Martial Arts

[steve817]

MD if you mainly looking for an education in ass kicking (aka self defense wink wink) look into Krav Maga. Here is a link to tell you a little bit more about it.

http://www.martial-way.com/kravmaga.html

 

[Digital Matt]

I agree with Voodoo. Well said. I'll make a few last comments, then I'll leave this thread, since you think I'm only here to argue.

This is a forum, and any topic you start or reply to is open to debate. My original comment was for the creator of this thread, MD, and it was only meant to share my view on this subject. It never hurts to hear someone elses point of view.

I'm not going to reply to everything you said, because I can see it's getting us nowhere. The medium of the internet is obviously not translating my meaning to you.

For the record, I don't let people get in my face and say bad things. People don't get in my face, period. It's happened about twice in the last 20 years. I stood up for myself, said what I had to say, and walked away. Other than that, it doesn't happen, and Like voodoocat said perfectely, I'm not going to live in fear of some danger you say exists to me.

 

[John E.]

Every martial art instructor I have known have always preached fighting as a last resort. In all my mature years thus far I have been able to talk to my way out of trouble.

The brain is the most powerfull self defence tool, if used properly.

Getting back to MD's original question: If you are looking for a good cardiovascular work out then a hard style would suit your needs. Some schools offer a mix of hard and soft such as Karate/Jui Jitsu. I like a good mix. Sparring is a hoot, some schools emphasize it, some don't.

You will get out of it what you put in.. Nothing is free and easy. Takes years of practice, $$$$ and commitment.Go to classes at least 2 to 3 times a week You have to be able to practice/strech on your own time. Be humilated constantly because in the beginning you will be and look very awkward.The teacher and other students will constantly correct you. Bottom line: if you are unwilling or unable to do any of the above you are just wasting your time and money.

Every student in the arts at least in the beginning believe that their's is the best art. Years later most learn to appreaciate the other arts. Looking back I would have liked to have taken Akido. I got a kick out of watching the instructor of 4foot nothing toosing 6footers around.

 

[Bokeh]

This is a forum, and any topic you start or reply to is open to debate.

But each member can choose what they wish to debate about...

Other than that, it doesn't happen, and Like voodoocat said perfectely, I'm not going to live in fear of some danger you say exists to me.

I don't live in fear; quite the opposite, that' swhy I train, so I don't have to live in fear. I know I can handle myself in "most" situations. Take care and good luck.

 

[Bokeh]

The brain is the most powerfull self defence tool, if used properly.

That's true, but there are two brains involved, yours and the perpetrator's, don't forget that; many times people don't care to reason with you, they're just looking for trouble. Here's an example.

ANOTHER STORY! Lol

I was in a theatre once, but this was years ago in Tulsa when I was young, long before I ever did any training. This guy, about 4 years my senior and a fair amount larger, dropped something in the isle next to me. He and some freinds were acting like idiots and being loud like we've all seen people do in movie theatres. Anyway, he said "did you see where my ticket fell?" I nicely said "I think it's over there" pointing to where it fell, way way from me. Believe it or not, he looked at me and said "Well go pick it up!" I just looked at him and said "Pick it up yourself." Like a typical bully, he was shocked and left me alone.

The moral of that is, you can literally be doing NOTHING wrong, and people will mess with you for no reason at all. Some would have chosen to pick up his ticket, hand it to him and say "here you go, Sir!" Not I.

Getting back to MD's original question: If you are looking for a good cardiovascular work out then a hard style would suit your needs. Some schools offer a mix of hard and soft such as Karate/Jui Jitsu. I like a good mix. Sparring is a hoot, some schools emphasize it, some don't.

MD already mentioned that he wasn't interested in that, he is interested in true self defense. And instead of Karate for a hard art he should try Muay Thai IMHO.

You will get out of it what you put in.. Nothing is free and easy. Takes years of practice, $$$$ and commitment.Go to classes at least 2 to 3 times a week You have to be able to practice/strech on your own time. Be humilated constantly because in the beginning you will be and look very awkward.The teacher and other students will constantly correct you. Bottom line: if you are unwilling or unable to do any of the above you are just wasting your time and money.

Cruizin', those are absolutely excellent and very true words! I reiterate back to words I"ve heard women speak when pondering taking classes: "I don't want to spar with a bunch of sweaty guys!" or "That looks too difficult." The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.

