The Martial Arts Thread

[Icefyre]

Curious to see how many fighting game players actually take, or have taken, martial arts in their life.

For myself, I trained Krav Maga for two years and never really found a need or desire to look into another one. I realize that Krav Maga is more considered a self-defense rather than a true martial art, but I don’t really feel like making those distinctions in this thread, that’s not the point.

My life has finally gotten to the point again where I’m no longer out of the house working most of the day for 7 days of the week, so I’m considering getting back into the martial arts swing but haven’t decided just yet if I will or not.

I’m heavily looking into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but because of a herniated disc in my lower back (S-1), I’m not sure rolling around on the mat like that is going to be a good idea. Krav Maga doesn’t teach too much in the way of ground fighting though, and I feel like I’d be remiss to leave the ground game out of my repertoire.

Also considering Judo or Muay Thai, but it just seems that BJJ fits together better with what I already know compared to other options.

Who else shares my fascination with martial arts?

 

[Vslayer]

I did Krav Maga as well and I like it because there's no meditation bullshit, no need to bow to a statue of buddha lmao, which is so damn weird. Krav is practical and harsh, as self-defense needs to be, but our trainers also focused heavily on stretching, being flexible and in shape as well. I wanted to start BJJ, but Krav is really my thing.

 

[Icefyre]

I did Krav Maga as well and I like it because there's no meditation bullshit, no need to bow to a statue of buddha lmao, which is so damn weird. Krav is practical and harsh, as self-defense needs to be, but our trainers also focused heavily on stretching, being flexible and in shape as well. I wanted to start BJJ, but Krav is really my thing.

I’m probably going to end up going back to Krav myself to be honest. There’s just something about the brutality and no-limits style that is incredibly appealing and satisfying, because you know it’s exactly how you’d respond in a real situation - and it works lol.

And yeah, like you, I tend to shy away from martial arts that try to make you show “honor” and such nonsense that will get you killed in a real fight lol.

Not gonna lie, I’m mainly attracted to BJJ just because of the lack of ground game, but if you’re doing Krav right then you should never go to the ground...hmm. Still more thinking to do lol.

 

[GLoRToR]

31 years of various martial arts here. I just practice for myself at this point, no style or allegiance to any.

 

[NaughtySenpai]

Went to a BJJ gym, got choked out in 5 seconds by a girl, said to myself "This shit is amazing", hoping to keep at it in 2020.

 

[Icefyre]

31 years of various martial arts here. I just practice for myself at this point, no style or allegiance to any.

Sounds like you’re pretty in shape! I know you mentioned no style or allegiance, but I’m curious as to what you studied early on before it essentially became (I assume) more like mma for you rather than a specific art?

Went to a BJJ gym, got choked out in 5 seconds by a girl, said to myself "This shit is amazing", hoping to keep at it in 2020.

Lol talk about amazing inspiration! My gf won’t take Krav with me, but I’m seeing if I can convince her to do BJJ with me. She’s more interested in Judo, but she’s 4’ 10” and probably a better fit for BJJ imo.

 

[Vslayer]

Went to a BJJ gym, got choked out in 5 seconds by a girl, said to myself "This shit is amazing", hoping to keep at it in 2020.

I see you're a man of culture as well.

 

[AREZ God of War]

I’m probably going to end up going back to Krav myself to be honest. There’s just something about the brutality and no-limits style that is incredibly appealing and satisfying, because you know it’s exactly how you’d respond in a real situation - and it works lol.

And yeah, like you, I tend to shy away from martial arts that try to make you show “honor” and such nonsense that will get you killed in a real fight lol.

Not gonna lie, I’m mainly attracted to BJJ just because of the lack of ground game, but if you’re doing Krav right then you should never go to the ground...hmm. Still more thinking to do lol.

If it's brutal and intense you want, Muay Thai is as savage as it gets. I don't think anything else really holds a candle to it but just make sure it's authentic and not some "modded American kickboxing" just being called "Muay Thai" for marketing

 

[Icefyre]

If it's brutal and intense you want, Muay Thai is as savage as it gets. I don't think anything else really holds a candle to it but just make sure it's authentic and not some "modded American kickboxing" just being called "Muay Thai" for marketing

Yeah, that’s why it was on my list as well. It’s incredibly brutal, but I’d honestly say Krav holds a candle - what other art is going to actually encourage you to punch a guy’s throat in, shove your fingers in their eyes, hit every vulnerable pressure point, etc?

Don’t get me wrong though, I have a soft spot for Muay Thai. I love it, I’m just not sure that I want to make my feet and shins swell to twice their size on the first day of training lol. You ever practiced it?

