Fat Donkey

Not in the face! I'm a bleeder! I'm telling my Mom! Prepare to be cried upon! I'll sue! Rape! Call the Police! But seriously, I agree with seven star. There is a purpose bhind the cry? In karate it was the kia and in traditional Muy Thai it is the os. In karate i was taught that the kia was an actual weapon to stun your opponent with your ferocity and intent. The os in traditional MT is to emphasize the attack and remind morons like myself to maintain proper breathing technique. It is effective especially when your running out of steam as it forces u to take a deep breath and reoxygenate your body.

Ok, when I was doing Shotokan they taught the sidekick using the knife edge of the foot. Now i never understood this because it seems an unnatural way to kick! Why unnatural u ask? Because if u were to land on your foot at this angle from a one foot drop u would probably break or sprain your foot/ankle. In Muy Thai and TKD we use the sole or heel of the foot which is designed to take great stress. I want to understan the logic behind the knife edge side kick!

I agree it's beautiful and I can see how some of the kicks and rythms would be effective but wouldn't the ground conditions have to be near perfect for u to even use it. I mean up here in the Great White North your looking at snow and ice five months of the year. How the heck do u do a hand stand on that?

Don't even sweat it man, from experience I can tell u that as soon as the action starts the adrenaline will pump so fast that u don't feel a thing. Afterwards is when u feel like a Mac truck ran over u. The pain u experience in practise is one of the biggest advanntages to taking MA's. U develop a tolerance for it and it doesn't cause u too freeze up when u get hit. U work through the pain and keep fighting. I've seen big guys freeze up after getting a full slap in the face because they can't process the pain and consequentl lose because the other guy has time to inflict punishment. I think thats why Muy Thai fighters are so succesful in contests and street fights. Not because their techniques are so superior to other styles, but because they can accept the punishment and keep going.

Yo Gus, did u know that almost every boy in Thailand spends some time as a Monk?!! My master spent an entire year and the monks teach total focus and meditation. For the Muy Thai aspect it is mainly focus and breathing. You've probably heard the basics a hundred times, in through the nose out throught the mouth, breathe with the belly, not the Chest. Well the basic meditation is to sit in the lotus, staring at a spot on the ground about 2 feet away. Keep your body perfectly aligned. This helps to settle your bones and muscles into perfect alignnment, both of which as a Muy Thai fighter will be pretty sore and beat up. Next breath and focus on something simple and calming like water, or a candle anything which helps u relax. After u have done this for a while try making the flame of the candle do what u want, grow brighter, dimmer etc. When youve done that now try to control your heart rate, then choose a body part to move in isolation like your little toe or your left pec. etc. Why do u ask will this help in Muy Thai. Imagine being able too stay completely cool and calm in the middle of a fight, youre not winded because u don't get excited and your attacks are perfectly timed and powerful because your focus is so strong from practise. You throw perfect techniques because youre muscle control is so good because if u can twitch one muscle in your eyebrow, the bicep and leg are no problem. I'm not close to being this good yet but I've seen people who are and it's almost Jedi freaky. It also helps u purge a lot of negativity especially if your having one of those days when your techniques suck, your shins kill and some rookie just used your face as a punching bag. No ego, no desires, just chilling with the universe. Theres also a lot of cool Black Magic involved in Muy Thai so if your inerested in learning about that too then drop me a line.

Everyone here should warn u how addictive MA's can become. U will literally form an entirely new family with your dojo. I'm 32 and have been on and off for 20 years. Sometimes work and life means u have to take breaks from MA's but theres always people to welcome u back home. Also u always have interesting topics to talk about with cool people. DON"T hesitate. You could be training and having fun right now.

Whats the argument here? They belong to the same family. Every Korean master I know knows both. Most of them also know judo. If u know any old school masters they will tell u TKD is more sport and long distance and Hapkido is more survival and close in. "Combat Hapkido" may be good in itself, but the term is insulting. The "traditional" Hapkido I learned included biting, broken bootle, bricks and tire irons as weapons. Remember most of these 'traditional' masters grew up in post war Korea where crime and violence were rampant and have many streetfights under their belts.

