Martial Arts Anyone?

[aikidoka]

If I can ask, where did you get that training? I would also agree with your recommendation.

The problem with the modern martial arts is that they have been watered down form their original combat roots. In the "do" styles this is for sport mostly. The "jutsu" styles are more closely aligned with their original roots.

Brazilian style is in my opinion about as close as you get to the truest sense of jiu jutsu (not judo).

Same applies for aikido and aikijutsu. Both similar, but the jutsu variation can be really interesting to learn.

No matter what you learn to do, learn how to stretch properly!

Most of my training was in Hammond but then my sensei moved to another state so that dojo closed. I continued briefly in Joliet but had to stop about six years ago due to finances. Unfortunately being laid off has only made that worse and I would l need to get some workout injuries corrected before training again. I can't really do the rolls and break falls very well with my lower back problems.

Yes stretching and warming up are important! I would recommend also studying body mechanics and proper alignment. A large majority of people have their hips tilted down in the front creating excessive curvature in the lower back leading to back pain and injury. Balance in strength and flexibility between the muscle groups is important.

 

[Woodsman]

Most of my training was in Hammond but then my sensei moved to another state so that dojo closed. I continued briefly in Joliet but had to stop about six years ago due to finances. Unfortunately being laid off has only made that worse and I would l need to get some workout injuries corrected before training again. I can't really do the rolls and break falls very well with my lower back problems.

Yes stretching and warming up are important! I would recommend also studying body mechanics and proper alignment. A large majority of people have their hips tilted down in the front creating excessive curvature in the lower back leading to back pain and injury. Balance in strength and flexibility between the muscle groups is important.

OK, thanks. I was curious about this. You used to hardly ever see anyone teaching aikijutsu and now I see it being mentioned more and more often. Thumbs up on the other comments.

 

[silentvoice71]

Ive taken a little BJJ Pick a good class and do your research. I took mine from a awesome class with a great teacher...this was awhile ago....The class was tough and kicked your *** but you learned a lot and the teacher was awesome. This was in michigan city indiana the dojo was called shadow house jujitsui i believe....The teacher is ex ranger/delta force i believe and hes a great guy very smart....He teaches several other types of martial arts to i believe including muy thai. If i remember his classes are monday tuesday and maybe friday???? mon and tues and Gii and friday is no gii.......Its a lot of fun and the teacher.......hes a firearm guy and hell talk guns with ya all night after class is over...

 

[chiggins83187]

Krav Maga, Krav Maga, and Krav Maga.

If you are looking for a martial art that is designed for modern combat and will train you for realistic scenarios look into it.

thanks everyone for all the input! and by no means do you have to stop! i've been suggested by several friends to do Krav Maga. It looks pretty intense and i'd love to try it out.

i did a little research on indianapolis area gyms and found 2, Indy Commando Krav Maga & Krav Maga Indianapolis. Commando doesn't seem to have a website...so i guess i'll have to make a phone call. i have a friend who went to Krav Maga Indy and said it was like $130/mo, and, well, i don't have that laying around!

anybody know of other krav maga gyms in the area? i live around lebanon/zionsville.

 

[Scutter01]

$130/month sounds about right. I think you'll find that's the going rate for most martial arts places that aren't operating out of the local church gym or some guy's garage.

 

[silentvoice71]

hahahaha i didnt pay anywhere near that.......

 

[Scutter01]

hahahaha i didnt pay anywhere near that.......

I've seen prices rise dramatically in the last few years. I'm sure you can still find cheaper than that rate, but it's getting rare.

 

[kettlebell03]

I spent about a year at the Krav Maga Worldwide facility in Indianapolis. I can say without reservation that it was a top notch facility, and the instructors there were great to work with. However, the rumors are true that it is expensive. It was around $120 a month for a 12 month contract, and that did not include any classes in the Fight(sparring) program. If you went there for the full package of self defense plus fighting you would be looking at anywhere from $150 -$165 or thereabouts. That being said, most schools, regardless of style, with a well maintained facility hosting classes throughout the day taught by professional, certified instructors are going to cost you at least $100+ a month. That's just the way it is these days.

I would not be too quick to disregard your firehouse/church basement-type training groups in your quest for skills. Many times the best training can come from these venues. If you find a leader/instructor with knowledge and a great group to train with you can go a long way. Most of the time the lessons at these places will be simple, to the point, and very effective. With no monetary motivations, the instructors teach what works and leave out what doesn't work. The opposite of this would be a school like KMW Indy, where you are taught bits and pieces of a defense in one level, only to pick up the next piece when you graduate to a subsequent level. I'm not sure how you guys feel, but in my eyes street self defense moves should be very simple and effective. If you can't learn it quickly it will be of very little use on the street. I believe that Krav Maga's system is very effective, but you have to get to level 3 or level 4 before you really get into the meat and potatos of the system. By that time you've probably spent 1.5 yrs+ there, and have spent over $2,000 on training. That's quite a bit of change to learn how to defend yourself. Ultimately, I think it was a great place to train and I learned a lot there, but you certainly don't have to devote extensive amounts of money to learn how to defend yourself.

