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[Metroid Killer]

Ok today I have been at work all day and then been teaching evening class. And all day I've just been anxious about getting home. The reason is that this is how my living room is looking like right now:

My girlfriend and parents in-law have been working half of the day transporting the mats, setting them up, building the frame, drive out all the trash and furniture we threw out, shortening the computer table you can see in one of the pictures, etc.

We still need to build a kamidana(shinto shelf modified for dojos), but we basically only just need the wooden plank as we have all the inventory ourselves, complete the wooden frame around the mats and find a rack for our weapons so they can hang on the walls.

Sorry if this comes off as bragging, but I got a DOJO IN MY HOME O_O!

 

[mrbagdt]

The next time your instructor tells you to air-choke the shit out of each other, punch him in the trachea and walk away.

i was wondering about this, i cant say we even teach anything i would consider an air choke at my gym.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

i was wondering about this, i cant say we even teach anything i would consider an air choke at my gym.

Check out the Marcelo Garcia variation of the guillotine. It's puts an incredible amount of pressure on the windpipe more so than the traditional variation which is a blood choke.

 

[Sajjaja]

Okay guys, here's the deal. I've been wanting to learn martial arts for a long time now and next year (because I'm taking swimming this year) I plan to take some lessons through my university. Right now they offer Judo, Aikido and Karate.

Now, I'm a short guy. I'm 5'5, and 160lbs. What do you think would be best for me in terms of self defence, balance, and making use of my lower center of gravity? I've been leaning to Judo, but Aikido seems interesting as well.

 

[El'Kharn]

Was a Zen Do Kai practitioner for the better part of 18 years.

 

[Esch]

Okay guys, here's the deal. I've been wanting to learn martial arts for a long time now and next year (because I'm taking swimming this year) I plan to take some lessons through my university. Right now they offer Judo, Aikido and Karate.

Now, I'm a short guy. I'm 5'5, and 160lbs. What do you think would be best for me in terms of self defence, balance, and making use of my lower center of gravity? I've been leaning to Judo, but Aikido seems interesting as well.

Id say go judo for the self defense element, but the karate could be good too.


Just did a 3 hour session. I am pooooped, but in the best way possible.

 

[JTran2003]

Okay guys, here's the deal. I've been wanting to learn martial arts for a long time now and next year (because I'm taking swimming this year) I plan to take some lessons through my university. Right now they offer Judo, Aikido and Karate.

Now, I'm a short guy. I'm 5'5, and 160lbs. What do you think would be best for me in terms of self defence, balance, and making use of my lower center of gravity? I've been leaning to Judo, but Aikido seems interesting as well.

I think Aikido would be good for self defense. From my understanding, a lot of their techniques deal with center of gravity and using opponents force against themself. Also from what I have seen, it is more self defense then anything. Maybe some of the more experienced practitioners can correct me or elaborate more on the subject but if its self defense you want, Aikido would be a good choice.

If you can, you should try them all. The university I attend has a "trial" period so to speak to test out classes you may be interested in. If your university does not do that, see if you can sit in on a class if you have the time to help you make your decision. I feel you cannot go wrong with any of them. My school has Shotokan Karate which I did enjoy but did not really keep up for its focus was more on attacking and I wanted to learn more self defensive type skills. It definitely was a great workout non the less. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you can, you should try them all before making your decision. From your description though, it sounds Aikido will have what you are looking for.

 

[JTran2003]

Ok today I have been at work all day and then been teaching evening class. And all day I've just been anxious about getting home. The reason is that this is how my living room is looking like right now:

My girlfriend and parents in-law have been working half of the day transporting the mats, setting them up, building the frame, drive out all the trash and furniture we threw out, shortening the computer table you can see in one of the pictures, etc.

We still need to build a kamidana(shinto shelf modified for dojos), but we basically only just need the wooden plank as we have all the inventory ourselves, complete the wooden frame around the mats and find a rack for our weapons so they can hang on the walls.

Sorry if this comes off as bragging, but I got a DOJO IN MY HOME O_O!

That is really awesome! I hope to one day be able to have something like that in my own home!

