which martial art??

D!ve^Bomb!

Hi,

Im very interested in starting a martial art of some sort,, im just looking for advice on which would best suit myself - first off, this is not only for a hobbie but as a way of increasing fitness levels etc - im looking for an art that involves physicall contact, possibly kickboxing(still deciding) - and something where my size would be an advantage, 6ft 5'', 20st, ive already thought of boxing but would prefer a martial art for now, boxing could be in the near future tho. Plus i wanna increase speed and stamina as well as learn self defence.. im in south dublin but have transport so any area would suit i guess.. replies much appreciated

columok

I would recommend MMA namely the combination of boxing/muay thai, wrestling and brazilian jiu jitsu. You will find this with John Kavanagh in Harolds cross.

www.irishbjj.com

Colm O'Reilly teaches classes in MMA/BJJ in Firhouse

www.twokingsmma.net.

Your boxing would help for MMA and you could round yourself off with some clinch work and some ground fightings. That would set you up as a badass. :cool:

If you wanted to do kickboxing alone then Id go for muay thai. The Bridgestone Gym off Dorset St. are the best in the business.

http://www.bridgestonemuaythai.com/

Paddy Clint posts here and can answer any questions. These guys are the best strikers about. Well worth looking into.

Any questions then PM me or reply. Hope that helps.

D!ve^Bomb!

what is muay thai like? that link doesn't work for some reason, what does it involve etc. also i'd like something that is quite technical like wing chun, and something like judo and aikido aswell, i know im asking an awful lot and that no martial art would probably incorporate ALL of these particular styles.. but any advice is appreciated

columok

Dunno why the link isnt working! Muay Thai is from Thailand and teaches you to use feet, shins, knees, hands and elbows (and also head) to devastating effect. Its well regarded as the most effective striking art. For proof watch it consistently beat karate, kickboxing, TKD , boxing on K-1 on Eurosport.

also i'd like something that is quite technical like wing chun, and something like judo and aikido aswell, i know im asking an awful lot and that no martial art would probably incorporate ALL of these particular styles

I did Aikido for years and left it for MMA/BJJ. Just because something is a martial art doesnt make it more "technical". Boxing, I would think, is more technical that Wing Chun or Aikido because it actually works against a resisting opponent. If you want something to incorporate grappling and striking then do MMA with John Kavanagh or Colm O'Reilly as I have said above.

MMA considers that a fight can go anywhere so be prepared to stand and fight with boxing or muay thai and be prepared to grapple either standing or on the floor with wrestling or bjj. BJJ focuses on a more advanced syllabus of ground techniques than Judo would. Wrestling focuses on excellent takedowns and takedown defences. Dont waste your time with anything else.

Colm_OReilly

Hi Newband,

I coach out at SBG Tallaght - Two Kings. If you could make it out to us in Firhouse I could show you how all the ranges are combined in MMA. We mainly specialise in Clinch/Ground but every few weeks we work our stand up defence in order to get into the clinch.

If you need directions or further infor check out our website

If you've any questions just post them here or PM/email/phone me.

Take Care,
Colm

PS: We've a couple of big strong guys at the gym, so they'd force you to build up your skill, and not rely on your size/strength.

D!ve^Bomb!

sounds good colm, i see its every monday and wednesdays, how much is it? and what would a first day consist of for a complete beginner?

Colm_OReilly

newband wrote:

sounds good colm, i see its every monday and wednesdays, how much is it? and what would a first day consist of for a complete beginner?

From www.twokingsmma.net

Training usually starts with the coach explaining what we'll be working on in the training session.

Then we warm up. The warm-up starts with general movements to loosen up the body and accelerate the heart beat. Once we're warmed up we move on to sport specific movements and general locomuscular endurance exercises. These develop the areas that are most used in combat sports and work on core stability.

Before techniques are taught, the class will drill the area we are working on. This allows people to gain an appreciation of the problem we are dealing with, and to see what sort of solutions they can come up with. By doing this first participants explore possibilities and learn to be creative and solve problems. We have found this method better than simply hand feeding you answers, and making you reliant on a coach for solutions.

After a few minutes, the coach introduces the techniques for the day. people have grasped the key factors to each technique we move on to the isolation stage. Isolation is practicing the techniques with a partner offering you increasing resistance. In this way people can develop their skill so that they can use them effectively on the mat. Finally, we integrate the technique/postion into the whole game.

As a beginner I'll let you watch the drills for the first few minutes while I explain what the guys are trying to do and how they're trying to accomplish that. Then you'll get a chance to work in with someone who has experience. This is so they can help you along and so you won't get hurt.

While you are rolling/pummeling with the guys I'll talk you through what you need to do and give you general pointers so that you'll be able to train with the guys and start developing your game.

As regards price we've a different number of packages, depending on how often you train per month. I always find it better to discuss these in person. If you'd like to come down Monday you can try out a session and then we can discuss training fees?

If you've any other questions please fire away!

D!ve^Bomb!

sounds good - have you many members at all? i'd definitely like to come down sometime, maybe next monday? if you can could u pm me and give me any kind of idea on how much it costs, cos im strapped for cash for the next month or so.. thanks for the replies

pearsquasher

a friend emailed me about doing a martial art and i replied him wiith this. Perhaps it will help?

There are several reasons in my experience, why people
get into martial arts.

1: Self defence
a common reason to start off but one learns
fairly quickly that awareness and running away are the
best defence. Any martial art that use this to sell it is
questionable. If you are always in fights and stuff then
its not self-defence you need, its counciling!

