# Advice to Balanced Training



## That-a-Way (Feb 12, 2017)

So I´ve recently realised I am with a lot of free time in my life, and I wanted to invest it in martial arts. I´ve been investigating a little, and I want to train in a lot of them simultaneously. Not in an intensive manner, but rather relaxed and slowly. I´ve been practicing Wing Chun for a while, and it doesn´t seem as effective like other arts or fighting styles. At least when you are a begginer like me.

After my research I´ve thought about this (excuse my poor descriptions of the arts, I hope no one gets offended):

-Muay Thai: For punches and elbows.

-Aikdio: for grabs and locks, etc (maybe Jiujitsu too, or Judo, but I hear they are quite similar).

-Taekwondo: Kicks of course.

-The basics of Ninjutsu and Krav Maga.

Now the question is, should I just focus on more extensive martial arts (Luke KungFu, MMA, Karate, JKD, this one being my favourite) or should I try to learn a bit of the ones I mentioned before?

I would really appreciate your help, I´m a bit lost here. I´m sorry again if I offended someone, and please let me know if I did! Thanks in advance!


----------



## kuniggety (Feb 12, 2017)

That's a lot of arts. I'm no WC expert but my understanding is that it is a close quarters striking system. If you'd like to complement it with something longer range and harder striking, then either TKD or MT will fit the bill. I think it would serve you best to do one or the other. The same goes for aikido, Judo, and jiu-jitsu. Judo and jiu-jitsu are sibling/cousin arts with some of the concepts carrying over into aikido. Pick one to get your foundation in. I think you've got to narrow down what your goals are in martial arts. From there is where you can both what fits the bill and has quality instruction near you.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 12, 2017)

kuniggety said:


> That's a lot of arts. I'm no WC expert but my understanding is that it is a close quarters striking system. If you'd like to complement it with something longer range and harder striking, then either TKD or MT will fit the bill. I think it would serve you best to do one or the other. The same goes for aikido, Judo, and jiu-jitsu. Judo and jiu-jitsu are sibling/cousin arts with some of the concepts carrying over into aikido. Pick one to get your foundation in. I think you've got to narrow down what your goals are in martial arts. *From there is where you can both what fits the bill and has quality instruction near you.*



Thanks for the response!

That is truly accurate. Still I am willing to make an etra effort if necessary. Now you are saying that TKD and MT are similar? Isn´t TKD more kick focused and Muay more of a general thing (you know punches, kicks, knees, elbows). Still I see why they could be interchangeable.

I agree I should pick one from Aikido, JJ and Judo. I will decide later. At least that part is settled. What do you think of MMA and JKD? Would it be better just to get into something like that? Or do something like MT/TKD+JJ/Aikido/Judo?


----------



## kuniggety (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> . Now you are saying that TKD and MT are similar? Isn´t TKD more kick focused and Muay more of a general thing (you know punches, kicks, knees, elbows). Still I see why they could be interchangeable.


 Only similar in regards that they both will be teaching you kicking/striking outside of the centerline concept of WC. They are very different.



> I agree I should pick one from Aikido, JJ and Judo. I will decide later. At least that part is settled. What do you think of MMA and JKD? Would it be better just to get into something like that? Or do something like MT/TKD+JJ/Aikido/Judo?



I'm a BJJ guy so my opinion is probably distorted.

Take it what you will but I think many would agree that, if you're going to cross-train, then stick to two separate arts (i.e. One striking and one grappling) and get a good foundation in them (i.e. A few years of study) before branching out. I know it sounds kind of exciting to study a bunch of things but it takes folks several years of dedicated study of a single art to really be adept at it and then years more to master it. It'd be like going to college and deciding to major in 6 different things. You're in an engineering class trying to remember how to break down a mathematical formula that you took in a class four years ago because you were taking philosophy and language and fine arts classes in between too.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> I´ve been practicing Wing Chun for a while, and it doesn´t seem as effective like other arts or fighting styles


This is just an general truth about Kung Fu.  It's not the easiest thing to learn how to fight with but it's not impossible.  Much of what you see from other fighting systems are basics (with the exception of BJJ), but everything else in competitive martial arts is just the basics.  The difference between you and them is that they learned how to be really good with the basics.  If you want to be able to use more of the flashy stuff then you'll need to spar a lot and trust in the technique.  You'll fail a lot before you get it right.


