Anybody do martial arts/boxing/MMA

[KFC]

A slight tangent to the thread if I may - what do people recommend for self defence that doesn't take a whole life time of practice to get good at? Not exactly quick and dirty, but I don't have time to go to Japan and study under a master for 40 years...! :s

 

Cheers.

First you must know yourself, Grasshopper!!!

[sandspider]

Done that, what next?!

[Cyrus1988]

A slight tangent to the thread if I may - what do people recommend for self defence that doesn't take a whole life time of practice to get good at? Not exactly quick and dirty, but I don't have time to go to Japan and study under a master for 40 years...! :s

 

Cheers.

 

Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, in the Gi (pyjama suit) or no Gi (shorts and t-shirt), in a few months you'll learn how to choke people out, break arms and legs and control guys even bigger than yourself.

[oneshot1979]

 

A slight tangent to the thread if I may - what do people recommend for self defence that doesn't take a whole life time of practice to get good at? Not exactly quick and dirty, but I don't have time to go to Japan and study under a master for 40 years...! :s

 

Cheers.

 

Bartitsu.

When I was a tubby little 12year old my then brother in law was twice my age twice my size and heavily into Taekwondo, He would take great delight in using me as a sparing partner whether I wanted to or not and more often than not it would get too rough and I'd end up squealing for mercy or nurseing phenominal bruises.

One of my school teachers noticed these bruises and after I'd convinced him I wasn't being battered at home he gave me a book on the Gentlemans Art Of Self Defense, I read it front to back and with no practical/physical training whatsoever prodceded to hand him his *** on a plate the next time he came within arms reach in his prissy white pyjamas....

I'm all grown up now, just shy of 6ft and 18st, not all of it fat but when trouble has come knocking I've never had to swing a fist in anger, the techniques in that book have stayed with me and served me well, there are also chapters on improvised weapons that would make Jason Bourne gawp.....

[kennym]

2 feet, 2 knees, 2 hands, 2 elbows

yes none of which are limbs, thats my point

[scotslad]

Not done much martial arts for a while now but used to do quite a bit, mainly karate (Ten shin kan) esp at uni, a group of mates used to hire a squash court at wknds for a mix up few kung fu (whing chun/JKD), judo plus some akido and use to get a pressure point specialist over from america every so often for seminars.

The pressure point stuff was really scary amazing how it all works

 

Rahter than the style i think more important to find a decent club/trainer/sensei so training is nice and hard but still enjoyable, i struggled after uni as coming from an all adult class which was hard plus a good comp team, with a really good sensei and coming to classes full of kids

 

 

Depending on wot ur looking for all the different styles have there merits/or limits, basicly it will depend how good u are, how much training u've had ur reactions (have u had too much to drink too, to defend urself)

 

U have u're more striking oreintated Karate, TKD, Muai Thai Boxing etc (althou karate can be quite complex too depending how in depth u get)

Then u have ur more complicated styles which are far more throws, locks, joint manipulation etc, Ju Jitsu, Akido, Judo, Kung fu styles

 

Few of my mates used to do Mua Thai fairly competively and at various times held belts but even when they won they probably could not walk for a few days as shins take such a battering, it really is a brutal sport if u start competeing. Even training can be fairly brutal

 

The other problem if u practise a striking style if u need to defend urself u will be doing some serious damage to whoever attacks u (which they fully deserve) but sometimes polis/courts don't see it that way, Seen threads on here about some boy breaking a jaw/nose but he only hit him once but being critised for knowing how to thro a punch

if u are more into the judo type u can atleast easily subdue an attacker and size is less of an issue as usually using there body wieght/speed putting them in some quite serious pain and scaring the s* it out of them but not knocking them out/breaking jaws/noses.

To be fair if ur good enough to lock some out u will also have enough skill to strike them if needed.

 

For an emergancy (althou thankfully never had to use it much) i also find open palm to the solar plex tends to put most folk on there ar *e, and scares the hell out of them if not used to being winded, simple and easy

[jgguinness]

An interesting thread, and some very interesting replies. I would encourage anyone to take up some form of martial arts, it's great.

 

Personally I've trained in BJJ and Jiu Jitsu for the last 10 years on and off, reaching brown belt. Kids etc have got in the way. In that time I've also practiced Muay Thai, also known as the science of 8 limbs (although someone on here was disputing the term limbs, that's its alternative name). Also when at Uni, I started out learning kick boxing, a somewhat Americanised term, but basically Muay Thai with some other stuff chucked in too. Traditional boxing is another interest I've had over the past 12 years or so. Combine the lot and you're pretty ok.

 

The gym I now train, and my lad too, we train with the best. UFC guys, Bellator guys, Made4thecage etc etc, you couldn't wish for a better place. Sambo is an interesting art, and another mate trains Ross Pearson in some of their throws and subs.

