strengths and weaknesses

[chris_มวยไทย]

hi , i was wondering what are the strengths and weaknesses of your art and why? (this includes techniques , conditioning , etc.)


p.s. please dont turn this into a my style is better than yours thread , and splease dont comment on other peoples arts , just explain your own , i made this thread so i (and everyone else) can learn more about the martial arts , i didnt make it so we can argue.

il start , i ptractice muay thai , we have hard sparring , extensive use of knees and elbows , we do a lot of attacking when we are in the clinch , we have a lot of conditioning , and of course the thai style roundhouse kick (brutal)

the weaknesses would probably be that we dont learn throws or floor fighting , its a stand up style

now its your turn!

 

[Kacey]

TKD - especially Ch'ang H'on, or ITF, TKD, which is what I am most familiar with, is a kicking style - and that is its greatest strength. There are also a good variety of hand and arm strikes. Focus (power and targeting) are taught as a prime component. Sparring is generally non-stop, teaching you to fight through being hit, although point sparring is sometimes used at lower ranks.

The biggest weakness in TKD that I see is that it has very few grappling moves built into it - most of the ones I teach were imported from Hapkido or Judo - but the use of hips that is taught to improve power works well with these imported techniques, so they're fairly easy to add to the curriculum.

 

[Cirdan]

Wado Ryu: A well balanced style with a wide range of strikes (including knees and elbows) as well as throws and joint locks. Falling techniques, striking nerve points and reading your opponent are also taught. It relies far more on technique (which is simply excellent) than strength, and the movements are designed not to wear out joints or damage other part of the body over prolonged training.

Weaknesses: very little ground fighting (some clubs do more), not much sparring (at least not until advanced levels) and it is certainly not the fastest style to learn.

Ju Jutsu: The system I train in includes punches and kicks (also knees and elbows), throws, ground fighting, joint locks and falling techniques. It is suited for both competition and self defense, as well as improving your health. Sparring is done at all ranges.

Weaknesses: stretches itself a bit thin (all ranges, self defense, traditional, competition). Proper technique is often a bit downplayed with regards to punches, kicks and stances.

 

[CuongNhuka]

Cuong Nhu (Veitnamese for hard soft, if your curious):
Strengths: Cuong Nhu has alot of powerful leg strikes from Shotokan and Veit Vo Do Vovinam. There is also powerful hand strikes from Wing Chun and Western Boxing. There is also a wide range of take downs, throws, joint locks, and ground fighting from Judo and Aikido.
Cuong Nhu also puts alot of stock in deep, rooted stances and a strong gaurd. We also put alot of emphises on good foot work, drawn mostly from Shotokan and Vovinam. We also teach Veitnamese stick fighting (though we use Japanese terms). Not to mention defense against knives and sticks. Also, do to Cuong Nhu's electic nature, black belts are encouraged to cross train. And we also are in a state of flux to keep the matrial being taught both traditional, and realistic.

Weaknesses: Mostly it takes along time to gain a good understanding of the material. and about six years to black belt. Also, most of the Dojos at colleges. So you might want to be a student to be a student (lol).

 

[searcher]

TKD - especially Ch'ang H'on, or ITF, TKD, which is what I am most familiar with, is a kicking style - and that is its greatest strength. There are also a good variety of hand and arm strikes. Focus (power and targeting) are taught as a prime component. Sparring is generally non-stop, teaching you to fight through being hit, although point sparring is sometimes used at lower ranks.

The biggest weakness in TKD that I see is that it has very few grappling moves built into it - most of the ones I teach were imported from Hapkido or Judo - but the use of hips that is taught to improve power works well with these imported techniques, so they're fairly easy to add to the curriculum.

This is the same for my TKD.


For my Chito-ryu, the big strengths are that it is a very versatile art for being one that is classified as a TMA. We have really moved more away from the constraints of the style and we have tried to go more to what the masters of old did by encouraging the "addition" of techniques. We encourage our students to try and find the weaknesses in any and all techniques, then find a way to fix it.
The weakness is that we teach to many joint locking techniques instead of making them into bone breaks.

 

[MJS]

For Kenpo, I'd have to say one weakness would be the groundwork. There is some there, and you have to seek it out, but IMO, its something that could be expanded upon. Jeff Speakman and one of his students, have begun to expand on that area in their organization. There is an article about it in the Jan. 07 issue of Black Belt. I know that the AKKI, another Kenpo org. has a ground program.

The strong points: Its one of the best stand up arts that I've come across. It addresses a number of empty hand attacks as well as weapons. The checks, body positions, the height, width and depth concepts, among others, all make it the art it is.

 

[morph4me]

Nihon Goshin Aikido, an ecclectic style of aikido with all the traditional throws, locks and pins of traditional aikido, plus some extra. We also train punches, kicks and elbow strikes.

Weakness is that it takes longer to become competent and lack of ground work.

 

[PeaceWarrior]

Wing Chun-

Strengths: straightforward, efficient, allows the smaller, physically weaker person to gain advantage while using significantly less energy than the opponent, uses 'sticking' which combines well with joint locks, is world famous for its "trapping hands", uses both arms and legs simultaniously to jam the opponent

Weaknesses: obviously the ground game, which is pretty much non-existant in "traditional" wing chun, but takedowns and grappling can be easily built in. Another weakness is that (like most internal arts) it takes years to actually become skilled enough to use the principles actively in combat and to generate a great amount of power in the strikes.

