Rich_2k3

Sounds gr8, real value for money! This guy sounds more like a con artist that a martial artist to me. I wouldnt be suprised if he's wanted in 28 countires!

I think their probably too young for martial arts just yet, I would wait till their older, say 12-13 b4 u start training them seriously. In my opinion and experiences, children under that age CANNOT learn self defence properly, its simply just a game to them and u may find that it could seriously damage their future martial arts prospects because if they progress through the grades at a young age they will not learn the basics properly and 4get the techniques there taught. They need to be able to fully understand what their being taught and understand the concepts of martial arts. Also their attention span is less and they will be less concerned with learning with what their being taught. I think martial arts is for adults and is not a good idea to teach young children.

I think its just for tradition, they dont expect ppl to walk around with weapons under their sleeves!

Obvisouly the MA u train should reflect what u are wanting to gain, be it self-defence, fitness, sport etc. u seem to be interested in Wing Chun Kung fu. The best thing to do is go down to the club and watch a lesson, see what u think, u might decide that it doesnt suit what ur after, if so u could try somthing else or u might love it! The martial art that I always suggest to ppl is Kyokushin Karate. Its a very powerful form of karate, with alot of full contact sparring and body conditioning. It covers a wide spectrum of interests, for example fitness, self defence and sport. An example of someone who does Kyokushin is Dolf Lungdrem (if u dont know, its the guy who played the russian boxer in Rock III). I dont actaully practice this art but i've seen it in action and it really is a quality martial art, and I intend to practice it in the near future. p.s u'll find this site helpful if u want to know about wing chun: http://www.wingchun.org.uk/selfdefence/home.htm Also this site is excellent if ur after info on a paticular martial art, its got 40 different ones listed: http://www.martial-arts-info.com/

Britnoob, I would suggest 2 books. I'm the same and like to exercise as much as I can at home, i bought these 2 books and they have worked wonders. The links to them are below: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1880336596/qid=1093789641/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/026-4187570-2576440 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0865680132/qid=1093789664/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-4187570-2576440 Both are excellent books, they really are. The second one "dynamic strength" is basically full of isometric style workouts to help build and tone the body and is designed specifically for martial arts practitioners. Its full of pictures making it easy to follow and also tells u exactly what muscle groups ur exercising and how they will benefit ur martial arts skills. The first book "solo training" really is the best book u can buy when it comes to training and home. Its just a gr8 guide that will really develop u as a fighter, it also includes some core exercises that are essential to a good martial artist. Both books are clear and consise and will really help as a fighter, trust me. Read the reviews on them and u'll see what I mean. Hope this helps

Well said ramymensa.

Did it work?

Boxing sensation Amir Khan from Great Britain goes for gold against the Cuban Mesa Kindelan, at the age of 17!

All the sources i've ever seen say ng mui created wing chun.

Basically I side step with my front left leg passed my right and then twist in my stance and swing my right leg round and back to its position, at the same time I twist my upper body look over my shoulder at the target and then whip my backfist out and use the momentum to bring it back, this is all one motion. I dont know if thats very clear.

Yes, guns are european, china did have gun powder but they used it for fireworks (which they invented) and went on to use it for makeshift rocket launchers (its basically a basket with gunpowder at the bottom and shrapnel/arrows at the top). When the British empire spread across asia we introduced them to projectile weapons like pistols, rifles and cannons.

To be honest if I was attacked in the street, for example on the way home after a night out, i wouldnt think about the law, i'd defend myself and do more than enough to make sure I could get away safely. I mean under the stress and adrenalin of a real attack, i think politics and the law would be the last thing on ur mind (unless ur an experienced fighter).

This is an extract from http://www.martial-arts-info.com "Wing Chun was developed when several grandmasters of the Shaolin temple systemised the best parts of the Chinese martial arts, to form a martial art that was practical and faster to learn than the other styles. Wing Chun aims to deflect force in combat rather than meet force. Wing Chun uses a centre line theory that is based around attacking vital targets along a central line of the body. Two weapons are taught, the dragon pole and butterfly knives, which are used as a pair. Wing Chun also uses the wooden dummy to practice striking and blocking techniques. Wing Chun also uses a partner exercise called Chi Sao, where two partners practice various arm exercises together, to gain better reflexes and response to attacks. Origin of Wing Chun: China Founder of Wing Chun: Ng Mui (A female nun of the Shaolin Temple) Popularised by: Yip Man, Bruce Lee, William Cheung"

Great choice KingBuddha, good look in ur art, tell us how it goes.