 

I would never knock other martial arts, each have their own merits, I guess it's the practical implementation that your after. In that respect I would say Muay Thai. Fascinating in its application. One of the most respected Thai fighters was Ramon Dekkers, RIP, sadly died last year, but simply amazing.

 

 

Kind regards

Jonathan

Edited May 27, 2014 by jgguinness

[sandspider]

Thanks for the suggestions chaps - I'll investigate.

[Doc Holliday]

yes none of which are limbs, thats my point

I was struggling to understand how they came to eight too. Still, I'm not one to urinate on someone's bonfire. Oh, hang a moment. I lied. I am that fellow

 

I'm probably going to get shouted down here, and even offered to put my money where my mouth is, but the fact is I'm just airing my opinion. If you think you're going to dislike what I've written then I suggest you stop reading here.

 

The conclusion I've come to about MMA (and it's cousins/brothers/uncles/whatever) is that they seem to be festooned with guys that seem to have a lot to prove, if not to the world then to themselves.

Most of the MMA type fights I've watched seem to boil down to this - stay on the offensive and, with a bit of luck, you'll get that punch/kick/knee/elbow/headbutt in which leaves your opponent reeling. Take it to the ground then beat the living **** out of him until he either goes limp or taps out.

 

The only MMA fighter I think who has shown any real talent is Fedor Emelianenko. He's like the Michael Schumaker of the MMA world. At his peak, no one could touch him. He was cool, calm and collected. Even his brother Aleksander, was of a similar ilk but with tats.

 

Most MMA fighters have the mantra 'Train hard, fight easy', which is not a bad philosophy and I can relate to that. But I just don't see what the deal is when you feel the need to put it in a ring and see if you are harder than the other guy. It's nothing short of a **** measuring contest.

 

The only advice I could offer the OP is it depends on what you want out of it. Most martial arts will offer a level of fitness that comes naturally with the sport, some more so than others. But to see what one you feel you engage with best means you will have to sample a few to get the feel for it. Whatever you decide upon I wish you all the best with your endeavours.

 

Now, for the fallout

[Twistedsanity]

Boxing and thai boxing are for people who want to pay a weekly fee to allow somebody else to punch them(I could offer that service for free )Ju-jitsu is a good all round discipline and was the birthplace of karate, aikido and judo (so encompasses all three elements) aikido is excellent and the reason the "top boys"don't use it is because its a fighting discipline and not a sport (which is what the " top boys" are at and why they don't use it) , no physical fitness required for aikido but lots of flexibility , takes a lifetime to master but would make most of the cage fighters look like muppets , Steven segal is a 6th or 7th dan aikido master (the punching he does is not aikido, aikido is defensive and has very few attacking moves) . The top cage fighters are as far as I know the Gracie brothers (they don't pay people to punch them like boxers , they practice ju-jitsu) if you want something short to the point and devastating take up wing chun , if you want to get hit and kicked a lot by people better than you go the thai boxing route , if you want to look really good do tae Kwon do but don't expect it to be much good in a street confrontation unless your opponent gives you enough notice to do a few stretches first and enough room to do a fab looking roundhouse kick. Anybody who promises you a black belt in anything within 3 years should also be avoided like the plague ! Best all round for a bit of fitness, plenty of variety, a proven history and practicality is ju-jitsu

[kyska]

Doc you should really Mirko to that list, the Pride fight between CroCop and Fedor was amazing.

Edited May 27, 2014 by kyska

[ehb102]

A slight tangent to the thread if I may - what do people recommend for self defence that doesn't take a whole life time of practice to get good at? Not exactly quick and dirty, but I don't have time to go to Japan and study under a master for 40 years...! :s

 

 

I do Escrima,which is Filipino street fighting with sticks. I got into it after learning Tai Chi Chuan; they are closely related. It's all about the best application of force. Early days were spent learning to use a stick and defend myself, then we moved on to counter-attack. Most of my lessons are learning the discipline for grades, with the occasional bit of fighting lore thrown in. Last week for example I learned how to kneecap someone who was trying to attack me.

 

Boxing is great for fitness, I do BoxFit twice a week. It's not great in the early days if you want to be able to do more than sucker punch someone IMHO. The boxers I know who are good in a fight have learned about fighting outside the ring.

[leeds chimp]

Krav Maga if your after self defence. Very practical

same as me....and what i have learnt while working

[OJW]

Muay Thai all the way if not that then just straight boxing.