Many have posted replies advocating arts like Akido, Akijiujitsu, and small circle jiujitsu among others. While I think these martial arts are very worthwhile to study, I would be hesitant to base any kind of street defense strategies on joint locks/manipulations, high-risk throws, and other moves involving fine motor skills. Many of the moves in small circle jiujitsu that I've seen (in the interests of full-disclosure I've never formally studied the art) involve some type of joint manipulation. In videos posted on the web, you can see that most of the time these moves are practiced on willing opponents, and would not be easily recalled on the street IMO.

 

[Woodsman]

Many have posted replies advocating arts like Akido, Akijiujitsu, and small circle jiujitsu among others. While I think these martial arts are very worthwhile to study, I would be hesitant to base any kind of street defense strategies on joint locks/manipulations, high-risk throws, and other moves involving fine motor skills. Many of the moves in small circle jiujitsu that I've seen (in the interests of full-disclosure I've never formally studied the art) involve some type of joint manipulation. In videos posted on the web, you can see that most of the time these moves are practiced on willing opponents, and would not be easily recalled on the street IMO.

As I said before, these use to be combat systems, not sports. Almost all of the modern versions have been watered down for purely defensive tactics. Locking up joints for manipulation is a defensive move. Attacking the joint is an offensive matter. That's all I'm going to get into on the subject...

 

[Gaudard]

There was a show on tv called Fight Quest, I want to say it was on discovery... Two guys traveled around the world trying out various martial arts, was an entertaining show and you got to see various arts. Might try looking it up. Krav Maga was one that they tried.

 

[Archaic_Entity]

Many have posted replies advocating arts like Akido, Akijiujitsu, and small circle jiujitsu among others. While I think these martial arts are very worthwhile to study, I would be hesitant to base any kind of street defense strategies on joint locks/manipulations, high-risk throws, and other moves involving fine motor skills. Many of the moves in small circle jiujitsu that I've seen (in the interests of full-disclosure I've never formally studied the art) involve some type of joint manipulation. In videos posted on the web, you can see that most of the time these moves are practiced on willing opponents, and would not be easily recalled on the street IMO.

As I said before, these use to be combat systems, not sports. Almost all of the modern versions have been watered down for purely defensive tactics. Locking up joints for manipulation is a defensive move. Attacking the joint is an offensive matter. That's all I'm going to get into on the subject...

In reply to your statement, I would like to point out the fact that small circle ju-jitsu is definitely used for self-defense and is very much actively taught without the concept of it being a 'sport art'. Now yes, it does have a sport aspect that is taught fairly regularly; however it's important to remember some other aspects of it.

First: It is taught very, very widely among law enforcement agencies for the practical applications of the art. One local instructor in Bloomington is the second best small circle ju-jitsu artist in either the US or the world (I forget). He also is a Sergeant in the IUPD.
Second: While it does focus on joint locks and submissions, it does not focus on any sort of high-risk throws or anything of that sort. I haven't practiced it myself, but having watched a few folks practice it live and taking the word of the aforementioned instructor, it is a fairly ground art. Does it have trips and throws? Yes, but they aren't the same sort you see in aikido or judo.
Third: It does involve fine motor skills, as do many arts that aren't stand-up boxing. However, finger locks are the meat of small circle, and they are possibly some of the easiest locks to get.

I'd say that if you're definitely looking to invest time in a worthwhile martial art, you'll definitely find that there are some very finely tuned moves you can/have to perform. Joint locks, throws, and so forth. It's important to remember that a lot of these martial arts stem from very, very old practices and some haven't been updated for modern combat. However, if they weren't effective, they never would have lasted.

 

[Cygnus]

Tao of Jeet Kune Do is a must read.

For sure!

Great on just pholosophy and if you look at the drawings and his refernces to grappling. Ahead of his time and hated by the traditional folks.

Fancy arts are like a watered down wine but true defense and combat are like an olive. With tang and a kick! (or somethong like that!)

 

[Cygnus]

I've seen prices rise dramatically in the last few years. I'm sure you can still find cheaper than that rate, but it's getting rare.

I'll bet. Haven't done any paid training since the late 90's.

Absolute best deal I ever had a was a 2 day, 4 hours per day training with Royce Gracie in 1996. $150 and my friend had to talk me into spending that much. Leanred 5 or6 great moves that will really help in real life situations and found out Royce is a great guy. A few TKD black belts barked up striking but Gracie shut them down respectfulluy and with logic.
The guy even did hands on with us. Plus signed autographs and posed for pics gratas!

 

[roscott]

Roscott,
where do you train?

I live on campus at Purdue University, and I train in a private class at our gym. I really enjoy it.

