Is anyone into any kind of martial art?

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I throw tomahawks. To me it is just something I can do and am good at. Michigan is full of axes and pick-axes too. Is this skill considered a martial art? If not, I have no problem with it, throwing a tomahawks is always a good way to protect yourself. Maybe I should teach people how to throw tomahawks? I just figured out my warehouse idea! Watch The Patriot 'tomahawk scene', it is a tad violent so I won't link it or anything like that cause I don't want to upset hyperlexian. Just search it, oh and on top of that, the scene where the gas mask guy from my bloody valentine throws the pick axe, that is possible too, when thrown like an axe.

What kyu level does purple belt represent in that ryu? It is not unusual for people to take their first test within half a year, but it's just a first step. At my dojo, purple belt (IIrc - it's just a kid's belt, so I'm not sure) is equivalent to 9th kyu (9 steps before shodan). So obtaining 'purple belt' after 4 months of hard training sounds perfectly reasonable.


The difference is not that students don't advance at a similar rate in Japan, it's that they get colorful belts to represent their rank when they advance here in the US. You could just as easily say that Americans want more overt representations of status than Japanese. When my sensei originally returned from Japan, he had all of his students as either white or black belts, but eventually allowed three levels of colored belts (white, blue, and brown) for adults and three more (green, yellow, and purple) for kids. Again, it wasn't representative of any change in actual ranking, just in the overt representation of such. He said that people wanted to be able to display their status.

Eeeyyeahhh, that's totally different. We don't even start training kids before five, so...
I can't imagine that an 8 y.o. black belt (assuming that means shodan) coming out of anything other than a McDojo.


Well, actually, aikidoka don't compete

What kyu level does purple belt represent in that ryu? It is not unusual for people to take their first test within half a year, but it's just a first step. At my dojo, purple belt (IIrc - it's just a kid's belt, so I'm not sure) is equivalent to 9th kyu (9 steps before shodan). So obtaining 'purple belt' after 4 months of hard training sounds perfectly reasonable.


The difference is not that students don't advance at a similar rate in Japan, it's that they get colorful belts to represent their rank when they advance here in the US. You could just as easily say that Americans want more overt representations of status than Japanese. When my sensei originally returned from Japan, he had all of his students as either white or black belts, but eventually allowed three levels of colored belts (white, blue, and brown) for adults and three more (green, yellow, and purple) for kids. Again, it wasn't representative of any change in actual ranking, just in the overt representation of such. He said that people wanted to be able to display their status.

Eeeyyeahhh, that's totally different. We don't even start training kids before five, so...
I can't imagine that an 8 y.o. black belt (assuming that means shodan) coming out of anything other than a McDojo.


Well, actually, aikidoka don't compete

When my leg is healed, I'll be going back to Taekwondo.

The main reason I got into it is because I can't exercise for its own sake, and find that learning a skill helps motivate me. The reason I chose Taekwondo is that it is the only martial art school available in my area.

I'm a pretty low rank, still, having passed only three of the nine exams before black belt in the year I have been active. Partly due to being out due to illness or injury.

I also found taking it is a huge confidence booster and I have been informed I carry myself much better when I'm active in taking the classes.

I'm starting BJJ in a month or two. It should be interesting, since I'm small, uncordinated, and have major sensory issues.

kung fu and tai chi for me

I tried martial arts about 15-20 years ago, thinking I'd be really good at it since I'm Asian (ROFL). Anyway, I SUCKED. I couldn't get my body to do what I thought it should be doing. I could memorize the movements but not get my body coordinated to do them. I was never good at following dance steps, so why should that have been a surprise? Color me clueless...

In my dojo, purple is 2nd kyu. The next step would have been "brown" and then "black". At least I recognized I didn't deserve 2nd kyu! That's why I never returned.

I've been doing Krav Maga for about a month. I get a more rounded workout than what I give myself. I'm more aware of self improvement opportunities (working on fighting stance, kicking and punching tecnique).

I have a hard time kicking hard (even with pads, I don't know if I'll overdo it and cause an injury, plus I don't feel motivated to attack these people). The techniques are hard to incorporate, there are a bunch of steps that you have to execute in a quick fluid-like succession, I keep second guessing myself in the middle of it.

Overall, I paid $200+ for the lessons, so I'm not giving up until the money runs out.

Yeah, 2nd kyu after 4 months is rank inflation. Definitely.

My judo and kickboxing clubs at uni have finished but when I come home from uni I'm gonna look at picking them up with a couple more. Its annoying there isn't much around unless I take the train into London, which I don't particularly fancy doing as I hate London with a passion. More of a rant then anything else haha!

But there's judo, kickboxing, BJJ and Krav Maga near me, so might take up BJJ and Krav Maga aswell. So I'll know 4 martial arts which will be quite sweet .

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my current obsession. I'd really like to try Eskrima though.

I done WC the most, done some BJJ, and other jujitsu derivative.

Clubs to this to make money. We don't even give the first grade for 2 years a year and half if you are lucky. Grades are meaningless without overall ability.

We have no concept of black belt other than if you are an instructor. If all people want to to is get belt/sashes they can move on someone where else an spend their money on worthless certificates.

I enjoy Brazilian jiu jitsu.

It is a good discipline.

People tend to take one style an take it as complete, the reality is they are all disciplines. Just like boxing can be really useful one.

