Martial Arts Home.

tkizzle05

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Hey all, I'm on a new quest I'm looking for a Martial Arts Home. I went through plenty styles, and love them all, now I just want to settle on one and grow within that organization.

I'm not looking into sports or competition, but purely self-defense as a whole.

I'm now 27, My ultimate Goal at this point is survival, I want to focus heavily on self-defense against impossible odds. I want to learn weaponry and being 5'9 and 205lbs, my greatest assets right now are my speed and strength.
I like to fight on the outside, in and out very fast dealing 100% damage with each strike. I'm not a fan of grappling, but I need that in my arsenal should I ever get put on the ground.

I prefer to kick with speed to close the distance.

I Keep in shape and am looking for something that will push me to the limits of my physical abilities.

I dont mind learning culture and history, that actually interests me a lot.

Well, I hope you all could lead me to some great things to consider.

Thank you all and happy new year!
 

Drose427

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What most people here will tell you is to figure out whats available in your area. What all have you tried and what havent you tried yet? Share what all you've tried and whats offered and it''l be easier to describe our experiences in a way that could you find your Martial Arts Home
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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I've done Wing Chun/ TKD/ JKD/ Muay Thai/ BJJ/ Karate.
I also tried Zentai Martial arts for a week, its basically ninjutsu... loved it.

I was looking for something like Tangsoodo or Enshin Karate maybe Kyoukushin or Ninjutsu, but I am now moving to the Indianapolis area.

You make a good point about testing my skills, but I believe intense saprring against instructors would be sufficient.
 

Drose427

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I have no clue what indy has, which is bad cause I lived there for years....... but I can aid a little in Tang Soo Do.. I study Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo, which is nearly identical to many Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do schools we just call it TKD. Our self defense motto is Il Kyuk, one attack, meaning one technique to stop the attack not matter what you have to do. We spar hard and rarely compete. Our biggest focus is SD and sparring can be intense..But my experience could be different than Moo Duk Kwan schools in your area. So far in 3 years, I havent done weapons yet but I know we teach at least staff. I have done knife defense a few times and various typical self defense situations, (collar grabs, bear hugs from behind, etc.) From what I hear, Ninjitsu is usually pretty rounded in their curriculum, (weapons, striking, grappling, etc.) Also, be aware that sparring is not a good measure of self-defense skill. Sparring has a rule set, set targets and techs that can be used in a controlled environment. While it can help with things like timing and distance, its rarely meant to simulate a real fight.
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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THanks for the reply, the training you've been through sounds excellent but I would love to use more weapons. Yeah ninjutsu was amazing, it hurt but I loved it. I will continue to google gyms that match my criteria down in the fishers/indianapolis area.
I prefer private lessons, I feel I could get more strict and personal training that way.
 

Kframe

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Indianapolis will have plenty of opportunities. I to live in Ft.Wayne. I just signed up at Zentai. Not much available here anymore sadly.. Kendletucky used to have a good Muay thai place, but I have no idea if it is still open. (Robert Blakes).

I have no doubt you'll find what your looking for down in the capital city. In case your interested, there is a American Top team training facility there. http://www.attindianapolis.com/
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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YOu will enjoy Zentai if self defense is your only goal. There used to be a TangSooDo dojo around by the speedway go karts place Master Fabian was the instructor, I wonder if he still teaches?

But yeah, I'm not interested in MMA, just Self-Defense, pure fighting for damaging.
 

MJS

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Hey all, I'm on a new quest I'm looking for a Martial Arts Home. I went through plenty styles, and love them all, now I just want to settle on one and grow within that organization.

I'm not looking into sports or competition, but purely self-defense as a whole.

I'm now 27, My ultimate Goal at this point is survival, I want to focus heavily on self-defense against impossible odds. I want to learn weaponry and being 5'9 and 205lbs, my greatest assets right now are my speed and strength.
I like to fight on the outside, in and out very fast dealing 100% damage with each strike. I'm not a fan of grappling, but I need that in my arsenal should I ever get put on the ground.

I prefer to kick with speed to close the distance.

I Keep in shape and am looking for something that will push me to the limits of my physical abilities.

I dont mind learning culture and history, that actually interests me a lot.

Well, I hope you all could lead me to some great things to consider.

Thank you all and happy new year!

I would look at what's in your area, check each place out, and see if what they offer, meets what you're looking for. Something else to keep in mind...how far are you willing to travel to get the training you're looking for? I ask this, because many times, people come on here, asking the same things you are, but put limitations on how far they drive, the cost, etc. If there was a school that offered what you're looking for, but it was a 1hr drive each way, would you be willing to drive?

