Teras Kasi Archive
Thread: Martial Arts.
The hidden art of 'chuk chuk blam'.
It's not as glorious as kung-fu or as elite as ninjitsu but I can put a moving deer down at50 meters with a solid slug.
I studied at UC Berekeley MAP (hands down the best learning environment I have ever seen for martial arts) and in several other places over the years. After about 4 years of Tae Kwon Do, 3 years of Hapkido, 2 years of Hwa Rang Do (figures might as well hit all the korean styles after a bit and was going for Kumdo before I moved) and participating in many other random classes I have a few general points to pass on.
1) Style is not as important as a good teacher.
2) Students in your class will teach you as much if not MORE than the instructor through interaction and practice with them. If you find yourself in a place that discourages sutdents for working out with each other for safety / legal reasons you should move on as you are selling yourself short.
3) Avoid placed that price like fitness class with trainign schedules of two or three 50 minute sessions a week with 25 of those minutes as warmup. This simply tells you the instructor is out for money and not quality of instruction. Loof for the all you can eat type of places where you can come in anytime.
4) No martial art is best. If there was one we would all know it by now. DONT buy into the "my style is the leetest" junk. Each style is suited to a particular body type, personality match, and combat situation. The classic example is the Brazilian Jujitsu craze the swept the world after the UFC ... flopping on your back with your legs spread in a back alley against more than one opponent is not the best idea. As you take one poerson down the other will be kicking you in the head. but should it be one on one in a grappling favorable environement .. well then we have another story.
5) It takes years to practice to be safe. As a low level black belt myself I cringe at people who take one or two years and leave thinking they are safer than when they started.
WRONG
You are worse off usually after a year or so of martial arts.
You initial reaction of hands up, flinching back, and running if someone tries to hit you is better than where you will be in a year of training as you learn NOT to run and ATTEMPT to block. You are over riding your natural and safe instincts with a new set of instructions and until you have them perfected you are worse off.
Have fun .. may you find the path as rewarding as I have ...
Its a grappling form related to both wrestling and judo. It incorporates close combat and enphasizes control of the opponent. It goes beyond wrestling and judo in that it focuses on forcing your opponent into submission rather then pinning them.
While its not the most elegant form, it is highly physical.
If your looking for a form that forces massive physical conditiononing, I would recommend it. If your looking to dance around like in the Matrix, this isnt for you.
I've also taken some kenpo. This style is more striking like traditional styles you would see in old movies. It focuses on power striking and blocking. The basics. Historically it was a form taught to monks for self defense. (Not the shaolin monks, just normal monks who arent all aggressive and fighting oriented). It is one of the quicker styles to learn and master.
Rortt
I do Goju Ryu Karate. It originates from Okinawa(well really all martial arts originated from China but this is where the style was put together and got a name). It focuses on good striking and blocking as well as having the ability to take a hit and not have it hinder your effectiveness in a fight. You'll always recognize a Goju artist when you see them doing the kata "Sanchin" which is a heavy breathing form.
Greets, Anubis. I myself study traditional Chinese martial arts, primarily focused on Internal styles (Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Pa Kua) but also focused on Shao-lin kung fu (animal styles, long fist, weapons... mostly so I can spar more often).
I would like to back up the previous assertions that no "one style" is the best. I freely admit my bias towards my style and my Sifu; however, I would recommend finding a training environment where you are comfortable (you will be working hard), with people who seem decent (they will be hitting you often after all), and a Head Instructor [Sifu, Master, Sensei, etc] who works for you and has god character. I believe without these 3 elements, you may become bored, disillusioned, or disappointed, causing you to quit training.
Be wary of schools with the attitude that becoming black belt is an end to itself and will mean you have achieved some high level of proficiency. I would argue that it simply means you have proven yourself to be a serious student and are ready to begin learning in earnest. Whether it takes 2 years, or 5 years to get your black belt, mastery, proficiency and understanding will only come with many more years of training.
What are you looking for in a martial art? Do you want to learn to grapple, wrestle, use swords, do forms, work out, fight all the time? Are you looking for a hobby, doing this long-term, undecided? Do you want to find a place to hang out as well as train? What is your monthly budget for this? What kind of time do you want to put into it? When you figure these out, I would recommend visiting several schools, talking to the students (at all levels), watching classes (of all levels), and speaking with the Head Instructor.
Please feel free to e-mail me at Locu5 AT email.com if you have any questions about styles, teachers. schools, or pricing. You may want to check out rec.martial-arts but there is an admitted bias there towards BJJ and grappling. If you are in Atlanta, please visit atlantamartialarts.com; this site is run by a friend of mine trying to provide an impartial directory of schools in the area.
