Trying To Learn Basic Tricking On My Own — Okay So Far

[KangTsai]

What the title says. I felt like a bit of gymnastic stuff would compliment MMA and exercise. Right now I'm just drilling some frogstands (to maybe one day get a handstand, one day.), Stretching for full splits, trying to kip up with extremely slow improvement, cleaning up my pop outside crescent (which is the first thing I could do that is considered a trick), and trying to drill the 540 kick over and over with slow improvement. I'm not in limbo with any of these.

Maybe videos will come out of any significant progressions like my initial period on these forums.

 

[drop bear]

It all helps. And honestly people are generally more impressed with acrobatics than the ability to hurt people.

Go for it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Good luck with it. I hope you are talking to other people who do tricking. There's always a right way and a wrong way to do something, and their knowledge can help you save your joints from the wear and tear of what you are about to learn.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Good luck with it. I hope you are talking to other people who do tricking. There's always a right way and a wrong way to do something, and their knowledge can help you save your joints from the wear and tear of what you are about to learn.

And they can also help you avoid some of the easy ways to injure yourself acutely. They'll have some tips on how to shortcut the learning, too.

 

[donald1]

What do you mean by "tricking"?

 

[drop bear]

What do you mean by "tricking"?

Acrobatics mostly. Martial arty ones in this sort of instance.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Acrobatics mostly. Martial arty ones in this sort of instance.

They've always looked like fun to me, but the movements are just too far from what I train in. If I was 20 years younger, I'd probably add another art that put them within reach, just for the fun of it. Or just study Capoeira.

 

[Balrog]

Well, I'll play devil's advocate here. I am not in favor of tricking or XMA or anything similar. It's "movie-fu". People think it's flashy and cool, and it is.....but it ain't martial arts, it's dance at best.

I advocate just practicing your basics a lot more. But then again, I'm an old dinosaur; my favorite kihap is "GETOFFAMYLAWN!"

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Well, I'll play devil's advocate here. I am not in favor of tricking or XMA or anything similar. It's "movie-fu". People think it's flashy and cool, and it is.....but it ain't martial arts, it's dance at best.

I advocate just practicing your basics a lot more. But then again, I'm an old dinosaur; my favorite kihap is "GETOFFAMYLAWN!"

There's nothing wrong with tricking, so long as it's not confused with fighting skill. The OP hasn't said anything to indicate he thinks he's improving his fighting - sounds like he just thinks it's a cool thing to do. And he's right.

I do get where you are coming from. Where I trained most of my MA career, there's a school not far away that specializes in selling flash as fighting. Their demos include a lot of flashy stuff - tricking, sparkly staves, glow-chuks, etc. - while the instructor talks about the importance of self-defense. We'd do our demo after them and bore the crowd, because we'd just demonstrate some attacks and defend against them. They had a much bigger school.

 

[drop bear]

Well, I'll play devil's advocate here. I am not in favor of tricking or XMA or anything similar. It's "movie-fu". People think it's flashy and cool, and it is.....but it ain't martial arts, it's dance at best.

I advocate just practicing your basics a lot more. But then again, I'm an old dinosaur; my favorite kihap is "GETOFFAMYLAWN!"

You cant do acrobatics with poor basics. You wind up on your nose.

Fundimental skills needed,

fighting aplication.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Well, I'll play devil's advocate here. I am not in favor of tricking or XMA or anything similar. It's "movie-fu". People think it's flashy and cool, and it is.....but it ain't martial arts, it's dance at best.

I advocate just practicing your basics a lot more. But then again, I'm an old dinosaur; my favorite kihap is "GETOFFAMYLAWN!"

There can be an indirect progression from XMA/tricking to martial application.

Learning XMA/tricking requires developing a high degree of kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance.

Kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance can all be used to make your martial arts more effective.

There's a reasonable argument to be made that this sort of indirect approach is not the most efficient way to advance your martial skill. You could also accomplish much the same thing by starting with other movement arts - dance, gymnastics, parkour, Ido Portal's method, whatever - rather than XMA. Still, I have no objections to anyone who likes tricking, so long as they don't pretend the XMA itself is inherently martial.

Personally, I'm enjoying learning Capoeira because the martial functionality is baked in from the outset. The whole time I'm learning how to spin or crouch or go upside down, I'm also learning how not to get kneed or elbowed or kicked or head-butted in the process.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There can be an indirect progression from XMA/tricking to martial application.

Learning XMA/tricking requires developing a high degree of kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance.

Kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance can all be used to make your martial arts more effective.

There's a reasonable argument to be made that this sort of indirect approach is not the most efficient way to advance your martial skill. You could also accomplish much the same thing by starting with other movement arts - dance, gymnastics, parkour, Ido Portal's method, whatever - rather than XMA. Still, I have no objections to anyone who likes tricking, so long as they don't pretend the XMA itself is inherently martial.

Personally, I'm enjoying learning Capoeira because the martial functionality is baked in from the outset. The whole time I'm learning how to spin or crouch or go upside down, I'm also learning how not to get kneed or elbowed or kicked or head-butted in the process.

That's a good point, Tony. I remember a senior instructor at a seminar saying if he had his way, every student he took on would have 6 months of dance training first. And every athlete that starts MA has some inherent advantages (I had played soccer, so was better at balancing and kicking for power).

 

[drop bear]

There can be an indirect progression from XMA/tricking to martial application.

Learning XMA/tricking requires developing a high degree of kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance.

Kinesthetic awareness, body control, core strength, explosiveness, and balance can all be used to make your martial arts more effective.

There's a reasonable argument to be made that this sort of indirect approach is not the most efficient way to advance your martial skill. You could also accomplish much the same thing by starting with other movement arts - dance, gymnastics, parkour, Ido Portal's method, whatever - rather than XMA. Still, I have no objections to anyone who likes tricking, so long as they don't pretend the XMA itself is inherently martial.

Personally, I'm enjoying learning Capoeira because the martial functionality is baked in from the outset. The whole time I'm learning how to spin or crouch or go upside down, I'm also learning how not to get kneed or elbowed or kicked or head-butted in the process.

Gymnastics History. Where Gymnastics started.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Gymnastics History. Where Gymnastics started.

And that led me to look up adult gymnastics classes in my area. You, sir, are a bad influence on my time management.