 

[Bill B]

First we need to decide what we mean by "self defense." Most often people think of a knock down, drag out street fight taken to the very end. In my mind this is not what you should be training for. The street is not military hand to hand combat on a battlefield.
The goal of self defense (IMO) should be to quickly do enough damage so that you can get away. If I kick a guy in gonads, and he hits the ground, it's time for me to leave. If I choke him out, it's time for me to leave.
My suggestion, find an instructor that will agree to teach you a few techniques and train, train, train. You don't need to be a black belt in anything to know how to defend yourself, nor do you need the philosophy and history that many schools teach.
Another suggestion is to find a school that teaches Kobudo, or ancient weapons.
The bo staff can be an excellent self defense weapon that can be improvised from almost anything. Want a weapon that you can carry anywhere with no restrictions whatsoever? Learn to use the cane, it is absolutely awesome.
Regardless of what you choose, be prepared to spend hours every day training to master the techniques you choose, just like firing thousands of rounds to get good with your favorite firearm
Full disclosure: I train in ITF Taekwondo, Hapikido, and Kobudo, not because they are the greatest self defense arts (Hapkido is very good, as is Kobudo, but not TKD) but because they are fun and get me out of the house.

 

[Jeremiah]

Learn your instructor and their goal, money is not bad, they need money to stay in business but if they are ( as quoted about a belt factory) then forget it. they just want your money and to give you an inflated sense of ego, think ( and I say this with great respect and lots of time among fresh marines in the last few years) a marine just our of MCRD, 2 pounds of attitude and 2 ounces of experience. IF they want to teach you to be a badass, you may also want to reconsider. there is ( from my experience and breif investigation) the old way and the new way, and the police way.
the old way - give me cause I kill you
the new way- give me cause and I will defend myself in levels till I no longe have to
pain, injury, death, as nessicary and justifiyable
the police way- the tempered halfway point before the old way and the new way, as mombers of Law enforcement have the law on thier side and while they will have they judgment criticised, scrutinized, and challenged over and over again, they can escalate to lethal force when they have the belief their life is in danger, not when they see a weapon. ( correct and opinon as you see fit as I am stil open for debate on thise ideas)

IF they teach the old way, you may live, but you may have trouble defending yourself in court, if they teach the new way any witness should see that you only defended yourself after they attacked, not threatened you and you should be legally fine, if they teach the police way, you'd best be a cop, and if a cop you had best be in the right or your bos, the meadia and the public will jump down your throat and give you a colonoscopy.

I like Arts or styles that come from war torn areas, like the philipines, Japan, Russia, China, or Isreal. Fighting is one of the most Darwinian of processes as what works survives, and what doesn't generally gets killed off. IF the style you choice has been heavily comercialized, ( desinged for middle school kids) I wouldn't put much stock in it. IF it was built around a very lethal art, becareful as it could be considered overkill to the right judge/jury. I have come to really enjoy Escrima when it came to America it Was tempered into the New way, and was and is a " counter-punching " art which means ats its core it is self defense, IF you don't attack me we won't fight. Likewise, if we fight anyone standing nearby will see you attack ME and then whatever, wheather I win or lose, you still attacked first.

 

[tsmysak1]

I attend a Chung Do Kwan school and have been training for 5 years. There is a lot of good info in this thread, but some of it is a bit ego driven I think.

No art or style will prevent you from being injured from surprise attack or someone that is just simply better than you. In our school we are exposed to many art forms and have itinerant instructors come in from time to time. Your greatest weapon is your mind and your ability to respond in a situation. CDK is a violent art form, but I would be the first to tell you that stand alone it is very weak. You need to be involved in an art that is growing and evolving. I have fought black belts that were very tough and others it was just play. It has to do with how they train and how aggressive they are. Some are simply not made to be fighters. Others I want no part of. If you cannot admit the same, then you have not fought enough different kinds of people.

We have alot of MMA kids come off the street that want to train for the cage. Most are looking for a quick lesson on how to get better. I have seen a lot of these get KO'ed real quick in their first round and some walk away after that. To be good, it takes a lot of training. It takes stamina and that takes time to build. It takes experience, which also takes time.

The art does not define the quality of the student. If you think it does, then you are very deceived. It depends on the instructor. It depends on the environment. It depends on the motive. Even if you learn a few self defense moves, you would only be well served if you practiced them and developed the techniques over time. Otherwise just learn to go for the throat, eyes, or groin. I would say 80% of the people never train long enough to get good, so just carry a gun and hope that is enough if you are ever in trouble.

If you do have the where-withall to go the distance, then there is nothing more rewarding than studying a martial art. After several years, you will be able to do a few things. Stay away from schools that beat the hell out of you. That is not training, that is just a school with a big ego instructor. Stay away from schools that are about the money, they are not concerned with you accomplishing your goal. Personally, I would avoid dead arts, that is, an art that is not growing and changing with the times.