That-a-Way said:


> Now the question is, should I just focus on more extensive martial arts (Luke KungFu, MMA, Karate, JKD, this one being my favourite) or should I try to learn a bit of the ones I mentioned before?


 If you want to learn how to fight using a system then focus on one system at a time.  By this I mean learn to fight fairly decent in one system before adding another system to the mix.  The reason I say this is because the things that you learn in one system will help you better understand another system. The only exception of this would be if you are training a system that only does striking and a system that only does grappling.  In situations like this one system is filling in the gaps of another system.  If you were taking something like Kung Fu then it's better to learn the striking and grappling found within kung fu before trying to learn something else.  Learning to fighting using karate and kung fu is a challenge within itself.  You really have to trust the techniques in the systems to prevent your fighting from looking like basic kickboxing.  However, once you learn to actually fight using the advanced techniques in the system then you'll enjoy it and may not even want to train another system.  You may just want more of the system that you already train.

To give you an idea of the challenge.  People who take karate or kung fu can only fight with less than 5% of what they actually know.  This is the norm.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 13, 2017)

kuniggety said:


> Pick one to get your foundation in.


Totally agree with this.


That-a-Way said:


> Now you are saying that TKD and MT are similar? Isn´t TKD more kick focused and Muay more of a general thing (you know punches, kicks, knees, elbows). Still I see why they could be interchangeable.


Even within these systems there are differences. For example, Sports TKD is not the same as self-defense TKD  and it's the same with Muay Thai.  Sports Muay Thai is not the same as self defense Muay Thai.

So when you are taking a martial, you should be very specific about what focus that martial art system has.

Here are the self-defense focused versions
This is TKD with a self-defense focus.  Notice the grappling in it.





This is Muay thai with a self-defense focus. Notice he's doing forms and stuff you don't see in Muay Thai fights


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

Thanks for the responses!

I do know that it is extremely hard and possibly counterproductive to do 2 arts at the same time that focuses on the same. It was a misjudgment on my part to say that TKD was all about kicking, so probably mixing it with MT or Karate is a stupid idea. By the I´m sure as hell missing some of the most important Arts similar to this. Could you name some if you can think of them?

I´m really not a fan of the flashy stuff. My goal is not to look good, jsut to lear self defense and be effective with it.

Those videos... Very interesting indeed. That TKD mostly, extremely interesting. Seems like all Arts have some grappling in there, hidden somewhere, huh? That is very useful.

By the way, JKD seems very similar to Wing. Is there any grappling there?



JowGaWolf said:


> Much of what you see from other fighting systems are basics (with the exception of BJJ), but everything else in competitive martial arts is just the basics.



What did you mean by this?


----------



## WaterGal (Feb 13, 2017)

Just pick something convenient to you and go try it.  Once you get comfortable with it and are used to having it as part of your schedule, _then _see if you have time/energy/money to pick up a second art. Don't try to do everything all at once - you'll burn yourself out, and you probably won't make much progress on anything.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

WaterGal said:


> Just pick something convenient to you and go try it.  Once you get comfortable with it and are used to having it as part of your schedule, _then _see if you have time/energy/money to pick up a second art. Don't try to do everything all at once - you'll burn yourself out, and you probably won't make much progress on anything.



Thanks for the response!

Yeah good idea. What should I try? TKD, MT, Karate, KungFu, _please insert recommendation/s here_? I´m not trying to get you to tell me which one to do, I jsut want to know what options are out there and research them a little bit before starting! Thanks!


