Ironberg Posted March 29, 2004 Posted March 29, 2004 My parents are extremely reserved about my and the grappling arts. Millions of people across the globe have practiced them safely and successfully, and certain situations of self defense have undeniable need for grappling finesse. Also, they are simply cool. I'm 6'4'' and weight a little over 160lbs, and have very long limbs (not too disporportionate). My parents have let me study TKD and karate for over two and a half years - and I've attained a strong apptitude in them. They are proud of me, and can't imagine me not being able to kick someone's head off. They are even open to me studying arts such as Muay Thai and kickboxing - except that they are wary of the higher level of contact, and there is no kickboxing gym around for a hundred miles (shame ). I would like to study a bit of Juijutsu soon (if I find a club or dojo). My parents think there is way too much wrestling in it, and think that my joints will magically disentigrate before fellow practitioners. To a point, I understand their concern, cuz, they've seen my attain so much in the striking arts and rise to newer levels all the time and would absolutely detest some joint injury sneaking up on me to ruin my future in TKD/Karate. I've never had a problem with my joints before, and my knees have suffered minor injuries but they healed quickly from. What do you think? I've heard it go both ways that a short stalky person can be the most deadly in juijutsu, yet have also heard that a long limbed and extremely flexible person like myself can also hold their own. Sorry for the long post. "An enlightened man would offer a weary traveler a bed for the night, and invite him to share a civilized conversation over a bowl of... Cocoa Puffs."
WolverineGuy Posted March 29, 2004 Posted March 29, 2004 Your joints take a lot of damage from the impact of strikes as well. As long as you practice safely, its no more dangerous. Personally, I think that to be a complete fighter, you have to incorporate both striking and grappling...jiu jitsu rocks. Wolverine1st Dan - Kalkinodo"Shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a q-tip""There is no spoon."
White Warlock Posted March 29, 2004 Posted March 29, 2004 The ultimate weakness associated with long limbed opponents, is that they also have long muscles. If applied improperly, which is the most common way, then you will end up using your limbs as levers, where one end is applying the resistance, and the other is dealing with the obstacle. This, will fail for you. It is analogous to you trying to turn on or off a lightswitch, using a ten foot pole. Instead, you must take 'modified' form of study, which is to utilize torque. Use your limbs from the halfway point, or less. Apply resistance at the end, but pose your limb in a way as to effect the change by creating not two, but three points of contact. Luckily, some of the more 'effective' grappling arts already implement this philosophy into their system. Given this, a long-limbed practitioner can do quite well in grappling-type MAs. "When you are able to take the keys from my hand, you will be ready to drive." - Shaolin DMV TestIntro
JohnnyS Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 BJJ has many tall, long-limbed champions such as Comprido (which means Long), Roleta, Pe De Pano and many others. BJJ - Black Belt under John Will (Machado)Shootfighting - 3rd Degree Black BeltTKD - Black Belt
Rich67 Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 BJJ has many tall, long-limbed champions such as Comprido (which means Long), Roleta, Pe De Pano and many others.Very true. As far as your joints are concerned, JJ poses the same threat as any form of martial art. The only thing about JJ, is make sure you have good training partners and you know when to tap. Failing to tap when you think you are in a bad position leads to a lot of joint injuries. Make sure your partners aren't so gung ho they don't pay attention to your tap or they are newbies who practice full force with no idea the damage they can cause. But a tall person (I'm 6') can still be quite effective in JJ. Mixed Martial Artist
White Warlock Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Make sure your partners aren't so gung ho they don't pay attention to your tap or they are newbies who practice full force with no idea the damage they can cause. Absolutely. Most of my martial art injuries were obtained in this manner. Be wary of the ignorant and/or ignoble. "When you are able to take the keys from my hand, you will be ready to drive." - Shaolin DMV TestIntro
Ironberg Posted March 30, 2004 Author Posted March 30, 2004 Someone told me that Bill Wallace recieved a knee injury from a grappling incident in training. Is this true, or some urban rumor - cuz he did have a knee injury that caused him to compensate by overtraining the other leg (making him the champion that he was). My parents have heard of this and sometimes use it to gain some leverage in their argument. "An enlightened man would offer a weary traveler a bed for the night, and invite him to share a civilized conversation over a bowl of... Cocoa Puffs."
JohnnyS Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 I've done both stand-up and grappling and I don't think either one is worse than the other in terms of injuries - I've received more than my fair share doing both. BJJ - Black Belt under John Will (Machado)Shootfighting - 3rd Degree Black BeltTKD - Black Belt
SevenStar Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 he trained in judo before he started training in karate. After his injury, he stopped judo and began karate.
SevenStar Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 I've received plenty of bruises from stand up training, but my joint related injuries have come from grappling. I wouldn't fear that your ability as a strikier would be hindered though - by all means, train in both.
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