 

[themadhatter444]

I tried my first BJJ class yesterday and did a boxing class tonight. BJJ was fun, but I felt like a huge annoyance to my partner because he was a high level guy while I hadn't the slightest idea what I was doing. He was super cool about it, but I still felt really apologetic. Not to mention that Benson Henderson was just chilling out in the corner watching the class. How long until I can roll effectively? I'm apprehensive about going to more BJJ classes because it sucks being the inconvenience in the class.

Boxing was awesome, though. Love love loved it. Signed up for a 3 day/wk membership. BJJ Mon and Weds with boxing on Thurs. Hoping to do a drop in Muay Thai class on Saturdays too.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Ok today I have been at work all day and then been teaching evening class. And all day I've just been anxious about getting home. The reason is that this is how my living room is looking like right now:

My girlfriend and parents in-law have been working half of the day transporting the mats, setting them up, building the frame, drive out all the trash and furniture we threw out, shortening the computer table you can see in one of the pictures, etc.

We still need to build a kamidana(shinto shelf modified for dojos), but we basically only just need the wooden plank as we have all the inventory ourselves, complete the wooden frame around the mats and find a rack for our weapons so they can hang on the walls.

Sorry if this comes off as bragging, but I got a DOJO IN MY HOME O_O!

That's really awesome.


Surprised at the reactions at my chokes comment. I would have thought it was important to drill techniques in an "alive" manner so you experience what it's really like as well as raising the chances that you'd react properly under stress if it ever happens in real life. The instructors always stress safety first, however.

 

[Metroid Killer]

I think Aikido would be good for self defense. From my understanding, a lot of their techniques deal with center of gravity and using opponents force against themself. Also from what I have seen, it is more self defense then anything. Maybe some of the more experienced practitioners can correct me or elaborate more on the subject but if its self defense you want, Aikido would be a good choice.

Yes in theory Aikido is great for self defense, but my experience is that due to its non agressive nature it attracts a lot of people who end up neglecting the self defense aspects or even try to distance themelves from it as some of the applied techniques in Aikido can be rather rough.

So as always, it boils down to what kind of environment the specific dojo presents.

Everything in Aikido is about the center of gravity, but so is Judo, but I think you get a better balance in Judo due to going to some more extreme positions.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

I tried my first BJJ class yesterday and did a boxing class tonight. BJJ was fun, but I felt like a huge annoyance to my partner because he was a high level guy while I hadn't the slightest idea what I was doing. He was super cool about it, but I still felt really apologetic. Not to mention that Benson Henderson was just chilling out in the corner watching the class. How long until I can roll effectively?

It can be anywhere from three months to two years depending on how often you go and how quick you are at picking up new techniques.

For what it's worth, I didn't really start to get a good grasp of techniques until a year into doing BJJ and I didn't really understand the movements and concepts until year two.

Edit: Also, don't feel bad about sucking. There is value of having a white belt around, it's good for higher belts to practice new techniques on.

 

[thirty]

I tried my first BJJ class yesterday and did a boxing class tonight. BJJ was fun, but I felt like a huge annoyance to my partner because he was a high level guy while I hadn't the slightest idea what I was doing. He was super cool about it, but I still felt really apologetic. Not to mention that Benson Henderson was just chilling out in the corner watching the class. How long until I can roll effectively? I'm apprehensive about going to more BJJ classes because it sucks being the inconvenience in the class.

Boxing was awesome, though. Love love loved it. Signed up for a 3 day/wk membership. BJJ Mon and Weds with boxing on Thurs. Hoping to do a drop in Muay Thai class on Saturdays too.

how exciting? yes, don't feel bad for being new. everyone has to start somewhere, most of the people you roll with understand this.