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> I´m really not a fan of the flashy stuff. My goal is not to look good, jsut to lear self defense and be effective with it.


Martial arts for self defense is not flashy by nature.  It's very practical and very ugly in comparison to the flashy martial arts that are done for demos. Martial arts with a self defense focuse looks like a fight and not like what we see in the movies.

JKD has grappling.  All Kung fu systems has a grappling component, the problem is finding a teacher within the same system that knows it.  The good news is that  the kung grappling component is Chin Na and Shuai Jiao. And you can easily find someone that specializes in these areas.  It's just difficult to find someone that knows both JKD and the grappling components 




That-a-Way said:


> What did you mean by this?


  What I mean by basics is that compared to the techniques that are done in martial arts forms, the MMA guys use the basics.  Low leg kick, side kicks, kicks to the head, front kick, jabs, hooks, looping hooks, upper cuts knees, pound and ground are all basic techniques.
For example: advance karate techniques





Mostly basic strikes and kicks it's the same if you look at mma videos.  You'll understand more when you start training.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Thanks for the response!
> 
> Yeah good idea. What should I try? TKD, MT, Karate, KungFu, _please insert recommendation/s here_? I´m not trying to get you to tell me which one to do, I jsut want to know what options are out there and research them a little bit before starting! Thanks!


If you have a Jow Ga school near by then I would say go train there but most likely that won't be an option.  That are Choy Li Fut.   The only reason is because they have both long range and short range techniques and grappling. Most of these schools actually train to use the techniques in fighting.  It'll give you a good foundation in which you can use in other martial systems. For example, with Jow Ga, we have similar techniques that are found in TKD and Karate systems.  We have some short range techniques that are similar to what is in Wing Chun.  We have knees and elbow strikes that's similar to muay thai.     In general traditional kung fu (not wushu) will have  3 or 4 techniques that are in other systems.  Branching out from kung fu is more like specialization.  Even if you took kung fu for a year, it would give you a deeper understanding for some of the techniques found in other systems.  From there you can branch out in MT, Karate, TKD, etc. and be familiar with some of the techniques, even though you didn't study it.   There may be variation of how to do the technique, but once you see it, you'll say "that looks like what we did in kung fu." 

Kung Fu is risky because there are a lot of schools out there that teach forms competition kung fu and those type of schools are useless to what you have interest in.  It's really difficult to find a good kung fu school.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

So you say that Kung Fu is like the basics of all striking systems? Is Kung Fu good alone? Is there any practical difference between them? I mean I know MT, TKD or Karate are not the same, but in real life, would it make any difference which one you´ve studied? Is there any good source where I can learn the difference between most common arts? You know like books or good blogs? My main problem is that I don´t know what´s out there. For example I didn´t even know there was something called "Jow Ga". If you could direct me to something of that sort I´d be very grateful.Thanks!



JowGaWolf said:


> What I mean by basics is that compared to the techniques that are done in martial arts forms, the MMA guys use the basics.  Low leg kick, side kicks, kicks to the head, front kick, jabs, hooks, looping hooks, upper cuts knees, pound and ground are all basic techniques.



When I asked you what you meant I was thinking of why you exclude BJJ from that category. You said "except from BJJ". Is there anything that makes BJJ so special? I´ve heard everyone in MMA knows at least something about it, like it´s a "must have" skill. Is it really that good?


----------



## marques (Feb 13, 2017)

I think you should choose one favourite and complement with whatever you want at a given moment, or to choose a good combination of two and focus on that.

If you try to grasp everything at once, it will just be frustrating. And quite use useless for a few decades. Then you may become a martial arts master, but you did nothing else than training MA...

PS: Research what is available to you and visit the school. The instructor, the group or the way they train may be more relevant than the name of the style.


----------



## kuniggety (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> When I asked you what you meant I was thinking of why you exclude BJJ from that category. You said "except from BJJ". Is there anything that makes BJJ so special? I´ve heard everyone in MMA knows at least something about it, like it´s a "must have" skill. Is it really that good?



