Martial Arts Anyone?

[tyler34]

BJJ for me, trained for years before my knees went(but I will still throw down if needed, with ice for a few days after). other than that if I could I would do muay thai. not so much for the punching and kicking but the kneeing and elbows. elbows are devastating weapons in a hand to hand fight.

[roscott]

Originally Posted by Cygnus

Also an Okinowan art called Ishin Ryu. Combines 2 Japanese styles. They allow groin strikes and limited head contact in sparring(safety equipment on though). Also no kicks above the waist.
After WW2 the marines used this to base hand to hand combat on . Not sure if that holds true today though.

I took Isshinryu for 5 years, I took boxing lessons for a bit, I took Brazilian JuJitsu while in college in Maryland, and I'm currently taking Krav Maga. (I LIKE to fight)

Isshinryu is a very useful basis, but it is not very... ugly.

You really have to decide what you want to do with your combat. If you want to get in shape and get comfortable throwing punches, lots of styles will do.

If your desire is to prepare for the possibility of getting jumped on the street by a few thugs, take Krav Maga.

Krav Maga was developed in Israel as a combination of many styles, with absolutely no rules and no limits. It is very violent and very ugly. Krav Maga always assumes two things: multiple attackers, and weapons. Train for both of these, and if you are attacked by anything less, you will be more than prepared. In my Krav classes, we are required to wear cups and mouthguards, and both definitely get used!

[spasmo]

Two thumbs up for Isshinryu. It's made up of Goju-ryu and Shorin-ryu. Isshinryu is the style I know and hold a blackbelt in. I don't think you have one close to you though.

I notice you said you haven't done this before. I would have said that even if you have done it before that you don't let them know right off that you have done it before. It seems that they may expect more out of you than you remember. And even if you wanted to learn from the beginning, they may throw something out at you that is more advanced for what you want/need.

There's an Adamsons Karate in Zionsville. He actually has a few dojos in the Indy area. I personally do not know him. I do know some of the students.

There's Lebanon Karate lebanonkarate.com
I do know one of the Sensei that is there and probably a few of those students as well.

[aikidoka]

I trained in aikijutsu and would choose that over aikido, but there are a lot of good suggestions in this thread.

[Woodsman]

Originally Posted by aikidoka

I trained in aikijutsu and would choose that over aikido, but there are a lot of good suggestions in this thread.

If I can ask, where did you get that training? I would also agree with your recommendation.

The problem with the modern martial arts is that they have been watered down form their original combat roots. In the "do" styles this is for sport mostly. The "jutsu" styles are more closely aligned with their original roots.

Brazilian style is in my opinion about as close as you get to the truest sense of jiu jutsu (not judo).

Same applies for aikido and aikijutsu. Both similar, but the jutsu variation can be really interesting to learn.

No matter what you learn to do, learn how to stretch properly!

[Scutter01]

Originally Posted by Woodsman

The problem with the modern martial arts is that they have been watered down form their original combat roots. In the "do" styles this is for sport mostly. The "jutsu" styles are more closely aligned with their original roots.

As far as I can tell, the Okinawan styles are still taught in the traditional manner and haven't changed much. The problem is that pretty much all karate-do is an after-school activity now instead of a true self-defense and fighting art. This causes the teaching to be somewhat watered down. However, as I said above, if you can find a good instructor and communicate what you want out of the course, you'll get much better instruction. It also helps if you can trace your instructor's lineage so you don't get some guy that opened a school a week after earning his shodan.

[Woodsman]

My nephew took tae-kwon-do (not sure on spelling and don't care) for many years and got his black belt at about 12! Have to call BS on that.

I also had an instructor who spent years leaning an old form of karate, not the water downed, play with the kiddies stuff. This person was absolutely scary. No sparring with him. He did not play nice.

If someone gets a black belt in under 10 years they did not spend enough training...

[42769vette]

callme crazy but i hate the whole belt system. i was in kung fu for about a year and left because of belts. my instructior wanted me to hurry and test for a higher belt and thats not why i was there. i think people get to focused on belts and forget why they are there. ive taken several forms and most that ive taken everyone wants a black belt. thats why i switched to a mma school there are no belts. i dont know what im the equivlant to in belts in diffrent forms and frankly couldn't care less.

in my kung fu school our sparring was extreamly wattered down. you could only punch/ kick from the lower abs to the center of the chest. everyone there just thought they were the toughest man alive. at the time i was a white belt and talked our 3rd degree brown into a real sparing match in the cage at my mma school. he aggree and was all cocky. i hit him in the mouth and he actually backed up and said "im real sparring you cant hit to the head". i infomred him this wasn't kung fu and there is only one way to train for getting punched in the face and that was to take some punches and learn there is no "time out he fouled me". needless to say he was pissed that he had gotten whipped by a white belt and submitted countless times, but i will give him credit because the next time in kung fu that the whole "kung fu rules all martial arts" argument cane up (it was usually me against the whole class) he did stand up and say there is alot more to fighting than kung fu teaches.

[aikidoka]

Originally Posted by Woodsman

If I can ask, where did you get that training? I would also agree with your recommendation.

The problem with the modern martial arts is that they have been watered down form their original combat roots. In the "do" styles this is for sport mostly. The "jutsu" styles are more closely aligned with their original roots.

Brazilian style is in my opinion about as close as you get to the truest sense of jiu jutsu (not judo).

Same applies for aikido and aikijutsu. Both similar, but the jutsu variation can be really interesting to learn.

No matter what you learn to do, learn how to stretch properly!

Most of my training was in Hammond but then my sensei moved to another state so that dojo closed. I continued briefly in Joliet but had to stop about six years ago due to finances. Unfortunately being laid off has only made that worse and I would l need to get some workout injuries corrected before training again. I can't really do the rolls and break falls very well with my lower back problems.

Yes stretching and warming up are important! I would recommend also studying body mechanics and proper alignment. A large majority of people have their hips tilted down in the front creating excessive curvature in the lower back leading to back pain and injury. Balance in strength and flexibility between the muscle groups is important.

[Woodsman]

Originally Posted by aikidoka

Most of my training was in Hammond but then my sensei moved to another state so that dojo closed. I continued briefly in Joliet but had to stop about six years ago due to finances. Unfortunately being laid off has only made that worse and I would l need to get some workout injuries corrected before training again. I can't really do the rolls and break falls very well with my lower back problems.

Yes stretching and warming up are important! I would recommend also studying body mechanics and proper alignment. A large majority of people have their hips tilted down in the front creating excessive curvature in the lower back leading to back pain and injury. Balance in strength and flexibility between the muscle groups is important.

OK, thanks. I was curious about this. You used to hardly ever see anyone teaching aikijutsu and now I see it being mentioned more and more often. Thumbs up on the other comments.