 

Also you could give Bikram yoga a go if you want to get flexible and lose weight. Its yoga in like 70 degree heat, (more manly than the normal stuff )

[kyska]

Obviously if it's self defence, dog poo on a stick will send anyone packing

[Doc Holliday]

Dog poo on a stick... now that does bring back some memories. Many a summer's day was spent pugging (the term used for a launching dog poo, or even crab apples at the right time of year) with a longish stick with a good amount of whip) dog poo over the trees to the posh nobs who lived in Streamside. Although dog poo was the preferred ammunition of choice you couldn't hear it if hit the mark, unlike the crab apples. Man, those summer days never seemed to end. And we never grew tired of it. Got chased a few times too by some of the irate homeowners

[Cyrus1988]

Boxing and thai boxing are for people who want to pay a weekly fee to allow somebody else to punch them(I could offer that service for free )Ju-jitsu is a good all round discipline and was the birthplace of karate, aikido and judo (so encompasses all three elements) aikido is excellent and the reason the "top boys"don't use it is because its a fighting discipline and not a sport (which is what the " top boys" are at and why they don't use it) , no physical fitness required for aikido but lots of flexibility , takes a lifetime to master but would make most of the cage fighters look like muppets , Steven segal is a 6th or 7th dan aikido master (the punching he does is not aikido, aikido is defensive and has very few attacking moves) . The top cage fighters are as far as I know the Gracie brothers (they don't pay people to punch them like boxers , they practice ju-jitsu) if you want something short to the point and devastating take up wing chun , if you want to get hit and kicked a lot by people better than you go the thai boxing route , if you want to look really good do tae Kwon do but don't expect it to be much good in a street confrontation unless your opponent gives you enough notice to do a few stretches first and enough room to do a fab looking roundhouse kick. Anybody who promises you a black belt in anything within 3 years should also be avoided like the plague ! Best all round for a bit of fitness, plenty of variety, a proven history and practicality is ju-jitsu

 

 

Sorry mate, I don't want to start an argument with you (as per your sig) but I 100% guarantee that if you put the top Aikido "master" in a fight with Cain Velasquez the Aikido guy would quickly realise that his techniques will not work as effectively as they would on some chump off the street.

 

 

 

[CaptainBeaky]

Anybody who promises you a black belt in anything within 3 years should also be avoided like the plague !

Definitely!

 

Best all round for a bit of fitness, plenty of variety, a proven history and practicality is ju-jitsu

Have to agree here too - Been doing jujitsu 32 years now, came to it via judo, which I started some 44 years ago, and karate, which I sampled in my teens.

 

Still training in my 50's, and don't anticipate stopping anytime soon.

[Browning 425 clay hunter]

First of all thanks to everyone for their input on the matter. After Cyrus's suggestion of predator gym in Manchester I spoke to them today and I'm going for a taster lesson next week. The guy said its 15mins of warm up, 15 mins of kick boxing, 15 mins of ju jitsui and 15mins of MMA. Can't wait to have a go now. Once again thanks for all the advice.

 

ATB 425

[Cyrus1988]

First of all thanks to everyone for their input on the matter. After Cyrus's suggestion of predator gym in Manchester I spoke to them today and I'm going for a taster lesson next week. The guy said its 15mins of warm up, 15 mins of kick boxing, 15 mins of ju jitsui and 15mins of MMA. Can't wait to have a go now. Once again thanks for all the advice.

 

ATB 425

 

Good stuff mate, you'll love it. Let us know how you get on.

[Paddy Galore!]

just how old are you? I don't mean that in a derogatory way i'm just interested in why you've left it so late to learn to fight?

[Harnser]

Good stuff mate, you'll love it. Let us know how you get on.

 

I was always taught not to use your fists until both your feet are bleeding .

 

Harnser

[Browning 425 clay hunter]

I'm 30. 5"11 and 17st. I used to play rugby to a fairly high amature standard and class myself as a handy lad when required. I'm not going to learn martial arts to become 'well'ard' I just fancy trying a form of self defence that I will enjoy doing and in the very rare occasion it's required it will have some real world application.

 

Please don't misinterpret my post for a ' I want to be hard so I can knock everyone out'. It's purely for fitness purposes and enjoyment.

 

ATB 425

[Liamey]

A mix of Muay Thai and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu.

 

If you look at any major MMA organisation; UFC, Bellator, Cage Warriors etc, you'll see the top guys are using Muay Thai for stand up and BJJ on the ground. Some would probably say that wrestling is more important than BJJ but you wouldn't learn any kind of chokes, arm bars and leg locks.

 

I use to do both until I moved last year and can't find a gym close enough. I've done Muay Thai for 6 years and BJJ for 5 and had a MMA fight. Don't get sucked into the Akido/Karate stuff, if it really worked that well the top guys would be using it.

 

I second this wholeheartedly. I would add as an extra that not too much can beat a good boxer. Don't get sucked into rubbish like tai kwon do etc that is noting more than a workout in a dobok (white suit)

[OJW]

Better get training quick incase you bump into one of these guys when they're on the war path... (Note - I'm not saying this is an accurate representation of karate, it is funny though!)

 

EDIT: This link should actually work -

Edited May 28, 2014 by OJW