 

[GLoRToR]

Sounds like you’re pretty in shape! I know you mentioned no style or allegiance, but I’m curious as to what you studied early on before it essentially became (I assume) more like mma for you rather than a specific art?



Lol talk about amazing inspiration! My gf won’t take Krav with me, but I’m seeing if I can convince her to do BJJ with me. She’s more interested in Judo, but she’s 4’ 10” and probably a better fit for BJJ imo.

I started with Japanese systems and went into Chinese and then some mixed this and that.
At the end of the day there are only so many optimal ways to move your body.

Depends what she wants to achieve. For sports, any sport will do that she's interested in.
But for self defence, I really recommend krav because at that size if she'll try to wrestle a man she'll just get picked up and broken to pieces.
For small stature striking and angles are always a better idea than body locks because you simply need weight to successfully submit an opponent.

 

[Icefyre]

I started with Japanese systems and went into Chinese and then some mixed this and that.
At the end of the day there are only so many optimal ways to move your body.

Depends what she wants to achieve. For sports, any sport will do that she's interested in.
But for self defence, I really recommend krav because at that size if she'll try to wrestle a man she'll just get picked up and broken to pieces.
For small stature striking and angles are always a better idea than body locks because you simply need weight to successfully submit an opponent.

That’s interesting - having never taken it, or any groundwork style at all, I was under the impression that BJJ was famous for small people being able to actually do work on people much bigger than them. I only know one submission from BJJ, but in that specific situation the BJJ practitioner uses the enemy’s own body weight against him/her.

You’re correct though in that she’s not hard to pick up and throw around lol. I’ve tried teaching her what I could from Krav, mostly the basic “hit and get the fuck out” kind of thing and pressure points, but she only seems to do it because it’s me.

But at least she knows to go for the throat or groin, though. As easy as you’d think that’d be to come up with on your own on the fly, I don’t think people understand how adrenaline can take over in the heat of the moment, and that’s when instinct kicks in. So at least I got her fairly good at getting out of chokes and corner situations, but yeah I’d rather see her take it with me if I had the choice.

 

[GLoRToR]

That’s interesting - having never taken it, or any groundwork style at all, I was under the impression that BJJ was famous for small people being able to actually do work on people much bigger than them. I only know one submission from BJJ, but in that specific situation the BJJ practitioner uses the enemy’s own body weight against him/her.

You’re correct though in that she’s not hard to pick up and throw around lol. I’ve tried teaching her what I could from Krav, mostly the basic “hit and get the fuck out” kind of thing and pressure points, but she only seems to do it because it’s me.

But at least she knows to go for the throat or groin, though. As easy as you’d think that’d be to come up with on your own on the fly, I don’t think people understand how adrenaline can take over in the heat of the moment, and that’s when instinct kicks in. So at least I got her fairly good at getting out of chokes and corner situations, but yeah I’d rather see her take it with me if I had the choice.

Any system can be used successfully by a talented user and in the right situation but people lie if they tell you that arm locks and such will work on someone five times your weight. A small woman needs to get away and get help, not try to bring down a 150kg musclebound jerk that wants to hurt her or worse.

 

[Hellbringer]

I dont practise martial arts myself but im a huge mma fan. Bought like every ppv for the last couple of years.

 

[AREZ God of War]

Yeah, that’s why it was on my list as well. It’s incredibly brutal, but I’d honestly say Krav holds a candle - what other art is going to actually encourage you to punch a guy’s throat in, shove your fingers in their eyes, hit every vulnerable pressure point, etc?

Don’t get me wrong though, I have a soft spot for Muay Thai. I love it, I’m just not sure that I want to make my feet and shins swell to twice their size on the first day of training lol. You ever practiced it?

1st day? Try everyday lol it will take months for your shins to get used to it but aside from sampling Kempo, TKD, Aikido, ...Muay Thai was the only one I really felt good about besides boxing/wrestling however many people feel the arts themselves are not nearly as important as the instructor and you feeling like you belong under their guidance rather than "just a place to take lessons"

 

[Icefyre]

Any system can be used successfully by a talented user and in the right situation but people lie if they tell you that arm locks and such will work on someone five times your weight. A small woman needs to get away and get help, not try to bring down a 150kg musclebound jerk that wants to hurt her or worse.