 

[mrbagdt]

as those guys said- everyone starts at the bottom in jiu jitsu, so dont let it bug you to much. even people that come in that are freak athletes, it doesnt translate into knowing exactly what to do in every situation. that is something that you only gain through time on the mat, gaining experience. it can be extremely humbling for someone who has succeeded in most other sports and is a reason why a lot of people only try it for a few weeks before deciding that it is not for them. for me, the fact that i could be defeated by someone who was 23 years older than me and 70 lbs lighter than me, it made me want to keep training. but there are others who would go through that situation and say 'well apparently fitness doesnt come into play with this its just a bunch of stupid tricks so i dont think i will do it anymore'.

im continuing to work double sleeve control from my back again and getting sweeps from there working right. i used to fight against double sleeve a lot from on top and was able to pass a lot of guys without stopping / overcoming the grip, but then i faced a higher belt than me who could sweep me with double sleeves at will because his form was perfect. the response to double sleeves is to grab their belt or the top of their pants (they cant control your sleeves if they cant move them) so that was the defense, but i notice that not a lot of people in our gym are doing that- probably because they are able to pass double sleeve a lot since we are not all doing it proficiently. so, hopefully, i can start making it effective enough in my game that people will start doing a proper defense for it, and then they can start using it in THEIR back game on others.

 

[Esch]

That's really awesome.


Surprised at the reactions at my chokes comment. I would have thought it was important to drill techniques in an "alive" manner so you experience what it's really like as well as raising the chances that you'd react properly under stress if it ever happens in real life. The instructors always stress safety first, however.

I thought it was fine, i mean as long as yall werent choking each other out. It not like its the easiest thing to choke someone into unconsciousness.

 

[Metroid Killer]

Adding to the beginner training with experienced debate, is also the fact that experienced members learn a lot by training with beginners. How do they teach the techniques and moves in a concise and simple manner. And beginners move in unpredictable ways which is great tarining actually. I loved mixed classes.

 

[GungHo]

Surprised at the reactions at my chokes comment. I would have thought it was important to drill techniques in an "alive" manner so you experience what it's really like as well as raising the chances that you'd react properly under stress if it ever happens in real life. The instructors always stress safety first, however.

Ok, so, I'll explain myself. I find your original post incongruous with your safety statement.

Had a great class last night. We focused on air-chokes from behind and side headlocks. Our instructor actually demanded we do the chokes at full force so if we didn't get out of them we would be in a lot of pain or black out. As a result my throat hurts a little today. Still I had lots of fun and for the most part managed to extricate myself from the chokes pretty easily.

I have in the past been in training that involved air chokes. In that same training system, they got away from air chokes because of the danger involved in performing them and because we found a better way. A blood choke is more efficient, more effective, more safe, and technically just as easy to pull off as an air choke unless you're doing something obviously crazy like stepping on or laying your knee across their throat (i.e. trying to kill them). If the person passes out, all you have to do is release pressure, and the blood will start to flow again and they'll wake up. They will be disoriented and will need to rest a moment, but they'll otherwise be ok unless they already have a concussion (in which case they need to be taking a break from training anyway).

Your trachea is not as elastic as your blood vessels, as it's made of cartilage, not vascular tissue. There is a non-negligible chance that when practicing a full-force air choke that you end up hurting your training partner if you squeeze too hard or if they do not/are unable to submit. With an air choke, if you damage someone's windpipe, as yours was since it was sore, it may take quite some time for it to re-establish its normal form. If you manage to collapse their windpipe, you can well end up hurting them permanently.

I can't see why you would go for an air choke unless you were untrained. If they're teaching you self-defense against the Abobos of the world, it could be they were teaching you not to panic and I can see some value in that, but I honestly wouldn't have students doing that to each other because they may not have the wherewithall to control themselves. I would have an instructor do it because the instructor would be more likely to know "hey, this is enough". Beyond that scenario, though, there really isn't much upside.

I apologize for being alarmist and I realize I probably over-reacted and should have explained myself better.

 

[mrbagdt]

I can't see why you would go for an air choke unless you were untrained.

this. i could see you learning the defenses against an air choke, but i dont see what you have to gain by learning to do them.

like muppets said, i guess there are some other chokes / guillotines that are air chokes... but the basic form is usually a blood choke imo. rodrigo gracie did some no gi seminars at our school a few times, and he had some mean ways that he would tighten up and lock in his guillotines. they might have made it an air choke, but im not positive. i just know that they freaking sucked and they hurt and surprised you more than anything else.

