So I want to learn a martial art.

[devil-fire]

The funny part is that I knew a guy who was a good boxer (well I knew a few) and whenever like someone would try to start a fight with his friends or with him or anything of the sort, he would just turn around and run. If he ever got caught around a public fight or anything, whether his fault or not, his license was on the line.

that had to have sucked for that guy.

 

[G01]

The funny part is that I knew a guy who was a good boxer (well I knew a few) and whenever like someone would try to start a fight with his friends or with him or anything of the sort, he would just turn around and run. If he ever got caught around a public fight or anything, whether his fault or not, his license was on the line.

Yeah, I agree with him that its in your best interest to stay out of fights, whether for a license, reputation etc. I am just worried about a situation where I'm stuck and I would need some kind of self defense to stun the aggressor in order to let me get away or to prevent an attack from hitting me. As I said, I'm not one to start fights, nor do I think it would be enjoyable to be in them. I just want to be able to protect myself, in case I can't escape the situation.

 

[loseyourname]

Krav Maga for self defense, and learn Parkour to run away. Only do the former if you can't do the latter.

 

[Ki Man]

Edit: Oh, sorry to be the one to tell you no superpowers. But wait, Batman didn't have superpowers he had special equipment and Robin had nothing except the ability to say "HOLY COW BATMAN!". Or perhaps it was more bat oriented.

I always thought that $50 billion was his super power?

 

[emsidis]

I'm probably not going to have time this summer to learn a martial art, but I've been considering it for a while. The next time I have a chance, I think I am going to take one up.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a particular martial art. I want one that will be able to increase my agility and endurance and I also want to be able to use it to defend myself if need be.(I guess all martial arts fall under this category. I just know I heard stuff about Judo and how its not really meant to be used in actual fights etc. Hopefully I won't be getting into too many fights, but you know, just in case. )

Martial arts (the good kind with full-resistance sparring) is overkill for fights i.e. high school, macho 1 on 1 fights and it's not THAT effective in a true self-defense situation i.e. against multiple opponents, knife (You'll feel the knife before you see it and you'll die if your attacker wants you dead), gun.

If you still want to learn an art for self-defense I'd recommend staying away from karate, taekwando, aikido and kung-fu. Though I highly disagree with one of the above poster's suggestion of staying away from judo. Judo is highly effective on the streets and in MMA (bjj, the basis of MMA is basically judo with a focus on the ground). That and boxing would be great. Or bjj and muay thai (though much more expensive combo).

And since I'm a judo whore, here are a few clips from competition/mma:

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/judo%2Bmma/video/xoxyl_judo-in-mma


(Warning: May contain broken limbs and magic pants)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wjna_GUg8Y&mode=related&search=

 

[mezeb40]

There is only One Answer..

http://realultimatepower.net/

 

[G01]

Parkour seems like it can be practiced anywhere. Maybe I'll occupy myself with that.

 

[G01]

Edit: Oh, sorry to be the one to tell you no superpowers. But wait, Batman didn't have superpowers he had special equipment and Robin had nothing except the ability to say "HOLY COW BATMAN!". Or perhaps it was more bat oriented.

Yes, looks like I'll have to put off my plans to become a vigilante/physicist until I fulfill my plans to get ridiculously rich...WHAT! My plans are COMPLETELY plausible!

 

[Artman]

Martial arts teach several valuable techniques for fighting applicable in many forms of street fights.

Stances for balance, sliding your feet instead of stepping to keep from tripping, snapping kicks and punchs quickly out and back to keep your leg or arm from hanging out where an opponent can grab it and throw you down, vulnerable points to attack to disable an opponent so you can run, methods to shake free when grabbed, confidence so you don't look like a target, just knowing how to stand if attacked head (1 on 1) on can take that moment of confusion and help free you up for what is coming next (present as little target as possible, feet in a balanced grounded position, arms legs at ready to do something, etc).

The problem with martial arts is when it makes a person artificially confident and they stay to fight when they should avoid one. A good teacher will tell him to avoid a fight whenever possible.

As for becoming a master, I was taught that a black belt holder uses the same form of punch or kick that is taught to a beginner. He or she then learns other techniques, but continues to practice the beginner techniques. In the martial art I learned, (I forget the name it's been a few years) we start at no belt, then get a white belt. Our teacher said, that the concept of a black belt is a white belt that has darkened from use. Basically, a beginner can obtain master level ability at the few techniques they know, if they work at them.

My nephew is about 14 years old, less than 5 feet tall and less than 100 pounds. He is a black belt martial arts champion who has beaten adults in tournaments. He probably would have been a prime candidate for picking on, being small and studious, but trust me, no one messes with him.

 

[mathwonk]

the best self defense is to learn not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which usually involves bars.

