Keezel

How far into martial arts would one have to be before they begin learning how to use weapons?

Right - the marine wasn't even paying attention, lol. His friend just came up behind him and put it on him and knocked him out... He didn't realize it would knock him out though - I think he underestimated both the technique and his strength/skill. This technique strikes me as one that would be difficult to use in an actual fight because how often do you have the opportunity (unless you've practically won already) to put someone in a choke hold?

That makes sense. What about sparring? If a black belt comes into a new school as a white belt - who will he/she be paired with? Hopefully not another white belt...

This particular marine is a really cool guy that doesn't generally get angry....plus the other guy is a close friend of his. I'm sure he kicked his * when they got back to their dorm room tho. ;D

This would not apply to me, but I have wondered several times about how this works. Let's you earn a 2nd degree black belt in one form of martial arts and then begin taking another form of martial arts. How would you be ranked when you begin studying the new form? Would you start as a white belt and progress much more rapidly than the usual student, or would you start out with some middle rank, or would you just start with the rank that you attained in your other form of martial arts?

I've actually seen this technique performed right in front of me before. A big group of guys was leaving this room at like midnight after a dorm meeting and this guy (very fit) that I know is a black belt (though I'm not sure exactly which form) came up behind his workout buddy (also very fit - a marine) and was just playing around and he performed the technique almost exactly as Rich67 described it except the marine wasn't on his knees - he was standing. Long story short - "marine" passes out for about 30 seconds and gives us all a good scare and of course everyone is ticked off at "black belt". Up until then I had never even heard of such a technique, and it was shocking to see....and incredible. "Marine" went down fast - supposedly because of the initial rush of all the blood being pushed back up into his head and then the flow of new blood being cut off. *Very* frightening technique...

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate the input. I think I'll try it, and if it's too much then I'll just drop one. I like what I know about each - so which one I drop will depend more on the instructor I wind up with and how much I like him/her...

Question: even if you try and fail - what have you lost? Maybe a testing fee - but if it were me, I would be happier if I tried and failed than if I hadn't even tried...b/c it would sit in the back of my mind and bug me.

I'm a complete beginner to martial arts and I'm wondering: Is it a bad idea to learn more than one form of martial arts at the same time? My university offers courses on a wide variety at some awesome prices and I'm thinking about taking both Shotokan and Jujitsu classes next semester. From what little I know about each, they seem very different and I plan to learn about punches/kicks from Shotokan and more about in-fighting from Jujitsu. Would it be like trying to learn Spanish and French at the same time (difficult) or would it be significantly more difficult?

I live in Lithia Springs (Douglas County), Ga. I go to school in East Point (Fulton County). Thanks for all the info everyone....more than I ever expected, which is awesome. I'm gonna go read up on ATA now .

Wow...turonaga, that's an awesome story. You should think about gettin' some TKD organization to pay you to tell people that at conventions and stuff!

Thanks a lot! That's exactly what I was looking for. I want to be able to defend myself in a fight more than anything....I'd prefer to just get out of a fight but if it came down to it, I want to be able to defend myself. I like the physical training aspect of it too b/c I know I'll become more coordinated and more flexible....two things I don't know how to work on by myself. Thanks very much for giving me an idea of what to look for. And thx to karatekid for an idea of pricing. The place I mentioned does offer unlimited access to classes and the gym. It's a pretty big building and it's taught by "Sr. Master Todd Lee Droege" and he's with ATA TKD. So I've come up with one more question: you said the majority of TKD can be taught effectively as a fighting/self defense art but the majority is not. How then is it taught if it doesn't focus on self defense? I thought that was the main reason people learned it, and then they got into more philisophical/spiritual stuff later. I'd even go so far as to say it seems like a waste of money if you don't actually learn to fight and defend yourself.

Hi, I'm new the forum and to martial arts and I'm trying to decide what form would be best for me. I'm 19, 5'10", 130 Lbs. and in shape. I run a lot and I work out using my body weight in some exercises like bench press and I don't focus only on the usual chest/bicep/abs... I have fast reflexes and I'm more of a sprinter...that's how my muscles work. I was considering taking TKD just because there is a place near where I live. It's taught by a 7th degree black belt and they charge anywhere from 89-100 bucks a month plus testing fees....is it the right style/right price? Is it worth it? I'm especially wondering if it's really worth learning. A gun pretty much makes a black belt obsolete and I have 2 friends that demonstrated how in some instances, you're skrewed no matter how fast you are. One friend weighs 130 and has a 2nd degree black belt and my other friend weighs 300 lbs and when my first friend tries to kick at my...larger friend, he'll just grab him by the foot and hold him over the ground while he tries to figure out what to do with him, lol.