 

[thirty]

a friend of mine just sent me this link, an e-book about beginning bjj. i'll look over it this weekend.
http://www.beginningbjj.com/resources/BJJ-roadmap-book.html

 

[themadhatter444]

Thanks for the confidence, guys. I'll report back after my second class on Monday. If I'm feeling ballsy, I'll even drop into the afternoon class tomorrow.

Otherwise, I'm super sore from boxing yesterday but I loved it. My conditioning is solid so I was outpacing most others in the class, yet throwing combos was such a better workout than I thought it would be. I never get sore anymore but the motion of throwing punches for an hour with emphasized hip movement had me burning. LOVED it.

a friend of mine just sent me this link, an e-book about beginning bjj. i'll look over it this weekend.
http://www.beginningbjj.com/resources/BJJ-roadmap-book.html

Perfect timing. Will check it out this weekend.

 

[thirty]

Thanks for the confidence, guys. I'll report back after my second class on Monday. If I'm feeling ballsy, I'll even drop into the afternoon class tomorrow.

Otherwise, I'm super sore from boxing yesterday but I loved it. My conditioning is solid so I was outpacing most others in the class, yet throwing combos was such a better workout than I thought it would be. I never get sore anymore but the motion of throwing punches for an hour with emphasized hip movement had me burning. LOVED it.



Perfect timing. Will check it out this weekend.

yes, hooks and uppercuts will blast out your biceps too.

 

[thirty]

great training today. came into the studio thinking it would be a mixed level bjj class but they changed the schedule up, it was muay thai. bjj followed an hour later so i decided to take both classes. oh, the bjj class happened to be black belt training hour. luckily, i had all my muay thai gear with me and brought tons of hydration. fun rolling with higher levels. i just defend and work for position. my defensive game is quickly improving. i don't attempt any subs unless it's given to me. i did manage to get my first arm triangle submission on someone today. i previously tried it last week and failed badly. i cranked it before i sunk it in. today, while on top in full mount i swam my hand behind his neck, worked my arm deeper until my bicep met his neck, then worked my head under his armpit and got the sub. i get much of my satisfaction defending against sub attempts when rolling with higher belts so these subs are far and few between. it isn't like the fundamental classes where i roll with 15 yr olds that i can overpower.

question for you guys. my school has a couple of bjj seminars coming up including one with vinicius draculino malgahaes where you pay an additional fee to attend. would you guys recommend these type of seminars for someone just starting out in bjj?

 

[Witchfinder General]

Ok, so, I'll explain myself. I find your original post incongruous with your safety statement.


I have in the past been in training that involved air chokes. In that same training system, they got away from air chokes because of the danger involved in performing them and because we found a better way. A blood choke is more efficient, more effective, more safe, and technically just as easy to pull off as an air choke unless you're doing something obviously crazy like stepping on or laying your knee across their throat (i.e. trying to kill them). If the person passes out, all you have to do is release pressure, and the blood will start to flow again and they'll wake up. They will be disoriented and will need to rest a moment, but they'll otherwise be ok unless they already have a concussion (in which case they need to be taking a break from training anyway).

Your trachea is not as elastic as your blood vessels, as it's made of cartilage, not vascular tissue. There is a non-negligible chance that when practicing a full-force air choke that you end up hurting your training partner if you squeeze too hard or if they do not/are unable to submit. With an air choke, if you damage someone's windpipe, as yours was since it was sore, it may take quite some time for it to re-establish its normal form. If you manage to collapse their windpipe, you can well end up hurting them permanently.

I can't see why you would go for an air choke unless you were untrained. If they're teaching you self-defense against the Abobos of the world, it could be they were teaching you not to panic and I can see some value in that, but I honestly wouldn't have students doing that to each other because they may not have the wherewithall to control themselves. I would have an instructor do it because the instructor would be more likely to know "hey, this is enough". Beyond that scenario, though, there really isn't much upside.

I apologize for being alarmist and I realize I probably over-reacted and should have explained myself better.

