[quote]jamej wrote:
I recommend Judo or Aikido. Both are infinitely deep and can suport a life time of practice and study. MMA has no soul and should probably be renamed “Advanced Bar Room Brawling.”
I’ve got nothing against MMA but the “martial art” aspect is a stretch. The MMA guys are basically very good fighters. There is more to the martial art thing than knuckle busting. I think that is where MMA is lacking.[/quote]
I do have something against a lot of martial arts…they try to pass themselves off as self-defense when in reality they are largely ineffective.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
jamej wrote:
I recommend Judo or Aikido. Both are infinitely deep and can suport a life time of practice and study. MMA has no soul and should probably be renamed “Advanced Bar Room Brawling.”
I’ve got nothing against MMA but the “martial art” aspect is a stretch. The MMA guys are basically very good fighters. There is more to the martial art thing than knuckle busting. I think that is where MMA is lacking.
Aikido?
You really think you are going to get someone who is attacking you to cooperate with your throws the way they do in Aikido?
Aikido is sort of a sham my man.
And while MMA may not be your cup of tea it is a lot closer to reality than the game of tag that most traditional martial arts schools play.
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I too thought Aikido was a bunch of cooperative BS and I agree most stuff that passes for Aikido is a waste of time. Until 18 months ago when I met some one who knew Aikido. The reason it looks so cooperative is that I’m diving onto the ground before something breaks. I’ve been around martial arts for a long time and I think Aikido is rock solid but it is not the only answer. I’ve just stopped dismissing it out of hand. Good Luck. jim
Really what it boils down to is are you going to upkeep this skill. If you are than JKD is awesome because of the trapping. But it’s something that goes away over time.
My personal advice is take boxing. You will never ever forget what you learn there and it is fairly short to get proficent at it.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
Here’s my best advice in as few words as possible:
Gain size and strength. Big strong athletic guys can still lose fights, but it’s much easier to win when you are bigger and stronger than your opponent.
Go to a legitimate Boxing Gym and get some serious lessons. You will get hit in the face there (not play a game of martial arts tag), it will hurt and you will learn that it’s not the end of the world. You’ll also learn how to punch.
When you have experienced Boxing for a couple of years go to a good ground grappling school. Most fights do end up in some sort of grappling situation (even temporarily). This happens frequently, especially when one of the combatants wants to grapple!
When you do all of the above run, don’t walk in the other direction if you even think you might get into a fight. If you win you will certainly either go to jail or be sued. If you lose you will probably go to the hospital with some sort of injury. Fighting is to be restriced to the point where you are doing so only to defend family and loved ones.
Best Of Luck,
Zeb
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This great advice. Learning to shake off a punch is a skill best learned in a controlled atmosphere. Sparring does this. The first couple of times you get hit you’re literally like, “holly shit, he just hit me.” It may help you read your opponent as well as with your reaction time. Reaction time can be the diference between getting hit multiple times or just once.
I would also agree with Zeb boxing is a good choice because it is full contact and not just touch/point sparring. I’m bais toward Thai Boxing, I suppose the elbow, clinche work and knees may be beneficial in a street fight. But, if you can avoid it, don’t into a fight all.
I totally agree that boxing is a wonderful sport. It is also an effective foundation for quality self-defense skills. But what happens if you get into a fight with a wrestler? Or what happens if you are fighting someone who understands how to kick (especially to legs)? Boxing is wondeful, but still a sport and not particularly well rounded.
Again, choose something like boxing to start out is great, but make sure that as your learning things try to fill in all gaps in a fight. Learn how to fight at a kicker’s distance, at a puncher’s distance, in the clinch, and on the ground.