martial arts?

[cobra kid]

I just wanted to see what some of the other bros on the board are into as far as mma/nhb fighting. I read a few other posts and saw their are more than I thought. Let's hear what your background is whether it's boxing, muay thai, bjj, etc. If you've been in any popular fighting events, where, who you train with, whatever. Also, if gear has helped or hurt your progression. (obvious, but i figured i'd ask)

I mainly train muay thai and bjj with a little blend of some other things. I haven't been in any organized fighting events yet but hopefully sometime soon. I haven't touched any gear yet but I can't help but seriously consider it.



later

[ironfist]

If anything, I'd say that the gear has helped me quite a bit. i boxed for 3 years when and was younger and I now train at Strait Blast Gym. It is an NHB gym started by Randy Cotour...There are 2 in Oregon, 1 in Nevada, and 1 in New York...It is mainly grappling/submissions except that we have 1 guy who is a champion Thai fighter and 1 guy that is a champion kick boxer so we get a large variety of techniques to use and practice...

[Sicilian30]

Welp I have been a black belt since 1995, and I haven't had much figthing since then, just mostly practice when I have time, hit a bag and so on. Kinda like riding a bike, you don't forget. However, when I was training for 5 years almost fulltime, we studied many styles. At that time Mai Tai was not popular, but chinese boxin was a blend of it, back then that is what we called it.
We couldn't spar much with other schools cause there were no schools around that was teaching that kind of fighing. (We were actually trained to hurt people) I mean like very dangerous moves. the schools that were around were classical, no contact. We use joint locks, arm bars, grapplin and chokes, alot of styles don't teach that cause it is soo dangerous. But we did, just were careful with our sparin partners, always had control. Actually never had to go full contact as in a street fight with someone, (for my black belt I had to go full contact with three attackers and my sensi). The few times I have had to use it, the fight was over in about 30 secs after I had eye jabed a guy or put him in a submission, usually by that time they were giving up and beggin me to let them go. So I got out of fights usually just by applying a few simple techniques. I hope I never have to use it, if I ever did get in a life or death situaion, my training would take over like instinct and I would no doubt take someone out if my life depended on it. Hope I never have to.
I didn't do gear while in my Martial Arts full time though, but I know it would've helped in some instances.

[manijak]

uh the list is long..I've been interested in any martial arts and fight sports since little this is the history
10y kick box
2y wing tsu
2y karate shotokan
3y capoeira
1y thai chi
and numerous congresses about different styles
anyway..when I was 'bout 14 yo and much into kick-boxing most of my friends started getting big and hitting pretty hard and then was when I decided to start lifting..and I haven't stop since ..
since then I hit 203 and 208 lbs all natural in two ocasions (I'm only 5'8'') It was hard as hell ,and I ate once a day, I would start when I get up and finish a little before going to sleep...sometimes even get up in the middle of the night and munchie something.
and being that weight did nothing but help, I was faster, stronger and even agil ( In capoeira I would do three back-flips in a row).
Now I work full time and Im struggling to even get over 195 lbs ,once I hit 210 and if I see that's my natural limit...I don't think it'll be any problem to juice up a little bit..(it for a good cause) as long as is under strict control and rutine medical supervision...
from what I have seen it can be the best help if used wisely

So

[Iconn]

TKD for 2.5 years, capoeira for 2 years, boxed for 4, bjj for 5 years. Purple in brazilian jiu jitsu with 3 stripes. Never any vale tudo but thinking about it.

[fighter]

I have experience in wrestling, kickboxing and Bjj. im also 10-2 in mixed martial arts. i just started using deca and winstrol so far i think its helping alot.

