things about being a martial artist

[eggg1994]

hello anyone new to martialtalk.com

im going to just give you some advice when starting a martial art for any of you who want to be a martial artist whather you want to learn self defence, get fit, or compeate in the ufc.
first of all we need to see which style you prefer. there are two styles striking and grappling which are the most common and there are throwing and mixed styles also known as mma or mixed martial arts. striking includes karate, kung fu, taekwando, ect. then there is grappling which includes brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, ect. their is throwing which includes judo, aikido, sambo,ect(brazilian jiu jitsu also has throws for self defence so those of you who are confused brazilian jiu jitsu is just a modified verson of japanease jujitsu). their is only one mixed style known as mixed martial arts which combines striking and grappling to make an effective self defence system for those who would like to learn self defence.

the second thing is when choosing a martial art don't choose it just because you think its the best because no single style or type of martial art is the best for self defence but choose the martial art because of what you like about it or its spiritual aspect which i believe.

when choosing a martial art school you should look online and look to see if it has a 4 or 5 star rating and look to see if the instructor is friendly, kind, compassionate, and cares about safety. you want to avoid a school that is dirty, filthy, has a ruthless instructor who say's something like mercy is for the weak our enemy only deserve's pain, do you want the mr hon teacher or the fighting dragon's instructor who turns his students into bullies himself.

if you find the school you like then go over there and check it out.a good school will have no cussing, profanity, or any innapropreate behavior that the instructor, staff, or students use. a good school will even have a 30 day free trial to see if you like the class itself and if not they usually have a money back garenntey.

 

[Supra Vijai]

Hi sorry just thought I'd add that there are more than 2 styles, you can get striking or grappling which are both specialist systems or you can get generalist systems which deal with both and defences against both etc.

The distinction should ideally be what you want to get out of it. If it's fitness, go for something sporty. If it's to compete in the UFC, you are pretty much guaranteed to come across MMA at some point. If it's self defence, why do you need self defence? Where do you live? What kind of violence are you likely to come up against? You can then choose an art that helps with those specific things.

While looking online is great, the absolute ideal is going along to watch a class or trying one out. Not all good schools will give you 30 day free trials - mine doesn't - but will allow you to try a class with no lock in memberships etc so you can get a feel for the instructor. The art might be perfect for you but if you don't gel with the instructor, you won't get far and vice versa.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hi eggg1994,

Just some points for you to consider here.

hello anyone new to martialtalk.com

Again, I'm going to be as gentle as I can here. You have been on the site for only a few days yourself, I'm going to suggest that you look around for a while first, there are stickied threads about this exact idea (choosing a school) already. You can add to those if you have another point to make. You make some very good points here, but there are a few other issues that those who have more experience can help you with. Asking questions can be better for you at this point.

Okay, that said, lets get to it!

im going to just give you some advice when starting a martial art for any of you who want to be a martial artist whather you want to learn self defence, get fit, or compeate in the ufc.

Again, not to denigrate you or your training, but realistically you have a little bit of experience in a couple of related systems (mainly BJJ, some MMA and Muay Thai from memory), and may not be in the place to offer such advice just yet. By all means talk about what it was that you looked for when you found your schools, but such advice as this is a little early in your martial arts career.

first of all we need to see which style you prefer. there are two styles striking and grappling which are the most common and there are throwing and mixed styles also known as mma or mixed martial arts. striking includes karate, kung fu, taekwando, ect. then there is grappling which includes brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, ect. their is throwing which includes judo, aikido, sambo,ect(brazilian jiu jitsu also has throws for self defence so those of you who are confused brazilian jiu jitsu is just a modified verson of japanease jujitsu). their is only one mixed style known as mixed martial arts which combines striking and grappling to make an effective self defence system for those who would like to learn self defence.

Striking/Grappling is one distinction. Another is sporting/non-sporting. Another is modern/classical. Another is armed/unarmed. Another is generalist/specialist. And so on. MMA is not a truly "mixed" style either, it is it's own distinct method of training, with the name more coming from early forms of tournaments that the current sport came from. There are many systems that include grappling and striking, as well as much more, that are very removed from MMA. And most here are very familiar with BJJ, and may correct you on the idea that it is just modified Jujutsu, although others will certainly agree with you.

the second thing is when choosing a martial art don't choose it just because you think its the best because no single style or type of martial art is the best for self defence but choose the martial art because of what you like about it or its spiritual aspect which i believe.

