Drunken_Apprentice Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 Hi folks. I currently have a tough decision to make, and I'd like some input. I have the option right now to take up two arts I've had my eye on for a while: Wing Chun (through the lineage of Jiu Wan) - I've heard this is a good stand up striking style. I also like the contact sensitivity of chi sao. What's more is that I've talked to the guys in the school and they emphasize sparring and participating in MMA competitions to expose themselves to different styles and how to handle them. I don't know how well they've done, but hey, I guess it's a start. I asked them about grappling and they say they do some work in the advanced classes. I don't know if this means "anti-grappling" or a little exposure to Judo or BJJ for ground competency. (How to get up after being taken down, basically) JKD (through Matt Thronton's Straight Blast Gym) - "Aliveness" is the key word here. They combine boxing, kickboxing (MT? Silat?), GR wrestling, and BJJ for a combined multi-range approach to fighting. They emphasize working with a fully resisting opponent on a regular basis to guarantee that techniques you learn in the gym will work against people who really don't want them to. I've done some reading on their website and see that they do tourneys all the time, and have some relatively big names in UFC providing testimonials. I like the philosophy behind their training, but I wonder if I will survive it. I'm 30 and have no interest in ring fighting. I want something that will teach me self defense. I've done quite a bit of reading on this site and others that paradoxically go on and on about how great / terrible WC is, and while BJJ is a great ground art, who wants to go there in a street situation? I also want to be able to walk when I'm 60. Just want to throw that in. Thoughts??
cross Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 I'm 30 and have no interest in ring fighting. I want something that will teach me self defense.Both are good for self-defence.I also want to be able to walk when I'm 60. I doubt you will be exposed to a very high level of contact for extended periods. Some contact won't do to much damage. Its completely up to you. Watch a class and talk to the instructors and students about what you want to archieve. take the cost of each school into consideration also and findout if the training times are suitable for you.
SevenStar Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 SBG has an established rep of good training. All other things being equal, I would go with them.
Thaegen Posted April 18, 2004 Posted April 18, 2004 Wing Tsun is the way to go. You can do this for the rest of your live. Just look at Yip man. He trained Wing Tsun until his last day.
Ironberg Posted April 19, 2004 Posted April 19, 2004 Both are good choices. One focuses more on the techs, while the other more on application. It's sort of the best of both worlds. If I were in your shoes, which I'm not, I'd go with the JKD. "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."
Drunken Monkey Posted April 19, 2004 Posted April 19, 2004 y'know, i'm tempted to say go for both. jkd is based on you having a certain amount of kowledge in martial arts. if you have none, then the school can teach you their own set of core arts to make your own. it makes sense to me to go and find more arts to add to your jkd process. your tag says that you have knowledge in aikido, which would naturally act as your core on which you build. i guess if you absolutely have to go for ONE, it would make sense to be the jkd place. heck, if you don't like it, you can always go to the other place. why do people always make these decisions seem so final....? post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
Drunken_Apprentice Posted April 24, 2004 Author Posted April 24, 2004 Thanks for all of your responses! For now I'll go the JKD route, and see how I feel. Like Drunken Monkey implied, I can always change it later if I don't like it.
G Money Slick Posted May 7, 2004 Posted May 7, 2004 Yeah JKD is a spectacular art. I dunno but the flashyness doesn't appeal to me. For reliable self defense, I'd go with good ol' Karate or Combat Hapkido. If your enemy refuses to be humbled......you must destroy him.
Drunken_Apprentice Posted May 9, 2004 Author Posted May 9, 2004 Hm. I didn't think JKD was designed to be flashy ... or at least the sty;e that I am looking at. They talk about "functional" JKD, which is based off of boxing, MT, GR wrestling, and BJJ. Combat hapkido looks pretty cool, too. I don't think there are any places in the area that teach it, that's the only problem. WIth a background in aikido that might be a little easier to transition to.
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