[Billy Boy]

I boxed then moved onto MA and have done Shotokan Karate Shotokai Karate and now Jui Jitsu.I have fought in a lot of competitions in the different Karates but there is no competing in Jui Jitsu due to the nature of the techniques and moves

[maximized]

Hey whats up. I took JKD for a couple years, then muai tai for a year. but ive been out of it for about 2 years. i was lucky enough to have a gracie jiu jitsu school near where i lived, but i was too busy to get into it. right now, i dont train unfortunatly. i just moved to cali and my friends still live in hawaii but before i moved, we used to spar a lot, half with weapons, half without. my friend is black b. in eskrima, and id spar him, but id use swords (bamboo of course).

anyway, peace


max

[Out_A_Bounz]

do you guys think its too late to start martial arts? i'm going to be 20 this year, and my flexability is somewhat moderate.

also, would i benefit from bjj? i'm about 5'7 and read that to execute a lot of the moves, longer legs (being taller) would be ideal.

jason - who is debating between bjj, or karate

[cobra kid]

definately not too late...I'd go with bjj because it's a lot more practical. Don't worry about flexibility, that'll come if you stretch and being shorter doesn't mean you can't do it. I've met many people shorter than you that could roll unbelieveably. I think karate is cool but too much art and not enough fighting for me. Of course, it's all what you want to accomplish. IMHO, go with bjj and find a place where they teach some kind of standup(Muay Thai, boxing, etc.) then you get both aspects of the fighting game. If you got any questions about anything martial arts related let me know, I'll try and help. It's never too late!

[Pete235]

Sorry guys...no offence (don't kick my ass ), but I'm going to move this to the general forum

[tigress]

8 years of karate. Got my black belt around 5 years ago. A few years of kickboxing, a couple of tournaments, no major titles or anything.

[FRANK WHITE]

Jeet Kune Do, Japanese Okinawan(Shihan Kent Moyer), and SCARS and FAST military training, plus Krav Maga(Israeli military fighting techniques). Favorite was Jeet Kune Do,(Sifu)Danny Inosanto's school in L.A. for five years 90-95. Other than Jeet Kune Do, the other forms were primarily to disable the opponent as quickly as possible. One of the premises of JKD is to be openminded to all styles and incorporate what works in those styles into yours. Bruce Lee espoused that we must be unlimited in our scope. We must realize that the possibilities are unlimited. Our ability to improve and learn is unlimited. The amount of useful knowledge and wisdom that is available in the world is, for practical purposes, unlimited. If one of your goals is to constantly improve yourself, you must understand at the deepest level that your ability to improve is unlimited. Any aspect of your art can be improved. I was always told, "Don't be one of those martial artists who just "thinks" the art works. Train hard so that you can be a person who "knows" the art works because you have actually applied it a thousand times. You shouldn't just accept what others tell you. You shouldn't believe that you can pull off a technique because your instructor can. You have to get into the lab and see which techniques yield favorable results. Once you do this you will then be able to make a critical distinction that may mean the difference between winning a real fight and coming out on the losing end. This "critical distinction" is the ability to distinguish between techniques that can be done on a cooperative opponent and those you can do on a raging lunatic who is bent on your destruction. Big difference here. Some techniques I have practiced can only be done if the person is standing there, letting you do the techinique. Most attackers arent' so kind. You should always practice the techniques which have been proven successful against a good opponent who is in motion. If you can use a series of practical techniques to stun the opponent, you can do any of the other techniques you like. You see, after you stun the guy he becomes cooperative. You can now lock, throw, sweep, or choke. Just remember that the trick is to stun him in the first place. This is why you must practice your basics over and over again until they are second nature. You must practice them against a person who is moving, not just against a statue. You must take it into the sparring realm so the other person is attacking you at the same time. Through this process you can achieve true confidence in yourself and in your art.

[Out_A_Bounz]

thanx bro!!!

theres some place around that specializes in (at least that what the sign says!) bjj, muay thai and kickboxing. i'm going to check out what their program is like!

jason

[manijak]

Yes sensei FRANK WHITE

[hoopty]

Ive been interested in taking an art now for a while but i just dont know where to start. I want something to the effect like frankie said where its the real deal no bs techniques against a still dummy. BTW frank, how was SCARS or other military oriented programs? would you rather reccomend someting like thai or bjj? any help would be much appreciated.

