Martial Arts Training?

[ERP]

Spectre once bubbled...


Then of course you can go _really_ cool, and go with Kendo. You can't get much cooler than dressing up in armor and beating the crud out of each other with bamboo swords :whack: ... [well, ninjisu could possibly be cooler than that ]

:samuria:

It's easy to overlook martial arts like Kendo, I used to believe that what they taught was watered down to accomodate the sports aspect. After having practised it, my feeling is that it's not watered down, but infact simply more focused.

Be warned though if you do decide on say Kendo, depending on the school, your probably going to get to shuffle around the floor for several months before they let you get smashed in the head with a stick The armour aint cheap either And in some areas, the only instruction available it entirely in Japanese (although that's much less common than it used to be).

 

[sillygrendel]

This place isn't all that far from me. I haven't made any phone calls yet, but its one of the few places I've found with a web page.

www.budokan.net

Do they look potentially competent?

Time to start playing the phone game now I guess...

 

[O-ring]

Martial arts that teach "fighting" can again be split into two major categories, those that teach street type skills (say eskrima) and those that are a sport.

Do you want to learn something useful on the street or something that is useful in competition? Some arts go heavily into groin kicks, eye gouges, biting, etc. and others teach according to a rule book that governs the art's competitions. Some arts have no competitions and are not sports, yet are highly useful on the street. Some arts teach stuff that works great in competitions but is useless on the street..

 

[sillygrendel]

groin kicking and eye gouging are probably pretty practical!

Maybe not quite that hard though. I would probably like a little bit of dedication to form anyway.

 

[O-ring]

sillygrendel once bubbled...
groin kicking and eye gouging are probably pretty practical!

Maybe not quite that hard though. I would probably like a little bit of dedication to form anyway.

Any preference toward striking vs. grappling vs. weapons use?

 

[Ontario Diver]

ERP once bubbled...


It's easy to overlook martial arts like Kendo, I used to believe that what they taught was watered down to accomodate the sports aspect. After having practised it, my feeling is that it's not watered down, but infact simply more focused.

Be warned though if you do decide on say Kendo, depending on the school, your probably going to get to shuffle around the floor for several months before they let you get smashed in the head with a stick The armour aint cheap either And in some areas, the only instruction available it entirely in Japanese (although that's much less common than it used to be).

My kendo was mostly in Japanese, and yes.... much "shuffling" before you get to hold a shinai. Then - lots of swinging before you get to swing at someone else. AND THEN THE GREAT DAY.... Helping the kid's class. (Can you say "black and blue"?) Key component of Kendo armour is that you only wear armour where you can legally be hit.... Kids miss alot. With wooden swords. ouch.

Agreeing with most of the above, I'd also look for a class that suits your personality. Kendo (with Iaido) is very inward looking and very explosive. Akido is all about balance and has no attacks. Judo is pure wrestling and requires far more patience. I would not hesitate to recommend martial arts to anyone for developing balance and self confidence.

If you want to get better training - find a Japenese or Okinawan Community center and get a referral from them.

BTW, the calming and focusing techniques you learn in any good martial art is as useful in diving as the flexibility and the aerobic workout. just my .02

 

[Spectre]

Not knowing them, I can't really judge, but from reading their website, they seem to have the right attitude [well, at least for what I look for]. I'd say they are worth checking out.

O-ring does bring up a good point. Do you have _any_ interest in weapons. Most schools have many many different ways of doing weapons training. The one that I trained in had no formal weapons training until black-belt. At which time you chose the weapon you want to train with.

Other schools have weapons training built into their normal training path. Some have no weapons training available.

 

[sillygrendel]

I would say I'm more intersted in striking and weapons than grappling. I could probably deal with a healthy dose of all three!

Without having any experience at all I don't think it would feel appropriate to go straight to weapons training without having at least some 'open hand' training.

 

[sillygrendel]

have at least decent coordination, balance, flexibility and reaction time. Throughout time - skate boarding, rock climbing, skiing, lots more rock climbing... More rock climbing.

I would enjoy something that would combine balance and quick reactions.

 

[Jonathan]

I used to be a Jiu Jitsu instructor before my back and nagging girlfriend got the better of me.

It is much more practicle for self defense than most IMHO but I always told new students:

"The first law of self defense is those that run away live to run away another day" - I used to lose a few after that but then I was not interested in teaching thugs.

Still one of the least flexible people I know....