Martial Arts. Who has practiced/practices them?

[Hitman]

Many years ago I was a devoted fan and practicer of amateur boxing (Helmet and big gloves; my big nose would not hold up anything else) but now two litte kids, a real life job, and the SH series have killed any chance of having time again for that. And I miss it....really. So I'm curious to know who of you have practiced/practice any form of martial arts and which one do you like best. I'm not asking the typichal "who beats who" question; it is very clear to me that boxing is more a sport than a martial art and there are many fighting techniques that are much better for survivor and self-defence, but I'm interested in knowing how many people here have that gut-desire I have always felt to put the body, reflexes and mind to a test in the ultimate challenge: The one that gives the looser a good kick or hit in the face:p Those of you who have that feeling inside...that irresistible pleasure in teaching your body to become a fighting machine and challenge another guy will know what I'm talking about. Those are the ones I expect to reply and tell me their experience :sunny:

[Takeda Shingen]

I hold a black belt of the second degree in Aikido. However, I abhor physical violence, and have never been interested in competition. I was 'mugged' once, although I was not harmed. The thief wanted my wallet, and pulled a large bowie knife from his jacket. He was holding the knife too close to his body, and I could have disarmed him easily, but I, instead, handed the wallet over and went home to cancel my cards. He was caught later as he tried to use my debit card to buy cigarettes.

Had it been my life that he wanted, rather than my money, I would have reacted differently.

[ASWnut101]

Well, I don't go to classes, but I more have taught myself unarmed fighting techniques from a book. Me and my brother used to get together and spar. Pretty fun, he throws a punch and ends up with my knee on his face. I don't consider myself to be as good as TK even if I never met him (He'd probably whoop my A$$ given the right conditions, which I hope never happens:p), but I can take down more than your "Average Joe." Because of the more...lethal...techniques (Those are hard to practice, so I don't do them often) in the book, I will not post the name.

[elite_hunter_sh3]

muay thai kickboxing, gu ju ryu (cant spell it correctly) karate (most effective against street fighting(how wanna be gansters fight..:shifty:) and brazilian jujistu(BJJ), these combos made me a lethal fighter, ive had 8 fights all wins, 4 won by judge decision and the other won by knockout(KO) :arrgh!:

[1mPHUNit0]

15 years
wing chung and tai chi quan

[Sailor Steve]

I was 'mugged' once, although I was not harmed.
I didn't want to take up space with the whole thing, but that's a good story. I once saw an interview with Jean-Claude van Damme, in which the interviewer asked him what he would do if someone pulled a gun on him and demanded his wallet. He said "I'd give it to him, and hope he didn't shoot me."

Myself, I was in a few fights when I was younger. That's about the extent of my training.

[Skybird]

Ten years of private training 4-5 times a week in freestyle but closest description would be Wing Tsun, and Japanese swords. Before and after those years was less privileged individual training, but always outside a club context. All in all roughly twenty years. I was extremely lucky with my teachers, my mentor in Berlin was a colleague of my father who trained me together with his son for almost ten years, he was more than just a teacher for me, and he was an real expert with swords, old Samurai tradition in his family. One of my swords I got from him, an ancient original. A bit of archery I also learned from him, and he helped me to realise where I was picking wrong paths in my zen meditations, but then always let me found my own ways, and learn from my mistakes. A marvellous teacher, and sometimes I miss him very much. I avoided sport clubs and organizations, i also never liked tournaments and sport clubs in general (I'm no club-animal, I even did not like chess clubs when I played tournament chess, I always hated the regular timetable, and the expectations of others concerning oneself needing to perform good. so i played club chess only for a limited time, then switched to correspondence chess, which was much better for me). Don't train anymore since over ten years (which unfortunately can be seen in my physical appearance :lol: ) Some people like competition atmosphere and sport championships, but I never liked such things. Training to fight is a tool to educate myself or to fight in seriousness if needed, a point scoring or a paper means nothing to me. All this did me repeatedly good service when being in the ME region.

That advise by van-Damme is a good one once weapons come into play, especially firarms. It doesn't need more than an idiot to master a pistol at short range, and that is really bad. I think today that some of my past decisions maybe werent especially clever, although I always kept our equipement or money and the others took the beating - but firearms never were involved. Except that Turkish soldier idiot who managed to almost kill me with a shot that got loose unintentionally... Freak... :D

[1mPHUNit0]

Umm.....very interesting....
And now....sex, drugs, beer, and rock and roll?

