Treebranch

BJJ is great, but it is not a complete art. It's basically a fairly modern Martial Art, a grappling art.

Hey, if it works for you, great. Just voicing my opinion and I've done it myself in Lima Lama and Karate and it gave me confidence. I guess it physically demonstrates that the strike is correct, but I think there are other ways of training that are historically proven to be just as effective. It's also a great marketing tool at demonstrations, it's very impressive to the spectators and enthusiasts.

I think though it's more of a tradition, which is a good thing, but boxers train for accuracy differently and very effectively. I don't think breaking boards is absolutely necessary for training, it's kind of a novelty.

In all honest, much of the one inch punch is urban legend and trickery. I agree a lot of people use this to promote their Art, but the principal is real and if learned can be useful. For instance, how hard can you push someone with one hand with all your weight behind it?, pretty hard right. Well do that same pushing motion making a fish instead your hand, it takes a great deal of practice to do this fast, but it can be done. Works great and at short distance, it is really designed to create space.

Breaking boards was used to train warriors to fight against warriors in armor such as samurai. I think you'd do the trees a favor by punching bags, use the wood to build something. An effective way to train for puching as by having someone hold a pad and punch them if they can feel it through the pad and it set the person of balance you probably have a pretty effective punch.

I think everyone agrees that the techniques that are tought work in modern times as well as in the old days. The human body has not changed, therefore the effects the techniques have on the body don't change either. I think if you want to learn effective techniques quickly, there are styles for that. If you want to learn on art that takes more study there are those also. It is up to the individual to seek out what works best for them, and what their lifestyle or environment dictates would be most effective. Although some Arts don't want to let go of certain traditions that don't really apply anymore, like the "HORSE STANCE" or throwing puches from that stance. This was taught for strikes while on horseback. Another is breaking boards and bricks, that was for fighting against someone with japanese armor, men with armor moved slower and you could get one of those punches in, probably not very useful today. There are many of these techniques being taught today that have little to no use anymore, but the history is very interesting.

If both were equally skilled in their art at the higher levels. The boxer would have to be the attacker, and the aikido guy would be receiving the attack. The aikido guy would simply stay away from the jab until the boxer commits to a real punch, in order to off balance him to throw the boxer to the ground. Most aikido guys don't pick fights and don't attack first. I don't think the outcome can be easily predicted.

Of course SPORT ARTS are always going to be more popular, because you can compete in them, and win things. They win trophies, money and recognition, and they deserve it. Sport arts can be used to kill or damage someone sure, but in competition there are rules. Combat Arts pratice techniques differently, but we have to hold back with certain techniques or we will really damage or fellow student pretty bad. People study ARTS that appeal to them for different reasons, some people need to compete to feel confident about their skills, others don't. I just want to make something very clear, COMBAT ARTS usually train someone to use the least amount of energy to disable someone, because in COMBAT you are going to fight more than person before the day is done. SPORT ARTS train someone to fight in COMPETITION which is great.For example: You can practice to use a knife and cut vital areas, and shoot a target with a gun, these skills are deadly whether you use them or not. I don't desire having to ever use this stuff, I am just fascinated with all Martial Arts.

The one that seems to work everytime for me is the front ball kick to the groin area, make sure to really drive that foot in there deep. Then following it up with a straight right hand punch on the nose, make sure to really follow through with that as well, the rest is cake.

Sorry, this posted twice.

Everything changes and should get better. Cars get better, people get bettter, tennis players get better techniques, and soccer players get better techniques......most things in life are evolving all the time, do not stick with old tradition blindly. I agree and disagree, soccer players haven't gotten better, Pele is the best and always will be. Also the equipment and materials and technology of sports equipment gets better, but not the player necessarily. I agree some traditional styles should not be followed blindly and neither should new ones. I think there are very few Martial Artists who have the luxury of being able to train as hard as the warriors of old that's how they made their living. Most MA's are not Warriors fighting hand to hand Combat on a regular basis or being the bodyguard of some Warlord, King, Prince, whatever. Yes there are things that evolve and improve, people are not one of them. Your comment implies that the MA's of new are better the Martial Artists of the past I really think there is no comparison, since the invention of the Gun, there is absolutely no reason to train so vigorously anymore. Martial Artist today do it for sport, or for person growth, or for other reason, but very very few train to fight in actual combat and probably have never faught in combat. Just a thought. [/b]

Our back and forth comments are enlightening and very informative, I am going to start learning from a someone who teaches for the Machados, I think it's useful to know how to counter different styles. I highly recommend Combat Styles for real life situations, and I highly recommend BJJ for ground fighting. By the way Combat Styles have very effective ground fighting techniques that probably wouldn't be allowed in a competition. Thanks for the discussion it's healthly to hear other peoples thoughts.

