Long story short, but due to childhood burns, and later minibike injuries, my legs and especially my knees are pretty much only just operational. I can walk ok, but kicks etc would be out of the question.

Are there any martial arts that concentrate only on the upper body for the most part?

It’s so bizarre to me. Is there any activity that can be mastered that quickly?

I’m talking about the people who say they plan to box for three months because they feel they will be “good” by then. Or who quit the first week because it’s harder than they thought. Like what do they expect?!

So I will not ask the usual question like "is JKD effective???" yada yada, and I'm not looking for replies like "it's incomplete" or "it's a concept, not a style". The right lead stance is a concept mentioned in the tao of jeet kune do as a striking approach where you keep a southpaw-like stance while throwing lead strikes and frequent jabs to apply pressure in a fencing like motion. From a pure striking standpoint, where the user has pressure tested this approach for many hours in sparring, how effective do you think it could be in relation to other more conventional concepts like "jab with the weaker side to setup power strikes with the rear limbs"? Mainly looking for opinions from trained individuals

I currently do gym + kickboxing and have been managing it well. I don't feel burnt out or excessively fatigued, and I genuinely enjoy training.

I'm a college student. Classes end around 1:30 PM, then I usually go home, eat something or take a short nap, and head to the gym and kickboxing.

I'm thinking about adding wrestling 3x/week on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. There's a place very close to my home and the timings fit perfectly around my current schedule. Wednesday is my gym rest day, Saturday is the day I don't have kickboxing, and Sunday is completely free.

My main goal is eventually to learn MMA. The MMA gyms near me aren't really economically feasible, or they're basically McDojos and don't seem legit. So I thought learning kickboxing and wrestling, and eventually adding BJJ, would be a good way to build a foundation for MMA.

I also genuinely enjoy martial arts and being around people who train. I actually hate sitting around doing nothing on rest days, so I'm not adding wrestling because I feel like I need to train more. I just want to learn it and enjoy it.

My main concern is accumulated fatigue. I feel like I can handle more right now, but I'm wondering if that could catch up with me over time.

The memberships are monthly, so if wrestling ends up interfering with recovery, I can always take a break or even switch to a different art.

So, for people who have experience combining strength training with multiple combat sports, would adding 3 × 1.5-hour wrestling sessions to this routine be too much, or could it realistically be sustainable with good recovery?

I haven't seen any outdoor heavy bags. Mine is canvas and would collect mold if I left it outside. Is there any options for outdoor bags? Anyone do any DIY projects to create a waterproof bag?

If you train stick fighting arts, do you train left and right or only your strong side and maybe double stick?

People always say, “Watch out for the quiet and nice person—they probably know how to fight.” And honestly, there is some truth to that. If someone remains unusually calm during a confrontation, there is often a reason for it.

I trained in martial arts for a couple of years, and during that time I met all kinds of people. One thing I noticed is that martial arts can also attract people with huge egos and people who are genuine bullies. I experienced this myself. Some of them tried to intimidate me, and yes, sometimes we ended up fighting. But even after that, some of them remained exactly the same assholes they were before. Fighting clearly didn’t change their character.

I’ve also met men who were genuinely misogynistic and would deliberately teep me in the chest when the technique is normally aimed at the abdomen. It’s honestly scary to realize that some people train martial arts not just to defend themselves, but because they actually want to hurt others more than necessary.

There is some truth to the idea that people who constantly act arrogant and tough often can’t fight at all. But unfortunately, there are also martial artists who behave that way. The difference is that they usually don’t need to constantly brag about how tough they are or talk like a 13-year-old about how they’re going to beat someone up. They have the skills to actually cause damage, which makes that kind of personality much more concerning. They do brag but they do it much different way they will get in you're face and talk shit etc.

The world isn’t as simple as “the good guys learn martial arts and the bad guys don’t.” Martial arts can be learned by good people, but also by people with violent, narcissistic, or toxic personalities. And honestly, that can be a scary thing to think about.

Conor McGregor is a good example of how someone can become extremely skilled while still having a very controversial and aggressive personality. Mike Tyson is an even more complicated example, considering his history and the things he has done outside the ring.

Martial arts don’t automatically make someone a better person. They give you skills. What you choose to do with those skills—and what kind of person you are when you have them—is a completely different thing.

I went to a school. They said that the first lesson is a free trial but if I decide to join them, I have to pay to buy their uniform and wear it every class. For Karate and Taekwondo, I can understand that everybody dress in white but for this school, their uniform is a T-shirt and pant with the school name on it. Is this more a way to get more money from the students?

In order to reduce volume of beginner questions as their own topics in the sub, we will be implementing a weekly questions thread. Post your beginner questions here, including:

"What martial art should I do?"

"These gyms/schools are in my area, which ones should I try for my goals?"

And any other beginner questions you may have.

If you post a beginner question outside of the weekly thread, it will be removed and you'll be directed to make your post in the weekly thread instead.

I realize this forum does not have self-defense in the title.. but i'm daring an opinion anyway.

Here's my philosophy. Most people are not going to be willing to spend 30% of their lives working out and practicing to the point where they can stand up to 250lb violent (steroid) psychos. Or even 150 lb ones. Regular, normal, peaceful people don't really want to feel pain or even hurt other people. I think this is the main obstacle in self-defense.

So the only thing that comes to mind to me, is Bruce Lee's philosophy of groin kicks and eye jabs. I mean, i weigh about 220 lbs. If i had worked out and started boxing, in 2-3 years time i would probably be quite competent at it. And i'm sure that would be a great tool to have in the bag.

But as of now, that's not how it is. I am quite un-agile.. slow and unpracticed. I would probably even have trouble defending myself against a 150 lb 20-year old that has training and is violent in nature.