This is absolutely correct! One of the common things posted here when someone asks "which style should I train in?" is that there is no "best" system, but there are "best suited" systems for individuals. Well done.

when choosing a martial art school you should look online and look to see if it has a 4 or 5 star rating and look to see if the instructor is friendly, kind, compassionate, and cares about safety. you want to avoid a school that is dirty, filthy, has a ruthless instructor who say's something like mercy is for the weak our enemy only deserve's pain, do you want the mr hon teacher or the fighting dragon's instructor who turns his students into bullies himself.

Many schools will have no such rating whatsoever, and if they do have it, it is probably just used by themselves as a marketing tool. There is no universal body that govern martial arts or the schools. As for the end comment there, I'm guessing you're refering to the new Karate Kid film? I haven't seen it myself, but it matches the original (Miyagi and Cobra Kai).

if you find the school you like then go over there and check it out.a good school will have no cussing, profanity, or any innapropreate behavior that the instructor, staff, or students use. a good school will even have a 30 day free trial to see if you like the class itself and if not they usually have a money back garenntey.

Depends on the school (with the profanity and so on), as many RBSD groups will emphasise it, as it adds reality to the experience. And when it comes to a 30 day free trial and money back guarantees, I haven't come across those at all. It's not uncommon to have first class or first two classes free, but first month is rather excessive. Once again, you may consider that you are fairly new to this before giving advise that some may consider positing yourself as an expert.

This is said with respect, and as I said, you make some good points. So you are to be congratulated on that.

 

[eggg1994]

your right about everything and i am a high rank and just remember im just trying to give advice but thank you for correcting me though

 

[frank raud]

your right about everything and i am a high rank and just remember im just trying to give advice but thank you for correcting me though

You have an orange belt, a junior rank in BJJ. It is not a high rank. You might want to consider asking more questions and giving less advice.

 

[eggg1994]

well how do you know that first of all. my martial art i take has a different ranking system except we have a striped belt before we go on to the next rank and in my bjj class it takes a total of 8 years to get a black belt in my bjj class. why should i not be giving advice im not trying to attract yall im trying to attract people who are just starting or who want to know as much as i do. im not being rude its just my belt ranking takes longer to get to a certain belt. so if you truely know anything about bjj then i want to know if the self defence techniques are effective in a real street fight or at school. im not trying to be rude you know i just want to know if you know alot about bjj

 

[frank raud]

If it takes eight years to become a black belt in BJJ(not an unreasonable time based on other rankings for BJJ), and you have been doing it for 1 year, how can you consider yourself to be highly ranked in your art?

The self defense aspects of BJJ that I have seen leave me with the impression of being standard judo/jiu jitsu type scenarios. I have only trained BJJ in seminars, never as a regular class, however having done almost 25 years of Jiu jitsu and several years of judo, I can figure out what is similar and what is different between common arts fairly quickly. That does not make me an expert on BJJ. Of course, when I have trained with folks like Wagnney Fabiano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagnney_Fabiano , maybe I'm not getting the same quality of instruction as other people have access to.

So, I'm curious. if the spiritual aspects of a martial art is the most important thing, would you not be better off joining a church or a temple? Would probably be cheaper than BJJ lessons. Again, if the spiritual aspect is so important, why would you switch from Aikido, an art with a heavy philosophical base, to BJJ, a sporting art?

 

[eggg1994]

well because aikido was a very hard martial art to learn and i truely never wanted to do bjj but a friend of our's suggested i take bjj and i told him i would. at first i thought it was some stupied martial art because all it focused on was grappling then i learned that 95% of all fights go to the ground usually. the reason i was considered a high rank is because the ranking system is different then the one you were talking about and after 6 more years of training it will have added to 8 years total and it takes longer for me now to get my upper belts

 

[Supra Vijai]

well because aikido was a very hard martial art to learn ...

