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Martial Arts

ninjadanslarbretabar said:
tho im not sure wing chun would be optimal for someone doing weightlifting
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interesting, a thought i had myself. i have no idea why i thought that either. perhaps I have good instincts?

Im not just "learning how to fight," (i grew up in a fucking coal mine). If that were my only goal, then Wing Tsun would be my choice without a doubt, and I would probably learn jujitsu as well. However, I know first hand martial arts tend to do jack shit in street fights, where brute force (and aformentioned ground fighting) tend to rule. As an example I have a friend who is a 1st degree balck belt in jujitsu who has never been able to hold me down. He weighs 140 and bench presses about the same. I weigh 160 and bench press 350. You can go shine your shoes with your belt.

Violence is by no means a goal. I have access to a range of small caliber pistols to high caliber assault rifles for that (all legit civilian models of course!).

I want to learn to channel the energies I have better, have better focus, and take the first step in martial conditioning. I dont anticipate kung fu will be my only stone on this path. Ive discovered the very beginnings of this inner force with weightlifting, and I feel I have a primordial tin and copper ready to be smelted into the Colossus of Rhodes. Ive replaced a lot of drug use in life with things like active meditation and physical fitness (not in some sort of "i got clean," way, i fuckin love drugs, its just they get boring after a decade).

This thread doesnt have to be a debate for me either. I gave it a generic title so all aspects of martial arts could be discussed, as I found no info on the topic when searching the forum :)
 
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Take a look at Shawn Phillips. He's all about incorporating "Chi" and meditative focus into weight training.
 
RedLeader said:
I am about to start Krav Maga next week. An intense program. I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

Took karate and kickboxing in the past, and I'm a gym-rat, but I think this is going to add very much to my "arsenal."

I love the anti-"officialness" of its approach. Nothing but straight-up, real-world self-defense and fighting.

Not to hijack the thread, but Wyld 4 X, realistically how far can I get with this in about 5-6 months time, if I'm looking at doing 1 "basic course, 1 "padwork course" and 1 "groundwork" course each week? And giving it my all? I say this, because this is the time before I might be moving to a location where I may face danger on a regular basis...
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You should have no problem progressing to level 2 depending on the training center's curriculum. At level 1 you learn all of the basic striking techniques (palm, fist, hammer fist, elbow, knee, kicks), outside defenses and possible inside ones as well. You should also have been taught how to escape from different chokes using a variety of techniques.

Once at level 2, the techniques become a little tougher but also more efficient. The one idea my instructors constantly grill into us is awareness. Of your surroundings, who you are with, where you are, etc. and if you are living in a potentially dangerous area, this training is perfect. With your background, you will absolutely love Krav.
 
yah i decided on shaolin. the fucking school is intense. they accept anyone on the policy that they train so damn hard, pretty much everyone will quit on their own after 2 weeks or so.

i dont mind, i like it intense. im about to complete week 1.

i like RedLeader/Wyld's comments - i too plan on living in extremely dangerous parts of the world, but not for about 10-15 years. this is the beginning of martial training for me, for now im focusing on conditioning, self discipline, and physical focus. in several years i plan on merging into more of a focus on fighting/defense.
 
I highly recommend Aikido. It is a form of self-defense which utilises you opponent's energy to subdue them without causing injury. I only took it for school, but watching the Black Belts in action was absolutely amazing.

Another Martial arts class I took for college is Shorin Ru. That is more of a hand-to-hand fighting technique/art. It is very good, yet very energy consuming.
 
How about we turn this thread into a "running nerds unite" only for martial arts?
The experienced practitioners can talk about what exercises they do on a daily basis and tips for improving.

My first question is what sort of body type/level of bulk should I strive for to maximally improve my martial arts skill? And how should I achieve it as a person who is 190 lbs and 5'10" who only just recently started hitting the gym again?
I want to have very fluid motion and reflexes with power in my punches and kicks. I think I do have good reflexes I just have bad technique/delivery.

