Picking Martial Arts

[Chris Parker]

Quoting myself I said that I'm confused and that I'll stick to striking techniques thus giving up my point of filling inconsistencies, thus rendering my multiple martial arts choice moot.

But then your following comments went against that idea, hence my take that you were still looking for a variety.

"Thanks for the compliment, your input was very helpful. Tomorrow I'm goung to visit 3 dojos and decide between mauy boran, kung fu and bujinkan. I hope all goes well for me.Ill go with striking since its my weaker suit and I have a size advantage so most people won't go for grappling and I'm pretty good at locks etc.Once again I can't thank you enough for your input, have a great sunday!" (posted third)

Bujinkan, as with pretty much all Japanese (native) unarmed systems, is dominantly grappling. Although the Bujinkan does feature a range of strikes, they are there to allow the grappling to be used. Kung Fu is a generic term for Chinese martial arts, and isn't anything specific enough to be applicable.

"I want to improve myself so if you guys think that i should limit myself to one Martial art please could you try to give me an example because i'm kinda confused" (Posted Second)

Still not saying you will only train one art, more asking if you could be convinced.

"I'm not really worried about getting things in a jumble ( I can always drop them), although i'm considering taking aikikai if i don't get accepted to bujinkan due to the spiritual aspect of the two arts. I'm trying to take 2 or 3 martial arts so i have the grappling and ground work aspect that you won't get from Muay Boran. I still have time before i'm going to dive into taking classes because it's kinda hard to choose; a week or so." (posted First)

See, you say you want striking, but are looking at Bujinkan (grappling and weapon-heavy) or Aikikai (almost nothing but grappling). And you don't quite seem to understand what the issue with training multiple systems is... it's not whether you can "drop them" or not.

Discipline is taught by teachers not by the art, respecting ones teacher shall eventually lead me to enlightenment since the teacher gives me guidance. Once enlightened the way of the martial artist spreads to all aspects of life. Dabbling is a way of finding something i like. Muay Boran courses are inconsistent due to the vast amount of seminar grandmasters go to.

Honestly? Romantic garbage. Discipline comes from maintaining discipline, which is from dedication to a particular goal. Respecting your teacher has nothing to do with enlightenment. Being enlightened or not doesn't mean anything when it comes to the benefits of the art "spreading to all aspects of life".

 

[Dolev]

It's really not romantic garbage, for instance i have no respect for bullies. But i do have respect for my teacher who exercise self control when dealing with these bullies, you don't have to believe in what i believe. I do believe that when you do something every day and you constantly think of it, it will integrate into your life. I may have misused the word enlightenment in retrospect, maybe when you get the hang of it, the teacher helps me get the hang of it. I don't want to learn how to fight, many of systems nowadays don't deal with modern situations, i want to learn the reason behind what i do.

I go to a private school so I'm very disciplined and respectful towards those who deserve it, but I'm looking for motivation something that will push me through my day. Martial arts is that something for me, so i stop procrastinating and when i enjoy it i will become more serious about it rather than using it as a benefactor in my life.

Alright, there we go i didn't know that Bujinkan was all about grappling, the dojo i researched was geared toward striking. I won't go there, thank you for your information.

I'm willing to take advice, but you're giving me an opinion. Kung fu is a generic term, but shaolin kung fu is much more specific, some 15 styles, most commonly are wushu (sport), sanda, and Shaolin quan.

I don't think you caught on to the fact that I'm 16 seeing as on another thread you said i took karate when i was 16; i am currently 16.Mistakes

 

[MJS]

I have a background to Martial arts, I've been on mountain training trips but I've never taken Martial arts very seriously and I'd like to change that. I have no financial problems as to paying for classes the problem is finding arts that suit me. I'm currently sure of taking Muay Boran but i'd also like to add 2-3 more Martial arts. I don't have many time constrictions unless its project from school and such but i'm sure i can make time.

I'm 6'0 or 182 cm tall, wide (Above average) shoulders, 16 years old and i'm pretty quick. I was thinking of taking Aikikai or Shaolin Kung fu or Bujikan or Sanda. I'm looking for some advice as what MA's to take, Dojo's aren't hard to find since i live in Asia.

Thanks for any help,
Dolev :ultracool

What are you looking to get out of your training? Once you answer that, we could probably offer more suggestions.

