Martial Artists Unite! Options

I'm sure there's a lot of martial artist here, so let's hear your story, background, experiences and whatever you'd like to share about martial art (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

When I first start to practice martial art when I was 14, what motivates me - foolishly enough - is that I'd like to be able to do those fancy moves I've seen in the movies and to kick ass. I thought flexibility was key so I spent my early days stretching left and right up and down until I can finally do a full split left and right, and between chairs, after some persistent pain management for like about year.

Martial art was my passion above most things I enjoyed and when you truly love doing what you do, you become great. I've earnt it.

Back then, I started with Kyokyushinkai Karate for a year basically practicing the basic kata. There were weekly sparrings and meditations and it was a nice introduction to the art for me. Out in the street, I got a chance to practice it with 3 encircling opponents of little rascals about my age trying to bully and beat me up. Well, the good thing is that they all can't land a single punch or kick because my reflexes remembers the kata well. The bad is that I also cannot land anything since the basics I learned had been passive.

When our family moved to the capital, I studied Wing Chun under my uncle on a weekly basis at his home practicing the basics with his Muk Yan Joong (wooden dummy) until he finally introduced me to his sifu and began my study under him along with other private students. There were only about 5 of us and most of them are in their mid 30's and I was only 15 at the time. My sifu was a good teacher regardless how sly, rough and immoral he can be. He was actually a runaway from Hong Kong for some naughty things he did there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) He also tought me other things beside Wing Chun, from Kali (phillipino art of fighting using a pair of sticks), nunchaku, and balisong. Even though later I also studied other arts, Wing Chun concepts, practice and philosophies really was the core of my practice. By then another 3 rascals on the street trying to mug me but this time I strike back without giving them a chance to land anything. They should be sorry picking a wrong victim and become the victim instead. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/922.gif)

I enjoyed studying how my body would move, testing different kinds of strikes, and techniques. Asking myself persistently how I can maximize the efforts to execute it in the fastest, effective and most efficient way - and artfully whenever possible. Back then, I'd spent hours at a time with my punching bag and my muk yan joong honing my speed and techniques. And through time, I began to combine things I've learnt little by little into my own unique fighting style.

Sparring had become a thing that would excite me most, I seek it, I challenge it, I welcome it without much thought. Not that I like "fighting" and hurting my opponent, but it's simply a sport, a game and a learning tool for me. Pain is a tool to move forward and be better next time. In 10 seconds we'd move and attack eact other so fast that about 20 punches and kicks will be thrown at full speed that we should be in one of the Jet Li movie (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Everything in the beginning will be a blur, but with practice, time will somehow slow down and the eyes adjusts itself to see through the actions and this is where training my reflexes pays off. No mind.. the body will move automatically based on my conditionings. Wing Chun was an effective and efficient form of art and moves without any commitment to a specific form. It will greet what arrives, escort what leaves and rush upon loss of contact. The lower animal mind will command where to attack, defend, and strategize accordingly. I only have to maintain my focus towards my goal and let my reflexes takes charge.

Winning or loosing a spar was not really a big deal. It is not how much I've learned, but how much I can absorb from what I've learned that really improves my game in reality. And the chance to experience a great sportsmanship and honorable fighters I come to respect was fun and enjoyable. We'll "beat" each other up black and blue and later we'll discuss about improvements on our flaws over dinner or tea before trying again the next time we meet.

My best sparring partners was from Wushu Sanshou national team including the teachers whom I usually hangout with. My toughest opponent however was a one time South East Asia Asean Games Tae Kwon Do champion. I simply cannot penetrate his defences. He has the most perfect footwork I have a damn hard time to even penetrate. Well, I definitely owned the fist fight and score multiple hits whenever I sacrifice myself to let his kicks in just to get inside his defence for a close combat I specilized in, but that doesn't happen often and I usually back probing his defences while being wasted with his multiple roundhouse kicks I felt difficult to anticipate. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/black eye.gif) What a perfect timing and great defence. He usually manage to caught me when I will be too slow to defend and counter attack. No wonder he's a champion.

Oh, how I missed those days. I haven't been practicing for about 7 years now and definitely rusty!

I don't have a long story like kinj. lol. When I was 14-16 I was a skater, and wanted to increase leg strength, so, my friend taught me how to kickbox. When I stopped skating, spent most of my time at the gym, increased my arm, and chest strength, so I decided I needed to learn a fighting style that incorporated those. Boxing I didn't like, because everyone does it, and I'm not looking for contests, I wanted to learn something that would help me out in a street fight, and most streetfights end up on the ground. So, I taught myself Wrestling, and brazilian ju jitsu. Been doing them for about three years. I have friends who know how to box, and streetfight spar with me so I know what to do in a streetfight. As for martial arts weapons...Again, I went with something I can use in the street, so, I took up the balisong. It's not a gravity knife, and, as long as it's under 4 inches I can carry it around with me.