My current work out regimen is running 2 miles daily in the morning on an empty stomach, I use the perfect push-up about 4 times a week, and I got to the gym about 3 times a week lifting weights. I try and practice shadow boxing and stretching, but it's not very consistent at the moment because I don't really have much direction.
My diet consists of eggs, sausage, whole-wheat bread, pasta, thai food on occasion, and chips and salsa are my go-to junk food, and I usually have total cereal or cheerios with soymilk or a generic version or either. I am allergic to dairy and beef so I can't have anything like that, but I do have dairy free organic brownies on occasion, as well as some other dairy free sugary treats at my local healthfood store.
My diet isn't very disciplined just because I don't know much about it yet, but I'd say just due to my milk/beef allergy it puts me in a naturally better position to cut out excessive sugars and fats.

Another question I have is which weight training exercises are the best for a martial artist? I am not very confident going into the gym just because I don't have a set plan. I just sort of go around the weight machines working out every muscle group and do some dumb bell bicep/tricep exercises.
 
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My first question is what sort of body type/level of bulk should I strive for to maximally improve my martial arts skill? And how should I achieve it as a person who is 190 lbs and 5'10" who only just recently started hitting the gym again?
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entirely dependent on your style. my style, for instance, mandated that i trim 25lbs of muscle off of my body. some martial arts use muscle, some use no muscle. depends on the style.

I use the perfect push-up about 4 times a week
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do them very fast, as martial arts strikes tend to be very quick. slow movements develop muscle. fast movements develop your nerves, more or less.


i do 100 pushups a day on the tips of my knuckles, but dont do that until someone has shown you how (doing them wrong will wreak havoc on your hands). my hands are like granite. i also do a solid 10 and then a piss poor 10-20 more mantis pushups on the very tips of my fingers. makes your grip/claw strike strong.
 
I guess my style is jeet kune do, though really all I care about is throwing good punches and kicks and counters, as well as being able to defend against a person charging me from in front or behind. I don't currently attend any classes and am training all on my own. I do have a few Bruce Lee books. I am just looking for good conditioning tips. I read that too much cardio isn't beneficial to martial arts conditioning from an article on bodybuilding.com is this true?

I know that you should focus on the top two knuckles of your hand when doing push-ups. I used to go to a karate class so I was shown proper technique, but it has been awhile. Is that all there is to it?
 
na man, punch the shit out of hard surfaces, provided someone has shown you how to condition your hands against hard surfaces. cinder blocks, thick wood, things like that are ok. metal is not - it absorbs none of the shock and can damage your nerves. again, anyone else reading this - do not condition your hands by punching stuff unless someone has formally instructed you how to do so.

then make sure you get an excess of calcium and related minerals in your diet.

cardio not good for martial arts? hrm, never heard of that one. in shaolin kung fu, big muscles get in the way so its only good to mass-gain if youve already mastered the art. cardio, however, is not only encouraged, but is part of the training (standing doing hundreds of punches and kicks in rapid succession is pretty cardio oriented. in fact, my school wont even accept smokers, as its assumed theyd never be able to handle 10 mins of the class let alone 2 hours).

i dont do any cardio tho cuz im lazy, and i do a lot of cardio related activities in class. some of the students in my school jog on the regular.

you should train with other people. its an entirely new ballgame, you cant just watch yourself training in a mirror and expect to respond with the same level of clarity and concentration when someone else is attacking you.

fight the toughest/most skilled person you know, so that if someone fights you on the street, its easier than when youre training.

on that note, you cant really learn how to take punches when training by yourself. gotta spar with skilled friends whoa re willing to hit you full force occasionally, so that you know what its like to take a blow to the head or stomach and keep on fighting. the other night this guy got kicked in the nuts really hard and he just kept on fighting till his match was done, soon as the ref called the score he dropped to his knees and delt with the pain then.

adding a combatant to the training adds entire new dimensions of stimuli to deal with, training in martial arts requires fellowship!
 
wii sports resort has reminded me that i've wanted to give kendo another shot. since last time i did 3 yrs of iaijutsu so i think it'll be a whole new kettle of fish this time (last time was about ten years ago).
 
