What is your Preferred Martial Art and Why?

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Anthony

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Hello Everyone,

I am 32 years old, fairly good shape, and very experienced in the use of firearms, but am now considering the practice of a martial arts. What I am looking for is internal as well as external. I'm not looking for a quick fix seminar, but an art that can become a part of my life. Before starting, I want to hear from some of our experienced board members who practice martial arts...

What martial art do you practice? How long have you studied it?

Why do you personally prefer it to other arts? Why do you feel it is superior?

Is there another art you would like to study as well in the future? Why?

Do you know of any qualified sensi in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?

Thank you for the input.

- Anthony
 
Hello Anthony,

It's been a while since this you posted, but here goes..

I'm 51. I started MA's when I was 14 or so. Over time, with changes in careers and the need to relocate, I had a chance to experience several.
First, Tae-Kwon-Do (age 14), then Hapkido (age 18), then Shotokan (age 32), then again Tae-Kwon-Do (age 37), then Shodokan (age 39), then finally again Hapkido (age 40+). All had their +/-'s. For what it's worth, the variations learned in Hapkido...punches + kicks + grappling + joint-breaking + takedowns....always seemed the most fun for me.
 
Anthony, i am 24 been doing ma since 14. i did a lot of akido and tang soo do, kickboxing, judo, jujuitsu(spelling). they are all fun. what do you want to get out of it?

if you wnat traditional arts go with tangsoodo or kungfu or tkd etc. if you want to defend yourself and kickass then take kickboxing, and mix martial arts fighting. if you take mix martial arts fighting you will learn how to defend yourself. both are good the reason i do the traditional or learn a style is because i want to understand the meaning behind them. i want to know the history about them. what each move symbollyies(spelling). now if you do the fighting systems you will learn to defend yourself a lot faster.

i will be taking boxing so i can get fast with my hands.
 
I studied Tae Kwon Do, Boxing, Aikido, and a little Judo. I think you need a good combo of striking and grappling, If you can find a school that teaches it take mixed martial arts (combo of kickboxing and judo) or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for self defense. Don't get me wrong, I liked Tae Kwon Do and Aikido, but that is more of the classical martial arts, you learn Katas, you wear a uniform, and it take a long time before your good enough to use it effectively in a street fight. I took a year of Tae Kwon Do when I was a teenager and still wasn't the best fighter. I took 4 one hour self defense classes with a judo instructor and I can basically put almost anybody on the ground that grabs me. While I believe the more classical martial arts training is good for kids, because they learn discipline, learn a new culture, etc, as an adult I would go right for the MMA,"Self Defense" or No-Gi street fighting courses, taught at some judo schools. It's more hands on, and you'll learn your basic punching, kicking, blocking moves pretty quickly (there is punching and kicking in judo) plus you know what to do if someone grabs you an you can't hit him, or is someone is on top of you.
 
I spent alot of time learning from a gentleman by the name of Frank Perry years ago. He was trained in Shotokann to a black belt and the first fight he got into he got his butt kicked big time.

Frank thought that he should look at all ways of fighting so he studied alot of different martial arts and acheived black belts in all he studied. He spent a lifetime learning and practicing martial arts.

Frank came up with a art he called Wu Ying Dao meaning "your own way" He developed around you what you are best at to give you a chance in a fight. He never went into what style is best just into making you able to defend yourself with what you can learn and use.

To increase his knowledge he went to China to study under schools that few Americans would ever get a chance at. First couple of years he came back with knowledge in fighting and fitness that was outstanding. He begain taking students with him to China.

Well Tianin Square happened and he and his students got caught in country and it took a month and alot of crap happened before they got out. The plane they left in had bullet holes in it.

I saw Frank after his adventure and noticed he was carrying a gun everywhere he went ( remember this guy is really good at martial arts) and I asked him why. He said he learned it from his China adventure, he now carries a gun.

My point of view is simple, you can't keep up the physical abilities it takes to be good at the arts but you can remain physicaly fit. I spend the time and money in shooting which I know works for self defense and keep fit enough to always see my belt buckle without a mirror:eek: :eek:

25
 
+1 for Model 25

I think your friend Frank Perry, Bruce Lee, and most of the premier fighters in the UFC learned that you got to master and combine several different styles. You will never be truly intellegent if you focus only on one subject. The reason why I stopped taking Tae Kwon Do was that I took a wicked beating myself. I could not understand it, I could break a board at head level with a roundhouse kick but I could not beat the high school bully? Later I learned it was more mental then physical. I bounced from place to place picking up the skills I need and made them my own.
 
Tae Kwon Do, mixed with a smidgeon of Boxing, and a slathering of Grappling(Brazil)

I've got limited training in each of these styles...The grappling has been the most used, and needed throughout my life. I like keys and locks if you get my drift:) ...It's pretty hard to effectively fight with a broken arm, knee, or choke hold applied. Favorites, triangle choke, and rear naked choke. I put two guys down with the rear naked triangle choke over the years, beatiful thing to see the opponent just go to sleep, while wheezing for air:)...
 
Differing body types means too much time and effort will be wasted learning moves you will never use in a fight. You wear out your body for nothing and with age your joints will remind you how stupid a night of a thousand kicks was.