I'm not bragging, but most people would be amazed, compared to a beginner that is, at what I'm capable of. Most beginners who come in "off the streets" are passing out after about 10min of sparring. In our advanced class we typically sparr HARD for about 35-40min. I also run about 6 miles a week (not jog, run, around 7mph), using proper technique I've lifted guys 300# off the ground, I can bench press about 300# (and I weigh 180#), I curl with 45's and I can sprint MUCH faster than my wife's younger brother who is 21 and wrestled for 10 years. But guess what? DId that happen overnight? LOL! Hardly. When I first started training again after watching UFC 7 I weighed 206# I was "pudgy" and in terible health (cholesterol etc) It took about a year to get to a somewhat normal body weight for me, and I've been climbing ever since. I feel fantastic, at 34 I'm in better shape than most athletic 19 year olds. I would say that I'm in better overall shape that most college athletes, with the exception of a college wrestler. Really, the only issues I have with age are recovery time when I get injured.

Every student in the arts at least in the beginning believe that their's is the best art. Years later most learn to appreaciate the other arts.

Well, that part of your post I have to disagree with. I once asked my Muay Thai instructor, remember, a 6 time world champion, a guy feared and respected by everyone in this area who is into martial arts, who has trained some famous people, what he thought of "side kicks" used in tae kwon do. He just laughed and said it was bullshit and that kicks in karate and tkd didn't work. This is a guy who has been in martial arts all his life. I didn't get the impression from that statement that he had much respect for those arts, because they simply do not work in most situations, as PROVEN by events like the UFC and pride.

As well, you can watch UFC's and see Royce talking about how superior BJJ is to all other styles. Bruce Lee said Kata was silly. These people don't have much respect for arts that don't work and rely on mystique to take people's money. In fact, the Gracie family actually put the ufc's together in the first place to prove that their art IS the best! That's a fact, nothing to debate there. And these are some of the best martial artists in the whole world. Heck, the Gracies basically CREATED their own style.

Looking back I would have liked to have taken Akido. I got a kick out of watching the instructor of 4foot nothing toosing 6footers around.

That's great and all, but realize that was in a classroom environment. I took aikido years ago, and I can guarantee you, it would never work on a resisting opponent. I point again to the story of "JUdo" Gene Labell choking steven segal out on the set because he challenged Gene and was being a real jerk and yelling at people. You can read about the story on Gene's site.

I haven no problem with studying martial arts such as aikido, tai chi etc. for reasons like fulfillment, exercise, relaxation etc. But I do have a problem with them givin gpeople the impression they can get a black belt in it and go out and whip up on Shaq.

One more quick story...

I had been training at a really poor grappling school in Tulsa for about 5 months when I had an argument with an instructor of "kook sul won" about grappling vs. striking. I was fired up after watching ufc's where grapplers were walking through strikers, back when "pure" arts still existed (now it's called "mixed" because everyone trains in grappling and striking). This guy, in typical "traditional martial arts" fashion, was highly arrogant. So we sparred one day at his school. This guy was also HUGE, about 6'3 and 240, and in pretty good shape. We started standing, and I took him down fairly quickly, and I had never wrestled in my life and had only been grappling a short time, and not at a good school. He was very suprised at that. I told him most fights go to the ground. He didn't want to show it, but his view on martial arts changed that day.

Cruizin', if you want to see a "real" testament to size vs. technique, just look at this pic of Royce and his next opponent, "akebono" The martial arts community owes Royce and his whole family an enormous amount of grattitude, not only for bringing their art to America, but by creating the original UFC events and showing us all what arts work, and what arts do not.

 

[Bokeh]

MD if you mainly looking for an education in ass kicking (aka self defense wink wink) look into Krav Maga. Here is a link to tell you a little bit more about it.

http://www.martial-way.com/kravmaga.html

STEVE! I just noticed you live in Arlington... :shock: :shock:

I'll send you a PM...

 

[Luminosity]

All those years that I trained my backside off ( and yes , sparred 'til I was drippin sweat with 'sweaty guys ' ) and reached what I thought was an achievement by earning my black belt ........
and it turns out I have a black belt in 'fluff' ?