 

[FuriousGeorge]

BJJ is my primary art, and I would have to say that for a ground style, takedowns are pretty weak. Also striking is weak since we don't do it in BJJ, which is why I train kickboxing as a supplement. I guess the biggest strength of bjj is the groundwork we do, bjj has such an extensive understanding of the ground. Lots of live sparring makes our learning curve short, and lets you know where your abilities are.

 

[PeaceWarrior]

I almost forgot one of WC's biggest strengths: Our centerline/centerline theory.

 

[Skip Cooper]

My primary art: Hapkido

Strengths: A small joint grappling style that works from standing to the ground. Alot of control techniques as well as destroying techniques that allows the practicioner to tailor his reponse to his attacker. Also, in the system that I trained in, we employ alot of kicks and strikes with our locking and submission techniques.

Weakness: Not alot of live sparring in Hapkido...alot of two man training is the give and take of working techniques. Student does not really get a good sense of how a real attack takes place if he/she only trains by defending overhand knifehand strikes (who does that anyway) and karate style punches. I would love to see more live sparring and reaction training in Hapkido to make it more effective, instead of rote responses to wrist and lapel grabs.

My secondary art: Kuhapdo (Iaido/Iaijutsu):

Strengths: Speed, stealth, and lethal.

Weakness: We don't carry swords anymore

 

[FearlessFreep]

hi , i was wondering what are the strengths and weaknesses of your art and why? (this includes techniques , conditioning , etc.)

So you mean the art you train or the way you train it?

In the one hand, I trained in Taekwondo and moved to Hapkido. On the other, my initial Taekwondo and now my Hapkido training are both a bit non-standard and incorporate techniques and training not in line with what those arts normally encompass. So perceived strengths and weakness are probably not along the lines of what would be typical for those arts

 

[Grenadier]

Wado Ryu: A well balanced style with a wide range of strikes (including knees and elbows) as well as throws and joint locks.

Pretty much in agreement, as a fellow Wado practitioner.

I'll also add, that the Wado system has branched out quite a bit, ever since the big split into the three predominant Wado factions. There were also several of Ohtsuka Shihan's students who founded their own smaller systems (some with his blessing, some without), that branch off even further.

This sometimes brings up a bit of an identity crisis when we try to describe the Wado systme as a whole, in one statement. I suppose that this can happen to any system, where the founder dies, and turmoil begins.

 

[Shotochem]

Shotokan, my core style before switching to Kempo has strong, powerful punching and kicking attacks. Its very direct and linear with its motion. It will teach you excellent basics and body mechanics to generate power.

The con: It really does not have much of a ground game. It has sweeps, locks, throws and takedowns but not much after you are on the ground.
There also tends to be a bit of closed mindedness in traditional Shotokan with IMO, with an enormous emphasis on form sometimes at the expense of function. No weapons.

Kempo (so far) Pros: Very openminded and will use any and everything that can be effective. Blends in well with my Shotokan training and fills in a lot of what I was missing. A nice blend of hard and soft styles and many good self defense and weapons defenses.

Cons: More of a reliance on quick multiple strikes of high complexity than generating power. Some techniques are better designed for an 18yr old not a 40 yr old. Needs more ground work.

In all I like both styles and have benefited from my experiences in both.
I'm still looking for the perfect art. I doubt I'll ever find it.

 

[matt.m]

Look, in Moo Sul Kwan Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do the only weakness is not training hard enough.....

Here come the rotten tomatoes,.....now.

Really if you are a good technician in the art you study and do several reps upon more of the same you will be able to defend yourself.

I good grappler will be a weak striker, a great striker will beat a good grappler. etc. etc. etc.

Look at the last encounter with Hughes and St. Pierre. St. Pierre beat him with round kicks. Is Hughes a bad grappler? Nope, can anyone beat him? Only if your Dan Gable......that still doesn't mean he won.

 

[Adept]

As I see it, a style is simply a collection of techniques bound together by a philosophy.

As such, I've pretty much abandoned regular styles, and instead of focusing on the strengths or weaknesses of a particular style, I look at my own strengths and weaknesses and how I can better them.

As a result...

Strengths - Stand up fighting. I'm a big strong guy and started my martial arts career in striking arts. I'm most comfortable on my feet, and feel confident at all ranges.

Weaknesses - Ground fighting. I haven't had much formal training on ground fighting at all, and usually have to resort to muscling my way through any problems I have there, which doesn't always work.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

kenpo

strengths -- intellectually engaging (makes you think about what you're doing), strong self-defense focus, beautiful katas

weaknesses -- not enough emphasis on basics, overly complex, too many choices under stress

 

[Mariachi Joe]

One lack I see in Shaolin Kempo ( at least in USSD ) is a lack of groundfighting skills

 

[Infinite]

Jeet Kun Do

Strengths, We are theifs if it works we will steal it. Adaptable to just about any fighting situation. Trains and cross trains at all levels. Famous for its trapping skills, speed, and creativity.

Weakness, No weapons in traditional JKD. Some of the advance techniques are counter intuitive. Relies heavily on sparring

 

[tradrockrat]

ABA Bando

Strengths - a complete system focusing on power and utilizing the whole body as well as weapons. Combat oriented and utilitarian. Economy of motion and total body commitmnent to strike. Substantial grappling, ground, and standup development. Develops Combat, Sport, and Artistic applications.

Weaknesses - Entirely too big of a system. Most instructors have incomplete set of skills and specialize in either stand up, ground, weapons or a specific animal style. Finding the teacher of the skills that suits your mentality and strengths can be difficult as Teachers are spread thin. White through black belts focus more on standup than ground as do sporting events.