Martial Arts Instructors

[Crayfish]

The ground's a completely different game, but I'm glad that I started off by learning that first as it gives me a level of control that most people don't have - if I find myself struggling with the standing game, I find moving to grappling or the floor quite easy, and it's amazing how many people only have one or the other. I've found that some people who would obliterate me standing up are fairly manageable on the floor, while people with incredible ground games don't always train strikes. I don't excel at either area (maybe somewhat better on the ground) but I'm quite glad that I've got both worlds to choose from.

 

As Cyclone says, ignoring something won't make it go away, and to have any chance of getting back to your feet or in a less dangerous position when someone does pick you up from behind in that saturday night scenario you need to have a lot of technique and experience behind you.

 

Obviously the harder you train the better you'll be, but training something relevant makes a big difference, someone can train very very hard at kayaking and apart from the fitness/strength benefits it won't do much for their fighting technique.

 

I find that each style is useful for a different situation e.g. BJJ for the floor and submissions, kickboxing because of the maneuverability and defence, thai boxing because of the knees, elbows, power kicks and body conditioning... possibly karate for fighting multiple weaker / less skilled opponents due to the stability of the stance... and so on. To know how to deal with a practitioner of another style I find it helps to have a few different styles / strategies to choose from, matching strengths to weaknesses.

[emptycup]

I am by no means an expert inh martial arts, but I agree with the ideas behind this, however I would probably prefer to get a fair grasp and comfort in one area before training everything. It may take longer, but in regards to a complete novice it would be quite overwhelming no?

[jimanyjim]

In my opinion all you need to train for if you want to use BJJ on the street is how to stand up. This would mean knowing how to get you legs in between you and your opponent (guard) and going from there. I doubt this would take most people more than a month to learn sufficiently. Most people don't have the time to learn several different martial arts for self protection, and ideally all martial arts classes would cover this eventuality. In fact every martial art should train for every eventuality if that's what they are really for (see my thread on reasons for training )

[Crayfish]

Emptycup: it all depends on what you're aiming for. If you're really enthusiastic about it, I can highly recommend training two completely different styles, one pure striking and one pure grappling (e.g. muay thai and BJJ, to pick two out of a hat).

 

But, if you're just scouting out what it's all about, I'd either go for jujitsu, which is a good introduction, or just check out a few clubs and find one where you like the atmosphere. Important thing at first is for you to enjoy it - I get a lot of enjoyment out of martial arts and always have done no matter where I've been taking them at the time, but having tried a lot of clubs, I wouldn't have stuck it at a few of them - is really important to find a club that suits you as they're all completely different.

[Cyclone]

are you assuming that the person trying to keep you on the floor is completely unskilled? Sounds like a dangerous assumption to me.

Next you'll be assuming that they can't punch, or fight at all, in which case a month or two of most any martial art should be enough for self defence.

 

The key (or so i've been told) to achieving anything on the floor be that a submission or an escape to stand up, is position. You need to be better at gaining good position than your opponent, who in real life might happen to be several stone bigger than you and might fight in the pub every weekend.

[jimanyjim]

Cyclone,

 

How many people who bother to train martial arts are the kind of fool that goes around starting fights all the time? They are too busy training to get into trouble! I bet less than 10% of all martial artists have been in a fight in the last year and of that 0% were against another person that trains! In my experience a person who dedicates themselves to something like martial arts is actually the last sort of person to run into trouble because of who they are, where they go and who they mix with.

 

Are these sort of statistics (albeit made-up) the sort of thing you should dedicate hours of your week to overcoming? Is it all about being 'harder' than everyone else?

[Crayfish]

Yup.

 

Nice to be able to stand in a crowded room and think chances are I wouldn't be seriously physically threatened by any one of these people.

 

That isn't the main reason why I train, but it is a great bonus. In an analagous situation, a runner wouldn't train running for the express purpose of escaping a plague of zombie dinosaurs, but it'd still be a nice bonus when the terrible reptiles do rise from the dead. Can get a lot of things out of martial arts and I reckon it's a good idea to make sure you're getting the most out for the time you put in, as with any activity.

 

I have known a few fairly aggressive martial artists to be honest, who probably did start fights or at least got into a few... some of them were very competent, too. Suppose the chances of two of them happening to fight each other are fairly slim though, unless it was a my-style-is-better-than-yours argument in a pub, which I can imagine happening. Or a ninja death duel of some sort, I guess.

[jimanyjim]

Iisn't that a round a bout way of saying that martial arts is an ego boost?

 

I personally can stand in a room of people without feeling threatened because i'm not aggressive and I know how to carry myself in a way that doesn't make me seem like a victim. I also try and avoid places where trouble might occur.

 

I reckon it's a good idea to make sure you're getting the most out for the time you put in, as with any activity.

 

This somes up the whole point of why i'm 'preaching' this stuff that makes sense in my head. I believe that the majority of good that comes from martial arts comes from the polar opposite of training to be hard.

[Crayfish]

I'd say being hard is one benefit which shouldn't be ignored, and that out of two martial arts where all else is equal but one makes you a better fighter in the long run it's an obvious choice. Also better when going to new clubs and so on to have more of an idea of what works and what doesn't.

[chefkicker]

Iisn't that a round a bout way of saying that martial arts is an ego boost?

 

I personally can stand in a room of people without feeling threatened because i'm not aggressive and I know how to carry myself in a way that doesn't make me seem like a victim. I also try and avoid places where trouble might occur.

 

 

 

This somes up the whole point of why i'm 'preaching' this stuff that makes sense in my head. I believe that the majority of good that comes from martial arts comes from the polar opposite of training to be hard.

 

Hi Jimanyjim,

What martial arts do you train in and where do you train? Just curious thats all.