I'm sure MT and BJJ are fantastic martial arts , I'd be open to training in them....but , is knocking & discrediting other martial arts and the people who train in them , necessary ?

As Cruzin pointed out quite rightly , the centre of self defence is your MIND. You can train every day , in any of the martial arts , but if your mind isnt in the right place then you're focusing entirely on the wrong points. When I was doing my black belt grading I had to break through boards at different points around me. I worked my way around , breakin each one by focusing on getting my hand or foot BEHIND the board. Lost my concentration on the last board and yes my hand bounced straight off it. It might not be a great example of the importance of training your mind in self defence but it'll do for now....
I guess I'm sayin , if you go into any martial art without setting your mind to be dedicated and to learn/train hard , then it doesnt matter if you do MT , BJJ or Taekwondo or Origami . I started Taek as a 10 year old and I didnt believe in anyone goin easy on me just because I was a kid AND a female. By the age of 13 I was sparring with grown men ( I preferred sparring with them coz I could go harder on em without worryin about hurtin em ).
I've only had to use it once , on the streets. I was being goaded by a group of girls for at least an hour before one finally ran at me and my leg shot out in a high front kick and caught her in the chin.
Would I go well in a fight against you Tracy ? Probably not because I havent trained in YEARS. But if i was still doin Taek , I tell ya what ... both of us would get bumps and bruises
Its more about the person , not the art.

 

[Bokeh]

Hi! Welcome to the thread.

All those years that I trained my backside off ( and yes , sparred 'til I was drippin sweat with 'sweaty guys ' ) and reached what I thought was an achievement by earning my black belt ........
and it turns out I have a black belt in 'fluff' ?

Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry if that's blunt, but it's pretty much been proven. I point back to my recent post about the TKD couple where the wife used to win "in class" but when it came time for a real fight, it was all over for her.

I'm sure MT and BJJ are fantastic martial arts , I'd be open to training in them....but , is knocking & discrediting other martial arts and the people who train in them , necessary ?

Again I try and be as respectful as I can while at the same time speaking from knowledge and experience. Believe me, I'm tame compared to a lot of people I know when it comes to opinions on arts like TKD and karate.

What I would say is this: It is necessary to find out which arts work, and which ones don't, because I would hate to see someone get overconfident in an art think they can handle themselves when they cannot.

As Cruzin pointed out quite rightly , the centre of self defence is your MIND.

Tank Abbott would disagree with you. He would say that has nothing to do with it, and would proceed to pound on you. That's just reality. He did it to many black belts in the early UFC's. I'm only the messenger here!! That's reality guys, sorry.

I worked my way around , breakin each one by focusing on getting my hand or foot BEHIND the board. Lost my concentration on the last board and yes my hand bounced straight off it. It might not be a great example of the importance of training your mind in self defence but it'll do for now....

Breaking boards and bricks adds absolutely no value to self defense training - zero.

I guess I'm sayin , if you go into any martial art without setting your mind to be dedicated and to learn/train hard , then it doesnt matter if you do MT , BJJ or Taekwondo or Origami .

I disagree, and so do the top martial artists in the world, including Bruce Lee, who many consider to be one of the greatest of all time. Chuck Norris, who learned all his grappling from MY instructor, said himself that BJJ was the real deal and perhaps the best martial art. BTW, my instructor and his brothers were on "Walker, TeXas Ranger" during several episodes.

I started Taek as a 10 year old and I didnt believe in anyone goin easy on me just because I was a kid AND a female.

Lumi, for that, I really admire you. I often see females in class who expect to have people "go easy" on them. When I go with girls, I go HARD. One of our top students is a female who has been training for about 10 years. She's a black belt now (it takes about 6 years to get one in BJJ). The only "treatment" I give women when I go with them is I try and make sure I don't touch their "parts." I've yet to do that once as far as I know.

But, realize this. She has been training MUCH, much longer than I, and is much higher ranked, yet she has only beaten me once. Usually we go round and round for a long time, but I'm so much stronger that helps make up for a lot IMHO. Now, against someone who "knew nothing" about martial arts she would completely DESTROY them.

By the age of 13 I was sparring with grown men ( I preferred sparring with them coz I could go harder on em without worryin about hurtin em ).

Sparring in tkd is not the same as a fight.