Oh absolutely, the throat (and the trachea in particular) is extremely fragile and is not something to mess around with. This is something that is drilled in to us so we understand the importance of escaping a choke no matter what, something that is stressed to the female students in particular. With the caution in mind, I realise that performing the air choke and headlock at full-force has its dangers but my class isn't a beginners one and everyone has experience in performing the choke release. Also, we didn't start the class doing the chokes as hard as we could. rather, we ramped it up gradually so we were prepared.

As for using an air choke in combat, we are never taught this as Krav is about getting out of a violent situation and not into one. If I were to ever use a choke in a real-life encounter it would only be a blood-choke and only if the situation demanded it above other solutions.

Thank you for your concern, however as it's invaluable getting feedback.

 

[deadlast]

...Right now they offer Judo, Aikido and Karate.

Now, I'm a short guy. I'm 5'5, and 160lbs. What do you think would be best for me in terms of self defence, balance, and making use of my lower center of gravity? I've been leaning to Judo, but Aikido seems interesting as well.

I have taken all 3.
judo is best for your size.

 

[Oblivion]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

This question pops up quite a bit. It really doesn't matter. If you know how to fight on a basic level + adding in cheap shots, you're already better than 90% of the population in terms of unarmed combat.

For street fights, mace and good cardio. That's the only thing you need.

 

[Esch]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

gun fu

idk any striking art taught by an instructor with an emphasis on few techniques rather than many IMO. then take down defense and basic grappling. really though it all works for the most part, training is what matters

 

[themadhatter444]

a friend of mine just sent me this link, an e-book about beginning bjj. i'll look over it this weekend.
http://www.beginningbjj.com/resources/BJJ-roadmap-book.html

Wanted to thank you for posting this. I took some time to study it this weekend and am loving it so far. I put it on my kindle and am taking extensive notes while exploring various subjects on my own online.

One of the things it mentions is the importance of being able to recognize the six main positions (mount, half mount, knee mount, turtle, side control, guard) and having 2 offensive and 2 defensive moves for each position. With the help of YouTube and a willing lady friend, I'm comfortable with quickly sliding into both an armbar and an americana from a full mount. I can also escape a full mount and get out of someone's guard.

BJJ class #2 tonight. I'm really apprehensive about finding a willing partner but super excited about learning.

More excited about boxing on Thursday, though. Love that shit.

 

[GungHo]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

Stay out of street fights fu

 

[Tex117]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

This is always a controversial topic, but really, any art that you train well for in about 3 months will be enough to handle any drunk college kid type situation 90% of the time.

On a personal note, I think Muay Thai is quite effective on the street.

 

[thirty]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

i say any MA that let's you get right in there and spar. i absolutely loved muay thai because of this. we never learned muay thai for self defense situations, just a lot of technique. some may be against day one sparring but if you go to a small school with small classes and coaches who are looking out for everyone's safety it can be an experience that you may never get with other MA's that do little to no sparring. shit gets real when you feel a 16oz glove hit you in the face for the first time.

but why choose? there are so many gyms now that offer multiple disciplines. i moved from an all muay thai gym to a BJJ school that also offers muay thai.

Wanted to thank you for posting this. I took some time to study it this weekend and am loving it so far. I put it on my kindle and am taking extensive notes while exploring various subjects on my own online.

One of the things it mentions is the importance of being able to recognize the six main positions (mount, half mount, knee mount, turtle, side control, guard) and having 2 offensive and 2 defensive moves for each position. With the help of YouTube and a willing lady friend, I'm comfortable with quickly sliding into both an armbar and an americana from a full mount. I can also escape a full mount and get out of someone's guard.

BJJ class #2 tonight. I'm really apprehensive about finding a willing partner but super excited about learning.

More excited about boxing on Thursday, though. Love that shit.

no problem, i too had a chance to look it over. i think the writer didn't emphasize learning defense and positioning enough as a beginner. the subs will come eventually but you'll never pull them off if you can't defend and have a poor base.

if you wanna invest about $25 in a great bjj book, look into this. my defensive game has improved greatly for it.