.::Sempre Bene::..::Chris::.
-Fiat Lux.

Chris, I have a leg training I'd like to share that can strenghten your legs. It will also increase balance, flexibility and somehow also increase kicking speed and accuracy.
After some streching to warm up the mucles, here's how:
1-Stand up straight with your legs close together
2-Bend down both of your legs while keeping the knees close together.
3-Lift one leg up so it will be horizontal to your waist and the weight of the whole body on the bended leg. Keep your raised leg straight and pull in the toes to increase pressures on your extended hamstring ( at this point you may want to spread your hands to maintain balance, or even better, fold your fists next to your waist)
4-Hold it there for at least 5 minutes and simply go meditate with breath control. It's a pain and balance management time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) You can also put weight at the end of your raised leg when you're ready for the next challenge. Remember to keep your body relaxed.

Do equal time with the other leg.

notes: the lower you can bend down the supporting leg, the higher you can raise your hanging leg, the better result you will get. The back line of your back must always be in a vertical line with the back of your heel, maintaining your center line.

5. When you're able to do this for 15 minutes straight after about a few months of practice, with a perfect balance and strength (without shaking your legs because of the tiredness) try this > bend all the way down to the floor putting more weight and pressures to your supporting leg (your raised leg should NOT touch the floor) Your butt should -slightly- rested on your heel and maintain perfect balance with your raised leg straight still hanging horizontal above the ground.
6. Do a leg push-up, up and down in a straight vertical line - slowly- (you'll tend to go fast at first to maintain your balance) in this position while maintaining a perfect balance and flexibility. This will be very hard to do when you're not ready.

Seemed hard isnt it? Well, no pain no gain (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) It will strengthen the hamstrings on your raised leg and also increase it's flexibity. your bended leg will have a stronger stance to support your body while throwing kicks, more stable footworks and manuvering during a spar/fight. When you've done this - consistently, your raised legs should feel a LOT lighter, and you should be able to use your legs as fast and as easy as you can use your hands.

Thanks for the exercise. Lately I have been having problems with my kicks since for the last couple of months my workout routines have been chest, arm, abdominal, and cardio centered (Trying to cut some weight). Besides daily stretching, and my choice of cardio (Stationary bike), my legs haven't gotten much attention as far as training, and working them out goes. I caught a cramp trying the exercise, so that shows how much I've neglected them lately. lol!

.::Sempre Bene::..::Chris::.
-Fiat Lux.

I just found a nice video of One Inch Power Punch here

A short documentary on the One Inch Punch. Interviews with Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun instructors. Discover more on what Bruce Lee demonstrated years ago.

Want to see how fast wing chun punches is?
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A Muay Thai match turns gross:
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cool stuff, I did a acouple years of Aikido, and will get back into it soon, Id also like to take Kendo or Muay Thai Boxing. The founder of Aikido has a cool history, heres a brief bio and some events in his life.

http://www.aikidofaq.com/history/osensei.html

He could also knock down an opponent with the force of his kiai (or chi) Another time when a military firing squad opened fire on him, they could not hit him. He could face armed opponents and dodge every attack, and showed incredible feats of strength and speed.

cool stuff, I did a acouple years of Aikido, and will get back into it soon, Id also like to take Kendo or Muay Thai Boxing. The founder of Aikido has a cool history, heres a brief bio and some events in his life.

http://www.aikidofaq.com/history/osensei.html

He could also knock down an opponent with the force of his kiai (or chi) Another time when a military firing squad opened fire on him, they could not hit him. He could face armed opponents and dodge every attack, and showed incredible feats of strength and speed.

Aikido was my first love. When I was ten or eleven, i wanted to study kung fu, but I was a bit of a violent kid. So, isntead my stepfather enrolled me in Aikido. It didn't take me long to fall in love - although i did study chinese martial arts later on when I was 16. In aikido there is a comparison often made between the martial artist and a spinning top. It's very appropriate.