 

[Chris Parker]

It's really not romantic garbage, for instance i have no respect for bullies. But i do have respect for my teacher who exercise self control when dealing with these bullies, you don't have to believe in what i believe. I do believe that when you do something every day and you constantly think of it, it will integrate into your life. I may have misused the word enlightenment in retrospect, maybe when you get the hang of it, the teacher helps me get the hang of it. I don't want to learn how to fight, many of systems nowadays don't deal with modern situations, i want to learn the reason behind what i do.

I go to a private school so I'm very disciplined and respectful towards those who deserve it, but I'm looking for motivation something that will push me through my day. Martial arts is that something for me, so i stop procrastinating and when i enjoy it i will become more serious about it rather than using it as a benefactor in my life.

Alright, there we go i didn't know that Bujinkan was all about grappling, the dojo i researched was geared toward striking. I won't go there, thank you for your information.

I'm willing to take advice, but you're giving me an opinion. Kung fu is a generic term, but shaolin kung fu is much more specific, some 15 styles, most commonly are wushu (sport), sanda, and Shaolin quan.

I don't think you caught on to the fact that I'm 16 seeing as on another thread you said i took karate when i was 16; i am currently 16.Mistakes

The way you were putting it really was romantic garbage (not saying that your ideas are garbage, but that the ideals you stated are overly romanticized and far from the reality). The idea of having no respect for bullies, or having respect for your teachers is great... but not really much to do with the discussion here.

In terms of martial arts (or any repeated aspect of your life) having an influence on the rest of your life, well, yeah. Getting that mixed up with the ideas of enlightenment, though, is just off the mark completely. Additionally, that's not really much to do with the martial art (the examples you gave), as it can be achieved without martial arts very easily... just be disciplined and arrive places on time. There are plenty of martial artists who are always late, undisciplined, and so on.

When you say you want to learn the "reason behind what you do", what do you mean by that?

I'm glad you're disciplined already, that's a good start, but again, going to a private school isn't what guaranteed that... plenty of private school students are also lazy, undisciplined etc. I'm not sure what you mean by saying that you're disciplined but unmotivated, though... again, this is all down to you as a person, not the martial art. Martial arts can be a vehicle that can help you (personally) in this area, but that's up to you, and is far from a guarantee, or definite result.

And, for the record, I haven't presented opinion yet, just facts. And when it comes to Shaolin Kung Fu, there are quite a number of systems that use that name (some more legitimately than others), so it can also be rather generic. Sanda is a form of Chinese kickboxing, not really Shaolin Kung Fu, Wushu is also not really related, and "quan" just means "fist".

 

[Dolev]

Left alone i get lazy, but if i have something to do i work fast and efficiently. I want to understand why a samurai would stand up for peasant when he is disarmed, how did he achieve such faith in his technique. Learning something new is interesting to me and i like broadening my horizons Shaolin kung fu is a term (at least as far as i know that talks about forms of kung fu that are affiliated to the shaolin temple). Shaolin quan=Chinese boxing, i'm relying on information from a dojo. I did Changquan before, but in my 3 year hiatus i'm much more tense then before, but i still plan on taking it up when i move. I'm interested in new things so i might drop changquan for something else, but i really enjoy it so it's highly improbable. I went to see the Changquan school near me, it's not very good since the teacher is not intrested in his students, on the other hand the Shaolin Kung fu facility i went to was very interested in me as a person and as a potential martial artist.

I know that a private school has nothing to do with what we are talking about but in previous threads i noticed that people asked for more of a background. In my school you HAVE to be on time and disciplined, my school is internationally ranked in the top 10. You mess up and you're out, it's stressful and Martial arts might also be a way to relieve stress.

Respect was a way of making a point as to what a teacher is.
You're also giving me questions that you would ask a martial artist, but I'm not one. I want to be one, but i wont get there if i don't apply myself.

I know there is no guarantee that it will drive me forwards but i enjoy it and if it becomes a hobby im okay with that, but i have to try if i want results. All the places i've trained do not tolerate tardiness or laziness, you have a different martial arts experience than i have.

In reply to MJS i'm intrested in becoming a martial artist but i will currently use it as a motivator to help me push forwards in my studies.