I used to fancy myself pretty tough (over 40 years ago), and one night took on a whole gang of townies at once, one of whom sufficed to whomp me silly. It helped him that I was totally drunk.

I decided after that, fighting was not a macho game, but a serious affair to be engaged in only when necessary. That was my last fight, 40 years ago.

After that I was a meat lugger for a few years and became much stronger than before, but never fought. my friends at the meat market carried knives and guns and fought regularly, and even died. actually i seldom got challenged anymore in my end of town. for my friends it was different.

ill tell you anyone who got in a fight with one of them, martial arts or not, was in for a serious experience. but they also fought only when attacked since they knew the consequences. my boss once singlehandedly defeated 7 men armed with meat hooks and irons, and threw them down the stairs for trying to smash up his place for business competition reasons.

i also have a friend who was a martial arts champion, but it just caused him to be more and more bold in seeking fights, until finally a large gang of opponents beat him silly.

there is a little book i read my kids on the subject for children called "a bundle of sticks".

There is a scene in there where a rough crude guy in a truck opens his door into one of the good guys cars at a drive in and then complains to the victim about his clumsiness in being in the way of the door, and offers to fight him.

the good guy (a martial arts instructor) calmly points out that the big guy is fat and out of shape and that his friend smokes cigarettes, and that probably they do not really want to start a fight. so why don't they all just go inside and eat their burgers.

the two blokes in the truck look at him like he's nuts, but don't fight. then the good guy leads the student inside for a burger.

i guess the moral of the story is that it does help ones confidence to know martial arts or to be strong, but the real lesson is not to fight unless attacked. so the guy who ran at every sign of a fight was very wise.

my friend "big man", a 300 pound lugger who carried a knife and a gun, and who loved a good fight, went to prison for 10 years for killing some idiots with his knife who attacked him, and subsequently got so out of shape in prison he died of a heart attack.

i loved him, and he was a good man, but hanging out in bars and fighting the morons you meet there ultimately killed him.

read sometime the autobiography of malcolm x who realized in his job as a railroad porter that he could defeat an opponent just with his brains. or if you really want to get on another level, read the bible about what hapened when saul sent soldiers to capture david while he was living with the prophet samuel.

when the armed soldiers vcame near the camp of samuel, they laid down their spears and sang hymns and praised god. even saul himself had the same experience when frustrated he went himself.

there are many "fights" in life, street thugs are the easiest to avoid, at least once you get out of public high school in certain parts of the US. The methods needed vary, in fighting with administrators, dishonest politicians, or police, unscrupulous business people. There are certain methods that work in more situations than others and those should be learned as soon as possible.

notice the subtitle of the original works on judo by jigoro kano, is "the art of yielding".

 

[mathwonk]

and if you do fight, make sure you are in the right. if you pick on someone for the wrong reasons they fight much harder. Even a small female cat or dog will fight insanely against a much larger predator to defend their family.

 

[Moonbear]

As Evo alluded, just having the agility to duck at the right time can be as important as knowing how to throw a punch.

When first learning a martial art, you're unlikely to learn enough to disarm someone attacking you with a weapon, but with practice, you should learn something about how to read their body language to anticipate their moves just to get out of the way faster. Of course, nobody is good enough to block a bullet, but you may learn some escape moves if someone has a knife. Again, that will require a lot more practice before you reach that level of mastery. But, in the meantime, if you currently know nothing about defending yourself, you'll certainly learn more than that, especially if it comes to a fist fight.

And, hopefully, part of your training will be knowing when NOT to fight as well, and to instead use discipline and diplomacy to avoid the fight.

But, even if you learn NOTHING about self defense, you'll still get the other things you're looking for...a good form of exercise that will develop agility. A lot of people do it just for the fun of the exercise.

 

[Huckleberry]

I've always been impressed with Jiu-Jutsu. Some martial arts are strength based. They rely on the power of an attack to defeat the opponent. Jiu-Jutsu and many other grappling martial arts are skill based. A smaller person can defeat a larger, more powerful opponent with a simple finger lock.

A grappling style is probably better for resolving a physical conflict without smashing someone into submission. The initiator of the fight will probably be bigger than you anyway, or come at you when you aren't prepared. Grappling can subdue them with a better chance that nobody is seriously injured. Don't forget that bullies usually have like-minded buddies.

But really, choose a martial art that appeals to you. Don't expect a martial art to make you more safe than you are now. In an unavoidable situation it may be better to take the punch and walk away with your humility than to fight back with your own hubris. That kind of force should be reserved for when someone's life is in potential danger.

[Even if you are a UFC champion and can crush 5 men in a bar fight, you can't dodge bullets. Don't give someone a reason to escalate a confrontation to that level. You may not be the only one that gets injured as a result.]