[waste gate]

I was 'mugged' once, although I was not harmed.
I didn't want to take up space with the whole thing, but that's a good story. I once saw an interview with Jean-Claude van Damme, in which the interviewer asked him what he would do if someone pulled a gun on him and demanded his wallet. He said "I'd give it to him, and hope he didn't shoot me."

Myself, I was in a few fights when I was younger. That's about the extent of my training.

Guns are the great equailizer aren't they?

[Skybird]

Umm.....very interesting....
And now....sex, drugs, beer, and rock and roll?
No sex, no drugs, beer has been sorted out, but good red vine and good Scottish whiskey (occasionally) came to my awareness. Music: enjoying good music of various styles from classic over Jazz to some types of pop very much, but don't play anything myself. My father is the musician in the family, professionally.

[ASWnut101]

Anyone want to post any useful moves/tips?

[Skybird]

Anyone want to post any useful moves/tips?
"It's not the sword that hits, but your mind. Sharpen your mind, and your sword never will be blunt."

My mentor.

[1mPHUNit0]

Guns are the great equailizer aren't they No they aren't for sure.
Stability
Dinamics
Calm
knowledge
And so on....they are
Guns alone are nothing

[ASWnut101]

Guns are the great equailizer aren't they No they aren't for sure.
Stability
Dinamics
Calm
knowledge
And so on....they are
Guns alone are nothing

:doh: ....


"It's not the sword that hits, but your mind. Sharpen your mind, and your sword never will be blunt."

My mentor.

Thankfully I do both!;) Are we not sharpening our minds by helping others?

[waste gate]

Guns are the great equailizer aren't they
No they aren't for sure.
Stability
Dinamics
Calm
knowledge
And so on....they are

All the same disciplines used when firearms are involved and as Sailor Steve quoted for Jean-Claude:


I once saw an interview with Jean-Claude van Damme, in which the interviewer asked him what he would do if someone pulled a gun on him and demanded his wallet. He said "I'd give it to him, and hope he didn't shoot me.



The difference is that it allows the non martial arts trained individual to protect him/herself.

[1mPHUNit0]

All the same disciplines used when firearms are involved Ummm..i don't think so
Firearms changes Stability, Dinamics and so on..
Interior energy...against exterior ones

[waste gate]

All the same disciplines used when firearms are involved
Ummm..i don't think so

Shows how little you know about legitimate use of firearms and how much you depend upon criminal use of the same to form your opinion.

[1mPHUNit0]

have you ever got a gun in your hands?
I have
Do you know how operate policemen?
Maybe trained maybe not

[waste gate]

have you ever got a gun in your hands?
I have
Do you know how operate policemen?

Time for a new thread. I'll copy this to that thread and you can look in that thread.

[Skybird]

Thankfully I do both!;) Are we not sharpening our minds by helping others?

Another good one, from my chess trainer, nicknamed "Wolfi" :lol:. He used to say about chess:

"In einer gegebenen Stellung ist unter allen den Regeln nach möglichen Zügen derjenige Zug der beste Zug, der am meisten Ähnlichkeit mit einem Kopfschuss hat."

"In a given position, amongst all legally possible moves that move is the best move that shares the most similarity with a headshot."

Wo er recht hat, hat er recht! :lol:

[ASWnut101]

have you ever got a gun in your hands?

You've got to be joking... I'll let you handle it, Waste Gate



Do you know how operate policemen?


"Operate" policemen? What, are they robots or something?

[Hitman]

I see all of you approached martial arts that were also useful as self-defence. From what I read so far, you seem to be a really dangerous gang :lol: . My take was a bit different, as I never really thought of it as a way of self-defence in street fights or dire situations, but rather as a sport. Obviously, boxing is very limited as a fighting style, but in general I believe one of the best things you learn from practicing any martial art is to not get freezed by the first hit. When I started boxing and did some sparring for the first time, I realized how strange the feeling of geating beaten is. You really get freezed when you land a good blow, and can't help thinking "wow..this is serious...that DID hurt", which helps a lot in also taking the next two or three blows before you even noticed it:nope: . As time goes by, you overcome that feeling, and learn to keep doing what you should, no matter how much the previous blow did hurt. In a certain way, that concentration in what you must do helps a lot not feeling the pain. I don't know if those who have practiced martial arts but have not been engaged in real sparring or fighting can realize exactly what I'm saying, but those who have sure do understand me.