I gotta go to bed it's 12 pm. Good night

 

[MJS]

In reply to MJS i'm intrested in becoming a martial artist but i will currently use it as a motivator to help me push forwards in my studies.

Let me see if I can clarify for you. What I meant is....usually when someone trains, they're looking for something specific. If you're interested in grappling, I'd suggest a BJJ, Judo, Sambo school. If you're looking for weapons, I'd suggest a FMA school, where there will be a big focus on knife and stick work, as well as empty hand. You can be a martial artist by training in any art. I'm wondering what your goals are. What do you want to get out of training?

 

[Josh Oakley]

Son, that was phrased politely. Your comments are in contrast with your claimed aims, and I was pointing out the inconsistencies there. And yes, I have read the entire thread, and have experience in quite a number of the things you're asking about, so my comments (and questions) come from actually knowing what I'm talking about. You haven't answered why you think you'd be gaining discipline by dabbling in bits and pieces rather than dedicating yourself to a particular art, though.

Ok, so... I am curious. Why are you having him explore a point he conceded already?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dolev]

My Goal is to Master something I enjoy doing, possibly gain the ability to not get offended by hateful comments (Knowing that I'm better than that; confidence boost). Since I'm the only Jewish kid at my school my friends never exercised restraint towards antisemitic language, now when they mess up or when someone else does something stupid they call him a "Stupid Jew" and then someone has to tell a really bad holocaust joke. My Grandparents were in the holocaust and it's pretty touchy for me as they're my friends. I've already expressed my distaste for their actions and they have realized it and then they would claim that they would fix it but they never do. So that's a big thing for me, but the biggest thing is that I enjoy the ability to express myself through my fists; cheesy as it may be I always understood my brother when we fought, being 7 years older than me we didn't talk much because when i cared he was a teen, and now when he cares i'm a teen. So we always solved and talked through our fists.

 

[Cirdan]

Well most people who train MA do so because they enjoy doing so, and it can certainly be a veichle for improving self control (as can many other activities).
Given that schools differ very much from place to place even within the same style, and you don`t list intrest in any particular aspect of the arts, you should just sample what is out there. Watch demonstrations if possible, sit and watch a class, get a tree trial class where they are offered etc.
Just take it easy, be patient and show up with an empty cup

 

[oftheherd1]

...

Discipline is taught by teachers not by the art, respecting ones teacher shall eventually lead me to enlightenment since the teacher gives me guidance. Once enlightened the way of the martial artist spreads to all aspects of life. Dabbling is a way of finding something i like. Muay Boran courses are inconsistent due to the vast amount of seminar grandmasters go to.

Teachers may be able to help you, but discipline must come from within. If you only practice discipline in the dojo, you don't have self-discipline. That you must have. Otherwise you are being disciplined, not making self-discipline a life choice. And you don't have any discipline without that, only an occasional acceptance of outside discipline.

...

Since I'm the only Jewish kid at my school my friends never exercised restraint towards antisemitic language, now when they mess up or when someone else does something stupid they call him a "Stupid Jew" and then someone has to tell a really bad holocaust joke.
...

I've already expressed my distaste for their actions and they have realized it and then they would claim that they would fix it but they never do.
...

Is your instructor aware of that? Are you are doing something to bring that on yourself (it is still distasteful and inappropriate, of course)?

I would question if you are in a good school, and how you pick your friends.

In Korea, in many arts, when a student reaches 3rd dan, they are often encouraged to study another martial art up to black belt. This helps the student to know if they want to continue in their original art, and want to commit to it. The next level is master level after all. You might want to consider if there is wisdom in that approach, and whether you think you should take that into consideration in your own training. Remember this, you are 16, you only have 16 years of experience and a lot of that you don't even remember. God willing, you have a lot of years in front of you. You have time to learn one art well, then decide to try another one, or not.

I took TKD some many years ago, only up to 8th Green. 20 some years ago, I began Hapkido. Hapkido, at least as I learned it, taught blocking, punching and kicking, but didn't really emphacise learning how to punch much, kicking more (naturally, it emphacises other things such as joint locks and breaks, pressure points, throws, etc). Luckily I still remembered how to do both. Other schools may do differently. So the TKD helped me some. I don't think it would have helped me so much if I had tried to both at the same time. Only you can decide if you are different, and you may be. But I would still recommend only one art until you are at least about mid-way into the art before trying something new. And I really recommend attaining at least a 1st dan, if not a 2nd dan before dabbling in something else.

