kolhoz Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Hello, I'm 6'2", 200 lbs, have been weight training for about 6 years. I am looking for a martial art that focuses mainly on the mind-body connection without any religious philosophy. I'd like it to be something I could learn on my own, at least upto a considerable level. I probably would not have a sparring partner for a while.....and that's not what i'm interested in anyway. I need something that will give me the ultimate control over my own body. Please make your suggestions with comments and reasoning. Thanks a lot in advance for taking time to respond.
rb Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Question for you, Why do you want to learn on your own with no interaction ?Learning martial arts is hard enough with a good instructor. Without one you'll develop many bad habits and techniques. If this is a money issue look at it this way: Tapes, books are expensive and do not teach anything of value imo. Net research and going to the library takes time. Time that you can spend working for money and paying for training which I think is more beneficial as a whole. Sparing with a partner allows you to better understand the techniques and your weaknesses. I don't know of many arts that teach religion as part of their curiculum. For instance shaolin monks are buddists. Some monks also practice shaolin boxing. However for the reverse, a shaolin practicioner does not need to be a buddist. I think you are looking for an external style of martial art. Something like boxing, karate, kick boxing, wrestling. I don't understand the ultimate body control portion of your question.
BonnyBoy Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 I would suggest boxing, kickboxing or muay thai instead. I'm with rb on the sparring; and the mind body connection? There are always two choices, two paths. One choice is easy and its only reward is it's easy.It takes sacrifice to be the best.
omnifinite Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 You're not going to like this suggestion , but, I'd say Tai Chi or something similar. You'll practice complete focus on and control of every muscle and every movement those muscles make. If you want a true mind-body connection, Tai Chi or Ba Gua or other internal arts are the first things that come to mind for me. However finding them without religious philosophy might be a little difficult. You'd probably find them boring and tedious and not even see what makes them martial arts at all during the first couple years, but no one said achieving ultimate control over your body was easy. It's something you don't need another person for in practice, but you'd certainly need an instructor for it. *shrug* Probably not quite what you're going for, but I doubt you'll gain anywhere near that kind of bodily control anywhere else. 1st Dan HapkidoColored belts in Kempo and Jujitsu
iolair Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Hello, I'm 6'2", 200 lbs, have been weight training for about 6 years. I am looking for a martial art that focuses mainly on the mind-body connection without any religious philosophy. I'd like it to be something I could learn on my own, at least upto a considerable level. I probably would not have a sparring partner for a while.....and that's not what i'm interested in anyway. I need something that will give me the ultimate control over my own body. Please make your suggestions with comments and reasoning. Thanks a lot in advance for taking time to respond.Interesting question... I don't know of any martial arts that are specifically religious, though many of the traditional ones include aspects of eastern spirituality. If you want to explore the mind/body connection, or gain control of your body the following are worth exploring outside of the martial arts - Pilates - Dance (i.e. Jazz/Modern/Balet) as these involve body control etc. Yoga would probably count as well, but generally does seem to have a lot of the spiritual connections. As for within the martial arts, finding an instructor/sensei/teacher with a good understanding of sport science and biomechanics may be more important than the style itself. If you are training alone, that obviously precludes the wrestling and grappling style, in fact you are probably limited to the major styles because they are likely to be the only ones with sufficiently good materials for solo training, e.g. - Karate (Shotokan, Kyokushinkai) - Tae Kwon Do - Boxing - Kickboxing (some types) If you are serious about learning any of these, then I'd urge you to try and attend a few classes to start off with (a few months if you can manage it), or at the very least visit and watch a few classes. Currently: Kickboxing and variants.Previously: Karate (Seido, Shotokan, Seidokan), Ju Jitsu, Judo, Aikido, Fencing.
SBN Doug Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Hello, I am looking for a martial art that focuses mainly on the mind-body connection without any religious philosophy. I'd like it to be something I could learn on my own, at least upto a considerable level. Honestly....nothing. First, the mind/body thing is usually pretty tricky to get right even with an instructor. And, there is absolutely NO art that you can teach yourself to a "considerable level". If you just want to try and get the movements down on your own, then you might be able to find some Tai Chi stuff that you could learn the basic movements. However, without someone watching you, correcting body angles that you can't see, arm and hand positions that you might take for granted, you will be missing much of what you asking to gain from it. Kuk Sool Won - 4th danEvil triumphs when good men do nothing.
kolhoz Posted January 28, 2003 Author Posted January 28, 2003 Firstly, I want to thank everyone who replied to my question. I might have misstated my question a bit. I do not mind learning with an instructor. But I do see a problem with selecting one. How do you evaluate their own abilities and their teaching capacity? I did look into Tai Chi and seems like just the kind of art I'd want to get into. I don't like any of the striking arts like boxing etc. If someone could suggest a Tai Chi teacher in Hollywood area with reasonable prices I'd really appreciate it.
KickChick Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 I am no expert but there are three internal martial arts that do in fact that focus mainly on the mind-body connection. Besides looking into the possibility of Tai chi chuan also see if Hsing yi or Pa kua chang may be available in your area. Hsing yi is a fighting strategy that is much more assertive than that of tai chi ... direct in its actions and moves offensively as a form of defense, instantly countering every attack with one of its own, frequently at the same time. The mind and body move as one with a consistent forward momentum, this is where the art gets its name 'mind fist'. Dodging, slipping and side-stepping are also used. The 'mind fist' possesses several kicks, but tends to keep them low and blends them with hand techniques. The basic hsing yi style encompasses the use of straight and circular punches, palm strikes, elbow, shoulder, head butt, kicking both high and low, and throwing and grappling. The movements of pa kua are not as forceful as hsing yi or as soft as tai chi. More defensive than hsing yi, a circular defense is quickly followed by a powerful circular attack with one of its hand, foot or body attacks, or throws. Pa kua strategy is to move to the side or rear of an opponent and attack the aggressor in their most vulnerable position. Throwing maneuvers are used alot, while striking techniques are aimed at vital points. Pa kua has many kick techniques. Occasionally kicks are aimed at the head, usually when the attacker least expects it and with lightning speed. Tai chi has kicks, but tends to use them to support the hands in self-defense applications. At close quarters tai chi commands an extensive array of throwing and grappling techniques.
omnifinite Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Oh, you are looking for something like Tai Chi. My apologies, somehow I assumed you were looking for something more "sporty". I just looked through a great book the other day that I bought but haven't gotten very far into yet. It's called The Power of Internal Martial Arts by Bruce Kumar Frantzis. I think you should try to get your hands on it or something like it. After you read it I think you'll have a better idea of what those three main Chinese internal arts (Tai Chi, Ba Gua, Hsing-I) are about and how they differ. And I also think you'll be able to do a much better job of gauging an instructor's credibility after reading it. I hope to spend a lot of time with Ba Gua later in life. I have a feeling it's going to take a long time to find a truly good instructor anywhere near me and I'd like to be "settled down" first so I don't have to move away a few years after starting up. However if anyone can point me to a real Ba Gua master who somehow ended up setting root in the NoVA/DC area I'd be much obliged . 1st Dan HapkidoColored belts in Kempo and Jujitsu
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