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Krav Maga + a few other martial arts.
Xenocide Geek
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So, I've made martial arts threads before, but this one is focused on a specific one or two.
I think I want to go with Krav Maga, especially since now I have monies and can afford to take a class.
But I don't know what the classes are like, how intense it's going to be, etc. I just wanted some knowledge on how the classes will be.
On a similar note: is brazilian jiu-jitsu a ring sport? Do you spar/fight in a ring?
I think I want to go with Krav Maga, especially since now I have monies and can afford to take a class.
But I don't know what the classes are like, how intense it's going to be, etc. I just wanted some knowledge on how the classes will be.
On a similar note: is brazilian jiu-jitsu a ring sport? Do you spar/fight in a ring?
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someone said true love was dead
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most of all, most of all
someone said true love was dead
but i'm bound to fall
bound to fall for you
oh what can i do
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Not generally. Usually on wrestling mats.
BJJ is about 99% ground skills, so you'll be training on mats. There are competitions, but those are more likely to take place on wrestling mats than in a ring.
Ask if you can observe a few clases before you pick a school.
Watch how well the instructor manages the class and how much B.S. is tolerated.
Are you asking if its a sport that happens in a ring, or if its a martial art designed on a scoring system, and winning competition?
Generally the BJJ gyms I've been to are pretty intense. They expect you to be in fairly decent shape when you come in. If you don't exercise regularly, the first two weeks will be pretty painful as you start using a lot of stabilizer muscles you didn't even know existed.
The BJJ class I go to start out with stretching/conditioning for 30 minutes. For conditioning you'll do your typical calisthenics and then you'll do a lot of strange tumbles and weird ground maneuvers. The thing is that these moves have practical value and you're prepping your body to memorize these foundation moves.
After conditioning is over, the instructor will teach us a technique such as "escaping an anaconda choke with a wrestler's sweep" (what I learned today). We pair off with a partner and practice the technique over and over. The instructor will walk around to answer questions and make sure we are executing properly. Usually you'll learn several similar techniques at once. For instance, after learning the first sweep, our instructor taught us how to escape from the same position using 3 other methods depending on the body position of the opponent. This generally takes 30 minutes to an hour.
The final part of the class is "rolling" which is just BJJ jargon for sparring. Usually we pair up with a partner, or get in groups of three (with one person resting). The instructor will yell start and you basically grapple for 5 minutes straight trying to submit the other guy without getting submitted yourself. Once the 5 minutes are up, one guy stays, and the guy that rested jumps in. Once that 5 minutes ends, the guy that jumped in has to roll with the first guy. If you don't do a lot of conditioning these 15 minutes will seem like utter hell.
The most important thing is not to get disappointed after the first few times rolling. The only way to get better is to keep rolling against guys that are better than you and eventually the things you practice will "click" and you'll improve. BJJ is a very mentally challenging sport which makes it extremely satisfying when you finally overcome a challenge. It isn't for everyone, but if you like challenging yourself both physically and mentally then I'd definitely recommend at least trying out once.
The other thing is to talk to the instructor or the gym prior to attending your first class. Most gyms will let you try the first class for free and that is a good way to gauge if this is something you're willing to spend your hard-earned cash on. If they don't let you observe, there is a good chance they are hiding something. By going to observe you can get a good feel for how you mesh with the instructor and the other students. If the instructor acts like a jerk or speaks to the students in a condescending manner, then take your money elsewhere. If the instructor feeds a bunch of BS about how you'll be able to defend yourself against 5 armed thugs with the 1337 skills you'll learn there, then walk out the door. Most BJJ instructors will be able to give a lineage of their instructors and their training and experience.
http://onthemat.com/school_database.php is good place to see if there are any schools nearby. I was able to find my gym through that site and I live in South Korea. Good Luck!
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If it happens in a ring.
Hmm, thanks for the answers. I'm still undecided on whether or not I want to do BJJ or Krav Maga, I'll visit both the schools around me.
most of all, most of all
someone said true love was dead
but i'm bound to fall
bound to fall for you
oh what can i do
If you can't beat a single opponent in the ring or on the mat, you probably shouldn't be worrying about beating three armed oppenents in an alley.
Krav maga is designed solely to be destructive, at least the original version, it is not a competitive martial art. The people who originally were being taught Krav Maga would more than likely end up in those situations.
Right, but that's sort of like putting the cart before the horse.
A better method would be to train under optimal conditions until the student proves his effectiveness, then move on to drilling the sticky situations.
Krav maga is overblown. Don't let them sell you that "It's based in real combat" or "was developed for real combat" like that makes it super special. At the end of the day, almost every martial art has its beginings with someone who really, really needed to fight, and krav looks like and pretty much trains like other "self defense" oriented martial arts such as kempo - it just doesn't have all the oriental trappings. What the first guy who did the style needed it for and how he trains it doesn't matter nearly as much as what you and your instructor need it for and how you will train it.
Judge all the schools you audition hands on, as individual schools, as the sad reality of modern martial arts is the name on the door often has exactly fuck all to do, stylistically, with what's taught inside. The individual work ethic, instruction quality, and competitive ethos within each school can vary so much it's hard to make a broad generalization.
That's one of the selling points of BJJ, actually - very strong quality control from school to school.
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The sport gyms usually focus on heavy gi work and take place on mats. Striking, ring/cage positioning, etc are not emphasized. Submission and point strategies are taught for effective tournament competition.
The fight gyms may have a ring or a cage to work in. They split with different biases between gi and gi less grappling. Both have different approaches to the same end result. They also incorporate body positioning for strikes and cage/ring control. Point grappling is down played with an emphasis on submissions and finishes. Since they train for a MMA situation normal sport jits strategies do not apply.
