Any martial artists here?
Discussion
I am thinking about taking up another martial art, but I don't know what to do. I have a brown belt in Shotokan Karate, but I got it a fair few years ago and I wouldn't mind getting back into training, but trying something else. Fancy something a bit more "street-orientated" than Karate, with a pretty fast learning curve based in or around the Portsmouth area. Any advice?
I have been doing Shaolin Kung Fu for a couple of years now. I find it really relaxing and keeps you fit! I have never had to use it in anger, hope it stays that way.
Exterior styles such as Wing Chun, JKD and Choy Li Fut are destructive to the exterior of the opponent's body - broken bones, bruising & numbing and can appear very action packed and fast, whilst
Interior styles such as Tai Chi, Aikido and Jiu-jitsu cause interior damage to the opponent using pressure points on the body which instigate internal destruction or trapping. Although Bruce Lee used mainly exterior styles he also was a great practitioner of interior applications such as the "One inch punch" or "Floating punch" delivered over a short distance but devastating to interior organs, for instance:
To the chin it will certainly render unconsciousness and is capable of causing severe brain damage or death.
To the Solar Plexus at maximum power the lungs will deflate causing death.
To the heart area of the chest it can burst blood vessels around the heart also causing death.
Northern styles contain a lot of high kicking originally developed to dismount invading enemy horsemen coming from the North of China.
Southern styles are generally more street level - that is they are designed for every day use where a combat situation is encountered.
It is also true that some styles suit people of a certain size or shape and some styles are preferable for women. It needs some serious in depth study to sift through the many different styles out there.
Some styles and sets are named after the creatures they mimic or admire - Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Mantis, Eagle, Crane, Monkey, Leopard etc, even the tortoise gets a look in!
Good reading comes in the form of "Introduction to Shaolin Kung Fu" by Wong Kiew Kit available from www.amazon.co.uk, this really is the best place to start.
I train near to home. A long drive or trip by public transport to your club can be tiresome. However, this does restrict your choice of club somewhat. If you can, find a friend to go with you and that might further the distance you wish to travel. Another way is to train at home on a distance learning course - If you really think you have the self discipline to train in this mannner then try Yellow Dragon Kung Fu
Assuming you wish to attend a club, have a look at the list of clubs on the UK Kung Fu Clubs page, and if none are near to you use Google UK with the search words "Kung Fu+My Area".
Exterior styles such as Wing Chun, JKD and Choy Li Fut are destructive to the exterior of the opponent's body - broken bones, bruising & numbing and can appear very action packed and fast, whilst
Interior styles such as Tai Chi, Aikido and Jiu-jitsu cause interior damage to the opponent using pressure points on the body which instigate internal destruction or trapping. Although Bruce Lee used mainly exterior styles he also was a great practitioner of interior applications such as the "One inch punch" or "Floating punch" delivered over a short distance but devastating to interior organs, for instance:
To the chin it will certainly render unconsciousness and is capable of causing severe brain damage or death.
To the Solar Plexus at maximum power the lungs will deflate causing death.
To the heart area of the chest it can burst blood vessels around the heart also causing death.
Northern styles contain a lot of high kicking originally developed to dismount invading enemy horsemen coming from the North of China.
Southern styles are generally more street level - that is they are designed for every day use where a combat situation is encountered.
It is also true that some styles suit people of a certain size or shape and some styles are preferable for women. It needs some serious in depth study to sift through the many different styles out there.
Some styles and sets are named after the creatures they mimic or admire - Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Mantis, Eagle, Crane, Monkey, Leopard etc, even the tortoise gets a look in!
Good reading comes in the form of "Introduction to Shaolin Kung Fu" by Wong Kiew Kit available from www.amazon.co.uk, this really is the best place to start.
I train near to home. A long drive or trip by public transport to your club can be tiresome. However, this does restrict your choice of club somewhat. If you can, find a friend to go with you and that might further the distance you wish to travel. Another way is to train at home on a distance learning course - If you really think you have the self discipline to train in this mannner then try Yellow Dragon Kung Fu
Assuming you wish to attend a club, have a look at the list of clubs on the UK Kung Fu Clubs page, and if none are near to you use Google UK with the search words "Kung Fu+My Area".
I was thinking about Wing Chung or a Shaolin style, but I have heard that it can take up to a year for you to any practical application, not that I wish to get into a fight, but I did want to take up a style that has a practical application in a reasonable time frame. I found that Karate was ok in the dojo but in reality, it was sometimes a tad slow.
Not sure around Portsmouth, but I have done a few Martial Arts.
I curently study Leung Ting Wing Tjun with Sifu Tam
and Budo Ryu Kempo Jujitsu with Hanshi Browne.
Both are more street orientated rather than, pure martial arts, with the Kempo Jujitsu being extremely street oriendated. There is nothing pretty about it, it is self defence pure and simple.