Your body grows old but your trigger finger will work good enough for a long time:D :D

25
 
my instructor had different black belts. he is a 5 degree in tangsoodo. a second degree blackbelt in akido, and black belt in kungfu. and he learned pressure points from someone. he taught us the traditional way to preserve the arts but he did have another class to his students that had the maturity to understand what he was showing and that is could really hurt people. he taught us where to use pressure points. ground fighting. i lot of everything to be well mixed. and we would sparr against boxers and such. to develop our skills. he would show us pressure points, and at the same time deminstrate on us how it feels. if he showed us a choke he would choke us so that we can understand that what you are doing can be dangerous. i loved it. if we did not understand to concept or if some were not metally prepared then he would not show them.
 
he toomany, i love chokes too.:eek:

i have gotten people in an armbar before. if i am out numbered for some reason or another i will be kicking groans and knee caps.:eek:

i have used my flashlight 6in maglight to many times.:D

i have had some training in kali so i am alright with the escrima.
 
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I'm 27.

I have studied karate (shotokan) since I was 12 years old.

For about 2 years, I did some cross-training with a good friend in aikido and jiu-jitsu.

Between all that and the realization that I can't dodge a bullet (yet :p ) and a reliable handgun, I feel pretty good about my prospects for self defense. Haven't had to test it out, yet, either, which means I am using the best weapon I've got - my brain.
 
Q. What martial art do you practice? How long have you studied it?

A. I have studied Kenpo Karate mixed with Thai Kickboxing for about 4.5 years, and discontinued training a few months ago when school and work butted it out of the schedule. I did gain my black belt just before I had to stop.

Q. Why do you personally prefer it to other arts? Why do you feel it is superior?

A. I have limited experience in other arts, but from what I have seen, I like kenpo/kickboxing because
a) It seem to be a down-to-earth practical street art, but that was probably due in large to my the way my instructor (ex-army) taught it.
b) I don't have the body mass to be much good on the ground, so stand-up styles are better suited to me.

Q. Is there another art you would like to study as well in the future? Why?

A. I really like the little taste of Philipino stick fighting I got.

Q. Do you know of any qualified sensi in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?

A. Sorry, but no.
 
stay away from tae kwon do, also known as mc dojo's to those of us in the know. you could have EVERYTHING you needed with a highschool wrestling base and some real boxing lessons( read contact). in lieu of the wrestling base, which i do not have, you need either brazillian jiu jitsu or judo. if you can find it, russian sombo is good to. avoid any art that is not represented in the ultimate fighting championship. thai boxing, full contact kickboxing, bjj, western boxing, and judo. all others are suspect and not proven in the real crucible.
 
Studied Tae Kwon Do, boxing, and some Aikido. I pretty much agree with the others that recommend boxing and grappling/wrestling. A good boxer can pretty much take care of business against most very good martial artists and a good wrestler can probably take care of either, in my experience. I would start with boxing or kick-boxing and mix it up with some wrestling and different wrist/elbow/head locks. Most fights seem to degenerate to on-the-floor/ground-wrestling struggles so it is a good idea to get a few tricks up your sleeve to deal with that. The basics of boxing and wrestling will give you a lot of tools and confidence to deal with most any situation.

Watch the "Tough-Man" or "Extreme Fighting" contests on ESPN or TBS and it is amazing how nearly every one of those fights end up on the mat, in spite of the strengths of the combatants being boxing, kicking, or black belt this or that.

Your most important asset is your mental atttitude and determination - never, never, never quit - keep fighting and keep moving no matter what. What I have mainly learned from street fights and formal training is that I will now only get into a fight only if I'm absolutely forced into it without any other choice. And if I do, I'm in it to win any way I can - I will break bones, choke-out, scratch, bite, poke eyes, - whatever I have to. Basically I would end up in a fight only if either jumped or in fear of my life and without my gun. If I have my gun, then it would already have been out because I was in fear of my life.
 
Jiu Jitsu is an excellent choice. I was into it 3 days a week for two hours a session for 2-3 years. My particular class drilled and learned new technique for the first half of the class and the other half was always spend in actual matches. The more hands on you get with any art the better. Any kind of grappling is good since most real fights wind up on the ground. It is easily integrated with other arts, and needs to be since it doesn't involve any real striking. If you learn something like kick boxing which teaches you how to deliver some good hits with the ability to control a fight that a good grappling background gives, then you will be a force to be reckoned with. If you want to know what works look at the UFC. You will find that for years grapplers dominated the sport and it took along time for other fighters to learn if they wanted to win they would have to integrate grappling into their arts. Also a lot of the joint locks and chokes are excellent for inducing submission or you can kick it up a notch and actually cause some serious damage in situation that dictates the use of more force. In today’s society it’s important to be able to use only the minimum amount of force necessary to achieve the desired result. You don’t really want to throw some wicked move on a guy and kill him when he won’t stop hassling your wife, just subdue him.
 
Muay Thai Kickboxing

Anthony,

Those are excellent questions - but to find the perfect fit for you - you need to tell us:

What is the primary purpose of the martial art you wish to study?
(Self defense, keep in shape, suppliment CCW)

How much time are you willing to devote to practice?

Do you prefer hard or soft style? (Hard = Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do - aggressive, attacking styles vs. Soft = Tai chi, Aikido - reactive, defensive martial art)

Personally I have been studying the martial arts since I was 13 - (24 years now) Muay Thai kickboxing, Western Kickboxing, Boxing, Tang Soon Doo, Aikido, Tai Chi, Chinese Boxing, Judo, Kendo.

To find a good instructor - make sure they participate fully in the sport, and get good recommendations. Those that "save" themselves because they are too good for their students - skip them.:eek:
 
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