 

[FredGarvin]

I guess I'll chime in too. But first, repeat after me:

- There is no one perfect school.
- There is no one perfect "art".
- There is no such thing as a "self defense system."
- Tournaments are evil and a load of crap.
- There is no way to account for every situation.

The best realization you can make is that you are not going to be proficient in any way shape nor form after one summer of training. It will take a summer for your body to adapt to learning how to move and the different positions you get put in. Would you tell someone they could "defend themselves" in the physics or math worlds by taking summer school? You will get an introduction and some workouts. That's it. Don't delude yourself or give into the the snake oil salesmen who will tell you otherwise.

* As far as schools are concerned: Always watch a class before signing any contract. Just sit and watch. Watch what they spend their time on. Watch how they teach. Pay attention to what they put emphasis on. Make sure they put the gloves on and spar. Not the tippy-tappy tournament crap that most schools do (ahem...tae-kwon-do...cough). You want something that has real sparring. There will always be rules to keep a safe environment, but you don't want your sparring to be a game of who can touch the other person first.

* Look for references of teachers and follow up with them. The MA community is rife with charlatans that have no problem with giving themselves rank and paying for/selling rank. Also pay attention to what they teach. A teacher that teaches 5 different styles with a hundred blackbelts and tons of experience is an immediate red flag.

* I have a full contact karate background. I highly recommend that you find a place that teaches the stand up game as well as the ground game. You have to have both in your arsenal. There are tons of morons out there that will tell you that the ground stuff is not important because they can use their deadly skillz way before it ever gets to the ground. That's BS. I would estimate that 90% of "accomplished" martial artists would get schooled hard by a high school wrestler if it ever gets to the ground (and believe me, it will). It's a tremendous addition to your workout (and you will work hard) and, I think, extremely fascinating once you really get into it.

Everything has pros and cons to it. The big thing is to not get overconfident, like Artman said, and not to be disillusioned by the instructor. Everything that is uttered in a dojo or gym is to be taken as anecdotal at best.

Good luck.

 

[Huckleberry]

I think that cyrus' point is that most people never achieve "master" status and become overly confident in their abilities. I love the Indiana Jones movie where Harrison Ford is attacked by the sword fighting assasin and he just blows him away with his gun.

I think taking a martial arts class just for the balance, agility etc... would be a good thing. Go1 doesn't seem to have any ideas of gaining any special abilities, he's quite grounded.

I heard that there was actually an elaborate fight sequence planned for that scene, but Harrison was sick that day, so instead they had him draw his gun and shoot the guy dead.

 

[radou]

The first few posts -->

The best way to defend yourself is to run if you can. Unless you have to protect your reltives or your girlfriend or anyone close to you. I guess the adrenaline does most of the job for you.

GO1, don't make a big deal out of what to start to train - most of people do. Just start to train something, and if you don't like it, you can easily switch to something else. Your priority is to engage with regular physical activity, which is the main benefit of martial arts training.

And btw, it's interesting that, always and everywhere where a martial arts discussion is being put up, everyone has so many smart things to say. Hence, I'll shut up.

 

[dlgoff]

I agree with most of FredGarvins post. My daughter has been studying Martial Arts for about 8 years now. She has 2nd degree black belts from two Tae Kwon Do schools and has studied mixed martial arts. Sure she can kick butts but that's not the goal of most Martial Arts programs. Martial Arts trains your mind as much as your body. I'd say, if you really want to learn, you have to be very dedicated; for many years.

 

[mathwonk]

hear hear, and the wisest advice is still to run, i.e. avoid fights. fighting is not a sport or a game. there are a lot of strange people out there.

when i was 15 years old i already knew how to break a mans neck and assasinate someone quietly, from reading WWII hand to hand combat books.

In the real world people do not play by the rules. learn to defend yourself, do not be a victim, and then stay out of trouble.

I am not an expert, but i have actually been in a fight, not just a school.

 

[JasonRox]

hear hear, and the wisest advice is still to run, i.e. avoid fights. fighting is not a sport or a game. there are a lot of strange people out there.

when i was 15 years old i already knew how to break a mans neck and assasinate someone quietly, from reading hand to hand combat books.

In the real world people do not play by the rules. learn to defend yourself, and then stay out of trouble.

Didn't you mention bars a hot spot for fights? Friends and I go all the time, and we never seen a fight break out yet. What bars have you been going to? We go to busiest bars in the region, which means we actually drive out of town to a bar that normally has 1000-2500 people in it.