I have done 2 years of personal tution, twice a week in Ryu Kyu Kempo Karate, which is similar in ethos the the Jujitsu, but the moves are executed slightly differently, with different stances and hand positions. This is the martial art I enjoyed the most. It's philosophy is that if an attacker throws 1 strike at you, you come back with 5 different techniques, all to vital areas, and make sure they do not threaten you again. Lethal Force is taught in both the Karate and Jujitsu. I found that it flowed more than the JuJitsu, but the grappling aspect is very useful. There are no competitions or sparring in the Kempo stystems I did, as if you learn to pull a blow then you are not giving it 110%, which is what you need to do on the street.
The Wing Tjun is also very good, especially if you are small. My younger brother has been doing it for around 2.5 years and is pretty adept. He has defended himself on a number of occasions, using it. I do it for more of a martial art aspect rather than the fighting.
I've also go t abrown in Judo and an Brown in Choy Lee Fut. Done a bit of Wu Style Tai Chi and Hsing Yi, with Grandmaster Peter Yeung (Yang DaiShi)
My other brother studies Yang Style Tai Chi. totally impractical, until you've done it for around 10 years, but the power is immense. He hit my brother with a Tai Chi Punch, whilst he was holding a pad. I've never seen my brother Fly.
At then end of the day, pick a martial arts that suits what you want. If you want a fighting art then you probably won't get one that will keep you fit. If you want to keep fit then do a sport martial art, such as Tae Kwando or Judo. But make sure you enjoy it.
Krav Maga is excellent for self defence and has a good learning curve.
There are a couple of instuructors around here and I'm sure they'll add their views. Mungo is a very proficiant instructor/practicioner.
>> Edited by WildfireS3 on Wednesday 26th January 12:37
I curently study Leung Ting Wing Tjun with Sifu Tam
and Budo Ryu Kempo Jujitsu with Hanshi Browne.
Both are more street orientated rather than, pure martial arts, with the Kempo Jujitsu being extremely street oriendated. There is nothing pretty about it, it is self defence pure and simple.
I have done 2 years of personal tution, twice a week in Ryu Kyu Kempo Karate, which is similar in ethos the the Jujitsu, but the moves are executed slightly differently, with different stances and hand positions. This is the martial art I enjoyed the most. It's philosophy is that if an attacker throws 1 strike at you, you come back with 5 different techniques, all to vital areas, and make sure they do not threaten you again. Lethal Force is taught in both the Karate and Jujitsu. I found that it flowed more than the JuJitsu, but the grappling aspect is very useful. There are no competitions or sparring in the Kempo stystems I did, as if you learn to pull a blow then you are not giving it 110%, which is what you need to do on the street.
The Wing Tjun is also very good, especially if you are small. My younger brother has been doing it for around 2.5 years and is pretty adept. He has defended himself on a number of occasions, using it. I do it for more of a martial art aspect rather than the fighting.
I've also go t abrown in Judo and an Brown in Choy Lee Fut. Done a bit of Wu Style Tai Chi and Hsing Yi, with Grandmaster Peter Yeung (Yang DaiShi)
My other brother studies Yang Style Tai Chi. totally impractical, until you've done it for around 10 years, but the power is immense. He hit my brother with a Tai Chi Punch, whilst he was holding a pad. I've never seen my brother Fly.
At then end of the day, pick a martial arts that suits what you want. If you want a fighting art then you probably won't get one that will keep you fit. If you want to keep fit then do a sport martial art, such as Tae Kwando or Judo. But make sure you enjoy it.
Krav Maga is excellent for self defence and has a good learning curve.
There are a couple of instuructors around here and I'm sure they'll add their views. Mungo is a very proficiant instructor/practicioner.
>> Edited by WildfireS3 on Wednesday 26th January 12:37
Iceman82 said:
I was thinking about Wing Chung or a Shaolin style, but I have heard that it can take up to a year for you to any practical application, not that I wish to get into a fight, but I did want to take up a style that has a practical application in a reasonable time frame. I found that Karate was ok in the dojo but in reality, it was sometimes a tad slow.
It teaches you only ever to use your teachings as a last resort. As I said I have been a student for 2 years, just over, and never had the need to use it.
You will find any decent school will teach you at a slow pace for the first 12 months to seek out the people who want to learn too fast and use it on the street.
JonRB said:
Have you considered the Scottish Martial Art "Fu-Kew"? 
(Film reference)
I married and Axe Murderer.
Also it is important to get a good instructor. There are a lot of good martial artists out there, who can't teach. There are also a lot of bad martial artists out there who do teach and shouldn't.
If you've done Karate you may find the transition to Tae Kwon-Do an easy one. Some of the kicks and blocks are very similar. I used to train with a woman who had done Karate for several years. She is now doing Kung-Fu which she loves (I can't remember the particular style though). Tae Kwon-Do is the Korean martial art of self defence. It has a lot of high section kicks which were developed to attack invading armies on horse back. I could bore you with lots more information, but I shan't. Using it for street fighting was frowned upon by my club and the organisation that we belonged to. Having said that, we were taught specific self defence moves.