Ironically, in the few situations I have faced a real dire situation outside the club, what prevented me from hitting as hard as I could was the fear of how much damage I could cause. Having studed laws and knowing well how criminal courts respond, I had ral panic of breaking someone's nose or doing something even worser. In a real street fight, a normal person with a normal life, children, etc. has most to lose when compared with a criminal. That's the irony of our laws :damn: ....the intention of preventing any type of violence in society ends up leaving the average citizen nearly harmless...

Van Damme gave IMHO the correct answer. A wallet and yoru money is not worth getting shot, ripped or badly hurt....but it also isn't worth spending some months in jail or being trialed :stare:

[1mPHUNit0]

The center it's very important
Who controls the center has much more dinamics
and much more spaces

Have you ever see a policeman
and peoples against him

But if the center it's blocked, then
space advantage it's not so important
and all depends on good pices against bad ones
But thats it's not all.

[Skybird]

I see all of you approached martial arts that were also useful as self-defence. From what I read so far, you seem to be a really dangerous gang :lol: . My take was a bit different, as I never really thought of it as a way of self-defence in street fights or dire situations, but rather as a sport. Obviously, boxing is very limited as a fighting style, but in general I believe one of the best things you learn from practicing any martial art is to not get freezed by the first hit. When I started boxing and did some sparring for the first time, I realized how strange the feeling of geating beaten is. You really get freezed when you land a good blow, and can't help thinking "wow..this is serious...that DID hurt", which helps a lot in also taking the next two or three blows before you even noticed it:nope: . As time goes by, you overcome that feeling, and learn to keep doing what you should, no matter how much the previous blow did hurt. In a certain way, that concentration in what you must do helps a lot not feeling the pain. I don't know if those who have practiced martial arts but have not been engaged in real sparring or fighting can realize exactly what I'm saying, but those who have sure do understand me.

Ironically, in the few situations I have faced a real dire situation outside the club, what prevented me from hitting as hard as I could was the fear of how much damage I could cause. Having studed laws and knowing well how criminal courts respond, I had ral panic of breaking someone's nose or doing something even worser. In a real street fight, a normal person with a normal life, children, etc. has most to lose when compared with a criminal. That's the irony of our laws :damn: ....the intention of preventing any type of violence in society ends up leaving the average citizen nearly harmless...

Van Damme gave IMHO the correct answer. A wallet and yoru money is not worth getting shot, ripped or badly hurt....but it also isn't worth spending some months in jail or being trialed :stare:
I consider boxing technique as obviously inferior, because it is so much limited and the fighting style is regulated by rules, but the training is very well if you want to raise general constitution and fitness. If wishing to do it for sports only I would recommend the somewhat "robust", drill-like mental attitude that can be seen in disciplined Karate groups, paired with the physical training from boxing, which does a very good allrounder job. But I say that with caution - I neither did boxing, nor explicit Karate, its just an observer's private conclusion.

[Hitman]

I consider boxing technique as obviously inferior, because it is so much limited and the fighting style is regulated by rules

Certainly:yep: . It was also not meant to be a self-defence technique either, so no surprise on that.

In turn, I consider Muay Thai really a good technique for street-fighting and also a good sport (As long as deadly strikes are not involved, that is). Only I never have been good with my legs, so it was out of question for me :down:

[Ishmael]

Tai Chi Chu'an, Aikido, Kendo & Iai-do. Skybird, have you ever tried to find out what smith made your Katana? There's a great book out by the appropriately named John Yamato called,"The Samurai Sword." In it, Yamato went through and cataloged virtually every Japanese swordsmith from Medieval times to the present day. Generally, the markings of the sword smiths & their testers is stamped on the tang of the blade. If you don't have a copy, I do & can look it up for you. I priced swords about 15 years ago at gun shows & found the price starts in the low thousands & goes up to the seven-figure range.

As for my martial arts sayings, there are two that i have. The first is a zen koan:

The sword of the true samurai lies, rusting, in it's scabbard.

The second comes from the Shin Jin Mei:

No love and no hatred, that is enough.
Understanding can come spontaneously clear,
Like daylight in a cave.

As you can guess, I have always been drawn to the Rinzai school.