Most demonstrations, even the one's Ueshiba Sensei, O-sensei's son/heir, are done relatively slow. One of my classmates asked our instructor how fast aikido could be applied, and when the rest of the class wanted to know as well he performed a demonstration of five consecutive throws - all advanced students - that happened in the blink of an eye. He didn't changed position more than a few inches,

One of Aikido's central tenets is to keep 'one point'. I went from clumsy kid, to the balance and grace of a gymnist drilling that tenet into my brain. it helped me a lot when I did eventually start chinese martial arts. I only studied Aikido for three years - however, unlike many othe rmartial arts, part of the ease and natural power of Aikido is that there are really only about fifteen to twenty basic maneuvers that the studnet must master - after those maneuvers can be executed perfectly, the student's own creativity and reflexes are the determining factor of effectiveness between the newest student and O-sensei himself - his words.

I studied northern shao-lin school of martial arts for about three years, when I was sixteen, just before coming to new york. It was nothing special - a classroom behind a strip mall - although I did study with Michael Reed, a former georgia Falcom (football anyone?). I was amused when Kung Fu soccer came out, because he used to have a special shine to the football and soccer players in the classroom, and would always talk about integrating martial arts into sports.

Mostly I studied Lo Han forms, bagua, tai chi - mostly soft stuff, I have never been partial to hard martial arts. We were consulted by the instructors on our own education, and by the second year I was studying with one of the resident masters personally most of the time.

Chinese martial arts are the best for improvisation, I think, but I believe Aikido to the superior art of self-defense. Depends on the practitioner, of course, but i have seen *littl* kids use Aikido techniques to defend against *full* grown men.

And I have seen nothing as amusing since then.

peace

I've done 3 years of Kung Fu (shaolin long fist) and kickboxing. Yea I also picked kung fu because it looked so cool on TV. My favorite part about it all though is when your doing a form and your eyes get all glazed and your really into it. Either that or fighting.

I've been into the martial arts since I was about 13. That wasn't long after Bruce Lee died so that and the TV series Kung Fu and perhaps Billy Jack were some of our main inspirations at the time. I started out in Karate, then when I moved to the big city I had more of a choice in schools. During my 20s I was more or less what I call a 'Kungfu bum' I wandered from school to school and style to style. I was always more attracted to the Chinese styles. I studied the language in uni and moved to China after graduation. I taught ESL for a living and studied with a coupleof teachers. One taught a southern hard style and the other taught a soft style. I was introduced to Qigong which wasn't common in the west at the time. I decided to focus more on the soft styles and when I returned to Canada I found a well known Taiji teacher who taught Taiji as a martial art. I was with him about 15 years. About 6 or 7 years ago I got back into Wing Chun, the southern style I have mentioned, but this teacher taught it much more as a soft style. I was close friends with his senior student. Nowadays I don't study with the teacher, but I practice regularly with two of his other former students.
It sounds like a lot, but I've taken time off from time to time for bad behaviour. It is difficult to sustain regular practice for 30 years or more. Life gets in the way. There are some of the practices that I've never stopped doing, but others required room or a few other people to practice with. Right now we have a core group of four others plus people who show up from time to time or practice with us for awhile then fall away. I took off about 2 years until this last winter. I got fat and out of shape. When I returned to it, my timing was way off, my distancing sucked. My mind knew what to do, but the body didn't quite cooperate. It is improving but you can't regain everything all at once. Another complication is age. I can't get into shape as easily as I used to be able to. I'm not as fast or as strong as I used to be. When you practice, you can't avoid injuries. Somehow, I don't heal as quickly either. Its easier to handle the gray hair and wrinkles than getting slower and weaker. Well, the skills will return even if the looks don't. One of the good things about soft styles is that you don't lose as much as you get older as long as you keep practicing.

Aikido seems the common denominator - it's the art I love.

Started when I was 14 in a local "unofficial" (as in, non-certified) club, when I hit 16 I moved to the dojo at the university three blocks from my parent's place. Had to stop after a year though.

I think the most notable things from memory were from that first club, on a grading sleepover night we had proper combat pillow fights and Turnbull Sensei (from the university club) demonstrating a defense against two opponents simultaneously attacking from opposite directions.
Never take on your sensei when they're dual wielding pillows, or very good at sensing ki... or both.

Because of the shift from one club to another I didn't get to master all the basics as much as I'd have liked, and I never got properly graded, but a lot of my internal ki ability and natural awareness got boosted from it. Aikido is fantastic for that.

Hopefully I'll be able to start training again this semester. I'd really like to study ninjutsu as well, since the two would complement nicely, but it's difficult to find an instructor. The other thing I'm thinking of picking up is kali stick fighting - and probably much more likely in the immediate future than the ninjutsu.

This post has been edited by Zahaqiel: Jul 23 2006, 02:39 AM

Im a Shodan in Aikido(6 years), and a Nidan in Gosoku-ryu style Karate(8 years). They both work very well together, and one of my instructor's is also a former Shaman, present Druid.