 

[themadhatter444]

no problem, i too had a chance to look it over. i think the writer didn't emphasize learning defense and positioning enough as a beginner. the subs will come eventually but you'll never pull them off if you can't defend and have a poor base.

if you wanna invest about $25 in a great bjj book, look into this. my defensive game has improved greatly for it.

Had a GREAT second class last night. We switched up partners a number of times which was really nice. We worked on our spider guard and lassoing an arm/tossing to side control. My first two partners were younger guys that were having some trouble, but my last partner was a more experienced guy in really good shape. It was the end of class so we were sparring from spider guard and I had my first 100% effort "match" experience if you will. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing, but I hung with this dude for quite awhile before he caught me in a triangle. I was working really hard to isolate his arm and get an americana, but then I remembered the book telling me to fight for position rather than submission.

Anyway. It was SUCH a rush. I was fighting this dude as hard as my body would allow. The chimpanzee DNA totally kicks in where you're fighting for your life. Incredible feeling. Absolutely can't wait for my next BJJ class.

Will pick up that book this week. I appreciate the recommendation.

So somebody in the locker room was talking about just getting over a staph infection on the bottom of his foot. I went home after class and showered, but then stepped on a piece of glass in my kitchen. I cleaned it really really well but have been looking into BJJ hygiene pretty intensely. Any tips? I'm horrified of getting ringworm or staph.

Sorry for gushing.

 

[mrbagdt]

So somebody in the locker room was talking about just getting over a staph infection on the bottom of his foot. I went home after class and showered, but then stepped on a piece of glass in my kitchen. I cleaned it really really well but have been looking into BJJ hygiene pretty intensely. Any tips? I'm horrified of getting ringworm or staph.

Sorry for gushing.

shower as soon as you can after class. dont sit around in your bjj clothes when you finish for a hour or two. there are also some special soaps you can use that are expensive and some people swear by them (usually people that have suffered a staph infection) but i just use a normal antibacterial soap (dial and lever2000 have one). wearing clean clothes every time and showering after class will do a lot and is actually in your control- hopefully they are smart about cleaning up the mats after classes and things like that. i dont know what you are wearing under your gi or grappling pants, but switching to wearing compression shorts instead of normal underwear is another big plus. you can buy lots of cheap stuff at target or walmart that works well. when i first started i thought id buy everything and use underarmor clothes, but it is expensive and overkill for what most people actually do. wearing rashguards helps and i wear one every time i roll no gi, i dont do grappling in plain t-shirts anymore. i have had lots of ingrown hairs that i suspect as staph and freak me out, but in my 6 years of rolling i have never had a serious problem.

gushing is normal.

you said trying to isolate an arm for an americana- im hoping you were either on your back going for it, or you were on top in side control (or maybe mount). a mistake a lot of low belts make is going for americana (kimura) while in half guard. it just stalls your position and you start going for a sub that you cant really finish. sort of like holding onto a guillotine in half guard- there are some cases where you might be able to finish a guillotine in half guard, but they are not very common and you should usually be letting go and moving on to something else before you are completely passed.

 

[Rayven_king]

What would you guys say is the most practical martial art, for a street fight?

1st Time posting here, I've Dabbled in quite a few arts over the years from judo, kungfu and boxing never stuck with one I've just assimilated what I liked . I've found good striking and standing throws from judo to be effective against most untrained people in the streets

 

[thirty]

got my first stripe on my bjj white belt tonight. yay!

 

[DualShadow]

Hi guys,

This is probably a long shot but I'm looking for a martial arts place after moving to Newcastle in NSW, Australia.

I've done karate previously (long time ago) so just looking to get back into it.

Thanks!

 

[2MF]

I started Judo a few weeks ago and I really like it. It's a great workout and it's fun.

I didn't want to get into any of the kicking/punching-focused martial arts for two reasons:

- my flexibility is not so great.
- punching and kicking seems a bit too hardcore for me at this stage (I'm 29 years old and never learned any martial arts).