I won't speak for JowGaWolf, but can attack your last point. People should have a solution for the grappling range portion of the fight... from contact and to the ground. Catch wrestling, judo, shuai jiao, BJJ, sambo, etc can all fill that niche. BJJ was just popularized because of its early success in the UFC. They've since had folks with catch wrestling and others have great success. BJJ has uniquely specialized itself to answer the question, "what if I'm underneath my opponent?". A series of "guards" have been fleshed out to defend, control, sweep, and our submit an opponent from that bottom position.


----------



## WaterGal (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Thanks for the response!
> 
> Yeah good idea. What should I try? TKD, MT, Karate, KungFu, _please insert recommendation/s here_? I´m not trying to get you to tell me which one to do, I jsut want to know what options are out there and research them a little bit before starting! Thanks!



My recommendation is, first, to Google "martial arts school [your town name]", and see what schools are near you and what they teach.  Unless you're willing to move somewhere else to train in martial arts, those are the options that are out there for you. 

Once you know what's available to you, _then _you can start your research.  If you find a few places near you that look promising, maybe you can post some links to their website on this thread and we can look at them for you give you some thoughts.

However, another thing to keep in mind is that there's a great deal of variation from school to school _within _a style, as well as between styles.  Different schools will use different teaching methods, focus on different aspects of the art, focus more or less on physical exercise, some will have you start sparring on your first day and others will make you wait for a year to spar, etc etc.  Some teachers are great and some are terrible.  None of those things have to do with the style - they have to do with the instructor(s) at the school.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

So guys, I´ve been poking around Google Maps for a while and I found a couple of schools here. I have no idea how good they are (The sites are in spanish, sorry about that, hopefully the translator does a good job):

- International WingTsun Organization Association. (Wing academy)

- Japan Karate Association :: JKA :: Welcome to the World Headquarters of Karate (Karate)

- Evolution Academy | Facebook (MMA, JiuJitsu, Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Box -sorry about the Facebook page, they don´t seem to have any other website)

- http://www.miyazatodojo.com/concepts (Seems to be Karate)

- http://circuloaikikai.com/circulo-aikikai/ (Aikido)

- https://pakuacordoba.wordpress.com/ (Something called Pa Kua? I really don´t know what that is)

What do you guys think of learning online? With a couple of partners to train and spar with? I know it´s not optimal but in case I can´t find any good schools. Thanks!


----------



## marques (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> - Pa Kua (Something called Pa Kua? I really don´t know what that is)
> 
> What do you guys think of learning online? With a couple of partners to train and spar with? I know it´s not optimal but in case I can´t find any good schools. Thanks!



Pa Kua is NOT Bagua Zhang, the Chinese style, but the pronunciation is similar, if nothing else. And I do not have a good feeling about that... I will not discuss it further because I only had a short contact with one school. Their main website: Pakua Home | International League | Pa-kua Disciplinas

Training by yourself with a few partners? Yes, it is great as a _complement_. But find a school first. Only 'online' training is the last thing to think about. Furthermore, I will be surprised if a group like that lasts longer...


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

marques said:


> Pa Kua is NOT Bagua Zhang, the Chinese style, but the pronunciation is similar, if nothing else. And I do not have a good feeling about that... I will not discuss it further because I only had a short contact with one school. Their main website: Pakua Home | International League | Pa-kua Disciplinas



The video looks pretty good. The school seems quite similar, since they have archery, Yoga, Relexology. It seems it´s all part of the lifestyle. Will look into it but I´ll probably end up doing something like Wing or Karate.



marques said:


> Training by yourself with a few partners? Yes, it is great as a _complement_. But find a school first. Only 'online' training is the last thing to think about. Furthermore, I will be surprised if a group like that lasts longer...