 

[mathwonk]

well maybe i was careless about the bars i chose. i just went into anyone i found. but that was a long time ago. i still suggest that alcohol is related to fights. i am glad you have a nice bar circuit, maybe thigns hve chnged in 40 years. maybe much of my advice on this matter is passe. i went into working mens bars. but college bars were just as bad. drunks get kind of difficult wherever they are. i would be happy to think todays students are more responsible. i admit i seldom hear about trouble in local bars, but i stay out of them anyway. i don't need rto be right. i may be wrong. i was just trying to be helpful. or maybe i was reliving a lost youth. feel free to ignore it.

wow i have never seen a bar with even 100 people in it. i have gotten into trouble in a bar with 5 people in it. me the bartender and 3 townies who didnt like my beard. this big stupid guy threw his arms over the back of his booth and said something, i forget what, but i remember thinking "ill be glad tomorrow if i pop this punk." but when youre drinking it is not that easy to make good contact, so it spilled out into the street.if you believe any of this, i have some very valuable comic books to sell, no kidding.

 

[Astronuc]

Didn't you mention bars a hot spot for fights? Friends and I go all the time, and we never seen a fight break out yet. What bars have you been going to? We go to busiest bars in the region, which means we actually drive out of town to a bar that normally has 1000-2500 people in it.

It depends on the bar, and the part of town or people. Growing up in Houston, every Friday and Saturday night, there was someone shot or stabbed in a bar - I kid you not.

One of my friends got beat up pretty badly in a bar. He and two other friends were in a joint getting some drinks. A group came into the bar and let my friends know that they were not welcome (it was 7 or so against 3). A fight broke out and my friend ended up getting smacked over the head with a pool cue. He was a bloody mess when he came by - and he had a torn scalp (another frined took him to the hospital for stitches) and lump on his skull.

 

[mathwonk]

i think the point i would like to make is: martial arts are a sport, fighting is not. do not get in fights just because you are a trained martial artist. someone may still take a piece out of you. those of us who are older have lost friends this way, and alcohol was frequently involved.

even if it only happens once out of a hundred, if its your friend, you never forget.

 

[Pythagorean]

In my hometown bars, there are generally fights every weekend (Fishing town on an island in Alaska... go figure).

I've never gotten hurt once though, because it takes two cocky sobs to start a fight in a bar. We had an excellent bartender too, who had a clever technique:

"nobody in here gets a drink until he leaves."

Then everyone looks at the trouble-maker and he leaves without resistance.

 

[G01]

In my hometown bars, there are generally fights every weekend (Fishing town on an island in Alaska... go figure).

I've never gotten hurt once though, because it takes two cocky sobs to start a fight in a bar. We had an excellent bartender too, who had a clever technique:

"nobody in here gets a drink until he leaves."

Then everyone looks at the trouble-maker and he leaves without resistance.

Haha. Thats a smart plan!

 

[JasonRox]

i think the point i would like to make is: martial arts are a sport, fighting is not. do not get in fights just because you are a trained martial artist. someone may still take a piece out of you. those of us who are older have lost friends this way, and alcohol was frequently involved.

even if it only happens once out of a hundred, if its your friend, you never forget.

Martial Artists tend to never start fights. If they do, they may and will probably lose their right to train Martial Arts. Therefore, if you're a martial artist and someone picks a fight with you, you're pretty much 99% sure the other guy has no training in martial arts.

People say street fighting is dirty... well it is. But then again, MMA gets even dirtier. So, I'd always bet on the MMA guy to win.

 

[Smurf]

I've found jujitsu to be useful, actually. Not in fights, but there are a lot of times, especially when your young and loud like me, that individual attacks are thrown against you with no intention for prologued combat. Having practiced blocking, I actually surprised myself in these situations how easily I reacted, and properly.

 

[Artman]

Martial Artists tend to never start fights. If they do, they may and will probably lose their right to train Martial Arts.

Depending on your level, it can be considered a deadly weapon. My teacher, a former police officer, told us even our stance was designed to appear defensive in nature. The style called for you to step back with one foot, and put your weight to the back or centered. This did a couple of things, gave the appearance of moving away from the fight and freed your front foot for a snap kick.

If you did use the kick and break the guy's kneecap, any witnesses could say you were not the aggressor and attempted to back away from the fight.

 

[DaveC426913]

Actually, this is a very helpful thread for me. I have been toying with the idea of learning a bit of Martial Arts. But at my age and fitness, I shouldn't make such a decision lightly.

I've never actually been in a fist fight - even as a kid. But in this day and age, I think it's inevitable that at some point, I'll be face-to-face with someone in a very heated altercation in a parking lot or movie theatre. Last time that happened the adrenaline had me shaking like a leaf.

I'd like to gain enough confidence that I can at least stand my grond and not buckle (and that may be merely matter of exiting the situation with a bit of grace).

I was thinking that just the act of learning a little MA would allow me react with better timing, instead of just standing there dumbly.

 

[Cyrus]

He who walks away lives to see another day.

 

[Huckleberry]

I prefer, "I don't have to run fast. I just have to run faster than you".