[cobra kid]

what's up bro. You sound like you want to learn how to actually fight not some art. I was in the same place a while back. I went to like 4 or 5 gyms before I actually found what I was looking for. I'd recomend going to some places and checking out a few classes at a few different places. Just tell the instructor straight up that you want to see if it's what your looking for. Don't make any commitments till you're sure. BTW, MT and BJJ are the real deal but it also depends on the gym and instructor that's why you should check out as many places as possible. IMO, those two styles are the way to go. As far as military training, I've never had any. Frank please correct me if i'm wrong. They are more of a real self defense intended to seriously injure somebody instead of a way to fight against a trained opponent. So, there are so many ways to go so just check as many out as you can and go from there.

[Billy Boy]

I,ve studied a few over the years and I personally do not believe Karate to be a pratical martial art.The first thing you need to remember is that over 90% of street fights go to the floor.Once you are down you are vunerable.In Jui Jitsu it combines a lot of other MA like karate,judo,JKD.I think it is the best well rounded art.

The other thing to add to that is it is an ART and a lot of the techniques you learn you would only use in the dojo I mean who has the room to do a spinning reverse kick to someones head in a nightclub.Most of the time you will be very close to your assailant where using your legs are not an option.

Doing a MA makes you more confident more alert to danger it does not make you untouchable and that is where a lot of people go wrong,they practice a MA and think they are the best and no one can hit them.All it takes is a lucky punch and you are on your ass no matter how good you are - never forget that and its your wits that make you a fighter not your strength or brawn.

As for are you too old never and flexability increases the longer you do it its good excercise and helps burn a bit of fat !

[$uperman]

took bout 3 years of TKD then moved to a different town and the drive was over an hour. all the schools here are no good. so i decided to take up boxing. ive been in that for about 2 years. now i have the feet and the hands. but.... just has billy boy said most street fight end up on the ground so im looking into some jui jitsu classes. the only pratice i have w/ grappling is punk bitching my lil bro when he smarts off to much lol

[ironfist]

Originally posted by Out_A_Bounz
do you guys think its too late to start martial arts? i'm going to be 20 this year, and my flexability is somewhat moderate.

also, would i benefit from bjj? i'm about 5'7 and read that to execute a lot of the moves, longer legs (being taller) would be ideal.

jason - who is debating between bjj, or karate

It's never too late bro, it all has to do with your motivation, heart and drive...

[FRANK WHITE]

Originally posted by cobra kid
what's up bro. You sound like you want to learn how to actually fight not some art. I was in the same place a while back. I went to like 4 or 5 gyms before I actually found what I was looking for. I'd recomend going to some places and checking out a few classes at a few different places. Just tell the instructor straight up that you want to see if it's what your looking for. Don't make any commitments till you're sure. BTW, MT and BJJ are the real deal but it also depends on the gym and instructor that's why you should check out as many places as possible. IMO, those two styles are the way to go. As far as military training, I've never had any. Frank please correct me if i'm wrong. They are more of a real self defense intended to seriously injure somebody instead of a way to fight against a trained opponent. So, there are so many ways to go so just check as many out as you can and go from there.

Hoopty, this is some good advice by Cobra Kid. Check around for yourself and see what you like and feel most comfortable with. SCARS and FAST military training is, like Cobra Kid said, intended to seriously injure somebody very quickly and is very dangerous in the wrong hands. If you accidently hit someone using these techniques you could kill them and YOUR future at the same time. BJJ is very effective in terms of practical street fighting. Jeet Kune Do is also good but hard to find good classes. The Gracie brothers proved in Ultimate fighting what BJJ can do no matter what your size. Knowing what I know now if I could only study one style it would be BJJ. Peace and best of luck to you.

[hoopty]

thx for the info guys. no, im not looking to kill someone or even seriously injure them. I just wanna be able to kick some more ass when the typical bar room brawl arises. i mean, who doesnt like a good fight every now and then? (not to look for them of course)

[Terinox]

What does bjj stand for? Also, can you still do martial arts if your too big? For example, someoen like BigKev, would he be able to do it with his size? I ask this because that's how big I want to be, and was wondering if it gets harder to do when your too big? You need speed, and with greater size, comes slower speed!

