Anybody Take Martial Arts?

I do...

Studied Go Ju Ryu Karate for years into my teens and early 20s then took a break for a while. I got back into the martial arts a few years ago and I now have Senei Rank in Tenshinkan Karate. I have also studied Arnis / Escrima (Stick and Knife) fighting in the Philippines.

Back in my teens and 20s I also studied PaQua, Tai Chi and ChiGong, but never really excelled in the softer arts.

I do kickboxing

To All of my MA Brothers and Sisters: Please add me to your friends list!

2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo...used to help teach classes. Sparred & competed from 15 to 41, but stopped group classes after an ACL injury (double jumping roundhouse kick), because it just doesn't feel like it healed well enough for full power kicks. Still train on my own, just don't kick w/that leg at full power. Also train on my own in Israeli Krav Maga (not really a sport style), & over the years, thanks to 14 moves, have also trained in Kenpo (Chinese), TangSooDo (Korean), & Judo (Japanese), as well as taken & taught self defense/personal security classes for women.

Just started Kempo Karate about 2 months ago. Really enjoying it.

Always remember that there are people out there better than you & never get too full of yourself. We have 2 friends that are in their late mid-late 50's. One guy was going to his car at Los Angeles airport in his business suit when 3 gang members surrounded him. A bystander heard our friend say, "Come on guys, let's not do this, I'm really tired & just want to go home." The gang moved in, the bystander ran for help & brought the police back. One gang member was unconscious, one was screaming on the ground w/a broken leg I believe, & our friend was sitting on the 3rd guy. The cop was obviously impressed & looked questioningly at the man, who said, "Retired Special Forces (green beret)."

Another friend likes to take MMA classes, but doesn't want to mess w/belts, so he just wears a white one & goes to class & the instructors are fine w/it. One day when they were doing the long lines to pair up to practice, a new young 20 something guy drew our friend & said, "Oh, great, I get the old guy." What he didn't know was the "old guy" was a retired Navy SEAL, who actually hires pro MMA fighters to train w/him to stay in shape. Let's just say the young guy never made another rude comment to anyone after THAT sparring session.

In my women's self defense classes, I tell the women to carry pepper spray, but also to take some kind of (preferably full contact) martial art for at least a year. Just to learn to take a punch & not give up, to keep fighting no matter what. I also agree w/the poster who said boxers are really good, & also a good wrestler can also be a great defender.

Always remember that there are people out there better than you & never get too full of yourself.

...

In my women's self defense classes, I tell the women to carry pepper spray, but also to take some kind of (preferably full contact) martial art for at least a year. Just to learn to take a punch & not give up, to keep fighting no matter what...

I think it is so important for women to know how to absorb and how to actually throw a punch like they mean it. When I first started learning, I would never throw a real punch. After a while, I became comfortable hitting when I was supposed to.

I remember the first time I was paired with a new guy... he had been to some classes somewhere else, and I could see that he was disappointed to have been paired with the girl. He was supposed to block. His stance was weak. I asked if he was ready, he said yes and didn't improve his stance. I asked again, and he said yes. I was worried for a second, because part of deflecting a blow is that it depends on the momentum of the attacker's swing. But, he came to class as a person with some experience, and we had JUST finished learning our new block. So I shrugged... and slugged him so hard he fell to the ground. We became great friends, and he always gave me a hard time for beating him up. :-) (ETA, I told him where I was going to hit, and how hard. He didn't think a girl would really do it - his words.)

So, yes, ladies need to know how to hit. Sometimes, even when others expect it, they don't see it coming.

I think it just moved. :ohwell:

Always remember that there are people out there better than you & never get too full of yourself. We have 2 friends that are in their late mid-late 50's. One guy was going to his car at Los Angeles airport in his business suit when 3 gang members surrounded him. A bystander heard our friend say, "Come on guys, let's not do this, I'm really tired & just want to go home." The gang moved in, the bystander ran for help & brought the police back. One gang member was unconscious, one was screaming on the ground w/a broken leg I believe, & our friend was sitting on the 3rd guy. The cop was obviously impressed & looked questioningly at the man, who said, "Retired Special Forces (green beret)."