/emote lost a match to the edit button....
correction: "and a Head Instructor [Sifu, Master, Sensei, etc] who works for you and has *good* character."
lol Anubis222, i don't know if your the same anubis from the chat room but if you are, wasssup bro =D.
ok lets see, i don't really "take" any martial arts. ever since i was a kid tho i learned karate and kung fu from my uncle, no specific style mind you. now i'm working on my own art i feel comfortable with other then bare handed i'm pretty good with swords and staffs. heh if it works it works. i learn what i learn from watching people and sparing with friends who take martial arts like my friend that takes t.q.d. who went to states in florida.
Lol maybe one day you'll here about my style of martial arts =) i think i'm just gona past it doesn threw my family tho like my uncle did to me with what he learned from his teachers in those 2 art forms. i think it would be fun to kick my kids ass with a style i made.
There are places that consider Jedi a martial art or a life art. lol to some people it's a religion. We Teras kasi lovers i don't believe could ever follow there ways. if i had a choice between teras kasi or jedi i'd pick teras kasi. remember everyone teras kasi was not made just for this game. there are books about them and stuff.
I want to start a martial art, I studied a little karate when I was like 5 or 7, and have since dropped it. I read the Martial Artists' translation of the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi(and the regular translation too, which may be literal but is less useful for it). This book changed my life. I mean, I'm already a big guy, so I wasn't exactly shaking inmy boots before it, but since, I have just made it clear to whoever confronts me that I won't back down, ever, and they always run. It's like having the club on your car; sure, you could bypass it if you were a skillful or strong thief, but thieves, like bullies, are opportunists. They want the easy money/thrill. Otherwise they'd go to school, earn a degree, and get a good job. It's not as easy as stealing, but it has a lot better retirement plan.
I had a crowd of 12 men run away from me once: they were a soccer team, and I weigh over 300 pounds. They would have stomped me into the ground, but I faced them down, and they ran.
In any case, any suggestions for a good art to pick up? As I said, I'm a big guy, so wrestling seems impractical, and I'm doing it to lear the art & acheive the mental state, i don't have anyone on a "to be beaten" list, so a meditative or philosophically intensive art would appeal very strongly. I can't afford the $500 bucks for armor to do kendo, so that one's out...any reccomendations?
I've been studying Tang Soo Do for a while under GM Chong Su Kim. It is a Korean styleclosely related to Tae Kwon Do but places more emphasis on the spiritual and historical components. Also tried Shaolin as a kid but left becausethe Master got his kicks from hurting kids.Having read most of the above posts,I have some comments of my own...
The"bally's total fitness" type of school isn't recommended, but that being said, that's where I am for logistical reasons. As long as you push yourself (they may not push you hard enough)and go all the time you will be ok. I practically live at the dojang, and at the end of the week I'm exhausted. Unless i'm testing or in a tournament, I take the weekend off. Might skip a class here or there too.Gotta let the muscles regenerate a little.
I'm on my way to earning ablack belt in 3 years. Black belts have different meanings in different styles. In some styles it is supposed to signify perfection or mastery. In others (like TSD) black belt isthe "real"beginning.
If you're just starting, or looking for aschool,don't worry about how long it takes to getto black belt. Having it isn't nearly as important ashow you get to it. We could just walk in and steal one (or buy one from the supplier)if it meant that much.Thelonger it takes thebetter off you are, and after a few months it doesn't seem tomatter anymore.Don't take it too seriously either. Every now and then takesome time off. A couple months ago I skipped a test to go to the beach with some friends. It was worth it.
Make sure you sit in on a couple classes before forking over some cash. Initial investment can be really high (uniform andtuition, couple months later sparring gear and weapons) so make sure you willlike where you are going. Be sure to meet the Master(s). Most are great people but there are a few that let it all go to their head. Make sure the classes fit into your schedule. Day classes are ok but I like going at night, showering, eating, and going right to bed. If the place looks unprofessional (or if you get hurtoften)just double check and ask if they have insurance. I think they have to.
I too take Tang Soo Do. I find it to be the most useful of all the schools I've studied in a real world environment, especially as it is taught at my particular school. I also train in medieval weapons, and attend some classes which actually teach out of thirteenth-century combat manifests and such, translated usually from german and latin. Very interesting stuff- nothing like in the movies. And the scary thing is that a 12 year old squire from medieval europe could probably kick all of our asses, 2 or 3 at a time. People were way stronger back then. Wow I'm rambling so I'll stop now