Ok black belt in Shotokan Karate, Trained Aikido, started Muay Thai and have ended up training MMA.
In short ask yourself what you want out of Martial Arts? Aikido was good in a yoga sort of way.....but have you ever tried a wrist lock on a fully resisting opponent?

Karate made u think u could fight....train MMA and you CAN fight. Nothing like facing off to a fully resisting opponent who has skills at every discipline, Wrestling,Muay Thai, BJJ and no gi.
First thing you need to learn fitness and conditioning is EVERYTHING in martial arts (well those that make u a fighter). Have a spar with someone and see how long u last. I have seen people tap out due to lack of fitness at plenty of sparring sessions...in fact have done it myself! Judo ne waza, BJJ may look like hugging but everything about it is used to punish your opponent (Just look what Royce Gracie achieved before people learned these skill sets)! Remember not only are you dealing with cardio you are dealing with people attacking the carotid arteries and your breathing as well (not fun).

Have sparred with a few Krav Maga guys and it is effective (if trained properly)....probably if street self defence is your thing where eye pokes, biting and groin attacks are allowed may prove more useful than MMA.....but I doubt it ; )
 
well good news I won't be without guidance for very much longer. It was tedious trying to piece together a good workout regime on my own.

I joined up at a local dojo for isshin-ryu karate and jujitsu :)
The sensei there is this huge guy that's a 6th degree black belt with absolutely lightening quick reflexes. I can't wait to start!
 
I just attended my first class today and it was kinda weird.
Parts of it where I was working hard like the conditioning exercises and bag sparring with a partner were cool. But just standing there being explained how an isshin ryu stance differs from a shotokan stance or kempo or whatever was kinda lame.
It's like "okay I get it, we do it this way, let's just continue on please."
I don't really care for all the pre-set motion practices other than practicing grapples and counters to build muscle memory with proper technique. Also they were basically saying that since I am a white belt I should just half ass the punches and kicks (by not keeping guard and not worrying about hip rotation and body mechanics) it until I become a higher belt. It seems odd.
But that was just my impression after 1 class I'll give it a month and see if my opinion changes. I am really looking to be challenged. I don't care if I'm a white belt, I would rather spar the black belts to be forced to sharpen my reflexes earlier in my training than later.
 
i dont know martial arts but im good at kicking
one time i kicked my friend in the head it was hilarious
 
Its so stupid how people always go on about how 'fights almost always end up on the ground anyway, so learn juijitsu' or whatever. Fact of the matter is, thats because most fights are between 2 retards that dont actually know how to fight, so it ends up on the ground. If you are trained well enough you will learn how to effectively stay on your feet and avoid takedowns etc. You can defend yourself, inflict more injurys on your opponent, and get less on yourself, by staying up. The ground is for fucktards who dont know how to fight.

Id suggest either of the 2 martial arts your interested in.. go to each one for a day and see which one you like.. most places like that will let you come along and see what its like before you go and by a membership etc. Id stare clear of MMA or any brutal fighting methods like that.. its just asking for an injury and you need to constantly be conditioning.
 
dudes my knuckles got seriously bruised today. The bruises were bloody looking, though I wasn't bleeding.
Is that making progress? I feel good about it! :)

Also I don't know why I was in such a sour mood after my first karate lesson, but I feel awesome today.
 
They shouldnt be telling you to 'half ass' anything, at any stage. Getting proper form early on in a martial art makes the whole process of getting better, faster, much much easier.
 
They weren't so much telling me to half ass it, but they were telling me "This is how we punch with this stance, but in a real fight you are going to want to swing your hips and use better footwork, but for now just do it this way"
And I'm like "uhh...?"
 
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