Joint locks are not useless, their just really hard to perfect and apply. I've stopped more fights with simple hapkido wrist locks, than I've won with Muy Thai, Judo, Shotokan or Tae Kwon Do. And no one really got hurt. Hey new comer, JKD is a great style to start with because it has so many elements of other styles. In it u can decide which is really best for u and then specialise if your so inclined.

Definitely Muy Thai or MMA. I took 5 diff MA's before Muy Thai with a traditional master. It rocks! Plenty of hard training, plenty of full contact sparring and plenty of events, at all levels and ages. U can also cross compete in boxing and kickboxing. I'm going to start taking MMA also just so that I can develop the complete package and intergrate all my styles.

William Shatner or George W Bush. And don't say Shatner aint no MA. The first judo throw, karate chop, arm lock, hook and any number of moves I saw him do on trek. George because I don't think his parents beat him enough and u really can't do any more brain damage.

Hey Red, any time your fighting more than one opponent its time to switch into survival mode. Rememberas a MA your first option is always non violence, pride kills more people than guns, knives or AIDS. Give them what they want and call the cops. Second, even a skilled MA will have a difficult time against two or more attackers. I have one aquaintance who did fight three muggers, he studied MA but the reason he won was that these guys were junkies and alcoholics who hardly had the fitness to walk a straight line. Always run if u can! If u study MA's then u know a real man avoids senseless violence, forget the crap in the movies. As a small kid I was mugged by 5 punks. I was helpless and after that I took MA dreaming about revenge. Now I know that even when u win it still sucks because hurting people is not fun.

As a Bruce fanatic I believe that the Chi was just one element of his flowing energy explanation. He was basiclly one of the first guys to begin explaining these concepts to westerners and thus it may be that he was trying to simplify the concept of Chi to reach his audience. I also believe that Bruce the great innovator had encorporated many different concepts of energy and rhythm (from his study of different styles and philosophies) into his own unique tapping of inner energy. I don't study JKD but I've had inner energy training in Hapkido, Aikido, Tae Kwon Do and Muy Thai. They all have the basic concepts of breathing, meditation and core strength. As a martial artist u probably already have good 'core' strength I.E. strong abs, groin and basic all round body strength. Any good yoga class will teach good breathing and basic exercise. And most Buddhist temples will offer good meditation courses. But don't be intimidated, all these techniques are based on the simplest of concepts which are focus, relaxation and controlled breathing. hope that helps.

Yo Seven star. I mean't hook instead of haymaker. I just define a haymaker as a powerful hook as opposed to the short hooks u do to an opponent in a clinch. The idea of the jab and muy thai front kick is not actually to hurt your opponent but to keep him ot of range and give you time to formulate your next course of action. Speed is the determining factor here and I think these are the fastest and simplest Also I agree with what u say with the caveat that your style/training will determine your course of action. When I did TKD, I maintained leg distance from my attackers. I even knocked one out with a spinning back kick. With hapkido/Judo and Muy Thai I want to get them in the clinch because now I feel comfortable at that range. I also agree that u don't choose to go to the ground. What I meant was that don't use it as one of your first options and if it happens try to get back up as soon as safely possible. Ps As a new member I got to say I really love these discussions and if I come off as being a know it all jerk its because I'm pretty new at this and don't mean to be obnoxious.

: PS I hope none of u guys ever has to get in a street fight. It Sucks.

How many of u guys have actually been in street fights? First of all they are way faster than sparring. Second it is rarely a one on one thing. Third it is usually in a crowd or some other sort of bad environment or ground condition. Here are a couple of techniques which do work in street fights (I've been very unfortunate in many instances and no I could not run). Jab, Palm heel jab, Muy Thai basic push kick to groin, hip or lower, haymaker punch, full armed slap. Here in Canada a lot of people will attack u with a basic hockey fight style i.e. they grab your shirt with one hand and hit u with the other, it's really bad if they get your jersey over your head. Here is where the grappling, aikido hapkido comes in very useful. It's really easy to pivot and lock the arm or if your good, the wrist. It also stops the fight cold as the guy is in too much pain to do anything then u can break it up eithout anyone ever getting hurt. NEVER go to the ground in a street fight. So in final analysis the best technique is a jab. It's fast, accurate, painful and it will usually stop your opponent and give u time to decide your next course of action. PS talking and running away have gotten me out of 99% percent of bad situations. Also if u hurt your opponent in even the slightest way then press charges immediately. A lot of guys I know who won 100% justifiable altercations were sued by the SOB's. One friend of mine got sent to jail for stopping some guy from beating up his girlfriend in public:P