Another friend likes to take MMA classes, but doesn't want to mess w/belts, so he just wears a white one & goes to class & the instructors are fine w/it. One day when they were doing the long lines to pair up to practice, a new young 20 something guy drew our friend & said, "Oh, great, I get the old guy." What he didn't know was the "old guy" was a retired Navy SEAL, who actually hires pro MMA fighters to train w/him to stay in shape. Let's just say the young guy never made another rude comment to anyone after THAT sparring session.

In my women's self defense classes, I tell the women to carry pepper spray, but also to take some kind of (preferably full contact) martial art for at least a year. Just to learn to take a punch & not give up, to keep fighting no matter what. I also agree w/the poster who said boxers are really good, & also a good wrestler can also be a great defender.

Hah, that sounds like a lot of the guys in the arts that I've studied. Our soke (grandmaster, leader of the school) is 81, and can kick your *kitten* from here to next Tuesday and make it look like a walk in the park. A couple of my old trainers were retired Marines, too.

Never underestimate "the old guy."

Always remember that there are people out there better than you & never get too full of yourself. We have 2 friends that are in their late mid-late 50's. One guy was going to his car at Los Angeles airport in his business suit when 3 gang members surrounded him. A bystander heard our friend say, "Come on guys, let's not do this, I'm really tired & just want to go home." The gang moved in, the bystander ran for help & brought the police back. One gang member was unconscious, one was screaming on the ground w/a broken leg I believe, & our friend was sitting on the 3rd guy. The cop was obviously impressed & looked questioningly at the man, who said, "Retired Special Forces (green beret)."

Another friend likes to take MMA classes, but doesn't want to mess w/belts, so he just wears a white one & goes to class & the instructors are fine w/it. One day when they were doing the long lines to pair up to practice, a new young 20 something guy drew our friend & said, "Oh, great, I get the old guy." What he didn't know was the "old guy" was a retired Navy SEAL, who actually hires pro MMA fighters to train w/him to stay in shape. Let's just say the young guy never made another rude comment to anyone after THAT sparring session.

In my women's self defense classes, I tell the women to carry pepper spray, but also to take some kind of (preferably full contact) martial art for at least a year. Just to learn to take a punch & not give up, to keep fighting no matter what. I also agree w/the poster who said boxers are really good, & also a good wrestler can also be a great defender.

Hah, that sounds like a lot of the guys in the arts that I've studied. Our soke (grandmaster, leader of the school) is 81, and can kick your *kitten* from here to next Tuesday and make it look like a walk in the park. A couple of my old trainers were retired Marines, too.

Never underestimate "the old guy."

Absolutely :-)

Warnng Signs in Dojos...schools that are too easy, give away the belts so a parent can say their kid has a black belt, or are just in it for the money...

They have a gazillion color belts (pink & camouflage are especial red flags), & gazillion stripes, that students have to test for & pay for each one. They let the students decide if they want to test, instead of the instructors only allowing them to test when they think they're ready. EVERYONE passes...most should pass, but if they mess up, then they shouldn't. These same schools often have very expensive monthly fees & contracts; the best schools I've attended charged a very reasonable amount. If the gym is super fancy & nice, that's CAN BE a sign they're charging too much. they require a LOT of gear, make you purchase it from them.

They promise that the student will have a black belt in a certain amount of time (a sign they lower standards for people who really shouldn't be getting belts). This should be a deal breaker, so you can save yourself a lot of time by calling a prospective school & asking if they guarantee a belt in a certain amount of time.

It's not really a good workout, you hardly sweat at all. Along the same lines... short classes, usually anything less than an hour.

They teach students to be bullies, instead of walking away when they are able (the Karate Kid BAD instructor syndrome). Or they put up w/disrespectful or rude behavior from students...directed at instructors or peers.

There's a lot of injuries, especially any injuries caused by an instructor.

They have students teaching a LOT, & obviously students who shouldn't be teaching. It's one thing to have a high ranking student do warm-ups, or teach a class now & then, but quite another for it to be a regular thing. I've seen black belt instructors who are obviously looking at a form chart on the wall for a very low colored belt form, because they don't remember the form.

SIGNS OF A GOOD SCHOOL...
Watch a class...challenging workouts, students who look like they know what they're doing, patience (but no nonsense) w/students who are learning, discipline, & appropriate affection & encouragement from the instructors. Usually a good school will be affiliated w/an international or national organization w/high standards.

Don't waste your money....sometimes I felt like the good schools should have bumper stickers that say, "Our Schools' Colored Belts Can Beat Your School's Black Belts," because that's what I saw at tournaments through the years.