Would I go well in a fight against you Tracy ? Probably not because I havent trained in YEARS. But if i was still doin Taek , I tell ya what ... both of us would get bumps and bruises

Lumi, I have to give you respect for even entertaining that thought! I've read many of your posts and I really like what I've read! Seriously. You seem like a really neat lady with a lot of gumption! I've also seen your photo, and it pleases me to see a woman of your size mentioning sparring with someone who has sparred and BEATEN guys 6'7" and 250#. You're the schiznit! On the other hand, there are guys out there you might run across in the streets who would be more than willing to attack a woman... so be careful. Temper your bravery with realism.

Its more about the person , not the art.

Well, I think it's been proven that that is NOT the case and, in fact the art has a LOT to do with it. If you took two OLYMPIC level athletes, one of them a wrestler, and the other a TKD or Karate person, and you squared the two off in a "real" fight, Lumi, I can almost guarantee you, as much as I'm breathing while I type this, that the wrestler would win at LEAST 95% of the time. Why? It's simple:

You can't throw punches and kicks when someone puts you on your back.

As well, the takedown very well may kill you on the way, esp. if it's on concrete. Forget about "professional" wrestling, that's garbage, but things like body slams and suplex are actually taken from real wrestling. I watched a UFC once where a guy was suplexed. He barely continued the match; had that been concerte, it would have been all over for him - permenantly.

BTW, where do you live in Australia? Do you know where this school is?

http://www.elvissinosic.com/

 

[Luminosity]

Hi! Welcome to the thread.

Thank you

I worked my way around , breakin each one by focusing on getting my hand or foot BEHIND the board. Lost my concentration on the last board and yes my hand bounced straight off it. It might not be a great example of the importance of training your mind in self defence but it'll do for now....

Breaking boards and bricks adds absolutely no value to self defense training - zero.

Tracy , with all due respect , I was merely pointing to the board-breaking as an example of the power of the mind vs physical aspect. I was not claiming board ( or brick ) breaking as a valuable self-defence skill.

I guess I'm sayin , if you go into any martial art without setting your mind to be dedicated and to learn/train hard , then it doesnt matter if you do MT , BJJ or Taekwondo or Origami .

I disagree, and so do the top martial artists in the world, including Bruce Lee, who many consider to be one of the greatest of all time. Chuck Norris, who learned all his grappling from MY instructor, said himself that BJJ was the real deal and perhaps the best martial art. BTW, my instructor and his brothers were on "Walker, TeXas Ranger" during several episodes.

If I am not mistaken ( and apologies if I am ) Bruce Lee ( who I greatly admire as an individual for his life values , philosophy and dedication ) was not totally 'against ' and saw some good attributes to Taekwondo .......

" Bruce Lee was always receptive to new techniques. When Jhoon Rhee, a taekwondo expert, taught Lee the sidekick, he quickly mastered it, including this in his JKD repertoire. Before, he used only low kicks to the legs, since wing chun has no high kicks. But after meeting Chuck Norris, he included high kicks too "

Sparring in tkd is not the same as a fight.

Again , Tracy , I didnt claim sparring in Taek to be the same as a 'fight'.....
I was alluding to one of your comments regarding a lot of women ( and yes there are a lot of women out there like this ) who are unwilling / shy away from 'sparring with sweaty big guys '.
I was pointing out there are women , like myself , who not only WANT to spar with men but prefer to spar with men.
When I was training I was bored and unchallenged ( unfortunately ) with training amongst kids my own age and females .....as I was too concious of hurting them....
With guys I could really give them grunt and let loose with as much power and force as I had in me. And even for a young'in ( at the time ) I was like a male in the aspect of packin some force .........
If the guy opposing me formed the initial idea in his head that he could take it easy coz he had a young female fightin him.... he quickly learned this young female could pack a punch and a kick and a few guys copped a whallop or two before they realized NOT to be so presumptuous.
If they learned a lesson from that then awesome , because it is a valuable lesson.....
For this my instructor/mentor respected me , saw a quality in me that he liked and took me under his wing.
He saw potential in me ( in the Olympic arena and as a future instructor ).
I started to instruct the juniors before I got my black belt.... and I tell ya what , if I have any kids one day .... they're ALL goin to learn a martial art ( whichever martial art that may be ) because I'd want my kids to learn how to physically take care of themselves AND the many philosophies with martial art in general ......
Regretably , on my part , I stopped Taek for a few various , personal /home-problem reasons.
I am sorry for this , in so many ways , today but ..... never to late to jump back into it.
Tracy , I guess , for the sake of arguement here , what I would appreciate is not feelin undermined for my stance in supporting a martial art that doesnt fall into your category as 'the best '. It comes down to the individual and what they value and gain from self-defence training. I dont claim Taekwondo is 'the best' ....simply that does have some value in this day and age......