True. It´s probably hard to put toghether and easy to sepparate. Seems like a last resort.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 13, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Thanks for the response!
> 
> That is truly accurate. Still I am willing to make an etra effort if necessary. Now you are saying that TKD and MT are similar? Isn´t TKD more kick focused and Muay more of a general thing (you know punches, kicks, knees, elbows). Still I see why they could be interchangeable.
> 
> I agree I should pick one from Aikido, JJ and Judo. I will decide later. At least that part is settled. What do you think of MMA and JKD? Would it be better just to get into something like that? Or do something like MT/TKD+JJ/Aikido/Judo?



What exactly is the end result you want to have?

I do MMA.
MMA is good because it is pretty obvious who the good martial artists are. They are the ones winning competitions. It is also a very inclusive martial art in that you will tend to get exposure from a lot of different systems. And be able to hang with those systems in some manner.

So you do MMA you will find yourself doing BJJ comps or boxing kickboxing. We just had a guy fly to india to compete in Kudo.

People from other styles tend to drop in more and there is a bit of martial arts tourist culture. So wherever you are you can drop in to a MMA gym or BJJ,boxing,wrestling, muay thai, whatever and play around without it being weird.

BJJ is similar in that respect.

So for example you could be this guy just globe trotting the world doing seminars.

Fat Jesus - Chad Wright BJJ - Follow Fat Jesus - Chad Wright BJJ

There is just all this room for expansion and exploration. Which is kind of cool.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 13, 2017)

drop bear said:


> What exactly is the end result you want to have?



Well basically I want to have a good variety of skills, in case someday I find myself on the floor with a dude on top and I don´t know what the hell to do. Or not to be defensless in a striking match.

Basically be a good overall fighter (I´m not saying becoming Bruce Lee and Ice-T all toghether, but to be decent with every figting style, maybe even with weapons someday!). I just dislike being defensless.

I´ve been investigating and found a good Ninjutsu academy with a reasonable price, and Ninjutsu seems very interesting, with the addition of "Who doesn´t like being like a Ninja?" kind of interesting. What do you think about Ninjutsu?


----------



## drop bear (Feb 14, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> kind of interesting. What do you think about Ninjutsu?



I don't like it.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 14, 2017)

Ninjutsu. talk about mission impossible for finding a good Ninjutsu school. Out of all of the martial arts systems out there, this is one of them where you'll find some strange people. Hollywood definitely did a number on this martial art system.


----------



## marques (Feb 14, 2017)

JowGaWolf said:


> Ninjutsu. talk about mission impossible for finding a good Ninjutsu school. Out of all of the martial arts systems out there, this is one of them where you'll find some strange people. Hollywood definitely did a number on this martial art system.


It may be more true for Ninjutsu. But I had troubles finding a good school in many places. And I have found strange people everywhere. And videos at this level... we can also find for every filmed martial art... 

If we treat like this every training possibility for the OP, he will end up more confused than before arriving here...

PS: Yes, I started first with Pa Kua, now Ninjutsu...


----------



## drop bear (Feb 14, 2017)

marques said:


> It may be more true for Ninjutsu. But I had troubles finding a good school in many places. And I have found strange people everywhere. And videos at this level... we can also find for every filmed martial art...
> 
> If we treat like this every training possibility for the OP, he will end up more confused than before arriving here...
> 
> PS: Yes, I started first with Pa Kua, now Ninjutsu...



I think insulation is an issue. Not Ninjitsu but for a general look out.

 So If the instructor insulates himself from his students. Doesnt spar has secret techniques that you will learn later.

If the top students insulate themselves from lower ranks.

And If the school insulates itself from the rest of the world. Doesn't compete. Doesnt allow students to cross train. Doesnt have any connection with other schools or systems.

so lets use BJJ as an example.





The test here is how good the guy rolls. And people will come out of the woodwork to roll with you. The black belts are not protected by this insulation.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 14, 2017)

JowGaWolf said:


> Hollywood definitely did a number on this martial art system.



