Martial Arts

[Sunday_10pm]

I just watched "Fight school" on TV. It made me really want to take up a martial art (again). I used to do Karate when I was young, and I remember how fun it was.
Anyone else know the enjoyment and satisfaction of martial arts?

 

[Shem the Penman]

I do Tiger Schulmann's Karate (www.tsk.com). Currently a brown belt -- I've taken the black belt test a couple of times but haven't passed yet. One of these days, though ...

I'd be surprised if there aren't plenty of martial artists (or at least those who, like me, are more martial doodlers) around here. If nothing else, it's an easy way to spend time around barefoot people.

 

[tkrexx]

Martial arts are hardly confined to the Asian sorts, Alexander...Tho most folks (at least in our culture) do identify the term "Martial Arts" with Karate, Judo, et al, which of course originated in the eastern Asian areas. Wrestling and Boxing are forms of Martial Arts as well, boxing originating in western Europe. Also consider the Mossad, from the middle east, Savate, from France, and that kick-boxing-like Martial art (the name escapes me at the moment, can anyone help me with this one?) originating in western Africa, brought to Brazil by African slaves in the 1700's. Even Fencing and Dance are considered Martial Arts. (Ever get your butt kicked by a dancer? Think Jean-Claude Van Damm, Patrick Swayze and James Remar) Self-defence and inner discipline ("Balance") are the main objects of all Martial Arts (and as Shem pointed out, the chance to be among barefoot women!), but at the end of the day, it's just nice to know you can bully the bullies if ya really want to!

Rxx

 

[Dave2112]

I hold a Black Belt in Aikido and have been practicing Katana and other Japanese sword-fighting arts for around 17 years or so. I'm looking into Kendo right now, as it looks like something that would interest me. I'm sure there are a lot more of us around here. Interesting thread!

 

[Krokus]

Heh.

Stereotype that all asians are good martial artist?!?!? LOL!! That is actually very...VERY funny. Most asian guys I know (and I know alot) have no interest at all in Martial Arts. I have never even known there WAS a stereotype like that.

 

[ShiningIce]

Personally I've never heard of a martial art that can stop a bullet.

 

[TicklishPhoebe]

Personally I've never heard of a martial art that can stop a bullet.

I used to practice Hapkido before my knee got all icky

One of the first things that you learn is that the most important part of bravery is discretion.. in other words, there are times when you should *not* fight.

 

[tkrexx]

MAYBE, the stereotype that all Asians are good at martial arts will go away!

Alexander, you could always be like my all-time favorite ticklee, Lucy Alexis Liu, (Yeah, uh-huh. In my WETTEST dream. ), who when asked by any redneck fool if she knows Martial Arts, replies, "Yeah I do, and I can kick your ASS!"

Rxx

 

[asutickler]

Sweet!

I've got about 3 years of Wing Chun under my belt, which is made of leather. "Burlington coat factory! $14.99!," to paraphrase a certain cinematic bad ass/apartment complex repair guy.

Wing Chun is a little different from the Japanese arts most people are used to. It has no ranking system except for teacher (sifu)/student (even though you will hear certain individuals claiming to have a "black sash" or some such in Wing Chun gung fu. This is just a copy of the Japanese ranking system, with "sash" thrown in in place of "belt," and people who talk about their "sash-rank" usually bestowed it upon themselves... after reading half of a "Kung Fu How To" book. But I digress...)

Wing Chun also dosen't really focus on all of the "honor" type stuff you see in the movies. I've learned more dirty, DIRTY tricks in my kung fu classes than you can shake a stick at. Then again, "dirty" only counts if there's a ref.

You know, I just realized that it's 3:41 AM, and I'm rambling on and on... so I'll shut up now!



ASUTickler



P.S.

Personally I've never heard of a martial art that can stop a bullet.

It's got a 99.9999999999999999% chance of being bunk, you understand... but check THIS out:

http://www.aikidofaq.com/history/story.html

 

[Sunday_10pm]

Well so far I have made about the least contribution to this thread I started, so I'll basically say a few things I learnt from doing Karate. I hope anyone who does'nt see much point to martial arts in this, the age of the pistol, reads this and tries to understand it.
I have not lifted this from anything else, It is a little summary of my thoughts on martial arts.

