Drunken_Apprentice

Thanks to all who posted here ... I appreciate the info. People have told me this a million times before: I have to visit the places that offer these arts I'm interested in .. only then can I get the right idea of what they're like. Even if I read up on the style, the place might be a McDojo so what I end up with might not be what's best for me. But it would still be cool to scale castle walls

Sorry folks, I was away for the week. Yeah, maybe I should talk to Treebranch ... I know there are a few people here who know the system and have spoken about it on this forum. How is training usually done? Are there forms or is it more free flowing to involve sparring and real-life encounter situations? Is the grappling limited to any particular range or does it involve stand-up and ground work? Thanks again!

Hi all ... Anyone have some experience with budo taijutsu? I've done some reading on it but I can't seem to get as much info as I'd like, so any help would be appreciated (links, stories, comparisons to other arts, etc). I know this may have been covered in other threads, so pointing me there is fine. Thanks!! Drunk

You can't beat BJJ on the ground, which would compliment your stand up game very well.

Hm. I didn't think JKD was designed to be flashy ... or at least the sty;e that I am looking at. They talk about "functional" JKD, which is based off of boxing, MT, GR wrestling, and BJJ. Combat hapkido looks pretty cool, too. I don't think there are any places in the area that teach it, that's the only problem. WIth a background in aikido that might be a little easier to transition to.

I always thought aikido needed more "fast" blocking to deal with some of the strikes that don't have the full committment of weight. I second G's thoughts ... I'd love to see two practitioners of equal skill spar for a few rounds.

Lord, I hope 20 isn't too old. I'm 30 and I intend to start training in JKD and BJJ!

I totally agree, and that's been my experience as well. I went in with no previous experience, and found myself lacking a good deal of perspective on how it could be used for functional self defence. Others with a more thorough background in Kung Fu or Jiu Jitsu came in and knew how to integrate aikido with what they already knew and ... well ... wow. Aikido seems to be really good if you can anticipate the attack and if there's enough momentum to use against your adversary. If there is no momentum or if you let them get too close, then I'd sure like to know BJJ or some form of clinch fighting. To me, aikido looks like it would be most effective if integrated after the fact with another form.

Thanks for all of your responses! For now I'll go the JKD route, and see how I feel. Like Drunken Monkey implied, I can always change it later if I don't like it.

Never practiced it myself, but read a lot about it and other arts ... It sounds pretty well rounded ... sort of like aikido and TKD combined, which makes sense since the founders of both arts studied under the same Daito-ryu aikijujitsu teacher. (Takeda??) In fact, it's more like what I wanted aikido to be!! I do not know what ground work they do, though.

Obviously you use what is effective in the situation, but I'd say that a punch gives decent power and a lot more mobility. I'd be too afraid of compromising my balance with a kick if it was blocked / dodged. Don't rule out a low kick to the kneecap, tho.

Being dead? No. Afterlife? No. Engaging in the process of dying? Depends on how it happens. Most aren't too pleasant. Even so, there are bigger things to worry about for the time being.

Hi folks. I currently have a tough decision to make, and I'd like some input. I have the option right now to take up two arts I've had my eye on for a while: Wing Chun (through the lineage of Jiu Wan) - I've heard this is a good stand up striking style. I also like the contact sensitivity of chi sao. What's more is that I've talked to the guys in the school and they emphasize sparring and participating in MMA competitions to expose themselves to different styles and how to handle them. I don't know how well they've done, but hey, I guess it's a start. I asked them about grappling and they say they do some work in the advanced classes. I don't know if this means "anti-grappling" or a little exposure to Judo or BJJ for ground competency. (How to get up after being taken down, basically) JKD (through Matt Thronton's Straight Blast Gym) - "Aliveness" is the key word here. They combine boxing, kickboxing (MT? Silat?), GR wrestling, and BJJ for a combined multi-range approach to fighting. They emphasize working with a fully resisting opponent on a regular basis to guarantee that techniques you learn in the gym will work against people who really don't want them to. I've done some reading on their website and see that they do tourneys all the time, and have some relatively big names in UFC providing testimonials. I like the philosophy behind their training, but I wonder if I will survive it. I'm 30 and have no interest in ring fighting. I want something that will teach me self defense. I've done quite a bit of reading on this site and others that paradoxically go on and on about how great / terrible WC is, and while BJJ is a great ground art, who wants to go there in a street situation? I also want to be able to walk when I'm 60. Just want to throw that in. Thoughts??

I've done some reading on San Soo and it sounds pretty effective, at least by those who have studied it. A bit on the brutal side from what I can tell, but then it *is* a fighting art ... my question is about how practice is done. If it is so brutal and dangerous, how do you practice it so as to 1) not hurt each other but 2) make sure you can apply it effectively in a real life situation (as in full force, full speed)? The title of this post is a reference to the Straight Blast Gym philosophy of "alive"ness, which I don't profess to fully understand, but it sounds like they advocate practicing with a fully resisting opponent as a constant test / improvement of one's skill. That sounds good - since you'll have an idea of what will work and what won't - but how does that happen in any art that involves a good deal of striking? Does anyone have experience with either or both San Soo and SBG to comment? Thanks.