I currently train Kyokushin and I love it! It's very different, in many ways, from the Kenpo that I trained for 20yrs. If you're looking for a hard contact style, I'd certainly suggest that. For weapons...while many arts deal with weapons, if you're looking for a weapon specific art, I'd say check out the Filipino arts, ie: Arnis, Kali, etc. For the ground...well, any ground art, ie: BJJ, Judo, Sambo, will be a plus. Nothing says you've got to devote 10yrs to BJJ, so if you wanted to train for a few months, ie: 6mos, a year, and just drill the basics, that should serve you well against the average ground situation.

I agree with KFW, regarding what he said about testing yourself. Competing is a very good way to test yourself. A few years ago, I fought in my first Kyokushin tournament. Despite a loss, I gained a ton of experience. Now, at 40yrs old, I'm not huge into competing, compared to others at my dojo, but I do enjoy it. Of course, I also train with people outside of my dojo, so I do pressure test things outside of the competition arena.

Good luck in your search! :)
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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Well I found a couple places, one is around the corner from where I will be staying, Fishers, IN http://www.indytangsoodo.com/
The other is Kyokushin but its about 45 mins away, but its worth the drive if it is what I think it is.

When I think of training, I want this http://www.geocities.jp/miuradojostm/IMG_10683.jpg hard sweat, long hours... most dojos give you an hour and call it a day.
Do you guys have any opinions?
 

lklawson

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I hate to be the one to say it, but, to be 100% honest, the most effective "Self Defense" against "impossible odds" equals weapons. Weapons are sometimes known as "force multipliers" and they "even up" against what's known as "disparity of force." Disparity of force is when you're outnumbered, the other side is much bigger and stronger (and maybe better trained), or when the other side has weapons and you don't.

The most effective personal defense weapon yet invented by man is the firearm. This is followed, in no particular order, by other weapons such as knives, clubs, swords, spears, etc.

If your "ultimate goal" is "survival" against "impossible odds" then you need weapons. I'd suggest something like one of the many Filipino martial arts, Silat, or maybe a CQC that focuses heavily on baton and knife (though they tend to be somewhat "shallow" as far as lifetime martial arts training goes, imo). Follow that up, or better yet, precede it, with a healthy dose of handgun self defense courses (available from the NRA and other sources) and a Concealed Carry License in your State. "God created man, Sam Colt made them equal."

Unfortunately, this recipe doesn't mate well with some of the other stuff you've suggested that you want. You might have to decide where your priorities lie as far as your long term goals go.

I should also point out that there are other martial systems which teach weapons that may (or may not) be directly applicable to modern self defense. There are several in the Western tradition even. However, I suggested, as "go to" arts, the three which I find to be most common and available.

Good luck.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
 

Tony Dismukes

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I've done Wing Chun/ TKD/ JKD/ Muay Thai/ BJJ/ Karate.
I also tried Zentai Martial arts for a week, its basically ninjutsu... loved it.

I was looking for something like Tangsoodo or Enshin Karate maybe Kyoukushin or Ninjutsu, but I am now moving to the Indianapolis area.

You make a good point about testing my skills, but I believe intense saprring against instructors would be sufficient.

I'm trying to think of two arts more different from each other than Kyokushin Ryu and Ninjutsu, but I'm having a hard time. Aikido and modern Wushu? Tae Kwon Do and German longsword?

I agree with Kirk that you might need to focus your priorities a bit. Also that defeating "impossible odds" generally involves superior weaponry. (Actually, the preferred method for defeating impossible odds is to never get in that situation in the first place. This is why 95+% of real self-defense has very little to do with fighting skills.)
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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THanks for the replies, before I tackle weaponry I want to ensure im physically sufficient to handle myself, should I be caught without a weapon. I do plan on learning weaponry which is why I loved Ninjitsu to me and in my experience that was one of the most direct and self-protection oriented martial art that I was able to be apart of. Now, I want to learn how to shoot firearms, but having small children and a wife that frowns upon it makes it difficult. That will happen sooner than later though. I plan to get into a base martial art, but at the same time do weapons training, I always cross train.

I have taken Kali before and it was some pretty awesome stuff, that and panatukan.
 

MJS

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Well I found a couple places, one is around the corner from where I will be staying, Fishers, IN http://www.indytangsoodo.com/
The other is Kyokushin but its about 45 mins away, but its worth the drive if it is what I think it is.

When I think of training, I want this http://www.geocities.jp/miuradojostm/IMG_10683.jpg hard sweat, long hours... most dojos give you an hour and call it a day.
Do you guys have any opinions?