Oh as mentioned earlier www.onthemat.com is a great resource. I know the two guys who run it Gumby and Scotty. Great grapplers with a gigantic passion for the sport.
Uhm, isn't Karate more of a general term for a number of martial arts, or one with a bajillion different styles of it? That seems like a pretty broad sweeping generalization to be making...
Or is it Kung Fu I'm thinking about?
Kung Fu is generally used to encompass the many different styles of Chinese Martial Arts. It can also be referred to as Wushu.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_martial_arts shows a list of different type of Kung Fu or Wushu styles.
Karate also encompasses several different styles, some which are pretty hard core. I'd definitely be wary of someone who trained in Kyokushin or Daido Juku (Kudo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oTBrf-9ynY ) as both heavily emphasize full contact combat.
Back on topic. As xeroismygod mentioned, BJJ gyms are usually separated into two types, the sports and fight oriented. If you join a traditional BJJ gym then it is very likely that you'll have to purchase a gi (the martial arts uniform). If you have trouble finding a BJJ gi you can usually substitute it with a Judo gi. The only real difference is that a judo gi is generally a tiny bit longer.
MMA oriented BJJ will usually focus on no-gi techniques. You'll simply need a good pair of board shorts, and a t-shirt or rash guard.
I'd also heavily recommend getting a mouthpiece and some cheap neoprene knee braces. That is unless you don't mind the occasional bloody lip and constant mat burns. If you plan on learning some striking, you'll also want to get some handwraps. Finally if you start feeling pain on your ear you might want to invest in some wrestling headgear to avoid getting cauliflower ears.
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With KM it's a bit different because as far as I know it has a pretty good name but I'd get pretty bored of just doing hardcore violent drills all the time and nor competeing for anything.
Maybe people with experience in booth can give a better judgement though.
Gold. But you have to know what to look for. Regardless of the art you choose, you have to make sure that they train with "aliveness".
If you don't train with aliveness, you will not be able to fight, period.
Fantastic speech by Matt Thornton on aliveness in martial arts training. It's 8 minutes of goodness that will show you what to look for and why.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2068450760833041053
I have trained in boxing and am getting into judo and bjj. first time poster, yhelothar, etc... JC - wow you get around.
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I host a podcast about movies.
A school I recommend is AMC kickboxing and Pankration since you live in Washington alot of famouse fighters have come out of that gym. Pankration is basically gi less BJJ with lots more striking.
They train really, really hard. He'll get really good, but it might be a bit much for him, depending on what he's looking for.
That is very true. They have a similar ethic here at American Kickboxing Academy which is totally not for everyone. However since he mentioned some cage fighting in his first post to train in a gym with a lesser work ethic will result in a face beating if he ever decided to take an amature run in MMA.
How hard is hard, exactly?
I'm looking at the class schedules on their website, and the layout looks pretty cool, and the prices aren't bad either.
I think I might be interested in going there depending on what else you guys have to say about it.
most of all, most of all
someone said true love was dead
but i'm bound to fall
bound to fall for you
oh what can i do
It has top quality instructors, produces great fighters, you will be working with people from all over as alot of fight gyms send their fighters to cross train with other gyms. We send alot of guys up and alot come down. They are on par with every other great fight gym. Personally if I lived in the North West I would train at either AMC or go down to Gresham, OR to train with Randy Couture.
I thought Randy was training in Vegas now.
Expect to sweat, and hurt in places you didn't know you had. AMC trains pretty hard. You won't be, like, beaten to death or anything, but the workout itself will probably be more then most people are used too.
I host a podcast about movies.
Off topic, I got to meet BJ Penn in person today while randomly walking through the COEX mall in Seoul. I guess he's in Korea right now because one of his buddies is fighting in an MMA competition this weekend and BJ is going to be his corner. Man, he looks a lot bigger in person and looked like he could easily fight at middleweight. BJ and his entourage, including his older brother were all really polite and I'm kicking myself for not having a camera with me.
Looking for a Hardcore Fantasy Extraction Shooter? - Dark and Darker
Yeah, he has alot of flexability in his weight. He comes to AKA now and then because he is friends with my instructor Dave C. his technique clinics are awsome.
Also, Sam Fisher uses Krav Maga (in the book version at least).
On what are you basing that statement?
I took BJJ lessons for about 9 months or so. It was pretty cool until my neck started getting jacked up and I caught ringworm from the mats. Also, too many of the guys there were wild and all wanting to be in the UFC. I don't feel like getting a joint fucked because someone is overzealous and has shitty technique.
Sounds like a bad school. Don't let it leave a sour taste in your mouth for BJJ.
I host a podcast about movies.
Learn a little bit of everything
boxing
karate
judo and brazilian juijitsu all make for a great base of knowledge.
If you have never done martial arts before I would suggest taking a beginners karate course that has people your own age level and watching the class. Talk to some of the students after class. Get a feel for the general energy of the folks. If at the end of the day people are ending up with broken noses and no ones having any fun....
well keep moving along.
If your in college most campuses have classes real cheap so you might want to check that out.
Oh and if someone gives you the "Our style is the most powerful style" just walk away and save your time and money.
I don't really have anything to base this on, I guess I'm just skeptical of a lot of arts (or schools I should say).
Cross training is a good idea though, the most popular being bjj and muay thai.
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I agree. For me the thing that does it is all the videos I've seen have the unarmed guys disarming opponents that are armed with (fake) handguns. That seems like a dangerous thing to grill into peoples' heads unless they're actually in the military and will end up in situations where they have to do that to avoid being killed, as opposed to e.g. handing over their wallet instead.
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