I agree, hence my “get the fuck out and run” point earlier lol. Honestly, for her BJJ or Judo would for fun, have a fun and interesting way to exercise, relieve stress etc. In no way would I suggest anybody regardless of gender or size attempt to do such in preference for avoiding any fight entirely. I apologize if it came off that way, I have an unfortunate way of speaking/typing ambiguously -_-

 

[GLoRToR]

I agree, hence my “get the fuck out and run” point earlier lol. Honestly, for her BJJ or Judo would for fun, have a fun and interesting way to exercise, relieve stress etc. In no way would I suggest anybody regardless of gender or size attempt to do such in preference for avoiding any fight entirely. I apologize if it came off that way, I have an unfortunate way of speaking/typing ambiguously -_-

Nah sorry for misunderstanding you.
When your girlfriend came up I instantly went into superhero mode, I take self defence and safety very seriously. You're fine.

 

[RoboCop]

I've done martial arts almost my entire life, starting with Tae Kwon Do as a kid because I loved the Ninja Turtles and didn't know any better. Got my 1st degree black belt in my early teens.

In high school I lost over 60lbs doing Muay Thai Kickboxing. My Taekwondo teacher at the time was a tiny Vietnamese man named Hung Boi, no joke, and not sure about the spelling. I found out he was part of a small group of people who would meet weekly at a local gym and do Muay Thai. No uniforms or contracts, pay in cash every week, it was fucking awesome.

I took San Soo Kung Fu from Andy Griffith's bodyguard in Nashville, can't remember that dude's name, it was only for a few months, but also with Hung Boi. I learned how to rip a man's ear off, which is pretty cool, I guess.

I also took a lot of Praying Mantis Kung Fu, which was the most physically taxing. We would basically just do looped attacks with a partner where we full-force attack and block with our bare arms for an hour. My arms were straight purple for weeks after I stopped.

I've tried a few mma classes but they're all full of alpha male nonsense and sleezy marketing tactics. Take at your own risk.

I'm currently taking Muay Thai again, though it's an mma Brazilian Jujitsu\Muay Thai place. It's not as good as my old Muay Thai classes, but it's still fun and good exercise. I, too, have a herniated disc, so I don't do the Jujitsu. I also have asthma, bad knees, and deformed feet, so there are some things my body just can't do. I can't do Taekwondo anymore because my toes don't bend correctly to strike with the ball of my foot.

Overall, Taekwondo is a fun sport but useless in a fight. Any grappling art is going to be better for actually fighting, since most fights end up on the ground. Muay Thai teaches useable standing attacks, but it's not useful once you're on the ground. Muay Thai is overall my favorite. It also doesn't require any uniform, other than shorts, and you do have to bow to show respect, but that's it. No stupid uniform, no forms to memorize, or any of the other nonsense you have to deal with in karate, taekwondo, judo, or other more traditional arts.

 

[DeftMonk]

I did Krav Maga as well and I like it because there's no meditation bullshit, no need to bow to a statue of buddha lmao, which is so damn weird. Krav is practical and harsh, as self-defense needs to be, but our trainers also focused heavily on stretching, being flexible and in shape as well. I wanted to start BJJ, but Krav is really my thing.

Meditation isn't bull shit its the best thing ever honestly. Before my current job I was martial arts instructer and a boxer. The second foreigner wing chun instructer to get license from ip man's school in foshan where I live. I injured myself really hard about 8 years ago so that stuff is a nono now for me but meditation is honestly one of the best things I learned about martial arts while I was here in China.
There is a lot of crazy ass shit techniques that never made it over to the states /europe as far as martial arts go (maybe communication issues) but living in foshan the weirdest thing is all the stuff I learned about Ip Man. Dude was an opium addict high as hell all day moved to HK (not to make a dope school or fight japanese dudes like movie) because at that time it was legal and homie just got high all day with hookers in opium den.

 

[AREZ God of War]

Meditation isn't bull shit its the best thing ever honestly. Before my current job I was martial arts instructer and a boxer. The second foreigner wing chun instructer to get license from ip man's school in foshan where I live. I injured myself really hard about 8 years ago so that stuff is a nono now for me but meditation is honestly one of the best things I learned about martial arts while I was here in China.
There is a lot of crazy ass shit techniques that never made it over to the states /europe as far as martial arts go (maybe communication issues) but living in foshan the weirdest thing is all the stuff I learned about Ip Man. Dude was an opium addict high as hell all day moved to HK (not to make a dope school or fight japanese dudes like movie) because at that time it was legal and homie just got high all day with hookers in opium den.