I did karate from the age of 8 – 17 and got to 2nd dan Brown Belt (There are 3 Brown dans in Wado Ryu before 1st dan Black); I quit almost 2 years ago (wont tire you with the long story). Me and 3 others my age joined at roughly the same stage. We all rose through the belts at about the same rate, and basically became really good friends through it. We almost always ended fighting each other in the finals of tournaments*.
Many people think that the only use for martial arts is self-defence. When I started Karate, my friends in school thought I was doing it because I wanted to be able to beat people up. I have to admit, when you first start, you see brown and black belts sparring together, and think, "If I was as good as them, I would actually be able to beat anyone up!" especially when you’re only young Everyone has their own reason for starting. I don’t think it matters really, as it quickly becomes irrelevant.
Once you've been doing it for a while, you give it a lot of thought from time to time. You look back and realise how dramatically your perspective has changed: You realise that what you are able to do so easily now, was once impossible. And you realise that what has been driving you has nothing to do with the outside world: When you do a martial art, you are developing yourself beyond the normal level of skill for a human being, that is the enjoyment of it. Your striving to develop your skills is nothing to do with other people, or any other external influences.
In my experience, people doing it for the wrong reason will invariably become dissatisfied with their own rate of progress, and the ineffectiveness of the "moves" they've learnt. You can quickly tell whether or not someone will be able to embrace the real beauty of martial arts. If they cant, It's only a matter of time before they drop out. What they did'nt and thankfully will never understand, is that the moves they go home and try on their friends' arms are nothing to do with fighting: They are just designed to develop basic movements, and build strength. This is the same reason that many "self-defence" classes are basically useless. For people to think that it is the martial art that is useless, and not themselves, after devoting 1 hour of their time to it, is just funny to be honest.



*I have met alot of people who think the notion of competing in tournaments and the like, loses sight of the purpose of martial arts: It is only when success in competition becomes the greatest priority for a martial artist, that you can say this about them. People in the club (including myself) did compete fairly regularly on a national level. I won quite a few trophies over the years All the people in my club who competed used it as a means of learning how to perform under pressure, and to wake themselves up occasionally. In the same way that boxers develop bad habits if they use the same sparring partners all the time. I always found competing unpleasant, but it is all part of pushing yourself It is the best way to keep yourself as sharp as possible. It was plain to see who was more adept at fighting within the club

 

[Phineas]

the stereotype of all Asians knowing martial arts probably comes from the fact that most Chinese are taught some form of Wu Shu as physical education during their grade/high school years. My wife was given Tai Chi Chuan and sword training when she was young. We play dodge ball, they learn how to wield a butterfly sword.

I don't know about any African kickboxing, but the South American slaves' martial art that resembles dancing is called Capoeira.

Savate actually has a more modern "legalized" form called Boxe Francaise.

Can you tell I know a bit about this stuff?

in addition, I've heard a few things about martial artists and guns. the first is that modern ninjitsu teaches students to deal with a firearm-wielding opponent, and many self-defense courses preach a two (or three) second rule; if you cannot close to striking distance with a gunman in two seconds, you're better off not trying.

Chuck Norris was once called as a expert witness in a court case involving martial arts; he was able to subdue a guard pointing a fake gun at him from ten feet away before the man could pull the trigger every time he tried.

 

[Strelnikov]

Quoting Phineas:
"...modern ninjitsu teaches students to deal with a firearm-wielding opponent, and many self-defense courses preach a two (or three) second rule; if you cannot close to striking distance with a gunman in two seconds, you're better off not trying.

Chuck Norris was once called as a expert witness in a court case involving martial arts; he was able to subdue a guard pointing a fake gun at him from ten feet away before the man could pull the trigger every time he tried."

Despite the handle I use, the martial art I favor is Gun-fu. Two seconds is a long time in a combat situation, long enough to get off 2-3 rounds from a revolver easily, more from a semi-auto. And 10 feet isn't a good test. NEVER let your opponent close within 5 yards. If he does, empty the magazine. Hesitating will get you killed.

