Martial Arts Advice?

Get to know the Sensei's history before you sign up. There are a lot dojos around. Most are great for teaching kids good habits, respect, and intro into the arts. Hench the rainbow of belt colors too. It keeps them motivated, provides a sense of accomplishment, and keeps them coming back.

Your original plan is a good one. Traditional martial arts does not include grappling, where most street fights typically end up. So its to your benefit to at least know your opponents tactics.

Myself I did mostly Aikido. Some knife fighting, and grappling. I learned from Senei's that only believed in 2 belt colors, white and black. One of my Sensei's had 4 belt colors (other ones zero), he felt it was a western culture thing and called it the McDonalds of martial arts. Most students that did Aikido with him made green after 3-4 years. Originally we shared space with a dojo that taught Krav as a calisthenics class. It was LOL's

Its good to have that confidence, but not fighting is the really the best option. Most of what you'll learn is timing based. Without practice, your timing will not be honed enough to use some of the more advanced techniques. Then its really back to basics. Oh and the best fighters are almost always prior high school wrestlers that learn grappling at a young age. Getting my nose fixed was 10X more painful than when it was broken. That and my job requires I stay out of trouble so its just best to walk away, but it took a lot to get to this point.

 

Breezed through this and there is lots of good advice given.

Walking / running away and knowing how to wrestle being 2 of the best. And of course pressure points to hit if you are in close.

But I just couldn't skip this great movie scene. Yea, movies are just that. Movies. But still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs

 

I do BJJ and Judo. They’re fun and useful when the poo goes down.

 

What is the difference or what is meant by Gracie JuJitsu and Brazilian JuJitsu?

 

I think Gracie Jiu Jitsu just means that the school can trace its lineage to the Gracie family, who are generally considered the founders of BJJ. The Gracie’s are Brazilian. Basically the Gracie’s have monetized their name. My school is a Gracie school.

 

Gracie Jiujitsu teaches and is rooted in self defense jiujitsu(GJJ)in addition to sport jiujitsu.(BJJ)

 

That is correct, but the Gracie’s are from Brazil, so technically it is all BJJ. Each lineage of Luiz França, Jacintho Ferro and Carlos Gracie, will argue that their lineage is the correct one that started it all.... Some even argue that it wasn’t until years later, when Helio started training that BJJ was created.

The argument is an old one, with a lot of lore and history. In the recent years, the Gracie lineage has tried to differentiate their Jiu Jitsu by almost solely focusing on self-defense. If you look with in the Gracie world, it is really school by school, some are heavily focused on self-defense, some on sport and like the MAJORITY of schools — focusing on both. Both styles attracted different clientele for different reasons.

If you want a truly amazing un-bias read about the history of BJJ, read the Choque Vol. 1 and 2. They are interesting if you are into history of the art.

 

Couple of points; some repeated above...
I don't believe there are too folks willing and able to beat me up, who could also outrun me (I play soccer and mountain bike).
So for me, 'self defense' means defending my (slower) loved ones from the threat of violence. This simplifies the equation somewhat.

Grappling arts are useless if you are outnumbered, and most bullies won't do a thing w/out their posse.
So in the Kenpo Karate school I practiced, we emphasized the need in self defense for speed and mobility. Stay on your feet to keep attackers in front of you, not sneaking up from behind.

Any MA style can function effectively as a means of self defense, with constant practice!
Many linear "stand and box" styles (karate, kickboxing, TKD, etc.) can quickly teach practical self defense tactics, whereas other circular styles, Aikido being a good example, have devastating effect but can require many years of practice to be effective in the street.

I visited over 2 dozen different dojos before I ended up at my school- so much variation out there.
Do the instructors move well and efficiently? Because that's what you will look like. How long did they train before receiving instructor rank?
Does the school emphasize competition? Cooperation? Self defense? Tournament fighting? Strength training? Cardio fitness?
Are the students focused and engaged, or standing around listening to someone lecture for half the class? Is there diversity within the school?

Lastly, remember grasshopper: a fight will last seconds.
Training will take the rest of your life.

 

I've been training BJJ 5 days a week for a long while now and I've honestly never used anything outside the academy (except for when my friends and I have had a few too many beers). I'd say any martial art will teach a valuable skill and show you how much being disciplined can pay off. Just do your research and find a good instructor, before you sign up for anything go and do some free classes at all the academies you are considering joining to see what you like the best.

Side note - best self defense is a concealed carry and knowledge on how to use it.

 

Are you a Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris or David Caradine fan? Seriously, I started with Akido as a teen. Drifted away when life happened. Later a friend introduced me to Kali. I'm not very good in the grand scheme of things, but don't give me a short hunk of stick and expect to come out not seriously messed up. I've watched good folks with a stick be able to take out several joints in the time it take you to throw a punch or land a kick. Something to think about.

Now that I'm well into my sixth decade I don't move like I once did. And if I fall I might not get up. I've taken up carrying a cane and learning it's use.

 

I know some young men that have trained in BJJ for years. I learned one thing from them. If you run across some dude wanting to start some shit with you, and he has a cauliflower ear with other battle scars, walk away, hell run away if you have too. Some of these young guys I met looked relatively harmless, but I watched them work out one day, and learned otherwise.

 

I agree with the masses about BJJ. I too have been training in BJJ for almost five years now and I go an average between three to four days a week. It is not only a great tool physically but also helps with mental help and stress. If you find a good school they will give you the foundation to not only learn BJJ but also help with the stand up part of self defense. You can't do BJJ in self defense without knowing the stand up part. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

If self defense is your goal then a combination of kickboxing and grappling (BJJ or wrestling). These have been proven time after time to absolutely dominate in self defense. If you put karate or kung fu up against a kick boxer or good grappler, the karate/kung fu guy is getting destroyed. It happens everytime.

 

At 45 years old and no training at all, you would be better off looking into self defense courses. I'm 48 and have a good wrestling background and have no intention of trying to even fight fair against someone in there late teens or 20's. These guys that are looking for trouble are usually strong out on drugs and don't really care what they have to do to get them.

 

Now that I'm in my 60's and crippled up, trouble is the last thing I'm looking for. I can't run or throw myself on the ground without possibly seriously hurting myself. My goal is to avoid trouble at all costs, but as a last resort, I CC everywhere I go now days.

 

Most people forget that boxing is a martial art and should be on your list to try besides BJJ, Karate, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, and TKD.