2: Keep fit
this is a recent inovation in martial arts. Its
no more keep fit than any other sport though. i
recomend swimming. We don't do any fitness stuff in
our place (Budo Taijutsu) because we're expected to keep fit in our
own time.. there are plenty of ways tp do it. i
recomend yoga and swimming and walking. Soccers great
too.

3: Sport
if you're competitve and like proving yourself,
karate, judo, taekwondo, kendo etc are all modern
sports martial arts that have a lot going for them. I
personally don't find them intersting at all - too
many rules!

4: Well-being
Aikido, Taichi, Iaido(sword drawing),
Kyudo(archery) etc are all art-heavy martial arts that
promote self dicipline, focus, movement, grace and
form as ways of improving ones overall outlook in the
world. Again, these are quite modern systems that have
lost a lot of their martial/real combat qualities.


5.Tradtional
Lots of kung-fu schools and old-style japanese schools
are thought in order to preserve the skills that it
has taken generations of people to develop. They tend
to lean towards being combat-effective in certain
areas and promote self-improvement/fitness to some
degree too. The art i do is a combat effective one
made up from 9 tradtional schools. These schools were
all born out of actual warring periods and were kept
updated as they got passed on down the generations.
The system that teaches these schools.

Many Chinese and Japanese tradiotonal schools also
have medicinal systems wrapped up in them - including
the art i do. After all, in order to hurt somebody,
its good to know how to fix them as well! i know
plenty of instructors who have holistic medical
clinics. It take s good deal of study though.

6. Combat
Systema, Ninjutsu/Budo Taijutsu (what i do), MMA.

As distinct from self-defence. Combat martial arts are
used for real life situtaions by professionals,
usually by the security forces - bodyguards, soldiers,
police etc. They tend to involve total body awareness
training and incorporate tactics and modern weapons
like guns. The art i do is combat effective but takes
a long long time. They tend to be done by big
marine-type guys who know they are going to fight or
enter aggressive situations. (civilians doing
self-defence want to avoid those situations). The
other folks who do these, like me, are simply
intellectually interested in doing the most
combat-effective arts, undiluted by sport,
self-improvement etc. Through studying realistic
combat you actually gain all of what the
self-improvement arts sell AND the self defence stuff
too. Its the most well rounded martial art as far as i
can see - but then i wpould say that


Rant over. Hope you got something out of that!

Colm_OReilly

newband,

I've sent you that PM, again sorry for the delay. Hope to see you soon.

Pearsquasher,

Nice take on breaking the reasons down. The typical purchase model, which is used by most marketers(sp?) is this:

1. Problem Recognition
2. Solution Search
3. Analysis of Alternatives
4. Selection
5. Purchase/Trial
6. Dissonance Reduction

Any martial art that use this to sell it is questionable

I'd qualify that statement somewhat. As we've seen on most people's first thread, they ask if a martial art is good for self-defence. So if a martial arts school can use that USP, why not? Ethically speaking, if they can show a proven track record of effectiveness, I think it's okay to claim that. However, you are right that an awful lot of 'self-defence' schools are cashing in on this fear.

If you are always in fights and stuff then its not self-defence you need, its counciling!

Damn Straight! I'm gona have to use that sometime.

2: Keep fit

A lot of people find running on a threadmill boring, or gyms intimidating. MA can be a fun way to keep in shape. I don't think it should be the main selling point however.

4: Well-being
Aikido, Taichi, Iaido(sword drawing),
Kyudo(archery) etc are all art-heavy martial arts that
promote self dicipline, focus, movement, grace and
form as ways of improving ones overall outlook in the
world. Again, these are quite modern systems that have
lost a lot of their martial/real combat qualities.

I think the thread on "Martial Arts: A Way of Life?" has some good points on this subject. Furthermore, I think a lot of people are intrigued by foreign arts and some MA schools cash in on this, when all they are doing is peddaling esoteric rituals and mysterious sayings. No real spiritual growth there IMO. If someone asked you about an MA for spiritual reasons what would you recommend? I'm getting the impression you don't think this is a good reason for starting them.

Where do you train Bro? What would a typical training session be like in your gym/dojo?

Peace and Love Y'All,
Colm

pearsquasher

Hmmm. "What MA would you recomend for spiritual reasons?"

I'd ask what they meant by "spiritual"? Then a massive debate would probably begin! I don't think spirituality can be packaged in a style of MA - its a lifelong process.

In my art i can see some folks at high levels have a sort of spiritual outlook I suppose, but they got there in their own unique personal way and its not something really discussed. Religious doctrince and spiritual life-stuff are not a part of what i do explicity. I would say if you are a decent person, you may emerge with a sort of spiritual outlook deep into training. As soon as folks go on about it or think they have dsicvered the secrets of the universe after afew years... *warning bells*!!! :rolleyes:

The club I am is at http://www.happobiken.com/club.htm Enjoy.

Undergod

I'm living outside Dublin, the only martial arts available as lessons are Wing Chun and Karate (specifically Wado-Ryu). I'm considering taking up both if possible, but I want to know what they offer in the way of quigong, or if there is anything similar. I have seen demonstrations of chi blocking and it's something that interests me greatly.

dlofnep

Ask yourself, what do you really want out of a martial art?

I want confidence and have the ability to defend myself. I study gracie jiu-jitsu.

This may differ to you..

tomsie100

To the person instrested in chi gung go to http://www.shaolinwahnamireland.com/ she teaches chi gung in ireland and on that website there a link to a forum on chi gung and other arts