Later I realized that with Judo you can train most of the techniques with full strength without hurting your partner (uke). So you don't have to half-ass your moves as I imagine you'd have to with more violent techniques. This seems to me like one of the great strengths of Judo.

In a street fight it seems to me you'd also want to do minimal damage (otherwise you might get in trouble), in which case it's better to dominate someone with a lock rather than kicking the shit out of them. Of course Judo's throws can still do real damage if you get thrown on the street rather than a training mat...

The Tomoe Nage is great fun, and surprisingly not hard to do (if your partner cooperates of course):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIbQ2cXRHU

 

[deadlast]

I started Judo a few weeks ago and I really like it. It's a great workout and it's fun....

Later I realized that with Judo you can train most of the techniques with full strength without hurting your partner (uke). So you don't have to half-ass your moves as I imagine you'd have to with more violent techniques. This seems to me like one of the great strengths of Judo...

You can do that Jiu Jitsu as well.

Also, welcome to the Judo family. It's a great art/sport.
Now go here Link and study up on some techniques. And start doing plyometric exercises, they will help you a lot.

 

[JTran2003]

The Tomoe Nage is great fun, and surprisingly not hard to do (if your partner cooperates of course):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIbQ2cXRHU

I like this technique. I always have trouble getting my opponent to go straight though... they always end up behind me but to the side like i threw them at an angle... need to work on that some more...

 

[deadlast]

I like this technique. I always have trouble getting my opponent to go straight though... they always end up behind me but to the side like i threw them at an angle... need to work on that some more...

Sounds like you need to check three things: your foot placement; are you going to the ground at an angle or straight down; and how you are guiding the throw with your arms/hands.

All of those things need to come together to pull off a pretty tomoe nage.

 

[Witchfinder General]

got my first stripe on my bjj white belt tonight. yay!

Congrats! Nothing's better than passing your grading.

Hi guys,

This is probably a long shot but I'm looking for a martial arts place after moving to Newcastle in NSW, Australia.

I've done karate previously (long time ago) so just looking to get back into it.

Thanks!

I'm in Sydney and practice Krav Maga. I've actually trained with some of the guys at Krav Maga Newscastle at a recent camp and they were very nice and extremely knowledgeable. If you're after effective self-defence then I don't think you'll find better in your area.

 

[JTran2003]

Sounds like you need to check three things: your foot placement; are you going to the ground at an angle or straight down; and how you are guiding the throw with your arms/hands.

All of those things need to come together to pull off a pretty tomoe nage.

I know my foot placement is right because my instructor said its right. Its kind of weird, when he looks at me doing it, its nice (i look back and can see my opponent in line with me, but when he is not there, something goes wrong to the point I cant really show him what I am talking about... But now that you mention these other things, that might be it. I feel like I am going down straight but I think my arms/hands are off... like one side is longer then the other... could be because I am going down at an angle or that I am guiding the wrong way... Thanks for that input. Gave me a lot of info to look into next time I practice this move.

 

[Esch]

If you ever wanted an example of what full contact kung fu from internal schools look like, this video is a great example. These guys were participants in the Kuoshu fighting contests of the 90's. They were following the template of the Tang Shou Tao organization, which worked to translate traditional training in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Tai Chi Chuan/Taijiquan into full contact contests with some great results. A lot of the exercises ive posted in here are connected to the TST system, which followed an ideal training pattern for TCM: development of conditioning through calisthenics, acquiring of basic martial arts skills from shaolin stuff, and then transitioning into the big three internal martial arts schools which can be kinda difficult to grasp in essence without any experience. It's not too different from how a lot of old school masters in these styles came up; learning some form of Shaolinquan or Chinese wrestling and then adopting IMA training.

Video Here

Like this video because it shows the evolution of some students over the years!

 

[DualShadow]

I'm in Sydney and practice Krav Maga. I've actually trained with some of the guys at Krav Maga Newscastle at a recent camp and they were very nice and extremely knowledgeable. If you're after effective self-defence then I don't think you'll find better in your area.

Cheers for the feedback mate, will definitely check it out.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Cheers for the feedback mate, will definitely check it out.

Cool, report back here if you give it a shot.

