# What style is good for what



## MartialFighter (Jun 23, 2005)

Hey everyone,
I am curious as to what the different martial arts styles are known for. For instance JKD is known for its simplicity, more street like fighting, Bruce Lee, etc. And Thai Boxing is known for its elbow and knee attacks. And TKD is known for its high kicks. What else is there?


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## MJS (Jun 23, 2005)

MartialFighter said:
			
		

> Hey everyone,
> I am curious as to what the different martial arts styles are known for. For instance JKD is known for its simplicity, more street like fighting, Bruce Lee, etc. And Thai Boxing is known for its elbow and knee attacks. And TKD is known for its high kicks. What else is there?



Many arts out there all incorporate the same aspects.  For example, there are elbow and knee attacks in Kenpo as well as the Thai boxing you mentioned.  Aikido, Hapkido, and the various JJ arts focus on locks, throws, etc.  Some arts are going to specialize in one area more than others though.

Mike


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## Shane Smith (Jun 23, 2005)

The WMA Sword Arts rely heavily on blade displacements and single-time counter attacks in the moment if your initial attack fails or is countered or if your opponent seizes the intiative ahead of you. It's very effective and elegant when done in a historically-accurate manner.


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## arnisador (Jun 23, 2005)

By blade displacements, do you mean knocking your opponent's blade a little out of the way so you can get your shot in?


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## Shane Smith (Jun 24, 2005)

Generally, yes.In the German tradition of the longsword, every displacement should ideally both take an opponents blade off-line while clearing a path for yours to strike home. Imagine if I strike a diagonal downward cut to your shoulder and you counter in the moment by cutting vertically at my head or hands with either edge of your blade.Due to the geometry involved, your blades strong will engage mine on the weak just enough to displace me to the side(and thus off-line) and bind me slightly and your own blade will countinue on to strike either my head or my hands depending on range. Even then, there are alot of actions such as twitching to cut from the bind and the like to include considerable grappling when close. The rules aren't hard and fast, but the simultaneous counter is preffered for the most part. The Italian tradition is a bit more focused on achieving a bind (crossed swords)and working from there.

 The below image is from the 15th century German work "Gladiatoria";

_>>>MODERATOR NOTE: IMAGE REMOVED TO COMPLY WITH MT IMAGE POSTING POLICY. - G. KETCHMARK (SHESULSA) SENIOR MODERATOR<<<_


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## arnisador (Jun 24, 2005)

OK, thanks! We have some similar ideas in arnis, though my style is mostly stick-oriented rather than blade-oriented so we do do some things differently.


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## still learning (Jun 24, 2005)

Hello,  Maybe Verbal Judo and others like this!  Seens to work most times and in every situtions.   It's the nice style and humble ways that will make your life longer.   Keep your EGO's intact.  Somewhere it is mention over 22,000 people die a year in the USA from some kind of Ego's confrontions not to mention the hundreds of thousand who get injury or cripple. 

 Avoid and knowing how to talk your way out of a bad situtions will always make you a winner.   Do you practice this STYLE?    .......Aloha

 This should be taught everyday and to all ages


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## MartialFighter (Jun 25, 2005)

I never actually considered that "verbal judo" a style, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense, Ha. It is the best martial arts for sure. 

I wrote this thread partially because I am writing an english paper on the martial arts, and I was hoping to write about the best martial arts style that I will create, not that I will create a style. After all I am no Bruce Lee. But in the paper I hope to describe show that I will pull different aspects of different styles to create this super style. For instance, I would pull the Elbow and knee attacks from thai boxing, the throws from judo, the super kicks from tkd, etc. 
any other help?

thank you alot


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## silatman (Jun 25, 2005)

The flow from Pentjak Silat wouldn't go astray.


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## jkdhit (Jun 26, 2005)

tai chi and aikido are great for the flow

  a lot of people dont like them though because there isn't much power involved in them

 i remember a while ago my friend thought it was funny that i was taking qigong because he said only old people mainly practiced it   qigongs a good way to enhance yourself physically and mentally by harnessing your internal energy


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## hwarang (Jun 28, 2005)

i do qi gong breathing almost  every day in my classes and it has deffinitly helped with power


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## Flying Crane (Sep 29, 2005)

MartialFighter said:
			
		

> I never actually considered that "verbal judo" a style, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense, Ha. It is the best martial arts for sure.
> 
> I wrote this thread partially because I am writing an english paper on the martial arts, and I was hoping to write about the best martial arts style that I will create, not that I will create a style. After all I am no Bruce Lee. But in the paper I hope to describe show that I will pull different aspects of different styles to create this super style. For instance, I would pull the Elbow and knee attacks from thai boxing, the throws from judo, the super kicks from tkd, etc.
> any other help?
> ...


I don't think this is a good idea.  In some ways, techniques can be swapped from one system to another, but this is not often the case.  Some systems are already similar enough that this will work.  Not all, tho.  

Many martial arts have a central theory about how they move, generate power, and apply techniques.  Understanding this base knowledge is crucial to getting the art to work.  If you just mix and match random techniques, you miss the base upon which the techniques are built and the techniques lose much of their worth and effectiveness.  

There is no way to build a "super art".  It is common to train several different arts, but if done, it is important to study the complete art, starting with the basics. This way you understand the whole picture, and how the techniques fit into the system.  Then, when it becomes necessary to defend yourself in a real encounter, you can appropriately use techniques from any of the systems you have studied, based on your preference.  This can work because you have a more complete understanding of the different systems as a whole, and not just a cross-section of techniques.


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## Eric Daniel (Oct 12, 2005)

MartialFighter said:
			
		

> Hey everyone,
> I am curious as to what the different martial arts styles are known for. For instance JKD is known for its simplicity, more street like fighting, Bruce Lee, etc. And Thai Boxing is known for its elbow and knee attacks. And TKD is known for its high kicks. What else is there?


Judo is known for it's throws. Aikido and tai chi are known as soft, flowing martial arts. Tae Kwon Do is known for it's high kicks and different kinds of kicks. In Tae Kwon Do there are kicks that are not seen in other styles like karate. Tae Kwon Do has kicks like hook kick and axe kick that I have not seen in Karate.


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## FearlessFreep (Oct 12, 2005)

IIRC, one reason you don't see the Axe Kick in Karate is that it was a kick invented for the sake of TKD sparring.


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## Grenadier (Oct 12, 2005)

Different strokes for different folks.  

 In general, this is a VERY broad characterization:

 Japanese Karate focuses mostly on straight line motions, deeper stances, and tends to lean more heavily towards hand techniques.  

 Chinese martial arts (in GENERAL) tend to focus on using more circular techniques, with a somewhat greater preference for the hand techniques. 

 Okinawan Karate seems to balance both circular and linear motions, and the stances aren't quite as deep as their Japanese counterparts.  Again, hand techniques seem to be more common.  

 Tae Kwon Do tends to favor the use of foot techniques.  

 Dang Soo Do is more of a Korean equivalent of Karate.  

 Again, this is a broad characterization.  There are always going to be exceptions.  I know of many Tae Kwon Do schools that teach a balanced repetoire, when it comes to hands and feet, even incorporating throws, grappling, etc.


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