Go with the Kyokushin dojo. When I first joined up, my teacher told me to take a few trial classes. He said his training was very hard, and not for everyone. I said ok, and came back the following day for class. I figured how hard could it be? I felt I was in pretty good shape, and had trained for a long time. Class began. Everyone pretty much warmed up before class began, so the warm up during class was maybe 5min., and then we got started with the basics. Let me tell you...I was sweating my *** off!! I looked at the clock, and though, "Holy ****! 30min in and I'm ready to drop!!" We then paired up to stretch again. Then it was time for the conditioning...push ups, squats, leg raises and sit ups. 100 sit ups, non stop. Everyone counted off sets of 10 until we reached 100. Then right to the leg raises....2 sets of 20. Next was push ups...4 sets of 10, then 2 sets of 20 squats.

His classes are 1hr. long, but you're working...hard! In my 20yrs of Kenpo, I never sweated like this. Sad, I know. Very little rest time during the class. Everyone is pushed to perform better. Some days we'll hit the bags/pads, others we'll spar. He just changed the advanced class to 1 1/2hrs. I have the option to train 6 days/week if I choose. I pay $105/mo. for lessons. My teacher is from Japan, he's tough, he's old school, and he makes you work hard and everyone earns their rank. The man doesn't hand out belts like a mcdojo.

Give it a shot. You might like what you see. :) Is there a link to the Kyokushin dojo?
 

MJS

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THanks for the replies, before I tackle weaponry I want to ensure im physically sufficient to handle myself, should I be caught without a weapon. I do plan on learning weaponry which is why I loved Ninjitsu to me and in my experience that was one of the most direct and self-protection oriented martial art that I was able to be apart of. Now, I want to learn how to shoot firearms, but having small children and a wife that frowns upon it makes it difficult. That will happen sooner than later though. I plan to get into a base martial art, but at the same time do weapons training, I always cross train.

I have taken Kali before and it was some pretty awesome stuff, that and panatukan.

It certainly sounds like you're very passionate about the arts and training. This is a good thing! :) I was training long before I met my wife, and fortunately, she was understanding and accepting of my training. Of course, I do my best to have the equal balance, so as to keep the peace! LOL! Not that she complains when I train, but if I was there more than I'm home, well.... LOL!

One thing though...take your time. There are a ton of things out there, but there's only so much time in the day. I'm all for cross training, but I personally limit it to no more than 2 arts. IMO, anyone claiming to train in 5, 6, 7 different things, in addition to having high ranking BB's in all those arts....well, it turns into more of a jack of all trades, master of none, in addition to being a bit suspect.
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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Thank you for responding, http://ikcindy.com/ this is the link to the dojo.

Also, I always cross train and yes its limited to 2 things a day depending on the day. Martial arts and the weight room or martial arts and bodyweight training, or martial arts and weaponry which I hope to do soon.

I am hoping this school trains the old way, I prefer one on one, but if I cant get that I prefer training with people my age , warriors who want nothing but the best a trainer can offer.
 

MJS

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Thank you for responding, http://ikcindy.com/ this is the link to the dojo.

Looks legit. I'd go check it out, and take a few trial classes.

Also, I always cross train and yes its limited to 2 things a day depending on the day. Martial arts and the weight room or martial arts and bodyweight training, or martial arts and weaponry which I hope to do soon.

Just to clarify, when I mentioned training 2 things, I was talking about 2 seperate arts, ie: Kenpo and Arnis. IMO, training too much, can lead to confusion and not being able to grasp things with ease. That's just my opinion though. Others opinions will vary. :)

I am hoping this school trains the old way, I prefer one on one, but if I cant get that I prefer training with people my age , warriors who want nothing but the best a trainer can offer.

Most of the Kyokushin dojos that I know of, do maintain that traditional sense about them. My teacher being from Japan is just an added bonus for me. :) As for the 1 on 1 training...unless you were to do private lessons, you'll probably be in a group setting.
 
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tkizzle05

tkizzle05

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Yeah, looks worth it to go visit at least. I'll let you know what I observed. I also found a ninjutsu place down in Indy, still waiting to hear back from them though.

Sent from my RM-860_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk
 

MJS

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Yeah, looks worth it to go visit at least. I'll let you know what I observed. I also found a ninjutsu place down in Indy, still waiting to hear back from them though.

Sent from my RM-860_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk

Let us know how it is if you do go. I'd be interested in hearing. :) As for the Ninjutsu place...that's not an art that I do, so I can't comment whether the place would be good or bad. However, there are a few people here with a Ninjutsu background that could probably offer suggestions. :)
 

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