That's fucking legendary. I've seen the Ip Man movies, or at least most of them, Donnie Yen did an amazing job and my only gripe with the movies is only seeing each one ONCE. The story of that man's life is heartwrenching but so inspirational. Keep in mind i only know what I've read and watched so don't mind my fanboyism that happens every 10 or 20 years... Like to me, you want superhero shit, you got Avengers, Justice League, Hellboy and Ip Man.... but the way I've interpretted him he was a real life superhero

 

[DeftMonk]

That's fucking legendary. I've seen the Ip Man movies, or at least most of them, Donnie Yen did an amazing job and my only gripe with the movies is only seeing each one ONCE. The story of that man's life is heartwrenching but so inspirational. Keep in mind i only know what I've read and watched so don't mind my fanboyism that happens every 10 or 20 years... Like to me, you want superhero shit, you got Avengers, Justice League, Hellboy and Ip Man.... but the way I've interpretted him he was a real life superhero

ya if some opium addict that literally did none of the shit in those movies is a hero. Theres a dude in chinese kung fu history tho that is pretty legendary for real named wong fei hong(also from foshan like ip man). Invented lots of accupuncture techniques still in use over here today and has his own brand of martial arts called Hong Quan. There are stories of him defending off the port from invaders by boat with a long ass stick by himself. And hes a physician.

 

[superbn0va]

I did wing chun. I "used" to like Mortal Kombat bc the Kung fu -fantasy inspired theme.

 

[Eddy Wang]

I started practising martial arts later on in 1999, was always a huge Bruce Lee, but before that time, me and my brother were looking for a style that would suit us for the better, my brother started at 1998 with Judo for a few months then Jiu-Jitsu but didn't stick, his fascination for learning something truthful and the need to search for a martial art he could connect with was passed on to me, in 1999, i was bored, school was violent as hell and there were a lot of gangs back then was pretty much a trend.

My fascination for the Martial Arts movies at the time, including Jet Li was a big drive to gauge my interest in it, so i started to frequent Martial Art Schools just to see how it is rather than practising, it did this for several weeks and maybe a month, until my brother decide to gather me, my cousin, and start giving us basic exercises to build up our mass.

During that time he switched a branch of the Angolan National Kung Fu School which was named Wang Yu, in that time someone who was an advanced student from that school handpicked a few people to practice under his tutelage for free, i wasn't picked but i was still interested, he didn't want to teach me at first, but i was so eager to learn that somehow i convinced him to give me a shot, same day i went to my home and prepared decent clothes to start.

I stayed with him for 6 months and learned a lot, but my desire for more kept tingling, so i asked them to integrate me on the main school, this is how i met my official Kung Fu teach Paul Vandrack, a very strong individual that at the time was on his prime and he emanated a very strong aura, just staring at him was extremely difficult, so i stayed with Wang Yu for the rest of the years.

Under Wang Yu branch i learned Kung Fu, Wang Yu has dominance on 15 Chinese Kung Fu styles, the masters do have other Martial Arts Backgrounds that aren't traditional Chinese Kung Fu as well.
I learned, Iron Fist, Tiger Claw and Muay Thai, officially and of course Bo staff as a weapon of choice. In my pursuit for the passion, i met friends who have taught me Karaté Shotokan, Kyokushinkai, and Muay Boran.

On my own i learned to fly, basically, i did evolve and increased my repertoire with Martial Arts Tricking and gymnastic tumbling at some point, and later on started doing stunt stuff just for fun. Eventually, i was hired twice to choreograph and help out with some action scenes in 2 different movies.


After the release of the second one, MK9 was announced, job and school got in the way and i had a lot of stuff to worry about.

I need some stability to restart, the interest never diminished, its just as we grow older in my country, it becomes harder to do the things you want. Even if i start from scratch again, i will eventually stop due life getting in the way, and restarting this is a painful process to get your body to the necessary level of speed, strength and accuracy to be called a warrior.

 

[Hellbringer]

Overall, Taekwondo is a fun sport but useless in a fight.

 

[CitizenSnips]

I train in muaythai/boxing/BJJ and used to wrestle. I find there are a lot of similarities between FGC/fighting games and training/competing in martial arts, especially as an adult.

 

[RoboCop]

That's one guy, and he combined Taekwondo with Muay Thai and kickboxing, and in many of the videos they showed, he was up against opponents who were also using Taekwondo. If you're already an athletic powerhouse then you can make almost any style work in the ring. Just look at Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do, which no one else has really been able to use successfully, to my knowledge.

But when I say "in a fight", I don't mean "in the ring", where there are rules. I mean in a legit fight with another person in the real world. I'm sure that dude would devastate most people in a real fight, but that's despite using Taekwondo, not because of it. Most real fights end up on the ground. There's a statistic somewhere, and it's insanely high, like 90% or higher. And when you start trying to kick above the knee, your chances of getting dropped go even higher. The high kicks and spin kicks of Taekwondo aren't meant for real-world self defense, and once you're on the ground, I can't think of a single Taekwondo technique that will help you.

All that is to say, if you're not already an Australian powerhouse and your goal is to learn self defense, Taekwondo is not the right martial art for you.