Would I go well in a fight against you Tracy ? Probably not because I havent trained in YEARS. But if i was still doin Taek , I tell ya what ... both of us would get bumps and bruises

Lumi, I have to give you respect for even entertaining that thought! On the other hand, there are guys out there you might run across in the streets who would be more than willing to attack a woman... so be careful. Temper your bravery with realism.

With all due respect ( again ) I am not all bluster and wind , Tracy .
I am realistic more then brave.
One thing I learnt from my very first mentor ( a mentor aside from family ) Martin Hall ( my instructor ) was to never underestimate anyone or any situation.
And this is a lesson I take with me throughout my life.
As much as it may seem as I am flexin cyber muscle , Tracy....I have enough faith in myself to know that if I seriously entrenched myself back into martial art training ( which , as soon as I am settled in one place for awhile , I will do so ) and threw my heart and soul into it in the way I did 'way back when..... ' .....Well , if I didnt beat you the first fight 'round.......I would give you a hell of a fight and hurt ya enough to garner your respect .....
THEN I would mentally take note of all your weak points , train up again and come back again and again ( as many times as it took ) 'til I did beat ya.
Female /size issues aside. With me it means shite .... and so it should.....
Yeah I'm this blonde , not tall or fearsome at all , girly .....but i'll surprise the fook outta ya if ya angered me enough on the street......and if ya dared attack me ..... trust me when I say my ( controlled ) anger will hit ya like a tonne of bricks..........
Which is my point.
The heart and mind is a powerful force , yes the martial art is important but ......if ya dont have the strength and determination and dedication up here ( taps head and heart ) then the martial art itself falls by the wayside , weakened. Its merely an art/self defence ...
The person channelling it is the key.

You definately seem to be an intelligent man. Please dont think I am disrespectful or flippant towards you in any way by anything I have said so far. A lot of your points are valid throughout this thread.....

BTW, where do you live in Australia? Do you know where this school is?

http://www.elvissinosic.com/[/quote]

I am in Melbourne , Victoria. I havent yet checked that link but I shall :sillysmi:

Matt , hon , you have some good advice here already.
Do the research of all the schools in your area and try a few different martial arts out for yourself , and find the one that fits you. Its not whats gonna thrash the livin shite outta someone in a tournament...find the martial art and school that ya love and know you will dedicate yourself to and go in 150 %. Definately look for good schools that teach MT and BJJ .... Bokeh seems to know what he is talkin about in this area so its worth pursuing.
Ya cant lose hon because , if ya find a good school and instructor that can mentor you in the right ways ... then you'll be on top physically and mentally.....

 

[Bokeh]

Hi Lumi,

I was alluding to one of your comments regarding a lot of women ( and yes there are a lot of women out there like this ) who are unwilling / shy away from 'sparring with sweaty big guys '.
I was pointing out there are women , like myself , who not only WANT to spar with men but prefer to spar with men.
When I was training I was bored and unchallenged ( unfortunately ) with training amongst kids my own age and females .....as I was too concious of hurting them....

Based on what you've said here, you seem to have a lot of heart (when people say "heart" in martial arts they mean the "Fight in the dog" not like "you're a nice person). You're a lot like me; as a younger person you spent a lot of time learning an ineffective art. I wish I could have all that time back, and I wish the stuff I train in now was here in America when I was that age. Oh, how I wish. I envy younger guys who just show up in class and take it for granted. THey don't realize, this stuff wasn't even around 10 years ago.

Another quick story. I used to watch a guy named Rafael Lavato "jr" when he was about 17 compete in many tournaments here in the DFW area.

I've done videography and photography for his Dad's tournaments (they both run a school in Oklahoma, they're both really nice guys. Anyway he used to be this skinny little kid competing in the kids division. The guy was incredibly dedicated, kinda like you mentioned you were. Now, he could beat most guys in my own school, he's like 6'2 and 220, and has competed in various parts of the world. I envy him so much, because he's only like 19 years old. but like you said, it's never too late for a person to get back into it,.