I'm not going to really recommend what art you should take. Naturally, I think Hapkido is a really good and well rounded fighting art, but that's because it is the art I have chosen to learn. You seem to think striking is your best thing, yet call it a weak point. You look favorably on standing grappling, which I think is better than a ground based grappling. Others will surely disagree based on their training. You also may need to consider what art is most likely to be taught in the places you may move to. Believe it or not, as I told you, there is no bad martial art, only bad teachers and students.

Many people put down TKD or those types of Karate that teach little else but blocking, punching and kicking. When I taught, I used to tell my students to be wary of such thoughts. If all one is taught is blocking, punching and kicking, when you defend against that person, you best expect them to be very good at blocking, punching, and kicking. So my student's goal was to be very good at defending against a very good blocker, puncher and kicker, not to disrespect that art.

But none of us can really tell you what you want to do as you are the one who has to live with the decision you make. Choose wisely.

 

[WC_lun]

Dolev,
As Mr. Parker has stated, enlightment through martial arts is romantic garbage. You will not become "enlightened" through martial arts training. It is a nice fantasy, but the reality is somehting different. That is not to say that martial art training does not have many positive effects on a person. For a dedicated student, the positives are quite numerous, but enlightenment, no.

If I must communicate with my friends with my fist, then it is time to find new friends. If I tell a friend that something he says bothers me, that friend would stop doing it, because he is my friend and how I feel matters. If how I feel does not matter, then that person is not a friend and thier insults mean very little.

Training martial arts with the idea in mind to settle things with your fist is a terrible mind set. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Violence is a tool of last resort, and it very, very, rarely changes anyone's mind, but rather ingrains fear and hate. The best way to fight antisemetism is be yourself and show that you are a normal, everyday person, much as they are. Start beating people up and the antisemetic feelings will grow, though they may not say anything to your face. If that is your goal, then your ego is why you want this and that is also a very bad motivation for martial arts training. I know it is difficult to hear thier ignorance, but violence will not cure thier ignorance.

Many schools use "Shaolin" as part of thier name, because it is a good marketing tool. Not every school that uses the name really comes from Shaolin. I've seen "Shaolin" schools that had absolutely no understanding of Shaolin fighting principles. Then there are many, many, family systems that started from Shaolin, but have not been part of Shaolin for many, many, years. In many cases the creator of the system would study martial arts at shaolin then come back and teach the family. There is no garauntee that the original family member was a skilled teacher. Having said that, there are many family systems that are quite good. Ignore the name of the art. Look for the substance.

Good luck in your search for a good school. they are hard to find, but they are out there!

 

[grumpywolfman]

... I've decided to take up martial arts I usually focus on one thing at a time but since I'm inexperienced I'm looking for guidance, MT seemed pretty promising and it's currently working out.

Hello Dolev,

Personally, I would recommend staying with Muay Thai for right now, then add BJJ when you feel ready. After you get comfortable with Muay Thai, please consider switching up from closed fists to open hand and palm strikes once you begin your BJJ training. My reasoning is this, if you find a good BJJ school that teaches the Gracie Academy curriculum correctly, you will be learning BJJ self defense moves as a requirement to make it to Blue belt (what they call 'street ready'). Combine this with your 'open-hand MT' and you then have an excellant self defense core to work from for whatever direction you may want to go in the future in martial arts (with solid sparring experience). Even if you decide to never take up martial arts ever again after becoming 'street ready,' the muscle memory that you acquired should stay with you - in case you should ever need it to defend yourself.




"I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody ..." ~ Marlon Brando (1954) 'On the Waterfront'

 

[Dolev]

I'm at a good school, though its really hard to find friends. My friends are OK, but they're all dicks, they have admitted to it and told me to just live with it.
Being a loner feels much more awful than an occasional jab to my religion. They try being nice but it feels very awkward. I don't want sympathy i want to overcome it myself.