Anyhoo, I forgot to go over yesterday's class. We focused defending against chokes and headlocks from the ground. The chokes were someone sitting on your chest and alternatively between your legs. The headlocks were with one arm free, no arms free and when their head is buried against you. Was really cool and pretty easy to perform once I went over the moves a few times. Of course my partner for the class had to be someone a lot bigger than me making me really have to work to get him off me. Interestingly when we did a bit of groundfighting at the end (with random chokes and headlocks thrown in) I managed to pin him several times pretty easily. I think my pathetic groundfighting is slowly improving.

 

[Esch]

quick vid i love showing my buddies when they ask about Tai Chi as a martial art

 

[2MF]

It's amazing what 3 hours of Judo per week can do to your arm muscles (we also do some workout at the end of the class).

 

[shaowebb]

Ok today I have been at work all day and then been teaching evening class. And all day I've just been anxious about getting home. The reason is that this is how my living room is looking like right now:

My girlfriend and parents in-law have been working half of the day transporting the mats, setting them up, building the frame, drive out all the trash and furniture we threw out, shortening the computer table you can see in one of the pictures, etc.

We still need to build a kamidana(shinto shelf modified for dojos), but we basically only just need the wooden plank as we have all the inventory ourselves, complete the wooden frame around the mats and find a rack for our weapons so they can hang on the walls.

Sorry if this comes off as bragging, but I got a DOJO IN MY HOME O_O!

That is the awesomest thing ever. Congrats.

I guess I'll introduce myself and my background here.

I'm actually out of training and about to go back into my system. I left to focus entirely on college and work, but I practiced Shaolin-do Kung Fu which is basically Kung Fu with a belt system. I made it to second brown and managed to be lucky enough to train in some black belt forms early before I left.

Where I've been out for several years for college I can't really remember my full forms and of course i'm not in the shape I used to be, but as soon as I land some studio work in my field I'm planning on going back in if I can find a place local to where I move. If I can't find Shaolin-do then I'll look for Wushu. If I find a Shaolin-do center though I'm going to turn in my belts and ask to work my way back up. I never felt comfortable with the idea of "I used to be a brown belt so I still should have that rank". Theres just too big a difference between a brown belt in training and one who hasn't touched their forms in years. I fall into the latter crowd and have too much respect to try and pull rank when I can't even remember all my forms properly. Figured I'd go back through and retrain them each properly again. Belt tests will likely come quicker than before this way, but at least I'll feel proud of my rank when I put on my belt out there rather than feel like a faker.

Best form was honestly drunken boxing. I was trained in the first book which I have no clue how to spell but was pronounced "chow chi koo" or something like that. I still have the full form on tape so I'll have no problem relearning the parts that have gone fuzzy on me. Anyhow it was the acrobatic immortal and it had a few basic showy stuff, but nothing to exotic really to be the "acrobatic" immortal. Just a front handspring, a few kip ups and and backflip (which I always hooked to the right). I just sort of obsessed on the form and it kept slipping into my sparring since you fight how you practice. Given I came from a pro-wrestling background (Bobby Blaze trained me who was a jobber for WCW back in the day. Lives in Ashland KY) I pretty much used drunken to setup lots of throws and takedowns. The wrist strikes and hooking motions worked pretty well in sparring if you had a grappling background and failed strikes easily converted into armlocks and hiptosses.

I'm looking to go in pretty hard again once I move since it was a pretty big part of my life and meant a lot to me so I'll likely be hitting some yoga and P90-x to get back into decent sparring and practice condition for forms before I go back into a system. At least this way I have time to settle into my area and really shop around for a good school.

Glad to meet everyone.

 

[DualShadow]

Like the above poster I've been out of practice for a long time, and if I choose to return to Karate I'm disputing on whether or not to attempt to return to my previous belt or start fresh.

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards starting again since it's been about 8 or so years. Anyone experienced this before?

 

[Fou-Lu]

I have a friend who wants me to join his kickboxing gym, but I haven't done any form of martial arts since I was thirteen, I'm not sure if I want to go back or not.