Strelnikov

 

[tkrexx]

Originally posted by Phineas

I don't know about any African kickboxing, but the South American slaves' martial art that resembles dancing is called Capoeira.

Thx, Phin...I never did get that one to click til I saw your post.

Rxx

 

[Sunday_10pm]

Wing Chun is a little different from the Japanese arts most people are used to.

I know, it's Chinese

 

[Sunday_10pm]

I think i'm going to start learning chinese martial arts next year when I go to university. I looked on the net and found a decent looking club. They teach a several different forms of kungfu and wushu. I always wanted to do wushu, it looks like the most fun.

 

[BigJim]

Oh by the way, the martial art that is like kickboxing is called Muay Thai and comes (rather obviously) from Thailand. Personally I've always wanted to learn Jailhouse Rock, but I can't find anyone who teaches it in this country.

 

[Phineas]

Muay Thai isn't "like" kickboxing, it IS kickboxing. Or rather, kick/punch/knee/elbow/head boxing. Thai fighters are some of the deadliest in the world.

Jim, I think Jailhouse Rock is pretty much an American phenomena, mainly because the style originated as a defense against weapons and prison riots within our lovely judicial system.

Strelnikov;

The two-second rule, I believe, is born out of the ninjitsu teaching that most (untrained, I'd imagine) gunmen hesitate for several seconds before actually firing. It's also designed to deal with people who don't reveal their weapon until they're close; IE, muggers. If you really plan on shooting someone, you're not going to walk up to them and wave the gun in their face. In that case, your five-yard figure is pretty accurate. But if you just want to use the weapon to intimidate, and you really just want to rob or rape the person, then ten feet or closer will be your opening range.

Otherwise, I agree with you. Ninjitsu also teaches "respect the weapon" -type caution.

 

[Sunday_10pm]

I knew this would happen. I make a thread with the intent of having a decent discussion with other martial artists, and people start discussing whether you can dodge bullets. The answer is no, you cannot dodge a bullet, and it doesn’t matter what martial art you take up, you would have devote your entire life to it to even stand a chance. Are you going to dedicate your entire life to martial arts and meditation? No. You might know a lot about martial arts, but unless you have done one, you have no understanding. You might know what Capoeira and Muay Thai are, but alot of my friends know that from playing Tekken on their playstation. If you are so interested, then maybe you should go and try it?
I always hear knowitalls discussing what is the deadliest martial art and such. I’ve had people say “karate isn’t as good as kung-fu” etc.. Well, I’d be impressed if they could get to a point where they were limited by the martial art rather than themselves. Good to see some actual practitioners posting though. Anyone done any form of wushu?

 

[Phineas]

uh, Sunday, I don't know about anyone else, but I was trying to clarify the misconception that while some martial arts instruct students on how to deal with guns, they focus on disarming the assailant given a reasonable distance and opportunity to do so rather than magical bullet-dodging powers.

on the other hand, I have seen demonstrations of masters who *could* catch arrows and bolts.

...and while I'm on a roll, I resent the implication that you think my entire repository of martial arts knowledge is gleaned from playing Tekken 3. Never mind that Tekken 3's motion capture did a pretty good job of indicating the nuances of each style's strengths and weaknesses... but a few years ago, when I started running a Street Fighter roleplaying campaign, I decided to go out and actually research as much about the different fighting styles as I could in order to better lend real-world style to my game. To this end I talked with practitioners, both here in America and in the Far East (I didn't specifically go to China *just* to meet them, but since I was there, I located a few), read books on the subject (my ninjitsu knowledge is gleaned from books written by the remaining masters of the style), and as many interviews with practitioners-turned-actors (they often try and clarify how real styles differ from their movie counterparts in interviews) as possible.

Did you know that Capoeira became an acrobatic leg-oriented style because the slaves who invented it were often manacled at the wrist, and that it resembles a dance because it had to be hidden from the overseers? They also fight with razors. You won't get that from your Playstation.

but since I've apparently offended you, I'll quit discussing the issue. WRT your last question about Wushu, my wife's sister received some training in Taiji Quan from a master in her hometown for a while, although the extent of which I do not know.