Hey dude I live in Calgary. I would completely skip the ninjitsu aspect. If there are no jujitsu clubs then go look for judo clubs. They are usually cheaper than alot of dojos and the basics are the same as jujitsu. We got plenty of different dojos down here and a good 80% of them are not too kosher. I did see some guys come down here to fight in some mike miles stuff and I think they were Chinese Boxing/kickboxing. If u want to compete in the ring then find one of schools associated with mike miles because he has a monopoly onj the fight promotion down here. Also give some of the korean MA's a try. Like judo any WTF tae kwon do school will have plenty of good basics and is also an olympic sport. If you are looking to get into MMA then take either boxing or wrestling. For basic self defense and conditioning boxing is probably best. Finally try out alot of schools. A lot of first timers are easily conned by "Grand Masters" who spout alot of crap and get beat up by old ladies. If you need to learn how to fight and defend yourself you have to take a style where u will be hit and will be hitting other people. Thats why boxing, judo, wrestling and WTF tae kwon do are my choices because u will do a lot of sparring and get a lot of experience.

Definitely join, but do the research and try different schools and teachers. If u get a bad vibe from the instructor then I say keep looking. I started MA when I was a teen and it changed my life. It gets u focused and bleeds alot of macho * that gets all teens in trouble. Try a couple of different styles and teachers and see which ones u like the best. I would tend to try masters from the old countries because although they are a lot tougher on u thy know their stuff and the discipline u learn will really help down the road. Also most of them really know how to kick * (usually yours}.

Italian Guy is right on all counts. Books are pretty useless when it comes to learning any style. Videos are good for intermediate to advanced students who want to try something new. If u have no schools and you want to practice at home u should concentrate on basic boxing skills. Develop your conditioning especially your core ie abs. Jump rope, shadow box, and if u can get a heavy bag. A fast jab and a good 3 punch combo are hard to beat. Most importantly develop footwork with a good guard. You may not win a fight but being able to move while protecting your vitals will ensure u survive and be able to run away, especially if your in good condition. Every good master I ever had always said that running away is best for self defense.

There is one way to escape a rear naked choke after its been sunk in. Grab his little finger and bend. I know its sounds simple and stupid. But give it a try. Have your friend put u in the choke, reach up to your neck and beginto pry his lttle finger. No matter how strong he is u will be able to free it from the fist and then bend and break it.

I found it too, especially when it came to Japanese Martial arts. It refers either to the name of the Clan that patronised a certain school of Swordfighting or the teacher for that style. Remember that back then the schools were situated in different provinces under the rulership of various Lords. These schools trained many of the samurai of those clans and thus the students of those schools belonged to their various clans. Read the Book of five rings by Miyamato Musashi and a brief history of japan and it will seem clearer.

Always Shop around!!!!! You have to decide what your in it for. If its for fun then it doesn't matter, once the people are great. If it's for self-defense or fighting then u definitely have to shop around because many of the traditional schools and styles are pretty useless when it come to actual combat. By shopping around then u realise which styles u prefer and which teachers u click better with. I spent many years doing Korean styles and I loved it. But then I discovered Muy Thai and wished I had switched over earlier. Look Around

In Muy Thai U jump when u have cornered your opponent in the corner of the ring and use either a jumping knee or elbows. He usually can't run. Otherwise it's usually a bad idea because you are pretty defenseless while your looking cool. Low jummping TKD kicks can be pretty effective but they are only stomach high to the opponent.

It does'nt matter what u take as long as u have fun and have a good master A good master in any style will trach u to defend yourself properly.