HG

For discipline & self defense, the majority of martial arts can help you. The strength training is going to be specific to martial arts. If you are looking for general strength training go to a gym. Great! Take their free trial lesson and see if the art is a good fit for you. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are good and bad schools in all martial arts. In regards to Kung Fu there is a distinct separation between Traditional Kung Fu and Wushu. Wushu doesn't fight, it's primary focus is on the performance (like gymnastics or figure skating) of standardized empty hand and weapons forms. Traditional Kung Fu teaches fighting/self defense skills. Kung Fu, Karate & Tae Kwon Do are all good. You'll find the better schools of each have more similarities than differences between them. Your main goal is to choose the style that feels right for you.

Are the last two any good? I've never heard of them. Prodigal Son is one of my favorite fight films.

Ok, say the tall guy throws a side kick. If you back away and block it, you don't gain any ground, and he still has his advantage. The next time he side kicks, you block and sidestep at the same time, at an angle towards your opponent. Now, you have blocked the kick, and gained some ground at the same time. You may even be close enough to start your own assault. Many people will teach you how to block, but the key to blocking is to stop the technique and gain ground/postition. Otherwise, the blocker just keeps backing up, and will eventually run out of room. bingo. get inside on your opponent, circle around him, making angles that maxmize your chances of hitting him while lessening his. Do not just stay in front of him. Well said. Chris, learn when watching others spar/fight. Notice the end result of those who follow the above advice & those who don't.

Road House Karate Kid 1 & 2 The Warriors

He's a friend & you were only mock sparring. Speed will always prevail in situations like this. Use speed techniques to counter his. Power or causing pain isn't an issue so just be real fast. If it was for real then you have to stop his speed. Pain works well, interupt his combos & strike hard. You might get lucky and put him down. At the very least a hard hit will get him thinking about defense. Boxer two weapons - respect the hands. Martial artist nine weapons - this is your advantage over him.

Congrats! Best of luck in your training.

Well said. Get past this first hurdle and the rest just falls into place.

Thanks guys for the info.

The knife fight duel in Under Siege cracks me up.

Anybody know of a good place to purchase a pair? Also, what would be a cheap alternative?

You can do the same using your Kung Fu. If you aren't then you should be. Drilling at combat speed for cardio & sparring for timming & reflex. Train Kung Fu and fight using it. It's hard enough to learn Kung Fu on it's own. Adding other philosophies & principles just adds to the confusion. Everyone has their bias towards the martial art they practice. So don't fault the guy for having some pride in his chosen style. Put the time in and you will develop the skills. If you are training correctly it won't take as long as you think.

Unarmed against a weapon all martial arts are at a disadvantage. Those that train for specific situations will have a better chance of surviving but still the odds go to the one holding the weapon.

They train fighting skills & are well conditioned, of course it will work. The lack of hand conditioning might raise the question of breaking their own hand when striking. I think a UFC/MMA and or Boxer would out last & out punch most people on the street.

Just watched the Sapp vs. Le Banner fight (google). I thought Le Banner was the better fighter & should have won. Sapp has enough size & strength to turn a fight around with one move. He seemed to be out of breath the entire match, is this typical for him or just a bad night?

https://www.stretchingusa.com Aaron Mattes has a real good program.

I was only joking, don't even know Tai Chi. Fighting a guy of that size would be difficult - to say the least.

I'd just use the 11 1/2 moves from a 24 posture tai chi form seminar I went to. Didn't learn all of them because I got there late. 'Wave hands like clouds' will put Bob Sapp down.

Just remember martial arts require dedication, hard work ethic & belief to get anthing out of it. Nothing will be handed to you. YOU must be prepared to do all the work. Find a good school, their guidance will direct your energy & enthusiasm down the right track. Best of luck to you. Being fed up with all the 'nay-sayers' is a good start.

What is ram mauy? If you are learing 4 or 5 different CMA's you will only be skimming the surface of each one. I think the problems would arise from a matter of quality vs. quantity. The poetic naming would be just one of many confusing dilemmas.

Not sick of UFC or MMA just the atitude that seems to follow it. Within the scope of what they do there is a high level skill & conditioning. As a martial artist how can you not respect that. My biggest pet peev is how intolerant they are of other martial arts outside the realm of MMA competiton. If you are practicing martial arts for any reason other than entering MMA competions - you are wrong.

I disagree with your disagreement I guess it depends what type of CMA school you come from. The names are specific to a corresponding movement, anything else just wouldn't make sense. For example 'Black tiger steals the heart' is a left handed tiger claw palm strike. It will always be that particular move in our lineage. Any good art will always strive to improve upon the lessons left by earlier generations but it doesn't mean you re-invent the system. Especially if it's not broke to begin with. In CMA their are styles & lineages within styles. Does Muay Thai have a similar breakdown? I've always been highly skeptical of "too deadly" claims. If it were that easy to kill someone barehanded the news would be flooded with stories; a soccer mom who killed a 250lb mugger or an elementary school fight with both kids slowly dying from dim mak strikes.

Instructor in one year - McKwoon. Ba Gua is an interesting martial art. Kinda rare to find a legit school. You'll have to do some research. https://www.emptyflower.com is a good place to start. Click 'Xingyiquan' to enter site.

In China quite a few movies & tv shows have been based upon his life. His deeds & accomplishments have reached mythic legendary status. Separating the facts from fantasy, Wong Fei Hung was an extremely talented martial artist who made brilliant contributions to Chinese martial arts.

Yes, it's a work in progress. Like any other high level martial technique, done correctly it's extremely effective. Some days it feels right, like it was created just for me. Other days....not so good.

Wong Fei Hung was a real person 1850-1933. He's credited with formalizing the orthodox Hung-Ga system & creating the styles most famous set, Fu Hok Cern Ying Kuen/Tiger Crane Double Pattern Fist Form. He was an undefeated fighter through out his life & placed a high value on Mo Duk/Martial Virtue. Also ran a successful herbal medicine clinic named Po Chi Lam in Canton & later in Futsan. Lineages with Wong Fei Hung in them are called Traditional Hung-Ga Kuen. Those without him are called Village Hung-Ga Kuen styles.