 

[Sunday_10pm]

I'm not necessarily adressing you Phin
If you have actually practiced a martial art at all, I'd be grateful if you would tell me what it was like, how long you have been doing (did) it for, why (if) you quit etc... If anything annoys me, it is seeing people who are obviously interested, but never get involved. And it only annoys me because it is a waste.

Heh, and seeing that in the time it took me to write the above, your post has changed: Yes I know about Capoeira, and yes I have read books on Ninjutsu by Hatsumi and Hayes. I also have tekken

 

[Phineas]

..I assumed you were addressing me since I was the only one really talking about Capoeira, which you mentioned.

I haven't practiced any form of martial art in years; when I was really young I enrolled in a TKD dojo near my home, but at that age my attention span didn't lend itself to the kind of practicing I had to do. Plus I was six years old in a grownups class, and they had no age-divisions. I'd like to get back into it now that I'm an adult but I don't have the time to attend class as often as one would need to.

Furthermore, depending on the focus of your style, it is very possible to be limited by it rather than yourself. Take TKD for example; the forms of it that I'm familiar with don't teach much in the way of grappling in the lower levels (correct me if I'm wrong here), so a Judo or Sambo practitioner who managed to close could do some real damage. On the other hand, they'd be kicked in the head and sleeping before they got that far.

 

[Sunday_10pm]

There was a Taekwondo club at the sports centre where I did Karate. Every other Friday the more advanced people from both clubs got together in one hall. They taught us some of their Katas, and we taught them some of ours. They gave us advice on using our legs, and how to stretch, and we taught them how to fight like men (we (and they) used to laugh at the rules of their competitions (no hands )

Seriously though, in answer to your question: Taekwondo is one of the most sport/competition orientated forms of martial art there is. I'm not too familiar with the history of taekwondo but I think it is because it's transition from a lethal fighting system to sport was made in a very deliberate way, and quite a long time ago. It originated from monostries in the same way as the famous Shaolin kung-fu. I'm not sure where and if you can learn Taekwondo in it's original form today. Maybe accomplished masters are able to go and learn from Grand Masters? If you were able to learn the original taekwondo, i'm sure you would be able to snap any assailant's legs when they went to give you a hug.

If you like the idea of being a devastating martial artist, you can enter full contact, continuous competitions. There's no quicker way to get used to having your head kicked in by psychotic monsters, than going and having your head kicked in by psychotic monsters. It aint all glamourous. But that is the best way to get tough. Having tried that, I have personally decided that there is more to a martial art than making yourself as hard as a nail. Since we dont live in fuedal Japan or China. Hence I would rather do wushu, much of which is more like gymnastics/dancing, than fighting.

 

[BigJim]

Monastries??????

Nah, Tae Kwon Do was "invented" in 1955 by a Major General in the Korean army called Choi Hong Hi. He gathered together knowledge from all sorts of disciplines and put them together in a way that would be ideal for soldiers. The constituent parts of it existed before that, but only in the same way the the consituent parts of the hydrogen bomb existed in the 1920's, waiting to be put together.

Because of it's origin, TKD is structured quite like military in types of discipline and the way a class is run, etc.

 

[Phineas]

Just a side note, because I'm a picky and annoying person.

...likewise.

Wu Shu and Kung Fu are actually the same thing. They refer to a collection of martial styles that originated in China. Wu Shu is the Northern term, and Kung Fu the Southern. The rest of the world knows it as Kung Fu because Asian film stars skilled in the martial arts generally do their most internatially-known work in Hong Kong, which of course is in the South.

 

[kurchatovium]

An off shoot of Tae Kwon Do was invented in the late 60's and is known as Nike Kwon Do. In this Martial art you make a cool martial art noise and then run away. Especially useful if you actually have to dodge bullets.

Seriously though I see a lot of Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Akaido type schools but does anyone in the US actually teach Kung Fu? I'm certain there has to be someone; not that I'm going to learn it or anything I'm to old for that. For me I should learn Tai Chi, probably more my style. Although not a martial art really Tai Chi is suppose to be really good for your health.