Your Body as a Weapon
 

Does anyone practice Martial Arts?

Yes, I practice martial arts.

Just curious, what discussion are you interested in having? Martial arts in general?

hmm, i used to take kenpo for about 1 1/2 years. but i only got to orange belt :T

I used to do kea kwon dow as did my daughter. She got as far as brown belt before going off to college. I gave it up when I suffered, unrelated, nerve damage to me leg. If I ever learn enough Spanish down her I'm to start a new. I think it's great for both mind and body. Of yeah and it can help out if your attacked.

Used to do Choy lay fut--the training was fun. Intense, but then I'd end up being super fast on my feet, as well as reacting well to threats (guy charges at you, wait, time a perfect side kick in to his chest, hehe). That was 5 years ago. Now I just work out and study :(.

ages 4-16 i took a tae-kwon-do/ hapkido mix.

im out of shape now. im pretty sure i would be screwed if i was attacked.

@Willravel: I was interested in martial arts styles in general.

I personally like Southern Chinese styles, not meeting force with force.
Judo/Jujutsu is also incredible.

Win Chun Kung Fu.
Loved it, going back when I can find a proper sifu.

I took two jukado classes last year (akido, karate, and judo, I think was the combo there.) I really enjoyed the first class, but the second class was all the seasoned veterans, and they took it very, very seriously. Which I respect, but that wasn't the level of involvement I was really looking for. I'd love to get back into it, but more of an extra-curricular type thing-- I don't want to dedicate my life to it.

I think Cinn makes a good point. It's important to find a class that suits you.
My sifu mixed in ground fighting, wrestling, and so on. This was before MMA got popular (Yes, I'm old).
I went to find another teacher when I moved cities. I asked him if there was any training provided for
ground techniques. He said "If you are on the ground, your Kung-Fu is not good enough."
That kind of arrogance I can do without.

What interest do you have in the martial arts styles? What exactly would you like to discuss?

that's a good point. you wouldn't want to be in a serious class if you think of it more as an extracurricular rather than a way of life or anything.. I thought of my classes more as an extracurricular as well, but also, I think the class didn't suit me because you have to find the right style for you. I really think I am more of a tae-kwon-do person even though i've never tried it. I love kicking and kenpo focuses more on grappling. Aikido focuses on counterattacks, from my understanding (how to deflect hits or another person's energy coming at you, a lot of falling down, throwing people, etc.) You need to find the style that best suits your interest.

I'm training in Krav Maga... if you can find a certified trainer, I would highly recommend trying it (most instructors will offer a free trial class)!! It's not really a MA, more a brutal self-defence system covering knife and gun attacks, kicks, punches, chokes, and ground survival.

I've never liked the strict structure and "chi" involved in eastern MA, so this suits me perfectly. Besides learning the techniques, we do quite a lot of semi-full contact sparring which is always fun.

ryuku kempo / muay thai / kali mix here. Enjoyed every minute of it. . .even the parts where I was getting the crap kicked out of me by Sensei on test day ;)

If you want to consider it a martial art, wrestling. I did some BJJ for about 6 mos. That was 7 years ago. I like to think I could handle myself in a clutch. Who knows?

I started "American Freestyle Karate" when I got back from my last deployment.

Fancy pants name for basically a really chill karate / TKD / kickboxing meld.

Didn't do anything but school and karate... so I was swinging kicks 15-20 hours a week.

I'm learning Kenpo Karate as well, but the combination of the two is really confusing.

...

Martial arts? Great! The feeling of kicking someone in the head? Priceless.

Flexibility, too. I can almost get my crotch on the floor with a saddle stretch.

...

Sexual positions? Total blackbelt.

I'm just starting martial arts, and learning its many different styles. I think I'll begin Muay Thai next week.

-----Added 20/10/2008 at 10 : 25 : 27-----
Pffffft -

My crotch touches the floor while standing... :D

You lost your legs in Iraq too!?

(drum crash)

ULTRASUPERMEGA Thread Theme: Martial arts teaches confidence.

Being assertive is the absolute most important part of any attack/defense situation... it just simply uses physical movements to strengthen the mind.

Fighting? It really is mind over matter.

one think I try to remind people is that martial art means "arts of war" so I personally have no respect for "competition" styles except for the fitness aspect- I have seen too many people (about 5 so far) hurt by the belief that because they had a black belt they could handle themselves in a confrontation- Yes, talking and verbal de-escalation skills are important, but if one meets a committed and violent person, and cannot run, one had damn well be able to fight, and capable (mentally and emotionally as well) of severely harming another human being- due to this, I gravitate toward Kali, Arnis, and escrima, as well as cqc styles- also, I try to never forget that hitting an opponent with an object is less likely to hurt me.... and often more effective....

I honestly don't think he was being arrogant. I practice karate with a few other things mixed in, and while learning how to fight on the ground is fun and useful, all my senseis have ever told me is that if you go to the ground in a real world fight, you're going to get your ass handed to you by your opponent's buddies waiting in the shadows ready to help him out.

Personally, I'm of the same opinion. I train to avoid getting put on the ground, as I know that it's a losing proposition for me. Now in competition, that's different, but real world hand-to-hand combat and competition are two different things.

Eye the Mantra: A swift retreat is the best weapon in any martial arts program.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't "karate" literally translate to "empty hand?" I think the whole point of karate (or whatever else), in the above sense, is being able to protect yourself without a weapon in situations where having a weapon may be unlikely such as outside bars on a Friday night, college dorm rooms, and most places in this wild, wonderful hoplophobic world.

SEE: Dog Brothers stick fighting - "We do nothing fancy."

Karate (or whatever else) often work well because most people don't carry weapons.
-----Added 23/10/2008 at 07 : 29 : 49-----
Too many schools these days are "black belt factories"... churning out 12-month black belts in order to secure a $3000+ tuition.

The school I attended was a little more realistic... suggesting that if I got my black belt in 3 years that it would be a great feat.

Martial arts ranking systems serve a purpose but often fail at demonstrating how proficient an individual is at actual fighting.

Karate Math:

TIME X (ENDLESS REPITITION +BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA) -> SKILL -> CONFIDENCE