I recommend doing hand to knife training, with liveness, with training knifes. It is a really interesting training experience, an humbling because there are very few certainties . It is difficult, you can't count of coming out unscathed, get stabbed/cut is easy. You will have to break it down to work various aspects, then develop your flow.

Take this with a pinch of salt because you can't learn over the internet. Here is my experience:

Because of the sporadic nature you have to be able to fall back of reactions in the moment, and just deal with the situation based on your ability. If you are doing a textbook type approach it just isn't goign to turn out how you expect.

One thing is hand to knife does change things, even rolling around on the floor, it is really easy for the knife to slip and go in. There are way of controlling on the ground that are more appropriate than others. You don't really want to be doing a lot of moving around where they are facing you or you are underneath, if you can avoid it. You basically want to restrict their movement as much as possible.

Hand to knife changes much of the self defense approach, it is a game changer for sure. You often see historical example where the knife is invited in, and it is conveniently tucked or locked and they are thrown. The reality is you have to get to the point you can control them an the knife, there is first contact which is always risky. Classic mistake is to just fixate on the knife, and not the attacker with the knife, there is also too much focus on disarmament and complex trows and 'committal' techniques. Panicking and having and bend you body out of structure are common mistakes.

As it turn out the majority of approaches we have developed involve get to the point where where we can control and attack and typical getting them between you and the knife (as in holding them with their back to you). We developed modified takedown variations which are more appropriate when you are trying to control the knife an them, without accidentally harming yourself, controlling their other hand side whist keeping your clear (as possible). Call it the "seat belt" or "sash" approach which is based on thing in wing chun and jujitsu. it is pretty flexible from all different seranrios, but not saying it is catch all. The most important thing is even if you pin them to the ground you don't let go of the hand with the knife until you can safely extract, so you are effectively, pinning your own arm in the process, definitely pin their shoulder and middle or ribs right down if you can.

Forget locks, you can waste time and give them an edge trying to be tricksy. There are some some locks that are appropriate at certain times, when you are able to still control their hand, lick the basic wrist lock that buckles the elbow (can be done in various orientations). Though all that figure 4 lock, honestly it can be risky to try get into that position (certainty by the traditional approach). Mostly it is about degrees of freedom rather than locking them out fully. It is not about individual moves.

It doesn't actually matter though. If you are top you can bash the hell of them, grab their balls, etc, and push the knife hand to a position you can claw their fingers open.

Honestly if you do get the knife discard it by quickly skidding it along the ground far, don't even turn to look, and focus on hand to hand let them fixate on the knife. You can use the knife briefly to cause some damage or moreso if you are a good knife fighter. However there are risks, if you can do damage to them they can do damage back, and that can be fatal, or debilitating. Most of the deliberate stabbing an cutting we do in this training is breif, or where we are not able to get the knife and they are still holding it. No it is not like in the movies where they are both struggling to push the knife in. It is more rapid short trust by bending their wrist back on itself (if you know wing chun is is basically based on gaun sau). We tend to target the soft belly or any exposed limbs but whatever is there. It doesn't matter if only the tip is able to go in because you can make it worse by tearing out sideways, just be careful that you do it so it is not goign to go into your body. There is also "the wrap", which is basically wrapping their arm wound you back and shoulders, and turning an lowering your body an lower you head to slip out so it will plunge into to belly like hoop. It looks like throw but actually it is very simple just using your back as a former to bend the arm round.

I'm tempted to describe many more approaches used but there is more than enough here and it is pretty meanness without practical experience.

I think those that are not used to the coordination require to control an attack simultaneously (multiple limbs) will struggle with striking them whilst controlling, it is something only experience can fix. Strikes are pretty useful too, but it has to be fluid. We tend do use a lot elbows from wing chun, and turning knee strikes to the back and side from Muay Thai, and stamping 'kicks' to the back/side of the leg from wing chun. No high kicks, generally kicks are out that is why knees are more appropriate, and also the knees an elbows tell you the sort of distances you are dealing with. Never are you striking without controlling. Then I've heard people argue basically an all out blitz and go do knockout, problem is it might work, but you most likely get torn to streds or at least stabbed badly and then you are so injured, you can't do anything. Remember that strike have to be smart, as striking someone can also move some to a better position, it is not all knockout punches. Strike should be disposable an non-committal.

Generally if you are on the outside, and you can get the point you are controlling the knife hand, if you can bring bring it down to a low position of your waist, where your elbow is bent an 'locked' in this position and forearm fairly horizontal, it is much easier to the restrict their movement and control, than trying to hold on to with your arm is up waving areound with them. We call this iron bar principle, and use this to push into the body, by just moving in, which turns their shoulder an back by simple mechanics, of course you there are other thing you can do, but the point is to do something because it is only transition. Inner gate stuff require experience to secure, but the whole tracking discipline is pretty similar to krav maga I understand. Changing hands is necessary, like it or not, a hand cannot be totally bent up and still work. Doing these transition seamlessly without thinking, is down to experience. There is quite a lot of simultaneous actions that can only be down to experience, it not like teaching a technique where they forget it immediately.

Just like any sparring, peripheral vision is important to track whist focusing on the task, if you are singularly looking this has an physical effect on your structure, an a mental effect on what you can take in. There is also plenty of sight unseen, where you are rely on tactile sensitivity, which should nearly always be the case.