LOL. That´s probably true. Can´t even imagine the degree of weirdos you can find studying that. Believing they are real life ninjas and crap like that

I´ll probably just stick to Wing. It´s the one that gets my attention the most. Or maybe Karate. Seems to be the most common around here, which would make it really easy to find a good school, unless they are all ****, and I hope that´s not the case. Maybe later, when I´m good at it I´ll do Judo, Aikido or Jujutsu.

Although it´s always the doubt of making some of the most effective arts, like MT or Krav Maga. Even if they don´t look too cool, they seem far more effective in real life.



drop bear said:


>



I´ve been looking at videos like that for like half an hour. Those guys get really pissed! I guess I´d be too. Fun to watch though


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 14, 2017)

marques said:


> It may be more true for Ninjutsu. But I had troubles finding a good school in many places. And I have found strange people everywhere. And videos at this level... we can also find for every filmed martial art...
> 
> If we treat like this every training possibility for the OP, he will end up more confused than before arriving here...
> 
> PS: Yes, I started first with Pa Kua, now Ninjutsu...


I don't think it will confuse him.  I think it's helpful for him to see things like that especially if he doesn't know what a horse stance is.  So the next time someone tries the same demo of a horse stance then he will at least see the act as a "red flag" regardless of what system he tries.

He he already knows what a horse stance is and how it really works then the video won't make a difference.  When people pick bad schools it's usually because they do not have the knowledge to spot the red flags.  Many of us can spot the red flags because we train at good schools and are very familiar with techniques that are found across multiple systems.  However, if you don't have similar knowledge then things like what is in that video starts to look legit.


----------



## KenpoMaster805 (Feb 14, 2017)

Ya just choose one of your favorite the one your confortable with


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 14, 2017)

JowGaWolf said:


> I don't think it will confuse him.  I think it's helpful for him to see things like that especially if he doesn't know what a horse stance is.  So the next time someone tries the same demo of a horse stance then he will at least see the act as a "red flag" regardless of what system he tries.
> 
> He he already knows what a horse stance is and how it really works then the video won't make a difference.  When people pick bad schools it's usually because they do not have the knowledge to spot the red flags.  Many of us can spot the red flags because we train at good schools and are very familiar with techniques that are found across multiple systems.  However, if you don't have similar knowledge then things like what is in that video starts to look legit.



Yes I agree. I didn´t even realise the horse video was crap. I mean the parts where he pushes the guys and can´t move them is obviusly stupid, but the rest actually seemed legit!


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 14, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Yes I agree. I didn´t even realise the horse video was crap. I mean the parts where he pushes the guys and can´t move them is obviusly stupid, but the rest actually seemed legit!


when doing a horse stance you don't want your knees to go beyond your toes.  The guy on the left broke that rule which is why he hops forward when he is grabbed.. The double arm punch to break the grip, put the guy in the blue pants, in more danger than he originally was in.  Someone wrapping their arms around your torso like that is not a good thing at all Collegiate Wrestlers will body slam you all day with stuff like that, especially if you are trying to maintain a horse stance.

The very first clip in this video does exactly what Franks says do at the  2:20 mark.   In the video the UFC fighter stands up at mark  0:13  with his legs in a horse stance position he throws an elbow to the guy behind him.  As his body turns so does his opponent, the elbow misses. The grappler removes his root and slams him on the ground. 






This is the explanation that you'll get from most martial arts teacher regardless of the fighting system.





My first sifu used to make his students do a horse stance and he would push us from all angels and not just the side.  The pushes weren't big pushes but if you had bad structure the push would either push you off balance or it will cause your torso to bend. The purpose of the pushes were to help the student understand where his or her structure was bad or weak.  It was never about how low are how long we could stand in a horse stance.  The reality of fighting is that you'll move in and out of a horse stance multiple times.  The only time you'll go static with it is when engaged in grappling, but even then it's not something that you try to sit in forever.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 14, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> LOL. That´s probably true. Can´t even imagine the degree of weirdos you can find studying that. Believing they are real life ninjas and crap like that
> 
> I´ll probably just stick to Wing. It´s the one that gets my attention the most. Or maybe Karate. Seems to be the most common around here, which would make it really easy to find a good school, unless they are all ****, and I hope that´s not the case. Maybe later, when I´m good at it I´ll do Judo, Aikido or Jujutsu.
> 
> ...