Okay? I guess a lot of people like going to the ground, what if your fighting near a ledge, you might roll off, and die. There may be glass on the ground that can cut your brachial artery, or your head may split open your on the way to the ground or if your opponent is on the ground with you he may have a knife and stab you, because your too close to him, when your on top of him. Also he may take a stone and bash your skull with it, there are simply to many variables in a REAL STREET FIGHT to account for, that's all I'm trying to say.

I LOVE THIS FORUM. Well, the ground itself may cause you more injury than your opponent, depending on the terrain. Just a thought.

HOW EASY IS IT TO GET A KICKER TO THE GROUND? You are putting yourself in vulnerable position going to the ground right away, there are other ways of a taking a kicker to ground without going with him. I think that has everything to do with this thread, agreed?

Kajukenbo, Budo Taijutsu, Aiki-Jutsu, Kung Fu Sansoo, Koppo-Jutsu are just a few to mention. Now really would you suggest someone to go to the floor fighting a gang member in the street with all his buddies standing around, or would you rather be on your feet so you can run if you have to. I just want to hear someone say IT IS NOT A REAL STREET FIGHT.

I guess you had to have studied Combat Styles to know the answer to that question. Again it's not real, more real than boxing and other full contact SPORTS for sure, but still not a street fight. Don't get me wrong I think grappling is great, but I would not dare to go to the ground to quickly in a street fight, at least not in my neighborhood.

"It's a sport, that's why there are rules about attacking the referee, or attacking your opponent after the bell." Obviously it's a sport, and it's going to have rules, I know. What I'm trying to get at is the mistake people make by saying it's real, it's not. All the things you can't do in UFC is what you can do in a street fight, and who knows maybe there are Masters of Combat Martial Arts that don't want to be on display and they are deadly. Just like there are basketball players out there better than Michael Jordan that never made it to the NBA for one reason or another. UFC changed the rules after the first 4 or 5 also because they did not want law suits either, in the cause someone may get killed.

UFC has alot of rules about 32 of them, things you can't do. No butting of the head, eye gouging, biting, hair pulling, fish hooking, GROIN ATTACKS, putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or lacteration on an opponent, SMALL JOINT MANIPULATION, striking to the spine or the back of the head, striking downward using the point of the elbow, throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea, clawing, pinching or twisting of the flesh, grabbing the clavicle, kicking the head of a grounded opponent, kneeing the head of a grounded opponent, STOMPING A GROUNDED OPPONENT, kicking the kidney with the heel, spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck, Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area, holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent, spitting at an opponent, engaging in an usportmanlike CONDUCT THAT CAUSES INJURY TO AN OPPONENT, holding the ropes or the fence, using abusive language in the ring, attacking and opponent on or during the break, attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee, attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat, flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee, timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking injury, interference by the corner, throwing in the towel during competition. WOW! Maybe this is why Masters of Combat Style of MA don't fight in these competitions. Sorry, but in a real fight everything goes.

Hey Vlad well said. JJ and BJJ fighters are not indestructable like a lot of them think. I like that you now see more standing fights, it's just more exciting, the BJJ guys are now going to have to learn to strike to survive.

" first kick is just a diversion so you move in that 45 degree angle so we set you up and hit you with the next kick." Sorry to say, but I studied TKD and it's pretty much a sport. If you up against some average Joe that might work. A diversion kick is a bad idea in a combat situation. Never waste a kick, make sure you can hit your target or it could mean a world of hurt, just friendly advice.

You never know.

Yes agreed a "cheap shot" is hard to avoid, sometimes running works best. All I'm saying is it more risky on the ground with other people around. If you saw your friend being attacked and go down in a fight, you could get as easily straddle the person on top and choke him with a common choke hold, right. I've been in many street fights and only one ended up on the ground, lucky for me it was'nt with a BJJ guy, but I was able to get him off. I'm also and have always been a pretty heavy guy so my hits usually caused the person not to want to continue fighting. A hard and fast quick kick to the groin area and a hard straight punch to the head usually did the trick, oh yeah, hammer blows to the nose work too. Anyway my close friend is BJJ teacher with the Machados and I'm going have him train me. I think it is good to study other art forms and BJJ seems to be the best of the grappling arts.

By the way I think BJJ is a great sport.

Great stories, and those guys were pretty lucky. All I'm saying is going to the ground in a street fight is'nt a good idea. Your taking a huge risk sacrificing yourself to a ground match, when other people around. The guy that got kicked in the ribs, could have been stabbed, or bashed in the head with a bottle or choked by a second guy. It's just to risky, be alert, be aware, be safe.