The definitive guide to martial arts

Nothingcompares

Do you want to do the best, toughest martial art out there? Do you want to train exclusively in this martial art and under no circumstances dabble in others? Do you want to be so elite than you can dismiss all other training types and methods?

If the answer is yes your martial art is boxing or MMA.

Do you want to do a thorough study on "the martial arts". Do you want to collect a number of blackbelts from different martial arts with really long names that more or less train with the exact same method? Do you want to learn about martial arts history that goes back 2000 years but has only really existed for the last 50 ? Do you only want to train with instructors of high pedigree with a lineage that can be traced back to a country where they don't speak English or have bebo?

If your answer is yes you martial arts are shorin gyu ryu juujitzu and gado wado gun karate.

Are you interested in a reasonable amount of exercise, meet new people and learn something new?

If the answer is yes, your martial art is almost any of them

Are you not interested in exercise or athleticism? Do you feel martial arts don't actually work in a stressful adrenaline filled real life environment? Do you want to practice how to disarm someone holding a ak47 while wearing a balaclava?

If the answer is yes, your martial art is Krav Maga

Do you want to avoid all types of "hard skills" training and instead develop a spider-man like 6th sense for confrontation and danger? Do you believe that while shopping in tesco someone will try and stab you with a machete and you'll have to defend yourself with a ball point pen while you attempt to gnaw someone's groin? Are you a fan of Ray Mears? Are you Jim Wagners penpal? Do you have a poster of carl cestari on your bedroom wall? Do you believe you're gifted intellectually that you can learn a complete and applicable combat system from a 3 hour seminar with Lee Morrison? Are you too busy with your IT job to train regularly in a gym?

If the answer is yes, your martial art is Reality based self-defense

Do you want to study a martial art but you don't mind which? Do you want to get stuck into some traditional training that has a significant amount of disciple and role play? Do you want to study the history and lineage of your martial art? ARe you interested in the subtle nuances that makes your chosen discipline different to the discipline to that practised in the school hall next door? Have you no interest in actual performance or realistic application? Do you like dancing? Do you like different colour belts? Do you have some dispoable income?

If the answer is yes your martial art is either Karate, Kung fu or TKD.

Does the modern world leave you unfulfilled? Do you feel that you may have had a destiny to go on and achieve something great, conquer other nations and have 200 children? Do you sometimes think you were born in the wrong era? If so, some kind of funky Juiujitsu is for you. If you have the urge to pretend to be a samurai from japan and play with weapons and armour and find a new father figure look no further.

Have you been beaten up on O'Connell street by a couple of teenage scumbags and are looking to something to bring back your self-confidence and train you to beat knackers up? If so you shouldn't waste your time in martial arts but instead should take yourself down the gym and start lifting big weights

Are you looking for what everyone else is looking for? Something that will train you to a descent level of combat that will allow you to defend yourself outside chippers and kebab shops and preferably in the company of good looking women? Do you want to enjoy training and meet some interesting people from similar and different paths of life? DO you want to train in a fun, competitive environment that has the atmosphere of a team sport but allows you to compete individually? If so you're probably better off doing rugby but if you still have some martial art fantasy you should try and combat sport that has a realistic and functional training method and a positive, welcoming, friendly club set up.

Your martial art is mma, bjj, boxing, judo, kickboxing, wreslting, muay thai

ARE you impressed by WRITING styles like this. Do you often take what you read on the INTERNET as gospel truth? If so, you shouldn't bother actually training in anything, instead you should buy some journals, dvds and other crap from the internet and feel reassured you've prepared yourself for the resulting pandemonium that will ensue post . worldwar 3

HammerHeadGym

I have to say, your crusade against everything that isn't MMA is getting a little boring now. We get it. MMA is better than everything else, and by association you are better than everyone else. Well done.

Your argument is filled with fallacies (specifically straw man, either/or and ad hominem) and is tantamount to saying if you do it my way you are clever, if you do it any other way, you are stupid. You're not stupid? Are you? C'mon, answer me, everyone's watching.

Now, before we start trading personal insults, I would like to say that I left the traditional way of traing after 19 years to take up MMA. However for the last ten years of my 'useless', 'archaic' martial arrts training I worked the door in some real sh!tty areas in Dublin and not once in ten years was I beaten.

I think we can all agree that MMA and the modern style of sparring/fighting based training is the most efficient way to train and offers the most benefit, but that doesn't make the other method useless. MMA athletes train to such a high level because they will be fighting someone at the peak of their game. However in ten years on the door I only fought one conditioned fighter, and he was too pissed to see straight, and found my black book of unuseable techniques was more than enough to deal with the average asshole. And my years of 'playing' with knife techniques helped me survive 4 sharps attacks (2 bottles, 1 knife, 1 needle). I'm glad you didn't tell me how stupid it was then, or I could have been hurt.

What it all boils down to is this; the more you practise fighting, the better you will be at fighting. The more you practise kata, the better you will be at kata, and so on. So regardless of the label you stick on the school, it will be the content that affects the quality of the student.

Word.

Colm_OReilly

Nothingcompares,

Take some time out, there's really no need for this post. The forecast is good this week, spend some time outdoors.

Thread closed, one week ban
Colm