[1mPHUNit0]

Chess and Boxing
Very similar very complementary

[Skybird]

Tai Chi Chu'an, Aikido, Kendo & Iai-do. Skybird, have you ever tried to find out what smith made your Katana? There's a great book out by the appropriately named John Yamato called,"The Samurai Sword." In it, Yamato went through and cataloged virtually every Japanese swordsmith from Medieval times to the present day. Generally, the markings of the sword smiths & their testers is stamped on the tang of the blade. If you don't have a copy, I do & can look it up for you. I priced swords about 15 years ago at gun shows & found the price starts in the low thousands & goes up to the seven-figure range.

As for my martial arts sayings, there are two that i have. The first is a zen koan:

The sword of the true samurai lies, rusting, in it's scabbard.

The second comes from the Shin Jin Mei:

No love and no hatred, that is enough.
Understanding can come spontaneously clear,
Like daylight in a cave.

As you can guess, I have always been drawn to the Rinzai school.
A bit of Lin-Chi fan myself, yes. Straight and direct, no distraction. Cut! :lol: Like a sword strike. Like Wing Tsun.

The one sword I have is a blade made by a smith of the Yoshimichi school/clan/family, somewhere around the middle of the 17th century. that date means it must have been made by someone of the first or second generation of that family. That's what I was told by my mentor, and it has been in his family's possession for very long. I already know that it is precious, although not as precious as swords from the 15th and 16th century, and I would ask you to not post an estimation from your book, I don't want to raise that kind of attention. I would never sell it anyway. It was a gift, and so it can only be given to the next one as a gift as well. I took the place of my mentor's son in line, i think, who had to leave too early. The constellation is kind of a problem for me - I have no students, and wouldn't be able to teach the technical training anyway. Sometimes i think to find a worthy solution to this was the last test my mentor gave me. Or a desparate solution by himself, for he had no other family left. Maybe I should spend more attention on that first koan of yours. :D

The other sword is an industrial sword from the early or even pre-WW2 era that I once bought myself - for very stupid reasons, i think today, or better: for no real reasons at all. I never needed it and probably was stupid to do it, since I also have two ebony-wood swords for training.

The two metal swords are not in my household (I have only Japanese kitchen knifes at hand which also are lethal weapons :lol: ), but currently are safely locked away elsewhere. I admit that I do not do any caring work on them as often as one maybe should wish to do. Because of that I do not use the traditional Choji oil and mineral powders, but use an old alcalic German weapon oil that never developes resin, I described it in another thread one or two weeks ago. I check the swords at least twice a year. Both are in good shape. It is incredible how sharp the old one still is. One needs to see it in order to believe it. Only the grain has become a bit uneven, but one needs to look very sharp and needs to know what to look out for in order to see it.

[CptSimFreak]

I played with Judo for about 1-2 years. IT was thought by one of the highest degree holders in USA...It think it was useful some things.....not for striking that's for sure.

[Yahoshua]

"doesn't need more than an idiot to master a pistol at short range, and that is really bad." -Skybird


Contrary to popular opinion, you can figure out how to use a pistol and STILL miss at close range.

But it's very intriguing to hear yours and others' experiences and such, ignore the hiccup and continue on.

[Ishmael]

Tai Chi Chu'an, Aikido, Kendo & Iai-do. Skybird, have you ever tried to find out what smith made your Katana? There's a great book out by the appropriately named John Yamato called,"The Samurai Sword." In it, Yamato went through and cataloged virtually every Japanese swordsmith from Medieval times to the present day. Generally, the markings of the sword smiths & their testers is stamped on the tang of the blade. If you don't have a copy, I do & can look it up for you. I priced swords about 15 years ago at gun shows & found the price starts in the low thousands & goes up to the seven-figure range.

As for my martial arts sayings, there are two that i have. The first is a zen koan:

The sword of the true samurai lies, rusting, in it's scabbard.

The second comes from the Shin Jin Mei:

No love and no hatred, that is enough.
Understanding can come spontaneously clear,
Like daylight in a cave.

As you can guess, I have always been drawn to the Rinzai school.
A bit of Lin-Chi fan myself, yes. Straight and direct, no distraction. Cut! :lol: Like a sword strike. Like Wing Tsun.