[FRANK WHITE]

Originally posted by Terinox
What does bjj stand for? Also, can you still do martial arts if your too big? For example, someoen like BigKev, would he be able to do it with his size? I ask this because that's how big I want to be, and was wondering if it gets harder to do when your too big? You need speed, and with greater size, comes slower speed!

Tnox, BJJ stand for Brazilian Jui Jitsu. The Gracie brothers from Brazil took japenese Jui Jitsu and modified and augmented in their own ways. Turning it into BJJ. It is very effective, no doubt the most effective martial art when it comes to ground fighting. It also works very well in defusing a potentially dangerous person by using a BJJ lock technique to render the person defensless without having to use physical blows.

Good question about size and martial arts. The larger you get the more stretching you must do to maintain flexability. Have you ever seen a world class martial artist the size of BigKev? IMO, you must maintain a balance and harmony of size and strength. Their are special workout routines for martial artists which are much different than Bigkev's workout routine. They tend to emphasize higher reps with lower weight to improve speed. Are are not nearly as intense. However, Billy Boy made a good point, no matter what your skill level in martial arts, don't ever think your invincible, because anybody can knock you on your ass if your not ready. Especially someone with the size and strength of Bigkev. If you want to become a top level martial artist you will have to adjust your workouts accordingly. These workouts will not get you to the level of a BigKev in bodybuilding. Unfortunately, you must decide what you really want to do more and go for it. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide. Peace and Be Safe.

[hoopty]

okay, thx for all the info, very much appreciated. ive been looking around on the net and in the phone books. I cant seem to find anything bjj, just ju jitsu. I did come accross some muai thai (that the right spelling?) but everything kinda looks like a family place where you take your children to learn discipline and stuff. is there any other resources i can use to go a little more in depth? or, are these the right places to go check out like earlier stated????

[cobra kid]

I'd say go check the places out and if they're really not to your liking you could always find a training partner, get some tapes and train in a garage or something. Garages are the best!! You may be surprised with the places you check out though. It's worth a shot.

[Cycleon]

lets see, its been awhile but started out in Bando (burmese kick boxing) - and was on state champ wrestling team then studied isshynryu then arnis/kali (filipino - pretty much only studied the stick and knife fighting tho) - spent the most time in "moderated, accelerated wing chun gung fu" (JKD) taught by a student who came in just before Bruce died and was brought up by ted wong and tacky kamura (who used to show up at the house!! - which is where we trained) - that was bad news, had to toss out everything I had learned almost and start over to break it down to its essence. While in LA I did spend a short time in Danny Innosanto's dojo and also the (benny) Jet center occasionaly - also sparred with one of the machado brothers (first time he got me in a choke hold that I still feel!! - but once I knew what he was looking for, he never did it to me again anyway - if you get a chance, I would try to find a JKD club or jujitsu dojo since they are probably the most effective forms IMHO.

[Mrs. T]

Hi. Frank White brought his conversation to my attention and I found all of the various responses quite interesting.

I am actually an old woman (47) and I own a martial arts school in Arkansas that also has a weight room and an aerobics program. I have been taking Taekwondo for 12 years and am a 3rd Dan Black Belt. I teach tkd, tai chi, several weapons, cardiokarate and am a certified personal trainer. Other training inlcudes Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics and PPCT (both of which I also teach) and KravMaga (which I do not teach). I have been competing throughout my training and have maintained a ranking in the top 10 in my MA Association for the past 10 years.

It is never too late to begin training in the martial arts. I was 35 (and fat) when I started and now own the school that originally belonged to my instructor. I train students from ages 4 to 76. Both of my children are also my students and they are both 2nd Dan black belts. He is 19 and she is 17. You get out of martial arts training what you are ready, willing and able to put into it. Personally I will be practicing my art until I die.

Martial arts training is great because it works the ENTIRE body, mind and spirit. It is also great cross training for other sports. Several of my MA students are also star members of their basketball and baseball teams. Martials arts training blends very well with weight training, but not necessarily as well with BODYBUILDING. Bodybulding shortens the muscles and impedes one's range of motion unless the bodybuilder spends a LOT of time stretching the mucles back out (which actually conflicts a little bit with the purpose of bodybuilding).