With guys I could really give them grunt and let loose with as much power and force as I had in me.

With grappling, you go 100% all the time, regardless of who you're going against. Again I've rolled with many women ,and if they're my rank or more, I cut them no slack. I consider it a disservice to their training to do so.

And even for a young'in ( at the time ) I was like a male in the aspect of packin some force .........

Well, that would "more than likely" not be the case in a "real" situation. As an adult, "all things being equal," a man who is attacking a woman in a self defense situation in real life will likely be far bigger and stronger. That's just nature. You have to use technique to overcome someone like that. BJJ technique is based on leverage. You could spend 3 months in BJJ and know enough technique to choke out MIke Tyson, or pop his knee or ankle, or even break his arm. Lumi, if you trained for 10 years in TKD, do you think that you would last 5min with Mike Tyson? Answer that honestly.

I read an article about 5 years ago where a guy was attacking a woman in her car. She had taken some BJJ and the guy, like most people would do who are clueless, fell right into what's called a "Triangle choke" and she choked him unconscious and called the cops. I don't think most arts like tkd, karate and aikido would have been effective inside a car.

If the guy opposing me formed the initial idea in his head that he could take it easy coz he had a young female fightin him.... he quickly learned this young female could pack a punch and a kick and a few guys

That's a good point, in martial arts it's known as the "element of suprise." And yes, it's an advantage you would have over an attacker. How much of an advantage depends on how determined he was. I personally doubt it woul dhelp you much against a guy like Tank if he was dead set on attacking you for whatever reason.

Tracy , I guess , for the sake of arguement here , what I would appreciate is not feelin undermined for my stance in supporting a martial art that doesnt fall into your category as 'the best '.

It's not "my" category. As I've said 100 times on this thread, it's been proven in combat that arts like tkd and karate don't work. I'm jus the messenger, but not suprisingly, no one wants to listen. IMO it's because they've invested a lot of time in learning an art that has been proven to be ineffective. I will say, kata is worthless. But many people have said that even simple things like punching and kicking that you learn in TKD and karate you have to actually unlearn when you take something like Muay Thai because the kicks are not the proper way to kick and punches are not the proper way to punch. There have been many cases where a TKD fighter has challenged a Muay THai fighter and, at leas tin ever single one I've ever seen, has lost BAD, like, humiliating bad.

One question is, "Isn't TKD/karate 'better than nothing' in a real situation?" I would say, it could be, but it might cause more harm than good. If you'r eused to "high risk" moves like head kicks and stuff in class, and you try that on concrete and slip, you're in BIG trouble. IF YOU DON'T KNO WHOW TO GRAPPLE, you're in BIG trouble, unless you "happen" to KO a person right away, the fight will likely land on the ground, esp. if it's a man attacking a woman.

As well, as mentioned before, if you do ever take an art like Muay Thai, you will have to "un" learn many of the techniques you were taught. That's sometimes quite frustrating and takes a lot of time, kind of like learning to type the right way after doing "hunt and peck" for years.

It comes down to the individual

I disagree with that. "All things being equal" yes it comes down to the individual. But again if you took the best wrestler or BJJ guy in the world and put him against the very best TKD or karate guy, I'm afraid that probably 95% of the time, the tkd/karate/aikido/kung fu/whatever guy would get completely destroyed, and that's been proven by events like the UFC and Pride where grapplers with no striking experience who hit like wimps entered and dominated.

Well , if I didnt beat you the first fight 'round.......I would give you a hell of a fight and hurt ya enough to garner your respect .....

Do I think I would destroy you if we sparred, even if we had equal amounts of trianing? Yes, becaues I've beaten women with MORE experience and training than me. That's just the way it is, the closer you get in experience the more things like size and strength matter. Again, I'm not a beginner. But would I respect you? Based on what you've said on this thread, I already do.

THEN I would mentally take note of all your weak points , train up again and come back again and again ( as many times as it took ) 'til I did beat ya.

Ok, I'll take your word for it

You definately seem to be an intelligent man. Please dont think I am disrespectful or flippant towards you in any way by anything I have said so far. A lot of your points are valid throughout this thread.....