The one sword I have is a blade made by a smith of the Yoshimichi school/clan/family, somewhere around the middle of the 17th century. that date means it must have been made by someone of the first or second generation of that family. That's what I was told by my mentor, and it has been in his family's possession for very long. I already know that it is precious, although not as precious as swords from the 15th and 16th century, and I would ask you to not post an estimation from your book, I don't want to raise that kind of attention. I would never sell it anyway. It was a gift, and so it can only be given to the next one as a gift as well. I took the place of my mentor's son in line, i think, who had to leave too early. The constellation is kind of a problem for me - I have no students, and wouldn't be able to teach the technical training anyway. Sometimes i think to find a worthy solution to this was the last test my mentor gave me. Or a desparate solution by himself, for he had no other family left. Maybe I should spend more attention on that first koan of yours. :D

The other sword is an industrial sword from the early or even pre-WW2 era that I once bought myself - for very stupid reasons, i think today, or better: for no real reasons at all. I never needed it and probably was stupid to do it, since I also have two ebony-wood swords for training.

The two metal swords are not in my household (I have only Japanese kitchen knifes at hand which also are lethal weapons :lol: ), but currently are safely locked away elsewhere. I admit that I do not do any caring work on them as often as one maybe should wish to do. Because of that I do not use the traditional Choji oil and mineral powders, but use an old alcalic German weapon oil that never developes resin, I described it in another thread one or two weeks ago. I check the swords at least twice a year. Both are in good shape. It is incredible how sharp the old one still is. One needs to see it in order to believe it. Only the grain has become a bit uneven, but one needs to look very sharp and needs to know what to look out for in order to see it.

OK. I have 5 listed smiths named Yoshimichi in the 1600's.

Two from Yamashiro ca 1624 & 1688 with a point value of 10 & 5 respectively.

Three from Settsu ca 1658, 1661 & 1673 with point values of 5,10 & 5 respectively.

The third Yoshimichi from Settsu was also known as Tamba.

Yumoto assigns his point values on a scale of 1-300 with a Masamune of Sagami blade taking the top rating. Interestingly enough, blades by Muramasa of Ise who were such a bane to the Tokugawa family, are rated at an 85.

Also a correction. The author's name is John Yumoto not Yamato. The title is,

"The Samurai Sword A Handbook" published by Charles E. Tuttle Company.

Further reading indicates that they may be one smith as the Yoshimichis listed show the same title or surname(Tamba no Kami) in both Yamashiro & Settsu for the early New Sword period(Azuchi-Momoyama).

[Skybird]

It is Tamba No Kami indeed, the sword probably was one of the first being made after he moved to Osaka. The markings for Osaka and Kyoto are slightly different, so one can tell where it was made. My teacher had it sent to Japan for polishing short before I left berlin and he gave it to me. I once let it estimate by a german collector and trader (whoeven learned smithing (?) in japan), and know since then that if I ever would feel like wanting to own a sporting car... well... :lol:

[Sailor Steve]

Contrary to popular opinion, you can figure out how to use a pistol and STILL miss at close range.
Too true. Most pistol fights take place at ranges of 10 feet or less, and often involve many more misses than hits.

It makes a huge difference when the target is shooting back.

[Hitman]

I take it most of you have seen Clint Eastwoods "Unforgiven". I liked very much when Gene Hackman explained what made the difference in being a "dangerous" gunner: It was not being faster, but instead being cooler. I have never been in a shot-exchange, but in martial arts it is to a certain extent similar: getting nervous or trying to do things too fast is sometimes worser. People who start a fight hitting all around madly often end up receiving a full blow in the nose before they even knew where it came from :up:

[Psycluded]

I hold instructor-level certifications in Hapkido and Hanmudo and I've dabbled (anything less than a 1st Dan rank is dabbling to me) in Wing Chun, Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu (Atlanta Budokan school, when I lived there), and Aikido.

I competed in the southeastern region on occasion when my Hapkido instructor would mention some friends of his were going to this tournament or that, generally the USMA all-style tournaments held across the region, and went to numerous seminars with the other advanced students in my school. The one I remember the most fondly was a seminar on the use of jointlocks and pain-submission techniques in real-life situations put on by Master He-Young Kimm in Baton Rouge. That old man is SPRY for his age.

As far as using anything I've learned outside a ring, the incidents are so few and far between that I can remember each and every one. A truly skilled martial artist wins fights simply by defusing situations before they begin. Often it's just as simple as looking utterly disinterested in fighting. Seems to work for me, anyway. Who wants to fight someone when there's nothing to learn in it? :know:

I'm also a gun owner and CCW licensee. I carry a Springfield XD40 V10 when out and about. Why, when at close range my hands are probably more accurate and deadly? Because not all situations will be close range. A true warrior prepares for all possibilities. Have I ever used it? Nope, and I hope to God I never have to. Who wants that on their conscience?

