Martial Arts Experiences Discussion Thread

[James Y]

Oops, double post a couple post back that I couldn't delete.

Jim

[James Y]

Mobster Attack on Journalist in Italy

This brief clip is an example of how sudden a pre-emptive attack can happen:



Jim

[SpyderEdgeForever]

If I as a martial arts beginner took a class in American kick boxing or Jiujitsu what should I expect?

[Naperville]

If I as a martial arts beginner took a class in American kick boxing or Jiujitsu what should I expect?

FUN! Expect to have fun!!!!

[Scandi Grind]

If I as a martial arts beginner took a class in American kick boxing or Jiujitsu what should I expect?

This probably depends more on who your instructor is than what the martial art is I think. Every instructor makes everything he learns into his own "version" in a sense, then when he decides to teach someone else, he makes his teaching method his own as well. Martial arts are inherently individualistic, tweaked and modified to suit the users own unique body and brain, and while you can expect to learn a broad style, if it's Ju-Jitsu then obviously you know you will be wrestling, the particulars are very hard to predict without going to a class to experience that particular instructors style.

[James Y]

If I as a martial arts beginner took a class in American kick boxing or Jiujitsu what should I expect?

What they said.

I'm not sure if you can find American kickboxing (as it was practiced in the '70s and '80s) being taught in many places today. Nowadays, it's mostly going to be Westernized versions of Muay Thai, like you would see in an MMA gym.

In Jiu-Jitsu, it depends on what kind. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / BJJ is going to emphasize floor grappling. It's still a Japanese martial art (it wasn't invented by Brazilians/the Gracies), with some modern variations added. It's actually a form of Judo (which is a modernized form of Jujutsu/Jiu-Jitsu). When Judo master Mitsuyo Maeda taught the Gracies his Judo (which at that time was called Kano's Jiu-Jitsu), the aspect they received from him was mostly the floor grappling. If it's an older Japanese style of Jiu-Jitsu (Jujutsu), it will be more formalized, and include more practice standing up than BJJ.

Jim

[James Y]

"I've Never Seen a Martial Art Like This - Please Tell Me What it is!"



Jim

[VashHash]

If I as a martial arts beginner took a class in American kick boxing or Jiujitsu what should I expect?

I would think they would ease you into it and not be too rough or harsh on your first couple of sessions. Unless you have a wrestling background then they might be more thorough with you in BJJ. Hopefully they would feel out your skill level/capabilities and go from there. But it's a pretty hard question to answer because every school is different. Some are very serious and strict and some are laid back. Some focus mainly on competition too and push that. Bjj can be done with gi and no gi. No gi would be better for self defense because very few people wear a gi in public.

[Naperville]

"I've Never Seen a Martial Art Like This - Please Tell Me What it is!"



Jim

Different long blade art.

I do not want to come off as a know it all, or "our art is superior to everyone else's bladed art" but his movement raises some questions. I am not a guro, black belt or graduate of any system and dabbled in many so I do NOT have an art to claim as my own.

I'd like to see that long blade artist compete against some people trained in Fillipino arts specifically Bobby Taboada's Balintawak(in tight system short range) and Giron's system of Escrima(where you use mid and long range attacks and defenses).

We may never know.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

How difficult or realistic would a real life Bat Man be? A wealthy person with enough money and time to study and get good at multiple mixed martial arts to that masterly level.

[James Y]

How difficult or realistic would a real life Bat Man be? A wealthy person with enough money and time to study and get good at multiple mixed martial arts to that masterly level.

If you mean a wealthy person doing all that and becoming a street vigilante using his martial arts, IMO, it wouldn't be very realistic at all. The Guardian Angels had people trained in martial arts, maybe not rich people, but still.

Also, there have occasionally been a few martial arts-trained guys who walked around in superhero costumes in crime-ridden areas. Their hearts were in the right place, but I don't know how effective a deterrent that would be, when most violent street criminals run in packs, and/or have firearms or other weapons on them.

Jim

[James Y]

"I've Never Seen a Martial Art Like This - Please Tell Me What it is!"



Jim

Different long blade art.

I do not want to come off as a know it all, or "our art is superior to everyone else's bladed art" but his movement raises some questions. I am not a guro, black belt or graduate of any system and dabbled in many so I do NOT have an art to claim as my own.

I'd like to see that long blade artist compete against some people trained in Fillipino arts specifically Bobby Taboada's Balintawak(in tight system short range) and Giron's system of Escrima(where you use mid and long range attacks and defenses).

We may never know.

Yeah, I thought it was interesting and looked pretty cool. I think that his sword maneuvering is a really cool exercise for coordination and flow.

Jim

[James Y]

Palm Heel Strikes for Street Defense



I like how Karl Eastwood really analyzes and trains his stuff, including his palm heel strikes. Nothing is pretty or "glamourous" about his methods; he's all about application and effect.

You REALLY have to train things like palm heel strikes extensively to make them natural actions and reactions. If you just think you "know" them but never seriously analyze and rigorously train and pressure test them in some way, they won't be etched into your nervous system, and they won't come out when you need them.

This is why so many sport fighters and others who only train closed fist punches say palm heel strikes are weak and make fun of them. Of course they're weak, because you never seriously train them. Knowing how to punch does not mean you know how to palm heel strike. They're not just boxing with an open hand. It's an entirely different skill set, and if you don't seriously (almost obsessively) train them, and develop the mindset to use them aggressively as if your life depends on it, palm heel strikes will not work for you.