I've been reading about various styles (and names!) of Wing Chun / Ving Tsun, etc. and was curious if anyone had any information about Jiu Wan. I know that Yip Man never named a successor so WC has sort of diversified a bit ... and that each big name now (William Cheung comes immediately to mind) has its own name like "Traditional Wing Chun" and so forth. Can anyone provide me some insight about the Jiu Wan lineage, and how it fits in? Thanks. Drunken

Hi folks ... I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with Straight Blast Gyms. They advertise that they focus on "alive" training, combining BJJ with JKD and Western wrestling into sort of an all-range self defense system. After lurking here for a time, I've learned to be wary of any place that claims to teach JKD, but I'd like to keep an open mind since they can easily be legit. Also, since they seem to promote an entire "system" of defense, does it still work to just take one element of their curriculum, like only BJJ or only JKD for example? Has anyone worked with them? If so, what did/do you think?? Thanks ...

Both are too slow. Get a spoon and a funnel. And then some Tums.

What arts most closely resemble the striking aspect of Hapkido, and which most closely resemble the grappling aspect? If one does choose to cross train, is it important to stay close to the "roots" of the art in which you're starting out so as not to get too confused? To that end, what are thoughts on a WC / Hapkido combination?

So hapkido's strikes and blocks are not necessarily TKD-based?

Hapkido definitely sounds like it has the things I want. I've done a little reading on it - I need to do more - but it sounds like it's effectively aikido with strikes and some ground work. If I chose to do this with WC (I'm sorry, I still feel drawn to find out more about this art regardless of any other I choose to study ), do you think there would be a conflict? I wouldn't start both at the same time because I don't want to get too confused in new techniques, but can the principles of WC be effectively combined with Hapkido? I know the grappling and throwing won't interfere, but I'm mainly talking about both forms' answers to striking, blocking, etc.

I don't think I have the time for that many arts, as much as I'd like to study them all! If I did go to WC for striking and BJJ from aikido for grappling, what elements would I be missing? Or would that just be a sweet combination?

kle1n, I am considering the same combination you are. I am a 3rd kyu in aikido and I would like to explore a little atemi work to round myself out a bit. If you start cross training let me know how it goes, I'd be interested in any feedback you have. I've heard some mention of small circle jujitsu around here, but nothing really comprehensive ... only that it combines some WC, aikdo, kali, and jujitsu of some form (BJJ??) to handle weapons, striking, multiple attackers and ground work in one form. Would studying this art, if available, provide the balance that I, and perhaps kle1n, are looking for? Are there any sites that go into some of the details of the art yet are not written by those places offering classes? I'd like to try to get some outside opinions on it. Thanks all.

I would have to say that aikido does get effective, albeit eventually. With striking arts, it's relatively easy to learn some basic blocks, punches, kicks, and then spar for a while to get some experience and confidence with real attacks in a short amount of time. Aikido seems to require much more control and training in terms of balance, timing, centering, and projection in order to even perform the "fundamental" techniques ... against attacks that seem too slow and overcommitted, at least at first. Once into the dan levels, this changes, of course. Thus, it takes a lot more time to get to that same level of confidence in terms of self defense. It seems that aikido is more about "combat theory" that eventually focuses towards application. I'm currently looking for another art in which to cross train precicely for that reason (this part is in "Combat Martial Arts"). I like aikido, but I would also like to study something that will serve as its counterpart. It's the lack of training in atemi and some (even limited) kind of groundwork focus that I personally see as a bit of a disadvantage to studying aikido. The focus on multiple attackers, weapons, proper body alignment, and blending with attacks, however ... very good. My opinion, though ... disagree as needed.

Kyle-san, SubmissionFighter, thank you. Aiki jujitsu sounds like a good idea to get the things I need, though I don't know if there are enough dojos around to find one easily. What are your opinions of hapkido / combat hapkido? My understanding is that the former at least is a sibling (or cousin) to aikido because both modern founders had similar backgrounds, if not the same instructor. BJJ is also something to consider because of its obvious focus on superior ground technique, though I need to get more info to see how it handles multiple opponents, standing throws, pins, etc. That's the part I like about aikido! My preference to WC is out of personal interest, I think. In other words, it sounds like fun! I've heard good things about Muay Thai and its strength as a striking style, especially against grapping techniques. I would like to be able to train and practice whatever arts I choose for a long time without worrying about being able to walk when I'm 50, though. Some arts train a bit harder than others, and I'm 30 now. Are there any other considerations I would need to make with this in mind?

Hello all - I'm a new guy so if this isn't the right forum, let me know. I've been training in aikido for the last 5 years and have my 3rd kyu. My sensei teaches it with a focus on self defense (which is the primary reason I'm there), so I can see its pracitcality in terms of balance, centering, projection, etc. However, I have a few concerns: Atemi training - O Sensei apparently said that (90?)% of aikido is atemi, yet we don't focus on the striking aspect in class. Many people come into the dojo with prior striking art experience, but this is my only art. Ground competency - Aikido is primarily standing / kneeling "grappling" type work, but we've never focused on what to do if we get taken to the ground. I certainly don't want to focus any fight there because of the possibility of multiple attackers and unknown terrain, but I sure would like an idea of how to handle myself there if the need arises! The reason why I'm posting here and not in the aikido forum is because I'd like to round out my focus in terms of effective self defense and need some advice in how to do that. I'm considering taking Wing Chun to get a good base in striking / blocking / entering / contact sensitivity. All good. But what about ground work? Should I stick with aikido or go to something like Small Circle Jujitsu (because of its connection with aikido and WC) or BJJ? Combat hapkido? I like aikido's focus on multiple attackers and throwing / locking from a standing position, but I would like to get some thoughts on what people feel would be generically effective. Thanks for everything!