Martial Arts Advice?

Hey Everyone,

I'm considering starting some Martial Arts training and am interested in Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun & Kung Fu. I would be a total beginner and I'm not sure where to start.

There is an opportunity in Seattle to train with a 4th generation Sifu from the Yip Man Lineage in Wing Chun. I don't really know the differences between all of the different styles. I know I like Jeet Kune Do the best but it seems hard to find a good trainer. Jeet Kune Do's foundation began from Wing Chun so I was leaning toward that.

I'm not looking for any UFC stuff or hardcore MMA / kickboxing. I want to learn self defense and efficient, powerful, quick fighting styles & takedowns - eg. Bruce Lee / Yip Man.

Anyone have any wisdom they could impart with the different training styles they have experienced and why you prefer the Martial Art Style you train in?

Much appreciation in advance!

 

I take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mauy Tia. I enjoy both of them. The ground work and takedowns of Jiu Jitsu is where its at though to me.

 

I have taken kick-boxing, Jiu-jitsu and some martial arts classes.
If your purpose is to, strictly, learn self-defense, kung-fu is a good choice.

If you might also want to lose weight/get toned, I would take kick-boxing. Also good for self defense.

 

Jiu-jitsu has been my favorite...by far.

 

Thanks. I will definitely look into Jiu Jitsu.

I don't know if it's true, but from all the movies I've seen [lame, I know] Muay Tai is where they do alot of those brutal leg kicks? haha That Van Damme movie comes to mind when I think of Muay Tai.

 

Thanks for replying. Would you consider kung fu and kickboxing very similar to Karate?

 

The main goat is self-defense. These will all help you improve your skills.

Kickboxing will teach you to dodge punches and to punch/kick back. You could hurt yourself in a "gloves off/street fight" situation.....I am not saying to go out and fight.

Kung-Fu can teach you both offense and defense. You are not always going to want to kick the crap out of someone. Requires alot of discipline and practice.

Karate is more of a self-help class/intro to the world of martial arts

From my experience...

 

Yes self defense is my objective. I'm not looking to start any trouble for sure. I'm 45 and have always been loved MA, but never got into it - I spent my time in my younger days locked in a room playing guitar - haha, so I'm good with the discipline / practice part.

I'm looking to be able to take care of myself and my wife if the situation arises. Getting older has made me realize how important this is, I'm not a spring chicken anymore - i don't want to end up 10 or 15 years from now and not be able to fend for myself and wife against much younger / stronger aggressors.

I'm checking out Brazilian Jui Jitsu online and have found a decent place near by that is getting very high praise. I'll look into the Kung Fu.

 

Personally I think having some kind of ground game is a must. Stats say that 90% of scuffles end up on the ground.

 

Good point. Now that I think about it, pretty much every fight I have ever seen or been in has ended up in a ground battle. That's definitely how a lot of bigger guys fight cause they know that's their advantage.

 

Hip flexor stretches are a must. Don't be one of the guys like me who pulls it so many times it's chronic.
Best advice though is don't actually fight. Concussions suck and have ruined parts of my everyday life. Good luck

 

I have no experience with any of the Martial arts you listed, but one of my best friends is taking BJJ, Tai Kwon Do, and Krav Maga, and from watching her train my preference would be BJJ, the grappling really has my attention.

Edit: this guy has some short videos of BJJ practice at ATA (In Charlottesville, Virginia)
https://www.youtube.com/user/hixbassman/videos

 

Yeah stretching is extremely important before very physical activity. I have never heard of hip flexor stretches though - thanks for the advice.

Thing is, I really don't like to fight I would like to be able to intimidate the shit out of someone in the initial stages of a confrontation enough to diffuse the situation before someone get's hurt [especially me - haha] - that's my goal.

Have you had alot of concussions from fighting? Or sparring or something?

 

Everything has its place. I would suggest starting with one style and getting solid with it whether it is muay tai or jiu jitsu or any other style. I personally started with Kempo Karate, and moved on to train in mma. Whatever you decide, go all out, its worth putting in the sweat and blood. Good Luck!!!

 

Ya that's my favourite. It's a great hobby where you get a great workout, learn a ton, and don't really put your health at risk by getting punched and kicked.

 

Mine came from work one day but I bet it's also from years of hockey, boxing and Muay Thai. Just such a shutting injury

 

Boxing.

 

BJJ is getting alot of recommendations, I have been checking it out and have found an IBJJF Dojo nearby. Thanks for the vid, I'll check it out.

Thanks for your advice! That is the approach I was thinking would be best.

Sorry to hear about that Max. Concussions are tough to live with on a daily basis. I hope that you can get better, I know what it's like to live with chronic pains and body issues [esp. back] as I have been in a pretty bad car crash and a bad dirt bike wreck, but I imagine concussions are at the top of the list.

 

Someone mentioned already that Karate doesn't really feel practical and I have to agree.

I did lots and lots of sparring when I was doing Karate for 7ish years and did a few tournaments. It teaches you a fighting style that you probably won't up using that much. You tend to keep your distance in "proper" sparring in karate whereas in a real fight your probably going to end up on the ground.

The dojo I attended was very successful at tournaments with a few of the people from our dojo competing in major international tournaments and winning lots of golds. This was not full contact though. We learned tons and tons about techniques on your feet but we never learned anything about ground work.

 

Yeah, I've only been able to sit in on one class so far but it's really cool to watch.