Just throwing my 2 cents in here, I personally think if something means that much to you (spiritual/philosophical approach), you'd be happy to make some sacrifices to get what you want. Ninjutsu isn't the easiest art in the world - I actually wouldn't class ANY art as "easy". Everything has it's own complexities and it's own approaches. As stated quite a few times on this forum every martial art has it's own philosophies. Philosophy is what makes the martial art, not the techniques themselves.

Part of the martial journey is to expand your personality, struggle through whatever it is that you find difficult and find a way to make it your own. Fight and overcome it rather than give up because that's easier. No disrespect intended here, that's just how I would view a solid approach to an art and how you will truly acheive the results you are after.

To put it into context with ranking times, with our school you are looking at about 6 - 7 years of solid training to get to Shodan (1st degree Black), I've done about 3 years now and would not consider myself highly ranked. In terms of belts I'm about mid level, in terms of knowledge and experience I'm a complete newbie who is constantly learning and has barely scratched the surface so far. Ego can be very detrimental to your training...

 

[Rayban]

I might throw my 2 cents in here too.

well how do you know that first of all. my martial art i take has a different ranking system except we have a striped belt before we go on to the next rank and in my bjj class it takes a total of 8 years to get a black belt in my bjj class. why should i not be giving advice im not trying to attract yall im trying to attract people who are just starting or who want to know as much as i do. im not being rude its just my belt ranking takes longer to get to a certain belt. so if you truely know anything about bjj then i want to know if the self defence techniques are effective in a real street fight or at school. im not trying to be rude you know i just want to know if you know alot about bjj

If your art has a seemingly very different ranking system, could you please fill us in in exactly how much experience (time wise) it has taken you to get to Orange belt and where Orange belt sits in the grading system of your art?

As Supra said. There are many reasons for choosing an MA system and it all depends on what you want to get out of it.

For me personally I chose a generalist system (Ninjutsu) becuase that's my personality. I prefer to know a little bit about as much as I can and specialise in maybe a few key areas. I've been training now for about 3 years and as much as I've learned about the art and more importantly myself, I know that I've barely scratched the surface. People that have been training any art for 20+ years will tell you that they still don't know the entirety of the art. People training in the same art for the same time, even partnering together have different interperatations of techniques and little differences in flow. Their knowledge is similar but different.

I try to avoid making bold statements about things that I am really a novice in. I ask a lot of questions but I mainly listen (read on this site). There is a multitude of resources here that will answer most questions you have.

 

[jks9199]

your right about everything and i am a high rank and just remember im just trying to give advice but thank you for correcting me though

Eggg...

Even were you a high rank -- and your posts say you're not -- you don't have a clue about the ranks of people here. Many of us have been training longer than you've been alive. Quite a few of us have been black belt or equivalent ranks longer than you've been alive. Personally -- I'm a 3rd Level Black Belt, and I consider myself middle-ranked. At best.

You've defined martial arts very narrowly; let me suggest that there are many other ways to do it. One is to evaluate the components of each approach to the martial sciences: there are striking arts; there are throwing arts; and, there are holding arts. Very few are solely one sort; most balance the three elements based on their philosophies. For example, BJJ is very heavily based in holds, but does include takedowns or throws and it has some striking. At the other end of the scale, muay thai is very heavily built around strikes or blows, but includes some holds (the clinch is a hold, for example) and even a couple of takedowns. You can do a similar analysis of any art. Or even of a particular fighter's styles...

Then you can add the dimensions of aesthetics, sports, and combatives... Aesthetics approaches focus on the individual's own performance, and often on the beauty of the movement rather than any competition or combative aspect. Many people do tai chi as an aesthetic endeavor. (Please note that there are some very skilled combative people whose primary art is tai chi.) Sporting arts are all about competition, with rules. Muay thai, MMA, and many BJJ programs are examples of sporting approaches. In combatives -- there are no "rules." Combatives are the real deal; they're self defense. You do what it takes to win... and your art gives the tools and principles to work in. Krav Maga, Chris Parker's ninjutsu program, and police DT programs are combative approaches to martial sciences.