Oni, Wing chun was the martial art Bruce Lee mastered b4 he went on to create his own style Jeet Kune Do. Wing chun was developed by a female shoalin monk, she chose the best parts of the Chinese martial arts, to form a martial art that was practical and faster to learn than the other style. A good style if u want to learn to defend yourself. As you progress through the ranks u'll eventually be trained to use weapons, namely the wing chun butterfly knives and the dragon pole. The other arts u mentioned are quite different; Ju-jitsu is mainly a grappling art but also employs various strikes and kicks aswell as throws, joint locks, chokes and submission techniques. A good allround grappling art. Aikido is considered to be a non-aggressive style, as the Aikido students never instigates an attack. The basic principle of Aikido is "Do not fight force with force". Aikido uses very few punches and kicks. Instead, the attackers force is redirected into throws, locks and restraining techniques. To be effective aikido takes a very long time to learn than other martial arts, so this would probably not be a choice if u want self defence quickly, cuz its gonna take quite a few years to get 2 grips with it. Aikido is still a gr8 martial art with a strong mental and spiritual aspect. It was made famous by steven segal who's a very experienced aikido practitoner, and actually runs his own school. So u've got three very different styles: Wing Chun- All Striking Ju-jitsu- Mainly grappling, some strikes. Aikido- All grappling (although a very soft form of grappling) Hope this helps Oni

I think the spinning backfist would be the only spinning technique i'd use in a real fight.

Total agree tufrthanu, no wonder martial arts gets a bad rep when ppl watch see stuf if like that. And to the other comment, its not jelousy, i'm so glad karate is not in the olympics, i train for self defence not sport.

Yes, Krav Maga is excellent for self defence. I would also say some modern forms of karate. For example my style is very "no-nonsense" and focus's heavly on self defence and knife defences.

A rino.

Would you use a spinning backfist in a "real" fight? I really seem to like this technique, its probably the flashiest punch u can do, but its still extreamly powerful and does not compromise on practicality. I'm really trying to master this technique at the mo. Do u think its a practical technique?

Good luck Zephyris!

Karate: A very good all round martial art. Great for both self defence and fitness. Karate is usually found in 2 forms; traditional and modern. You will find that modern is abit more no-nonsense and focuses more on self defence. The training for modern karate is usually alot more strenous, focusing more on fitness work and bag/pad training, modern karate can also involve alot of full contact and free fighting. Traditional karate has alot more depth, invloving kata's and forms and you may also be required to learn some basic japanese terminologys, u'll find that traditional karate requires more comitment to progress. Both traditional and modern karate have a good sporting aspect aswell, if ur thinking of competeing. Taekwondo: Taekwondo has evolved to being more of a sport than a martial art, focusing more on point sparring and competition than self defense. TKD is famous for its "flashy" kicks and is good for overall fitness, helping you to become very flexible, although its practicality in a real fight is questionable. If your after self defence however I would stay clear of this one. Personally I would choose karate, although that is what I study so i suppose I would say that. Good luck whatever u choose! p.s if ur really after somthing that will get you fitter and stronger u could choose Muay thai, kickboxing or boxing, although this will involve alot of fullcontact sparring. One last thing, STAY CLEAR OF McDOJO'S!!!

Whats Kali?

If ur looking for a good korean style, why not try Hapkido? Here is a brief description I got from http://www.martial-arts-info.com "Hapkido is a Korean martial art, and combines techniques from Karate, Aikido and Judo. It also draws influence from other native Korean martial arts. Characteristic for Hapkido are the wrist locks and throws that can look quite spectacular. Hapkido uniforms are available in white and black and have a characteristic diamond pattern. Developed in the 1940s and 50s, its founder Grandmaster Choi had learned martial arts first in Japan, in a school of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, an ancient form of Jujutsu that was practiced mostly by Samurai. On Choi's return to Korea, he added many techniques to defend against particular types of attacks, and borrowed heavily from other styles. The name of what is known as Hapkido today changed several times, and famous students of Choi such as Ji Han Jae continued to develop the art and were instrumental in bringing Hapkido to the west, where it was taught to FBI and other US government agencies. During this time Ji Han Jae met Bruce Lee, who was very impressed with the techniques of Hapkido. Ji Han Jae coached Bruce Lee, who then went on and incorporated certain aspects of Hapkido into the development of his own emerging style, Jeet Kune Do." Very practical and interesting style, a great all round martial art. See if u can find any clubs near you.

Try this link, its a database of 40 different martial arts with descriptions, pictures and links to governing bodies: http://www.martial-arts-info.com/