches you good technique among other things

I now do kick boxing and my Tae Kwon Do training has really paid off, you're also not going to learn much about self defence from something like Muay Thai

Not saying Muay Thai is bad, I really like it but saying other styles will get you hurt is plain wrong

Every Tae Kwon Do gone Kickboxer I have ever spoken to personally or heard of, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan and Bas Rutten, both say their time in Tae Kwon Do was a massive waste of time in retrospect. Yes it taught them discipline, yes it taught them how to kick, but with really bad impractical form, and transferring to having to defend punches to the head was massive.

I think it was Bas that said that give someone 6 months in a high level kickboxing gym, they would destroy someone who had done Tae Kwon Do for 3 years.

 

[Van Hellseek]

You can seriously hurt someone with Aikido - it's like all the people who say Karate is a sport. I'd like to see them last a few minutes in Kyokushin. Aikido is a very good self-defense art when practiced properly - is it applicable in MMA with no small joint manipulation, wearing gloves and no concrete floor - then no it is not but give me all the those and mistime your kick or punch and you are going face first into concrete at high-speed with a couple of fingers and a shoulder being dislocated en-route.

I'm sure you can, but I thought the whole concept was about protecting the wellbeing of your attacker?

Aikido (合気道 Aikidō?) is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy"[1] or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."[2] Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.[3][4]

 

[hurfdurf]

Another "which is best" thread eh? Always good for a laugh.
Spent of over 24 years studying martial arts, and i've taken the good from all that i've tried and dismissed what i found useless.
I'll not argue points but i have to counter this remark:
"boxing the best self defense"...really? How would a boxer evade/block a low kick? Boxers have one weapon, hands. And if they fail to connect, they're done for.

I would not say Boxing was the best self defence system, but its massively more useful than something like Aikido which is all fake made up nonsense.

First off how many self defence situations start off with, or even involve a leg kick, let alone one thrown by a competent leg kicker.

Secondly boxing sparring builds fantastic fitness, movement and handspeed. It also builds up a tolerance to getting hit and reacting to being hit. The nonsense martial arts do not involve this latter, massive part of fighting, normally with some nonsense excuse like "oh these moves are so dangerous we cannot practice them at full speed, so we will do it at half speed so you can learn the technique".

 

[hurfdurf]

I'm sure you can, but I thought the whole concept was about protecting the wellbeing of your attacker?

I doubt he can, I am sure he thinks he can because he has done it in practice time and time again, but reality is completely different.

 

[howler]

hurfdurf - Have you actually ever done any martial arts?

 

[hurfdurf]

hurfdurf - Have you actually ever done any martial arts?

Yea, a fair bit.

 

[Mat]

Every art has its merits......you just have to find them.....and its not likely to be a short journey either. One technique that you think rocks in the dojo, may not work on every different kind of attacker.

I laugh when folk say "xxxis is rubbish, you'll get killed in the street!"
Its NEVER the art that fails, but the artist.

Find an art that you have an interest in anyway, otherwise it will be a long, hard journey for you. If you can enjoy it, you'll learn much quicker and be able to adapt much better.

Finally, someone smart with their head on straight!

Every Tae Kwon Do gone Kickboxer I have ever spoken to personally or heard of, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan and Bas Rutten, both say their time in Tae Kwon Do was a massive waste of time in retrospect. Yes it taught them discipline, yes it taught them how to kick, but with really bad impractical form, and transferring to having to defend punches to the head was massive.

I think it was Bas that said that give someone 6 months in a high level kickboxing gym, they would destroy someone who had done Tae Kwon Do for 3 years.

...and the smart / dum balance is restored... :/

Bad, impractical form is firstly the fault of the practitioner themselves and secondly the fault of the instructor; if they dont fully understand a technique they will teach it badly.

Martial arts of every kind have survived and evolved because of their effectiveness in the hands of a well trained practitioner. I don't have time for narrow minded fools who rate one against the other. That is borne out of ignorance and having a closed mind, neither of which are attributes that are becoming of a good and successful student.

 

[howler]

It really doesn't sound like it the way you talk, most people I know that have done more than one martial art understand the different qualities that you gain from each

You seem to have your blinkers on