Encyclopedia Of Martial Arts?

FearlessFreep

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Ok, hoping for some input from... everybody :)

I do mostly Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do with some overlap into BJJ and Muy Thai and maybe some others.

But there are a lot of arts that I hear off that I have no clue about, especially Chinese arts and the many varieties of what's collectively called "Karate"

So what I'm hoping for is a good description of various arts , as far as what techniques make it up, it's philosophy of body motion, etc...

So please, tell me about your art and what it's all about. Sample videos would be most welcome. The more detail the better (if you practice a variant of Karate and you think the variant is special and important to be distinguished from 'Karate', then please tell me about the variant you practice and what you think sets it apart).

Just want to get a broader perspective and also have a mental model so that when my friend says "I train in Wu-Shu" or I meet a guy saying "Well I've been studying Tai Chai", I have an inkling what that really means

Thanks
 

Aiki Lee

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Taken from the Warrior's Edge Web site

Jizaikan Ai-Ki Ninjutsu

Jizaikan Aiki Ninjutsu is a martial art with one ultimate goal: that all students live in harmony with the people, plants and animals they encounter. The methods of this martial way, or “Budo,” are not only designed for self-perfection, but they are also a practical system for self-protection.
The word Jizai is a modern Japanese term used to describe the high
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quality of care given to the development and improvement of materials. It implies the continual pursuit of perfection. In Budo, this same term is used to represent the constant state of refinement that the warrior strives to attain. The kata and guiding principles of the curriculum are derived from the battlefield Samurai arts of feudal Japan . Although the term is new, it is a warrior tradition whose roots reach back over a thousand years into China and India .
Classical Japanese Samurai sword arts translate directly into the technique and strategy of the unarmed methods of the Jizai warrior. These sword principles harmoniously mirror the unarmed principles of “Jujutsu” and “Jutaijutsu.” The character “Ju” translates as meaning gentle, subtle or flexible. True power lies in flexibility because it is ultimately a more harmonious response to an aggressor’s attack. Guiding principles in this action of nonresistance would be: “when pushed - pull and turn; when pulled - push and turn.” The Jizai method truly uses the momentum and force of the opponent’s attack to create opportunity for the warrior to gain a tactical advantage and eventual victory.

Victory is desirable, yet the ultimate goal of Jizaikan Aiki Ninjutsu is the improvement of the quality of peoples’ lives.
 
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seasoned

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What you ask for could take volumes to explain. I study and teach Okinawan GoJu, which is derived from Okinawa with influence by Chinese martial arts. It is a kata based close in fighting system, which contains a wide variety of techniques. To the beginner, it would appear to be a block, punch, kick art, depending on the dojo and the sensei. If the dojo is sparring based, then your focus, where the kata are concerned, would be the extraction of sparring moves, that can be readily incorporated into tournaments for competition. If your sensei is more traditional, then what appears to be punch, kick, block, in time, will manifest into a very intricate art of close in fighting, with traps, locks, and take downs. For a quick example, what appears to be a middle block may in fact be a locking technique and a chambering hand may in fact be a grab or trapping technique. All blocks are strikes, which opens up a whole new art in the higher ranks. :asian:

 

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