I would advise you to pay a couple of visits to some local clubs and see what art forms are on offer. Have a go, talk to other club members and the instructor. That's perhaps the best way of testing whether or not it is for you and whether or not you could get on with the instructor too.
I would advise you to pay a couple of visits to some local clubs and see what art forms are on offer. Have a go, talk to other club members and the instructor. That's perhaps the best way of testing whether or not it is for you and whether or not you could get on with the instructor too.
TBH for most mere mortals most traditional martial arts are not going to endow you with 'street' fighting skills. I practised Choy Lee Fut for quite a few years and only ever used it in semi-contact tournaments for points scoring. Depending on the instructor, a lot of the sparring is geared up towards this, which is fine but in a bar brawl you do not get public warnings for excessive force/illegal hits/hitting opponents on the floor/time wasting etc. Some of the techniques in theory can do some serious damage but on many occasions you are not going to be able to use them because they entail you being he agressor and getting up close. I'd much rather kick somebody with an 'illegal' hit then run away or grab a bottle if needs arose. In sparring I have never been able to do any of the arm-breaking moves. A lot of the stuff looks good and when it works it can be effective and buy you time but when you try it out, if only when sparring, at least 50% of the time it doesn't go to plan - and then you get smacked. Karate I found to be a waste of my time. I'd try a kickboxing style discipline or soemthing with some close work or wrestling/grappling.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Nope it's all True, I have a Wing Tjun Class tonight in Caterham, a Kempo Jujitsu Class on Friday in Victoria and another one on Sunday in Victoria.
For an explanation:
Leung Ting www.wingchunkuen.com/who/masters/leungting.html
Sifu Tam
www.darkly.net/web/index2.html
A Seminar Held By Hanshi Browne
www.drbain.co.uk/kempo/events_sem1.html
edc said:
TBH for most mere mortals most traditional martial arts are not going to endow you with 'street' fighting skills. I practised Choy Lee Fut for quite a few years and only ever used it in semi-contact tournaments for points scoring. Depending on the instructor, a lot of the sparring is geared up towards this, which is fine but in a bar brawl you do not get public warnings for excessive force/illegal hits/hitting opponents on the floor/time wasting etc. Some of the techniques in theory can do some serious damage but on many occasions you are not going to be able to use them because they entail you being he agressor and getting up close. I'd much rather kick somebody with an 'illegal' hit then run away or grab a bottle if needs arose. In sparring I have never been able to do any of the arm-breaking moves. A lot of the stuff looks good and when it works it can be effective and buy you time but when you try it out, if only when sparring, at least 50% of the time it doesn't go to plan - and then you get smacked. Karate I found to be a waste of my time. I'd try a kickboxing style discipline or soemthing with some close work or wrestling/grappling.
I agree. Always hit to a vital area. Train how you want to fight. If you train to score points then you will do that on the street. Train to hit hard and injure poeple, that's what you'll achieve.
Oh bu&&er i'm not doing any work.
As someone else said earlier, the quality of the instructor is key. Don't be frightened to try differing styles or to walk away from a club if the instructor doesn't "click" with you.
I practice Shotokan and am lucky enough to have an excellent Sensei. We don't just train for "point scoring" but also (once the basic have been learned) train for making and avoiding serious contact.
As to whether it works, well there's a guy doing a four-year stretch that may have the opinion that my training does work!!
Sheepy
I practice Shotokan and am lucky enough to have an excellent Sensei. We don't just train for "point scoring" but also (once the basic have been learned) train for making and avoiding serious contact.
As to whether it works, well there's a guy doing a four-year stretch that may have the opinion that my training does work!!
Sheepy
I've been doing Taekwon Do for about 4 years now. As mentioned on here earlier, the transition from Karate to TKD will be fairly easy. In fact many of the patterns in TKD were 'borrowed' from Karate.
As for 'street oriented' you can essentially apply most stlyes to a street situation, obviously some are more suited than most, and some teaching will concentrtate more heavily on street fighting.
From what I've heard (never tried it) Krav Maga is suited to 'rucking.' I would think that flexible styles such as Jeet Kune Do would suit this too. Jiu Jitsu / Ninjitsu all contain evil self defence techniques.
As for 'street oriented' you can essentially apply most stlyes to a street situation, obviously some are more suited than most, and some teaching will concentrtate more heavily on street fighting.
From what I've heard (never tried it) Krav Maga is suited to 'rucking.' I would think that flexible styles such as Jeet Kune Do would suit this too. Jiu Jitsu / Ninjitsu all contain evil self defence techniques.
I've always been around Martial Arts as my father wanted to make sure we didn't get picked on at school, and a natural interest as I'm Chinese, but it's got to be fun and enjoyable.
So make sure you do it for your own reasons.
As to evil Self Defence Techniques, they're just normal techniques that you don't see in Sports. At the end of the day Martial Arts were created to Hurt people. When you are fighting for points it's a watered down version.
So make sure you do it for your own reasons.
As to evil Self Defence Techniques, they're just normal techniques that you don't see in Sports. At the end of the day Martial Arts were created to Hurt people. When you are fighting for points it's a watered down version.
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