[Yahoshua]

A truly skilled martial artist wins fights simply by defusing situations before they begin.

Absolutely true!! The first principle of all confrontations is avoidance.

[Skybird]

A truly skilled martial artist wins fights simply by defusing situations before they begin.

Absolutely true!! The first principle of all confrontations is avoidance.
Sometimes true. But sometimes you can find yourself in situations where the price of not acting can appear to be higher than to act. It's a question of how you personally bilance the costs and gains. Also, this argument in that quote shows a certain ethical ripeness. Believe me, there are people in the world who simply are not up to that level. always assuming the other shares one's own noble views and is as disgusted of violance as oneself is - is not always wise.

the Budneswehr's mascot, or symbol, is a hedgehog. A hedgehog can remain passive and by that care for himself. But in no way he is able to protect others.

All those Zen philosophies and noble ideals are fine and well. But sometimes the world just is dark and dirty. Reminds me of one of my favourite mottos:

"Strong and noble is the one whose eyes can bear everything - but whose heart still feels everything." - Its from an entertainment movie! (La fille d'Artagnan)

[Yahoshua]

Sorry if I came across as being ignorant to the plight of others, but I was coming more from the perspective of "someone personally confronting me" situation.

In which case I'd try to get the other party to calm down and avoid a fight if possible, but not give them the impression that I'm going to roll over to any demands they may make.

[Hitman]

I competed in the southeastern region on occasion when my Hapkido instructor would mention some friends of his were going to this tournament or that, generally the USMA all-style tournaments held across the region

It has always interested me how it is possible to do competition fighting with martial arts whose movements are meant mainly to cause a lot of damage. From my limited point of view -as I have only practiced boxing- amteur competition is easy in that you do exactly the same as you train and as what you would do in a real fight, you simply don't hit that hard as scoring points is what matters. But when doing tournement fights f.e. in Hapkido or Aikido, what is exactly done? I suppose you avoid those movements that would f.e. break a leg or a joint, but then I guess you are very limited in what you can do. Or not? I can't imagine how you can use all you have learnt and at the same time do it softly enough to avoid causing a real injury to your oponent. In boxing that is easier, and even so, it is not uncommon to end up with a blue rim around the eye or a blooding nose :hmm:

[d@rk51d3]

Anyone want to post any useful moves/tips?

RUN!:rotfl:

[Psycluded]

It has always interested me how it is possible to do competition fighting with martial arts whose movements are meant mainly to cause a lot of damage. From my limited point of view -as I have only practiced boxing- amteur competition is easy in that you do exactly the same as you train and as what you would do in a real fight, you simply don't hit that hard as scoring points is what matters. But when doing tournement fights f.e. in Hapkido or Aikido, what is exactly done? I suppose you avoid those movements that would f.e. break a leg or a joint, but then I guess you are very limited in what you can do. Or not? I can't imagine how you can use all you have learnt and at the same time do it softly enough to avoid causing a real injury to your oponent. In boxing that is easier, and even so, it is not uncommon to end up with a blue rim around the eye or a blooding nose :hmm:

Tournament fighting, as you say, is all about point-scoring and not about breaking things. With that knowledge in mind, you simply choose your approaches and attacks in such a way that will allow you to score without hurting your opponent. For instance, I'm a lightweight guy, which means I would get paired up with high-school age Tae Kwon Do "black belts" and smaller, faster kids from schools like Tang Soo Do and the occasional Wing Chun fight. Against these, mostly my job was to block and evade in such a way as to deny them points and score on counter-strikes, where my opponent overextends, I step into his inner circle and do a simple jab or elbow strike.

On a side note... I have never understood this idea of handing out 1st Dan to kids who've practiced for a year, maybe less, that seems prevalent in Tae Kwon Do in America. What gives? I worked -hard- every weekday afternoon for 4 years to earn my 1st Dan, and the next two years after that for my 2nd Dan, in Hapkido.

[Kapitan]

Used to do a fair bit but havnt in recent years i have done boxing kick boxing judo and a bit of wrestleing, that was when i was a bit better health at the moment i aint a clue why its all gone down hill i used to be around 13 stone im down to just under 9 now!