Jim

[Skywalker]

Bjj can be done with gi and no gi. No gi would be better for self defense because very few people wear a gi in public.

I hear this a lot, in a northern state where people are wearing jacket and pants for better than half the year.

Idk, it's funniest when coming from new people in no-gi classes that then get upset when I start controlling their legs with grips on their sweatpants.

Training > no training, just do the one you enjoy more and will stick with more consistently.

[Naperville]

"I've Never Seen a Martial Art Like This - Please Tell Me What it is!"



Jim

Different long blade art.

I do not want to come off as a know it all, or "our art is superior to everyone else's bladed art" but his movement raises some questions. I am not a guro, black belt or graduate of any system and dabbled in many so I do NOT have an art to claim as my own.

I'd like to see that long blade artist compete against some people trained in Fillipino arts specifically Bobby Taboada's Balintawak(in tight system short range) and Giron's system of Escrima(where you use mid and long range attacks and defenses).

We may never know.

Yeah, I thought it was interesting and looked pretty cool. I think that his sword maneuvering is a really cool exercise for coordination and flow.

Jim

I like seeing other arts but until I see them compete against other arts I cannot tell how effective they are in real combat.

The UFC is OK. You get to see better than average skills being applied. Most of it is a mishmash of cardio, weightlifting, boxing/karate and BJJ. The tactics of the player are what is important. Some of that has to do with the player and the schools they attended.

The thing that I learned is that depening on the bladed art, you will pick up a lot within the first 6 months to 1 year, enough to make you dangerous to everyone. You have the fundamentals, which are extremely hard to overcome unless you carry a 28 inch blade around with you everywhere you go. That is why I feel safe at home. I have some tools to deal with some things. Out on the street, forgetaboutit.

We are talking about life and death here. Edged weapons training is a rapid skill development process.

People with an edged weapon and no training are also dangerous to everyone. The line is kind of fuzzy, but when an edged weapon is involved, if you can run, run, and if you cannot run, face down the weapon hand. Edged weapons are dangerous to everyone, no matter how much training somebody has.

In spite of my training all that I have are ideas on what to do with a live weapon as there is no way to train against them. It is a different kind of art. You can use several tools to make it more realistic, and I have, but I would hate to have to face that situation, where failure means facing death.

[VashHash]

Bjj can be done with gi and no gi. No gi would be better for self defense because very few people wear a gi in public.

I hear this a lot, in a northern state where people are wearing jacket and pants for better than half the year.

Idk, it's funniest when coming from new people in no-gi classes that then get upset when I start controlling their legs with grips on their sweatpants.

Training > no training, just do the one you enjoy more and will stick with more consistently.

I live in the south and you might get a good 3 months of coat weather. Unfortunately I'm very slippery in the summer months. It has its ups and downs.

[Skywalker]

I live in the south and you might get a good 3 months of coat weather. Unfortunately I'm very slippery in the summer months. It has its ups and downs.

I spent most of my early and formative years in Tennessee and Georgia so I feel you on the slippery in the summer, hah

[SpyderEdgeForever]

How realistic or unrealistic are the claims made over the years by various people about martial arts masters being able to perform science fantasy and supernatural like feats such as running across lakes, dodging bullets, making chest molecules become steel hard, and similiar actions?

[James Y]

Do "Karate Chops" Work in a Street Fight?



Of course they do. And it's not only striking nerves; a proper edge-of-hand strike to the side of the neck temporarily interrupts the blood flow to the brain, which can cause disorientation or unconsciousness, especially if the person is not expecting it. IMO, like any other self-defense strike, a chop to the neck must not be telegraphed, especially when done pre-emptively, which is more effective than trying to block and counter.

When I do it, I incorporate a little step and torque to the left (if using the right hand inward strike like he's showing in the video), which amplifies the weight and penetration force behind the blow, instead of using a snappy, flicky type of blow that only uses the arm. I feel that on contact, the edge of the hand should "stick" to the target (the neck) for a split second, to maximize commitment and the force going into the target. And the elbow of the striking arm should stay down when doing an inward strike. If done right, it can be very deceptive and difficult to see coming. And the step I do almost makes it look like I'm trying to go past you, or like I'm about to turn away from you, and it happens very suddenly.

He speaks gold when he says, "It's not about learning more; it's about learning less and training more."


Jim

[Naperville]

How realistic or unrealistic are the claims made over the years by various people about martial arts masters being able to perform science fantasy and supernatural like feats such as running across lakes, dodging bullets, making chest molecules become steel hard, and similiar actions?

Humans can only do human-like things, they cannot defy physics.

But I have heard of Chinese Masters who could manipulate their scrotums and pull them into their lower abdomen...then have people kick them in the groin with no effect.

There are also martial artists who "trained" their hands, shins and forearms with bricks and steel rods who turned their flesh and bones inert to pain, and used them to quite a great effect for strikes. One of the guys Carl Cestari is well kmnown...his obit is below. On the hard drives of one of my disabled PCs I have videos of him hitting himself with steel pipes!!!!

https://carlcestari.wordpress.com/wp-co ... ituary.pdf

Only my savior walked on water.