 

[Dolev]

I beat my friends up on a daily basis, they don't hate me more, I know that for a fact because they mocked Judaism long before i hit them.
I don't plan to beat people up with my training, i can do that now with fairly OK results.
I said before hand enlightenment was not quite the word i was looking for.
I'd have to say my friends are complete dicks and i really should find new friends but it's impossible. Being a loner sucks, I had a good friend but he moved to japan, then my new best friend just moved to jakarta.
Here is an example of how easily my friends are brainwashed dicks. One of our friends is a Bi-Sexual, he hid this due to the fact that he feared the dickishness of our friends. After a facebook "rape" my friend found out he is bisexual and is desperate. Now, this guy has seen every single one of us in our boxers (IMO big whoop) and one of our friends flipped out and turned everyone against him (except me) he is now mostly alone.
That and they forgot my birthday, even though it says so on facebook, and i memorized each and everyone of their birthdays.

Thus i want to hurt them as much as possible before we part ways; i wont really do that but i will occasionally thrust my fist into their gut when they make incredibly ignorant jokes.

 

[Dolev]

I don't feel comfortable with BJJ, it just feels really awkward. Do you know of anything similar?

 

[Cirdan]

I beat my friends up on a daily basis, they don't hate me more, I know that for a fact because they mocked Judaism long before i hit them.
I don't plan to beat people up with my training, i can do that now with fairly OK results.
I said before hand enlightenment was not quite the word i was looking for.
I'd have to say my friends are complete dicks and i really should find new friends but it's impossible. Being a loner sucks, I had a good friend but he moved to japan, then my new best friend just moved to jakarta.
Here is an example of how easily my friends are brainwashed dicks. One of our friends is a Bi-Sexual, he hid this due to the fact that he feared the dickishness of our friends. After a facebook "rape" my friend found out he is bisexual and is desperate. Now, this guy has seen every single one of us in our boxers (IMO big whoop) and one of our friends flipped out and turned everyone against him (except me) he is now mostly alone.
That and they forgot my birthday, even though it says so on facebook, and i memorized each and everyone of their birthdays.

Thus i want to hurt them as much as possible before we part ways; i wont really do that but i will occasionally thrust my fist into their gut when they make incredibly ignorant jokes.

I don't feel comfortable with BJJ, it just feels really awkward. Do you know of anything similar?

Uhh. Maybe martial arts is not an activity not for you after all. May I suggest.. collecting elephant eggs?

 

[Dolev]

I don't assault people, I hit them when they insult me. They hit my throat yelling JEW SPEAR for no apparent reason, this happened way before i started hitting.
them.
I don't like BJJ due to the lack of explanation of how to get to the ground; at least to the schools I've visited.

May I suggest you meet my friends; my homophobic, elitist, racist, ignorant, dickish friends. Since my school doesn't have many students, it's hard to find friends.

 

[oaktree]

Hi Dolev,
My first suggestion for you is disassociate yourself with your "friends". They obviously have a negative effect on you and you would be better off being a loner for a while than
keeping bad company with you. I had friends in my past who were into robbery and drugs I disassociated myself with them because I did not want to follow their path, they have been dead for over a decade.
My second suggestion for you is learn to control your anger issues:

Thus i want to hurt them as much as possible before we part ways; i wont really do that but i will occasionally thrust my fist into their gut when they make incredibly ignorant jokes.

This is no longer self defense this is something worse. You need to learn to control that because if you do not it could have unpleasant effects later in life. I would suggest something that builds team work like a team sport that builds communication and interaction with positive renforcement. If you do venture into martial arts I suggest something that involves working together like Judo or Aikido in which both partners have to have trust and cooperation in their roles in healthy competition.

BJJ can be a great art and transition from stand up to ground can be achieved many ways maybe the school you went to wasn't a school that explained it well for you.

Anyway Good luck.

 

[Dolev]

I don't have anger issues please notice i said i wont do it, I don't want to be a loner for 2 years. My friends are fine except for the fact they're dicks. they don't smoke or do drugs.

I mean do any of you remember your teenage years you would horse around with your friends. But my friends are sometimes dicks. They pick on me, i pick on them; it's a cycle. I am in total control of my emotions, I have never attacked someone in rage, I am calm and collected.
I trust them, it's just that they are dicks.

 

[Cirdan]

Calm and collected, and beating up your friends on a regular basis? What makes you think anyone would want to teach martial arts to a person who behaves this way?

Maybe Cobra Kai would be an option, but I hear they closed.