[AntEater]

Observing the "resurrect a thread before starting a new one" rule..

I just started Kendo two months ago.
Most martial arts are overcrowded with "I just want to beat someone up" kind of people and seem to have lost their way.
I do martial arts not to beat up somebody but to improve dexterity, focus myself and have a better coordination.
Kendo is different, as its real life applications are somewhat limited (who's running around with a Katana all day?).
The Kendo crowd are more nerds (even a few subsimmers) and fans of japanese culture. And our Sensei is actually japanese, something I never encountered in German Judo or Karate.

[Rhodes]

My favorit marcial art: a shotgun under my jacket...:p Kidding.

I practice Karate,shotokan stile, praticed for 10 years,then left for 7 years and now returned. Did some aikido and kendo, but more for fun and to train with my father since he left karate because was tired how they( our masters) did several things.

AntEater, I once had a few classes (in a probation) with a japonese sensei in karate, was our "senior chief" sensei of the karate association. And a japanese woman that was here in my home town, told me that they have kendo in the schools, in schools sports as we here have soccer and other kinds.

[Chock]

I use to do karate years ago, and in more recent years I've done a bit of fencing and ti-chi, although more for fun than any desire to become brilliant at them. Attacking people with a sword is good fun, although it bloody hurts when someone's sword doesn't bow properly if they get a hit on you, and instead rides up under the neck guard of your face mask and stabs you in the throat!

:D Chock

[Ishmael]

Observing the "resurrect a thread before starting a new one" rule..

I just started Kendo two months ago.
Most martial arts are overcrowded with "I just want to beat someone up" kind of people and seem to have lost their way.
I do martial arts not to beat up somebody but to improve dexterity, focus myself and have a better coordination.
Kendo is different, as its real life applications are somewhat limited (who's running around with a Katana all day?).
The Kendo crowd are more nerds (even a few subsimmers) and fans of japanese culture. And our Sensei is actually japanese, something I never encountered in German Judo or Karate.

You'll enjoy it. These days, I do my katas with a bokken in the forests near my sites. Ken and Iai are not concerned with trophys and competitions. It's also good to have a close, Japanese connection to the art.

Books/Movies to reccommend for your library.

Book of Five Rings: Miyamoto Musashi

The Hagakure: Bushido manual

Budo Shoshinshu: Bushido manual

The Sword and the Mind: fencing manual

The Zen Way to the Martial Arts: Taisen Deshimaru

Any of Tosishiro Obata's manuals on batto-jutsu

Budo-The Art of Killing: a good japanese-produced video overview of Kendo, Karate-do, Ju-do, Aikido, Sumo and yabusame(Horse archery)

Hiroshi inagaki's Samurai trilogy about the life of Miyamoto Musashi.

These will do for a start.

Here's a painting of Hotei Ushu, the Zen Sack-and-Stick Priest and embodiment of Zen fullness painted by Musashi. He is who I try to pattern my life after.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2874/hoteiushu001yw2.jpg


You might also consider taking traditional European fencing for the contrast and become a true master of the Sword. Good luck on your Tao.

[AG124]

I used to do some Tae Kwon Do - I got to the level of Black Stripe, actually. That was quite a few years ago though.

[antikristuseke]

Im by no means a practicing martial artist in any field, just know the basics of fighting that i have picked up from experience with *******s and a few bar brawls. Though i do intend to take up systema after having completed my mandatory army service.
Anyway i noticed someone asking for tips, the best advice i could give is keep your eyes open and done focus on just one thing, be aware of what and who surround you, when talking to someone who you dont know just look at his body language and his eyes to see where exactly he is looking, keep your arms out of your pockets, most people who are likely to pick fights dont know how to fight and leave themselves open a lot throwing wide punches and having a stance that leaves their groin open to attack. I realize its is not nice and all, but when it is a fight and i see a chanse, go for the groin, throat or anything else likely to incapacitate your oponent for long ennough for you to either escape or subdoe them to get the authorities involved if you so choose.

[Herr_Pete]

Curretn holder of the Black belt 5th degree in Karae (Shotokan)! 1of the highest in Scotland! bloddy effort to get it lol

[Kapitan_Phillips]

I'm probably more of a submission person. I dont have much experience, but I've been taught how to do some MMA submission holds like a triangle choke.