They have come in to our gym from time to time because our instructor was a purple belt.  And even that is still pretty shiny. But he was taught by a top sub wrestler rather than a jitster. 

So then they get mangled. And refuse to tap to a purple and get hurt.  And walk away all sad. 

 that method of testing a school exists for two reasons to see where they are at and to see where you are at. 

New guy at a gym who is ranked will always spar.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 14, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Although it´s always the doubt of making some of the most effective arts, like MT or Krav Maga. Even if they don´t look too cool, they seem far more effective in real life.



Ok.  There is a simple way of finding this out.  See if it works in class.  You try your method the other guy tries to stop you. 

The person with the better method wins. 

I mean it can get more complicated. But that is the core you build off.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 14, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Yes I agree. I didn´t even realise the horse video was crap. I mean the parts where he pushes the guys and can´t move them is obviusly stupid, but the rest actually seemed legit!



Any stance a person takes can be countered.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 14, 2017)

All right I think I made up my mind. Will follow Karate or Wing, and if my sifu makes something suspicious I´ll let you guys know! 

Thanks for all the assistance guys! It´s been a real learning experience!


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 15, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> All right I think I made up my mind. Will follow Karate or Wing, and if my sifu makes something suspicious I´ll let you guys know!
> 
> Thanks for all the assistance guys! It´s been a real learning experience!


Let your teachers know what you want to get out of your training so that they can make sure that your training matches your goal. To give you an example,  I teach Jow Ga Kung Fu but I don't teach everyone how to fight using Jow Ga Kung Fu.  Not every student wants to be able to fight using Jow Ga Kung Fu, but for those who do, I make sure that their training will help them accomplish that goal.    Teachers aren't mind readers, so be clear on your goals.


----------



## crazydiamond (Feb 15, 2017)

I study JKD (concepts) and I have learned a bit of many things - WC, MT, Boxing, BJJ/Grappling, Weapons, Silat, Kali, and more.  Its a bit overwhelming actually learning bits from different arts, but also fun and helpful. We have many lessons on how to fight against other systems and methods.

Lately I have been focusing a bit more on traditional JKD. 

I will admit the grappling parts are lite in JKD. We don't believe in staying on the ground very long.


----------



## JR 137 (Feb 15, 2017)

Visit as many schools as you reasonably can.  The teacher, how he/she teaches, and who you're training alongside are far more important than the style.

If you see anything resembling this, watch a few classes purely for entertainment value.  Just don't let them see you laughing...


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 15, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Visit as many schools as you reasonably can.  The teacher, how he/she teaches, and who you're training alongside are far more important than the style.
> 
> If you see anything resembling this, watch a few classes purely for entertainment value.  Just don't let them see you laughing...


GIGGLES. I like how martial artists do a 7 hit combo after a successful palm strike to the chin strike


----------



## KangTsai (Feb 16, 2017)

Christ, you can afford all that?

And yes, I am offended, yet forgiving of this easily fixable misconception of those arts. All I can leave is that cross training in all of those is pretty unnecessary if you ask me. You're learning muay Thai for just the elbows and punches, while implying you don't know about the leg-breaking arsenal of kicks, gut-busting, skull rattling range of knees and vicious clinches with their associated sweeps? Yeezus, half an hour of youtube videos would suffice.


----------



## KangTsai (Feb 16, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> I´ve been investigating and found a good Ninjutsu academy with a reasonable price, and Ninjutsu seems very interesting, with the addition of "Who doesn´t like being like a Ninja?" kind of interesting. What do you think about Ninjutsu?



