Kirves

While having "aliveness" as the new word, let's also clarify that some kali/eskrima systems focus too much on "dead" pattern drills instead of alive ones. So, as with any art, you need to make sure you are training a good style in a good school under a good instructor. But if we assume a good instructor, kali is very effective. The problem just is that it takes a while (years) until they really focus on empty hand stuff, as they start with weapons and only show some basic stuff with hands. But that pays in the long run. If you are in no rush, then you will be great with hands, because your reflexes, timing, motion, range-handling and flow will be extremely good after they have been honed with the weapons training. Weapons take more coordination than fists to work properly, so you learn them very well.

For some reason I get the feeling you are talking about BJJ? Most JJ styles don't focus on groundfighting at all. JJ is the art of the samurai, and for a samurai to fall down on battlefield meant certain death (around you are a gazillion sword wielding, armored enemies, they'll cut your head off).

No, but many people acknowledge that all (correction: make that many, not all) arts have their merit and can work. There is no one art proven to be the best. I don't think I study the best art, but then again I don't believe there exists such an animal.

In many arts there are choreographed fights, predetermined combinations of basic techniques. In karate these are done solo (against imaginary opponents) and they call them kata. They last for a couple of minutes and include about a dozen or more imagined pre-choreographed fights against imaginary opponents, much like shadow boxing but with karate basic techniques (block, punch, turn, block, kick...). In Japanese arts (jujutsu, bujutsu, aikijujutsu, judo...) they use short two man forms, also called kata, where there's a short pre-choreographed fight between an attacker and the defendant. These are used to train the basic techniques when the students are not skilled enough for free sparring, or when the techniques used are too dangerous. In Chinese kungfu they use both, the long solo forms like karate kata, and also long two man forms (dozens or hundreds of moves but with a real opponent as in Japanese kata), but the Chinese have their own word for them, kata is a Japanese word. Usually it is translated in English as kata=form. You can see some karate kata (solo forms) performed in pictures and in video at: http://www.kyokushinkata.com/ (click on kata, then choose a kata, then click video...) PS. Some people can't get by that link, so they go there from here: http://www.kyokushin.at/deutsch/kata.htm

Yes, if we talk about forms in general, they are in wide use in so many arts from so many countries that they can't be useless. We must also remember that different arts use forms in different ways. For example, long two man forms are common in Chinese arts. Long solo forms are common in Okinawan arts, but also found in many Chinese arts. Very short two man forms are used in Japanese arts. Philipino and Indonesian arts use two man drills that often resemble a sort of "free" form which is done within a box, i.e. limited freedom, but following a pattern, which in my mind makes them feel a lot like the forms in other arts. Some people think of shadow boxing just another form of free solo form. Phew, if someone was to make a scientific study on all the different kinds of "forms" found in martial arts - good luck!

Depends on what you are training for. I, personally, am not training for being able to fend off five armed expert fighters in a dark alley. That kind of thing is ludicrous. I'd try to escape and pray to God. Sometimes the odds just are too much against you. The situation that I, personally, am training for (self-defence wise) is one or two opponents (or max of three stupid/drunk/unskilled ones) who are hopefully not armed, or are poorly armed. Then I as a martial artist may stand a chance, and if I instantly kill them I go to jail. Actually, most of the common sport rules are just about the same rules that the law here enforces. If I train MMA/NHB style and use it on the street, I won't go to jail. But if I train for eye-gouges, spine-breaks, neck-twists, throat-kill-shots etc. I will go to jail. Sure, it is better to be judged than carried, but what are the odds... it is quite common to get into fights that are not death matchs, just either robberies or drunk-bastard-ego-boost-events and these are much much more common than a gang of armed wrestlers to attack you with intent to kill. As I'm much more prone to get into the former than the latter situation, I will train with the former situation foremost in my mind. If I train to instantly kill or maim anyone who attacks me, I'll end up in jail in no tme in a common bar brawl where deadly force wasn't necessary at all. As Matt Thornton says in http://www.straightblastgym.com/questcuriculum.html if you can fight NHB good, it is easy to change the jabs to eye-jabs and add biting and so on. But if you don't know boxing, only try to learn eye jabs, then you won't be able to land any of them, you lack the delivery system. If you can prove that you have the delivery system, then maybe we'll believe you can hit us with the "deadly" stuff, but if you can't hit us with a fist then how come you think you can hit us with the "death-move"?

The most important thing, if you believe in the techniques taught at a school, is how they train them? Do they use alive drills against totally resisting opponents, or are they teaching with dead drills against co-operative or worse, pre-arranged opponent action. If the school uses lots of mits and kicking shields, bags, trains athletically, and uses lots of alive partner drills, then it is wonderful.

The best JKD in my mind comes from: 1. http://www.jkdunlimited.com/ 2. http://www.straightblastgym.com/

Well, you have to solve the puzzle for yourself, but I can give you some online discussions as starting point, then go forward and research all the claims: http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19406 (you need to register as member of e-budo to read) http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5620 http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6787 http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2831 After reading through each of those threads, you can go googling for more info on the stated issues.

Yes, and I find Mr. Durbin's personal history even more interesting reading, because it is true.

I suggest you find out more about Mr. Durbin's personal history before believing everything he says.

I voted other, as I do it for all the mentioned reasons.

Some excellent (like Ashihara) some pure poop (like Juko-ryu). This is only my opinion, so don't get angry if you're into Juko-ryu. It was just a sample of stuff I don't think is too good.

Go hit the bag or something.

Power to him!

Your view of Kyokushin is pretty narrow.

Howdy!

Hello!

Welcome, nice to have more Kyokushinkai people around here!

Welcome!

Proper kiai is pretty rare today, but you don't need it to become a good fighter. Boxers, kickboxers and the like couldn't care less about kiai-jutsu, they just breath properly for their technique and it suffices. But if you are interested in real kiai, then that is another thing and you may want to look for a good instructor. In some old styles (like Bujinkan Budo as an example that I know of) several different types of kiai are actually taught.

Sure, but if we were discussing the whole of chivalry code, it should've been defined first in the poll before assuming votes and replies. I believe we were talking in modern terms, as the modern everyday "chivalry" is a bit different than the medieval code written for the knights. If we are very picky, then we could say that all those who vote yes, must also become knights of the crown and so on, so let's not take that road.

Well, I personally didn't mean chivalry should go that far. Sounds ludicrous. I only do it in situations where it seems natural. For example, if I sit in a full hot steaming bus that is riding to another county, perhaps four hour trip. I notice that some middle aged woman is getting very sweaty standing in the hot wobbling bus and apparently isn't enjoying herself. Then I may curteously offer her a seat. But not that I give my seat to any woman with a skirt any time. Nor do I run from door to door trying to act as a butler.

I'd pick BJJ from the options presented here. BJJ only means prolonged rolling on the ground when you have an equally skilled ground grappler against you. Otherwise it can be quite quick and often without need to going down at all. The "ground grappling only BJJ" is a myth based on the sport fighting BJJ.

Stop kick (a quick intercepting front leg maegeri) plus gyaku-tsuki (reverse punch) often works.