Which form of fighting would any of you recommend. I was a wrestler in high school and a little of college. Just wondering what all you guys do? I like judo but i need something that is more punching. Is there anything that combines throw/submission and punching? All feedback is appreciated. Thanks
Do a web search for dojo in your area teaching ‘Budo Taijutsu’ or ‘Togakure Ryu Bujinkan Ninpo.’ They probably won’t advertise or be in the phone book. If you find a place, the teacher should be a shidoshi, and have a certificate verifying this. If you’re in Canada or on the west coast, I can direct you more specifically.
Absolutely.
I’ve had excellent fortune with Hapkido. The focus is on hand techniques, grappling, throws, and various strikes and rolls.
Click the syllabus link for a rather more accurate description.
DI
Well, i would say MMA type training. Jui-jitsu\wrestling, mixed with boxing or thai boxing.
Well you have already studied one of the most effective forms, wrestling. Now all you need to do, is add some standup (boxing/kick/boxing) and some submissions (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). Find a school that teaches all three.
I would agree w/ Ko just to add maybe try some Maui(sp?) Thi boxing. W/ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
There’s so many different things… I hear hapkido or however u spell it is awsome.
anyone familiar with any places on long island?
Oh boy, this one is meant for me 
Anyway, a little background here, I’ve done quite a number of martial arts:
Judo, ju-jitsu, aikido, karate, kung fu, tai chi, taekwondo, shootfighting, and I’ve wrestled.
I’ve been around the martial arts block a little bit, I’ve fought people who’ve done just about (not quite) everything out there and I can tell you that by far the most dangerous people for grappling were people who did Judo. Wrestlers were very good, better in fact, at taking you down if you don’t have a Gi on but they just don’t know how to finish. If you’re on your back in Judo you’re often in a better position than the person on top.
For striking it has to go hands down to boxers. In all honesty I think it’s just due to the hours of repetitive practice and the hours in the ring. But out of all the strikers boxers were by far the most dangerous, especially if you compared years of training. A guy who’s been boxing for a year will pretty much beat the crap out of your avereage karate/taekwondo/hapkido/etc etc practicioner who’s only been at it for a year.
In terms of MMA folks I found them to be quite easy to beat. I think it may be because they work at too many things at once and don’t learn anything quickly. After a couple of years they get much more dangerous but for the first 5 or so there’s not much to them.
I’m not trying to knock anyone’s martial art here since it’s far more about the person that it is about what style you choose but for maximum effectiveness in the least time a Judo/boxing combo cannot be beat. After you’re proficient at those two move over to some MMA and learn to really tie it all together.
STU
I think Renzo Gracie has a school in Long Island, Brazilian JJ and MMA training go there if you can. Good luck, outlaw.
I wouldn’t mind facing off against a boxer. My background is karate/TKD. Tough to punch the other guy with a foot embedded in one’s gut.
It gets a bit more interesting at closer range.
DI
Renzo Gracie students Matt Serra and Rodrigo Gracie are on LI…
Go to them…
www.rodrigogracie.com
www.serrajitsu.com
Renzo himself is in Manhattan and his place is awesome too.
Hapkido is very pretty, but won’t do yoiu much good in a fight.
Ko, that’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
DI
It’s all about timing, KnightRT. Bobopunxs: Yes. Search 'Bujinkan Long Island" on Google.
I have to say I sort of agree with KO in that the way Hapkido and many of the traditional martial arts are practiced the techniques and training methods do not mimic the things that happen in a real fight. I believe almost any martial art can be street effective if it is trained often enough and that training resembles common situations that occur in a street fight.
Anyway, why not check out Matt Serra or Rodrigo Gracie. I think they will make you a good fighter.
I have been studying martial arts for about 20+ years, and dabbled in many different styles. Tae Kwon Do was my first style and I have also studied Kyokushin kartate as well. I also have a background in Aikido.
I now train in MMA, and can tell you that all the fancy little pre-prescribed techniques you learn in Hapkido (or any other tradtional style) will mean dick when a wrestler shoots in on you. Muy thai/Western boxing/ wrestling/Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or MMA as it is know today is superior to the traditional styles, hands down.
Course you could always find out yourself. Enter a MMA event and prove your style.
Not surprisingly for those who know me, I’m going to agree whole-heartedly with ko here. I’m sorry, but if you think you can pull off one of those hapkido/aikido trapping maneuvers against someone who has the slightest clue how to punch, shoot, kick, etc. you’re seriously mistaken.
It comes down to boxing/kickboxing, wrestling, and BJJ.
Any style that actually practices what they preach with at least some full-contact/full-power practice.
I.E. Judo, BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing, etc.
Styles that spend too much time on forms, shadowboxing, etc, aren’t going to be as effective as those that can be practiced with more vigor.
By this criteria, you might be able to give it to one of the grappling arts over the striking arts, as they can be practiced at nearly full power almost daily, giving you skills in a much shorter time-frame than other martial arts. You can’t box every day at full power.
I agree with sturat that the hours of practice helps a lot. When you narrow your style down to 5-6 strikes (jab, cross, hooks, uppercuts, and maybe 1-2 other punches) and you learn to throw them in combination and in every situation, you’ve got way more than someone who has to learn a different strike for each different situation.
DC is right, when you learn too many things you donl why people to be less than terrifying until they’ve been doing it for a number of years.
If you watch high level judo/wrestling matches you’ll notice that the best fighters have 2 or 3 takedowns that they use. While they can do them all they choose to specialize on those for combat. The same with boxers there are very few punches but they can throw them from anywhere in any situation.
Full contact practice key to becomming truley effective, afterall if you’ve never really hit a person in the ribs you don’t know what it’s like. IF you’ve never tried to throw or wristlock someone who’s fighting back you probably won’t be able to when the situation arizes. But if you’ve thrown people 10,000 times in practice, many of those people resisting strenuously there are no suprises in store in the real world. Same with giving/taking punches. IT takes quite a few shots to the nose before you can take one without it slowing you up, even then if you fall out of practice. . .
On the comment of hard to hit someone with a foot in your gut. . . there’s a reason that TKD doesn’t win in open martial arts competition. The rules in TKD are so far removed from actual fighting that it’s not even funny. Besides, try kicking a boxer in the stomach, if you can hit them it really won’t slow them down much. I’ve watched it happen to my brother (a boxer) and he didn’t even hesitate. Said it hurt afterward but not as much as the other guy.
sTU