And we haven't even touched things like specialist/generalist, professional (what sort?)/amateur, or others...

 

[jks9199]

well because aikido was a very hard martial art to learn and i truely never wanted to do bjj but a friend of our's suggested i take bjj and i told him i would. at first i thought it was some stupied martial art because all it focused on was grappling then i learned that 95% of all fights go to the ground usually. the reason i was considered a high rank is because the ranking system is different then the one you were talking about and after 6 more years of training it will have added to 8 years total and it takes longer for me now to get my upper belts

Eggg... I really encourage you to pause before you hit send. I think that, were we talking in person, you'd come across much less arrogant and aggressively than you are right now. Pause, and re-read what you're about to post, and make sure it really says what you mean for it to.

Most folks here are familiar with several different ranking systems, and with systems that take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to 8 to 10 or more years to reach the first level of black belt. Some don't have any ranking at all... just a point where your teacher authorizes or licenses you to teach. By any reasonable definition -- you're still a beginner. (Hint... I've been a black belt longer than you've been alive.) Your teachers may well be grooming you to be a teacher, and that may be your goal. I encourage you to work towards that goal... but I also think that maybe you need to work a little on how you communicate.

I'm not even going to touch the "95% of all fights go to the ground" again. It's been covered.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Jks9199 is giving you some excellent advice! Train, learn, soak in as much as you can but be careful when you give absolute definitions about things. Frankly having been in the Martial Sciences for over thirty years I am still learning and always a student/practitioner first. One thing I have learned throughout the years is rarely are there absolutes!

 

[Supra Vijai]

Hey eggg,

Just thought I'd post again in case my last comment seemed a bit too harsh or like a personal attack, it wasn't meant to be. I was at work and just hammered out a reply when I had a spare few moments.

Look, no one here is judging you, this isn't a witch hunt and from personal experience, absolutely everyone here is fantastic in terms of being willing to help - if you ask questions rather than categorically state what is "right".

Also, if you look over the posts (both in this thread and the 'my knowledge of self defence' thread you started), no one has said you are a bad martial artist. Hell I'm even willing to say you may indeed be truly gifted and the next Gracie when it comes to BJJ for all I know. What everyone (myself included) is saying, is that it's hard to imagine you are at that stage yet, with just 1 year of training behind you. While you may be fantastic for your age/rank, there is always someone else with more experience and knowledge. Always.

Everyone aspires to something, my sensei openly admits to aspiring to be as good as his instructor and I will openly admit that I aspire to be the next Chris Parker. However, it's not going to happen after just 3 years of training and unfortunately there are no mystical ancient scrolls floating around as far as I am aware naming me as the Great Indian Ninja

Don't get discouraged with it when it gets difficult, keep training hard and one day you will be able to give out advice with the best of them

 

[Rayban]

... I am aware naming me as the Great Indian Ninja ...

Haha, nice. Yeah I think not. I doubt there is one for me as the "large white guy who sweats a lot Ninja"

lol

 

[eggg1994]

well thank you very much im going to tell you why then. ok in my instructors bjj course e get our basic belts faster and once you get to orange belt or higher it begins to take longer to get your belts in bjj and im sorry about the post and i think i will ask question's about bjj self defence and all that stuff because i want to expand my own knowledge in self defence too

 

[Tez3]

Eggg, you're doing well, lots of people here have a huge experience with martial arts and you can learn a lot from them, it's hard writing down things so they sound like they do when you are thinking them, I have problems doing it so sometimes my posts don't come out quite like I mean them to or someone reads something into them I didn't even think about and I get posts back that are quite unexpected!

 

[Cirdan]

We might not be living in feudal Japan, but a little humility goes a long way in the arts. You will find that while some people here have more knowledge than you or I will ever get, few if any will call themselves "high ranked" or "very knowledgeable".

Enjoy the arts, the MA community is richer for every new dedicated student.

 

[Rayban]

true enlightenment comes from the knowledge that you know nothing

 

[WC_lun]

Egg, just so you have better information, most kung fu systems are a good mix of striking, stand up grappling, and throws. There are some that also have quite extensive ground work. It isn't just striking.