Do you practice combative martial arts?

[delta1]

"Combative Martial Arts"

 

"It's not just about fun and fitness, you are also learning to fight. Learn how to be better aware of your surroundings, combat skills, and how to handle life and death situations. Includes JKD!"

 

I'm just curiouse. How many here think they are learning to fight?

 

How many of us actually practice awareness skills, and things like de-escalation scenarios, or reading the signs that warn of an impending attack?

 

Think of JKD as a philosophy, and who here practices it? Do you work with other stylists, learn your own system then pare it down to what works well for you?

 

Do you train with force, spar with hard contact, or do you think it is unnecessary?

 

Feel free to expound on why you think your art is or isn't a combative art. Why you chose a combative or non-combative style. Or, maybe yours is a mix, or multi-purpose art.

[delta1]

OK, I screwed up the poll, and apparently can't edit the poll section. (Have I ever told you guys that I really hate computers? I hate paperwork in general, but computers are the worst- probably why I don't have an office job.) Any way, just answer as a regular post and forget the @#^* poll.

Edited May 6, 2004 by delta1

[delta1]

How many here think they are learning to fight? I do. My base is American Kenpo, a reality based martial art.

 

How many of us actually practice awareness skills, and things like de-escalation scenarios, or reading the signs that warn of an impending attack? Again, i/we do. But not as much any more. I need to do more of it.

 

Think of JKD as a philosophy, and who here practices it? Do you work with other stylists, learn your own system then pare it down to what works well for you? Yes again. It's an ongoing process, but that is good because that's when I think things get more effective, and a lot more fun.

 

Do you train with force, spar with hard contact, or do you think it is unnecessary? Used to do a lot of this, but have had to back off some more recently. Still, without the force, what's the point? You can't learn to fight under uncontroled force if you don't occasionally train it under controled force.

 

AK could be thought of as a mixed purpose art, since it is used in tournaments and fights from point sparing to NHB type events.But it was primarily developed as a self defense art, which is how I train it.

 

Good question, delta1, even if you did screw up the poll (you IDIOT!).

[SevenStar]

In my muay thai and bjj classes, we do all of the above. In judo, we don't do awareness drills, but we fight with contact and train with other stylists.

[Treebranch]

Yes I am being taught to fight with and without weapons. Yes we learn awareness and other observational skills. We learn about terrain and how to modify the way you fight depending on where you are. Hard contact is necessary and I would decribe the MA I study as a multi-purpose Combat style.

[turonaga]

what semi combative? i do combative karate

[Sorynn]

How many here think they are learning to fight? I do. I believe that I can apply many of the skills I am learning in class, based on the altercations I have had in the past.

 

How many of us actually practice awareness skills, and things like de-escalation scenarios, or reading the signs that warn of an impending attack? I do these, but they are not currently taught in my classes.

 

Think of JKD as a philosophy, and who here practices it? Do you work with other stylists, learn your own system then pare it down to what works well for you? Perhaps. I am still learning the basics of Hapkido, and I have been rolling with a bjj class a little. In the past, I have boxed and played judo. If I was in a current altercation, I could see myself using skills from all of those areas, depending on the circumstances. So, I think that counts as a yes.

 

Do you train with force, spar with hard contact, or do you think it is unnecessary? We do not use hard contact in Hapkido, and I do not see how we possibly could without serious injury. In BJJ, we go full speed.

 

Feel free to expound on why...you chose a combative or non-combative style. Or, maybe yours is a mix, or multi-purpose art. A year ago, I wanted to start martial arts again, and I wanted something that I could practice for the next 30 years. Hapkido seemed to be a good fit for me. It has many "soft" and "circular" techniques that will still be useful, when I do not have the strength and power that I have at 31. I added BJJ to acquire some ground skills and because rolling is so much fun! Personally, I find the two styles mix very well, and the body coordination learned in one transfers over to the other.

[delta1]

Interesting posts so far. But, I know there are more reality guys out there, lurking in the shadows. I'm just curiouse as to how you train. Same with those who practice for reasons other than to actually use their skills in real applications. I know a lot of sport or self developement schools (and I do think those are legitimate reasons to take a martial art- this isn't a 'mine's superior' agenda) also do some reality stuff, or at least try to bridge the gap sometimes. What's your aproach to this?

[Drunken Monkey]

i believe that the art in which i am training has the potential to be combative.

 

indeed, in the past it has been proven to be very effective.

 

however, i also believe that my personal training in it is very far from how they used to train and hence, my involvement in the art is not much more than learning what it is.

 

whether or not i can apply what i know is another matter entirely.

 

as i am about to be chucked out of the p.c lab, i shall post more later when i've had more time to think about it.

[Lazy Scholar]

I just thought I'd throw this around. Most MA if not all MA were combat oriented. I am reminded by a well respected MA instructor in that he quoted "The first objective in Martial arts is to kill; only alternative is to maim" With that being said, any art can be put into context of combat, be it JKD or be it Aikido. I feel that it comes down to how you train which is probably the more important thing. It comes down to what situations or factors you address in your training. As it usually is said, you train the way you fight. With that being said, yes I believe I'm learning how to fight because that's top priority that my friend and I focus on. He and his group have believed first in self defense.

 

Personally after experiencing it myself and I still do to this day, I dont' think of JKD as just mere philosophy. Yes there is philosophy but it doesn't form the big picture. Alongside this philosophy are principles that JKD is structured around. Alongside the structure of principles, there are actual JKD techniques that are outward expressions of these philosophies and or principles.

 

We train with full energy and spar with full contact. Again the goal of my friend's and my training is to apply as much bodily force with the utmost efficiency. Again train the way you fight.

 

Again as I brought up most if not all Martial Arts were combative in orientation. It's just that some made it sport.