I think we're discussing this just fine... I dobt I'll change your mind, but if I can at least get you talking to people about the current state of martial arts ,maybe you'll believe someone else. Hopefully Elvis' place is close to you and you go and watch a few classes. I've watched his partner "Anthony" competein many, many tournaments when he was training here in Dallas. He's PHEONMENAL. But alas, I'm not familar with Australia though, they could be hundreds of miles from you. I think they're in Sydney. But check out his site and see.

Take care

 

[Nikon Fan]

Good gravy...how did I look over all this!!! Okay so missed to much of it to catch up now, but I took Tae Kwon Do when I was in middle school...just for fun and excercise purposes and nothing more! It was fun, but that's it.
IMO I agree with you Digital Matt!!! Seems pointless to kick someone's butt just to show you can, teaches them more when you are "man" enough to walk away! Buuuuuuuuuutttttttt, I don't want to argue the topic, only wanted to state an opinion.

 

[Bokeh]

IMO I agree with you Digital Matt!!! Seems pointless to kick someone's butt just to show you can, teaches them more when you are "man" enough to walk away! .

It does? I doubt it would teach many guys who would start something with you you are more of a man to walk away. At best it would make you feel better, not them. And that's fine. But at worst, it could turn a bully into a worse bully and make other people fear him, and cause future people to get picked on even more.

Again, we're all choosing different ways to deal with the same situation. And that's ok! To each his own... take care

 

[Corry]

IMO I agree with you Digital Matt!!! Seems pointless to kick someone's butt just to show you can, teaches them more when you are "man" enough to walk away! .

It does? I doubt it would teach many guys who would start something with you you are more of a man to walk away. At best it would make you feel better, not them. And that's fine. But at worst, it could turn a bully into a worse bully and make other people fear him, and cause future people to get picked on even more.

Again, we're all choosing different ways to deal with the same situation. And that's ok! To each his own... take care

Of course walking away will make you feel better...who the hell cares if it makes them feel better? When you walk away, the point is not to make the bully feel better. The point is to show him/her that starting a fight with you isn't going to get them anywhere.

Tracy, you are taking a lot of peoples words out of context, rather than what the poster actually meant by it. Please read a little more carefully before you tell someone they are wrong wrong wrong.

 

[Bokeh]

Of course walking away will make you feel better....

Not me... I would argue that it doesn't always. In some cases, sure, but I wouldn't say "Of course."

Some guy I trained with but barely knew, back in Tulsa, said to me when we were talking after class, "I'm scarred from walking away from bullies as a youngster, and I'll never do it again."

 

[Luminosity]

Again I've rolled with many women ,and if they're my rank or more, I cut them no slack. I consider it a disservice to their training to do so.

My sentiments exactly.... men do women absolutely no favours in this area by goin easy on them

Lumi, if you trained for 10 years in TKD, do you think that you would last 5min with Mike Tyson? Answer that honestly.

Honestly .... Mike Tyson ...? Holy hell, no :LOL:

I've watched his partner "Anthony" competein many, many tournaments when he was training here in Dallas. He's PHEONMENAL.

I noticed you said "Anthony" so I'm presuming this is not his real name perhaps ....what about surname ? Just curious as to whether I've heard of/know him .....

Actually Tracy , a lot of what you've said here has given me food for thought. I have been considering rejoining the Taek world but have been eyeing other styles .... without takin any time to learn about any of them. From what you've said about MT and BJJ I am very interested in learning either ( or both ).
My b/f took a look at this thread and agreed with ya ....We were discussin it at lunchtime and he said that ya seemed to know ya s*** , for what its worth.
I forget which styles he has trained in ( will ask him again ) ....I know that he did a lot of wrestling as well , though.

And as far as 'the better man walks away ' goes .... thats all well and good but I am of the same opinion that sometimes ppl dont let ya walk away ....
Its akin to insuring your home /valuables ... you might never need it but its good to have.
No one is telling anyone here to 'live in fear of 'IF'S' happening ' .... hopefully you will never find yourselves in any situation where you are attacked /assaulted etc. Or where you have to come to the aid of a family member/friend.
Ya in a win-win situation by knowing how to defend yourseves ( or loved ones ) , even if ya never have to utilise it against an attacker, the fitness /emotional/mental benefits are fantastic.