What martial art should I learn?

[MilanoStyle]

All martial arts fans should watch this movie, "Fighter in the Wind". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_in_the_Wind This Korean dude rocks .. and it's based on true story (which spawned many animes in japan).

 

[Eason]

You're talking about Mas Oyama, founder of Kyokushin Karate. Yes, he was as old school badass as you get.

 

[The Deacon]

I heard somewhere that the late professional wrestler Prof. Toru Tanaka( real name Charlie Kalani of Hawaii) was for a time Mas Oyama's sparring partner, what ever that might mean.

 

[MilanoStyle]

If anyone want to learn Budo properly, the one must go through training like that. Train everyday like you are in a combat, which is almost impossible to do for most of us. I personally want to learn Iaijitsu, but cannot find a decent sensei around..

 

[G Man]

Krav Maga.

I'v been studying it for the past few years and greatly enjoy it; not to mention the format of the classes are as such toprovide a great cardio workout.

It is, for my money, the most applicable martial art out there and is designed for real world situations that one would happen to find themselves in our more modern society. It dosent lock you into specific stances or rituals. You learn skills such as finding off and attacker if you have one arm disabled, fighing with impared vision, dealing with multiple attackers, etc.

my 2 cents

 

[retronotmetro]

Originally Posted by MilanoStyle

If anyone want to learn Budo properly, the one must go through training like that. Train everyday like you are in a combat, which is almost impossible to do for most of us. I personally want to learn Iaijitsu, but cannot find a decent sensei around..

According to your profile, you are in Toronto. Kim Taylor at University of Guelph teaches Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and IIRC leads a Niten Ichi Ryu study group. You should also be able to find local MJER instructors through the Canadian Kendo Federation.

I'm curious why you think iaido/iaijutsu training relates to a daily combat mindset--and I say that having trained in Muso Shinden Ryu. The biggest and most real sense of fear you get in iaido class is worrying about whether you are going to sever your own finger (assuming you ever move from using an iaito to a shinken, which many people never do for routine practice) or whether some noob is going to impale you when he loses his blade. Iaido is a very interesting study as a cultural/historical relic, but it ain't a live warrior art. You'll get way more live combat sensation (not to mention real danger) by going to a boxing gym in a bad part of town.

 

[englanderjk]

IN A WORD, "JUDO".

Extremely physical sport for gentlemen warriors...great style aspect as well.

 

[bbaquiran]

I happen to love kendo. I think it's great for cultivating a fighting spirit, as well as discipline. Physically, it's great for stamina -- essentially a 3-hour interval session done while wearing armor. It fixed my poor posture, too, according to my fiancee.

It has no "practical" applications, but having faced off against 250-pound opponents in competition (I weigh 140lbs including bogu shinai and soaking wet keikogi), I've learned to keep calm in everyday sticky situations.

For practical self-defense I would choose boxing, JKD or one of the Filipino martial arts. Or just get a gun.

 

[West24]

i box and to be honest when most people get into fights they dont rely on their martial arts skills etc. but when you box and spar i think it puts you in a great position if anything were ever to happen on the street. i took some karate, other type of martial arts and it was very "spiritual" what ever and all and no real sparring etc. i dont know if was because i was younger and all, but it isnt anything like boxing where you spar all out and get hit and get used to someone coming at you trying to punch your face etc. it was also ranked the toughest sport in the world by i think ESPN. it is extremely tuff and will get you into amazing cardio shape and really transform your body.

 

[Eason]

Yup, no substitute for learning through sparring.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by West24

i box and to be honest when most people get into fights they dont rely on their martial arts skills etc. but when you box and spar i think it puts you in a great position if anything were ever to happen on the street. i took some karate, other type of martial arts and it was very \\"spiritual\\" what ever and all and no real sparring etc. i dont know if was because i was younger and all, but it isnt anything like boxing where you spar all out and get hit and get used to someone coming at you trying to punch your face etc. it was also ranked the toughest sport in the world by i think ESPN. it is extremely tuff and will get you into amazing cardio shape and really transform your body.
is this not what i have been saying in every single thread in BC.

Nice to have some support...and welcome to the forum. You can be my new bestest friend.

 

[mizanation]

Originally Posted by MilanoStyle

All martial arts fans should watch this movie, "Fighter in the Wind".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_in_the_Wind

This Korean dude rocks .. and it's based on true story (which spawned many animes in japan).

very loosely based on fictional stories of a real person.

Originally Posted by Eason

You're talking about Mas Oyama, founder of Kyokushin Karate. Yes, he was as old school badass as you get.

yeah, he was a bad-ass. at the time, he was revolutionary because he emphasized physical conditioning and full-contact sparring, not point sparring. the other major schools at the time, shotokan and goju-ryu did not focus on this and got left in the dust when it came to real fighting. this is similar to how judo revolutionized grappling arts when it emphasized sparring (randori) with a a fully resisting opponent. the jiu-jitsu schools did not do this and got left in the dust.

Originally Posted by MilanoStyle

If anyone want to learn Budo properly, the one must go through training like that. Train everyday like you are in a combat, which is almost impossible to do for most of us. I personally want to learn Iaijitsu, but cannot find a decent sensei around..

ridiculous feats of personal fortitude maybe important for learning budo, but for fighting, it's not only unnecessary but can be detrimental.

mas oyama was a great fighter, but most of his exploits were either exaggerations or flat-out lies. he did not spend months in the mountains. he did not fight bulls. these stories and others were highly effective propaganda created by him and later by his yakuza cronies.

don't do a martial art because the leader supposedly spent months in the mountains breaking stones and fighting bears and ****. do it because it works. kyokushin works because people spar and they use real techniques gleaned from karate, boxing and muay thai. it works because they focus on increasing their physical strength through weights and calisthenics.

my problem with kyokushin is that it prohibits hand strikes to the face. this makes for an unrealistic fighting scenario.

Originally Posted by West24

i box and to be honest when most people get into fights they dont rely on their martial arts skills etc. but when you box and spar i think it puts you in a great position if anything were ever to happen on the street. i took some karate, other type of martial arts and it was very "spiritual" what ever and all and no real sparring etc. i dont know if was because i was younger and all, but it isnt anything like boxing where you spar all out and get hit and get used to someone coming at you trying to punch your face etc. it was also ranked the toughest sport in the world by i think ESPN. it is extremely tuff and will get you into amazing cardio shape and really transform your body.

you are right.

out of all the martial arts i've done, the toughest workout was boxing (mma is basically the same workout). roadwork + sparring + mitt work + heavy bag + floor work + jumping rope. can't beat that.

sparring but especially competition really helps you with high-pressure situations. when you are in a ring with someone who is trying to knock your head off or break your arm, it's pretty intense. no amount of meditation under a waterfall or doing katas in the wilderness can prepare you for actual competition experience.

 

[The Deacon]

+1 Miz! The rubber has hit the road!

 

[mizanation]

hey whatsup deacon, i hope your training is going well.

i haven't been training too much due to work, but am planning to change that soon (by changing my work situation).

going to LA this weekend to train with Chris Haueter who is one of the first BJJ black belts in the united states. he's like 15 years older than me and 20 pounds lighter but can still kick ****** while doing his taxes. good times.

 

[Eason]

nice, you should take a plane that x-fers in seattle