Something that one should definitely consider about martial arts training is their reason for doing it. If one enjoys street fighting and bar room brawls, fine. But a martial artist has certain responsibilities. Legally and morally a martial artist is held to a higher set of standards. If a person is accidentally killed in a street fight or bar room brawl, it can be determined as an accident or self defense. If a martial artist kills someone in a fight, there is no such thing as accidental death and the person must be prepared to defend themself against a murder charge. Just food for thought.

Enjoy the seach and the journey. Mrs. T

[FRANK WHITE]

Originally posted by Mrs. T
Hi. Frank White brought his conversation to my attention and I found all of the various responses quite interesting.

I am actually an old woman (47) and I own a martial arts school in Arkansas that also has a weight room and an aerobics program. I have been taking Taekwondo for 12 years and am a 3rd Dan Black Belt. I teach tkd, tai chi, several weapons, cardiokarate and am a certified personal trainer. Other training inlcudes Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics and PPCT (both of which I also teach) and KravMaga (which I do not teach). I have been competing throughout my training and have maintained a ranking in the top 10 in my MA Association for the past 10 years.

It is never too late to begin training in the martial arts. I was 35 (and fat) when I started and now own the school that originally belonged to my instructor. I train students from ages 4 to 76. Both of my children are also my students and they are both 2nd Dan black belts. He is 19 and she is 17. You get out of martial arts training what you are ready, willing and able to put into it. Personally I will be practicing my art until I die.

Martial arts training is great because it works the ENTIRE body, mind and spirit. It is also great cross training for other sports. Several of my MA students are also star members of their basketball and baseball teams. Martials arts training blends very well with weight training, but not necessarily as well with BODYBUILDING. Bodybulding shortens the muscles and impedes one's range of motion unless the bodybuilder spends a LOT of time stretching the mucles back out (which actually conflicts a little bit with the purpose of bodybuilding).

Something that one should definitely consider about martial arts training is their reason for doing it. If one enjoys street fighting and bar room brawls, fine. But a martial artist has certain responsibilities. Legally and morally a martial artist is held to a higher set of standards. If a person is accidentally killed in a street fight or bar room brawl, it can be determined as an accident or self defense. If a martial artist kills someone in a fight, there is no such thing as accidental death and the person must be prepared to defend themself against a murder charge. Just food for thought.

Enjoy the seach and the journey. Mrs. T

Thank you Mrs. T. Bro's, this is some great advice from a wonderful, intelligent, and very caring lady who I know and love. But I would not wan't to get her upset at me.LOL. This is a great post for a beginning, or advanced martial artist to post on their wall. Great post from a great lady. Read and Remember.

[RageControl]

Lets hear about grappling i have seen guys train for it and it looked painfull . The trainer was demonstrating locks on the students and they were in pain! i want to take grappling but cant find decent class that i can afford. I see grappling as the best way to defend yourself in a fight because everyfight i have bin in ends up on the ground .

[BOUNCER]

Dug this thread up doing a search, its almost 2 yrs old. But for some of the people who've asked about martial arts here over the last few months there's some great material in this thread. Hope you guys don't mind me resurrecting it again.

[USfighterFC]

I've been taking Sambo for 16 years and have studied it religiously. I compete over in Russia occasionally but they always seem to put me against people with a much higher level of skill but I always seem to manage. Anyway one day I hope to take on Emelianenko Fedor and really see how far I've come along.

[USfighterFC]

The guy would kick my ass royally

[saboudian]

6 1/2 years tae bo under master sensei billy blanks.

I'd love to give MA a shot over the summer, but I don't think there's any non-family types of places where i live.

[chicamahomico]

I'd love to give MA a shot over the summer, but I don't think there's any non-family types of places where i live.

It's been a long time since I have even set foot in a family oriented dojo but I see no reason you can't pick up and develop excellent technique(s). At some point if more active sparring or MMA is your goal you will need to move on to a place which focuses on that but until then take instruction anywhere you believe to be a quality learning environment.