The actual fighting part of ninjitsu is very little. It's mostly about infiltration, exfiltration, espionage and assasination in a medieval Japanese setting. Being vegan is technically a part of ninjitsu c:


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 16, 2017)

JR 137 said:


>



That´s about the dumbest thing I´ve seen in YouTube. Some teachers make you believe time stops after you block or land a punch. It´s so f****** dumb!



KangTsai said:


> implying you don't know about the leg-breaking arsenal of kicks, gut-busting, skull rattling range of knees and vicious clinches with their associated sweeps?



Never implied that I didn´t know that, only that I consider TKD to have a far more effective use of legs than MT. Maybe not knee strikes though, but definitely kicks. I could be wrong, but I would be surprised. But as I said, I am sorry for the offense. It´s ignorance, not bad intentions.


----------



## WaterGal (Feb 16, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> Never implied that I didn´t know that, only that I consider TKD to have a far more effective use of legs than MT. Maybe not knee strikes though, but definitely kicks. I could be wrong, but I would be surprised. But as I said, I am sorry for the offense. It´s ignorance, not bad intentions.



TKD has great kicks, but many TKD schools don't do a lot of sparring or practice with pads/heavy bags, which limits their effectiveness. My perception is that Muay Thai has less of that phenomenon, at least at this point in time.  Maybe when kid-oriented MMA schools are on every street corner, then MT will be the same way.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 16, 2017)

crazydiamond said:


> I study JKD (concepts) and I have learned a bit of many things - WC, MT, Boxing, BJJ/Grappling, Weapons, Silat, Kali, and more.  Its a bit overwhelming actually learning bits from different arts, but also fun and helpful. We have many lessons on how to fight against other systems and methods.
> 
> Lately I have been focusing a bit more on traditional JKD.
> 
> I will admit the grappling parts are lite in JKD. We don't believe in staying on the ground very long.



I actually skipped your comment and didn't realise what you said about JKD. Good information actually. That's exactly what I want! I'll look into it ASAP. What do you mean by concepts?


----------



## crazydiamond (Feb 17, 2017)

That-a-Way said:


> I actually skipped your comment and didn't realise what you said about JKD. Good information actually. That's exactly what I want! I'll look into it ASAP. What do you mean by concepts?



There are two branches of JKD - the original system as Bruce Lee taught it at the time of his death. JKD was kind of a Mixed Martial Arts concept. Then there is JKD concepts - where one of his main students, Guru Dan Inosanto continued to take what he believed were the concepts Bruce Lee embodied (studying other martial arts to see what worked) continuing to expand it with other martial arts primarily Filipino and Indonesian Martial arts (Kali),  Some of Guru Dan's lineage schools keep the Kali and JKD as separate classes. I have recently moved from a blended JKD/Kali class to what would be considered more traditional JKD (although still not original JKD). Its a bit complicated but I like that I have gotten to practice what I would consider mixed martial arts for the street.


----------



## That-a-Way (Feb 18, 2017)

crazydiamond said:


> There are two branches of JKD - the original system as Bruce Lee taught it at the time of his death. JKD was kind of a Mixed Martial Arts concept. Then there is JKD concepts - where one of his main students, Guru Dan Inosanto continued to take what he believed were the concepts Bruce Lee embodied (studying other martial arts to see what worked) continuing to expand it with other martial arts primarily Filipino and Indonesian Martial arts (Kali),  Some of Guru Dan's lineage schools keep the Kali and JKD as separate classes. I have recently moved from a blended JKD/Kali class to what would be considered more traditional JKD (although still not original JKD). Its a bit complicated but I like that I have gotten to practice what I would consider mixed martial arts for the street.



Yes that definitely interests me. The reason I dislike MMA, is because competitive fights are always in the ground. I can't stand those kinds of fights. Seems that JKD is the thing for me, although it seems to have a steep learning curve, and hard to find good schools, if any at all. I'll guess I'll have to look around a bit.


----------