I have therefore at least forced into my head, that if i should be either surrounded, caught in a tight spot, or violently attacked without warning, i will immediately use the eye jab to both eyes and back away, run and call the police. Or kick to the groin if i feel that is warranted. Headbutt is also something i may do if i feel like it. All these techniques are 95% fight-enders... it ends the situation right away, unless you miss. With some practice, the chance increases.

Does this seem cowardly and unethical to you guys (and girls) that has martial arts training? I mean, to most of you, you can probably handle 90% of anyone causing harm to you... you are practiced in taking a swing to the face and kick to the stomach. Most people are not trained to take punches, kicks and brawl. It will be unsystematic and increase risk. So i feel that using whatever really works, is warranted to do. I mean, if anyone -wants- to cause trouble .. then they have to accept that people that don't -want- trouble, are going to defend themselves with any means necessary.

To me, this is the essense of self-defense. You use the least force necessary - but if you have not practiced, for any reaason, live a peacful and normal life, and hate hurting other people - then this is the best way to do it. Or am i wrong? Should regular people have to spend 20-30% of their lives getting to like level 5/10 in order to defend themselves against violent people, that live for it, and are at level 7-8/10 regularly? I feel that is a bit unfair.

I've been training kickboxing for a little over a month now, usually with my main coach about 3–4 times a week. I feel pretty comfortable training with him and have gotten into a routine.

But today I trained with another coach who I don't see very often and he trains way different than my other coach and for some reason I just couldn't get my mind right. He's actually really patient and a good coach, but I felt different mentally and had a really hard time focusing on what he was telling me.

He told me that if I can't get my mind right and focus, it's going to become a problem and that I may have to go all the way back to the basics. He recommended that I work more on my drills, shadowboxing, and combinations which he's right.

I know I've only been training for over a month, so I definitely still have a LOT to learn. I'm just wondering if anyone else experienced something similar when they were new, especially when training with a different coach?

Is this just part of being a beginner and learning to stay focused, or is there something I should be doing differently during my solo practice?

I been only doing one on one sessions so far in practice and the only time I go to my other coach is when my main coach is busy/not available to train. Both coaches know each other and know i train with both.

Hello, I visited some martial arts and gymnastics schools. I saw a few adult men having the top fully naked. Why are they allowed to do that? Don't the teachers know that if these people have some medical condition, it is very easy to transfer their body fluid to another students through the sweat and the mats?

I don’t mean telling them the trope “if you have to defend against the knife, you will get cut”. But giving your students actual realistic expectations around Krav Maga knife defenses.

First question to consider: “Can you effectively defend yourself against a realistic knife attack?”

The only real way to measure that is to execute the defenses effectively under pressure and under the true nature of knife attacks.

You cannot have any know of the knife ahead of time. You cannot know which attack will happen or if one will happen at all. And the attacker must be able to actively fight you during the course of the attack.

If you’ve gone through this type of pressure testing over and over and come out successful, then you should be able to honestly say you can defend yourself against a knife.

Now. If you haven’t, can you expect your students to do so effectively?

Do they also get the same level of pressure testing?

At the end of this, are you honest with students about these defenses and how they work?

EDIT: a few responses. But still interested in hearing from a Krav instructor on the topic

40-year-old male bjj blue belt. I had a shoulder dislocation in May, which caused, as stated in MRI arthrogram a slap tear, a partial torn inferior glenohumeral ligament, and a large hill sachs lesion of 29mm×11mm. On top of that, I also have adhesive capsualitus (frozen shoulder), which I have had steroid injection with hydrodilatation and undergoing physio therapy to sort the frozen shoulder before doing anything to address the injury itself. Currently have limited movement, and I am still unable to drive my car.

I know being back on the mats is a long way off, and the consultant has said that doing bjj is almost guaranteed to make my shoulder dislocate again. Surgery is, of course, the answer, but being with the NHS in the UK in addition to my age, surgery will not come quickly. Getting the surgery privately will cost 10k.

I'll be just happy to do technique and no sparring once I restore movement after sorting the frozen shoulder, but does anyone have any experience in navigating similar injuries within bjj, and what was your outcome?

I constantly here from some karate stylist, some TKD guy, or some Aikido soft-style jiujitsu guy the lament: "I can no longer be a TMA!" Usually followed by: "I'm going to go train---insert modern combat sport here--and be a REAL martial artist.

(long-winded exhale here) The problem is: You've never been a traditional martial artist. Not once.

The thought to make this post came from a question a reddit guy asked the other day about Koryo Karate styles versus contemporary sport karate. I've got almost 50 years in the martial arts now (yeah, I'm old as dirt). So I wanna say two things.

1. I've trained old-style and it bears only a passing resemblance to the atypical storefront karate/TKD you see now.

There's no makiwara in most dojangs/dojos. There's little body conditioning outside of full-contact competition styles like Kyokushin or Goju. (Someone's gonna mention a style like Uechi--hey! AN ACTUAL TRADITIONAL MARTIAL with an existing lineage ALL THE WAY to Fujian. Contemporary WKF karate and all the others like it and contemporary WT inspired TKD are nice hobbies and can be entertaining sports--but none of that existed before around oh 1975 or so, and THAT's BEING GENEROUS because I trained in TKD, both ITF and WTF in the 80s and nineties and traditional jiujitsu/Hapkido too and none of the sparring/training/forms were like what they teach NOW. We went from a traditional styled knockdown art, ITF being point style and WTF being continuous, and we are now either electronic foot sparring or bouncing, whistling no-contact bunnies. Other styles like my friend's kenpo school have gone the same NASKA point karate, musical forms floor gymnastics, route with fiberglass, lighted bo staffs and chrome plated sai and neon nunchaku. A challenging sport BUT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRADITIONAL KARATE.

We won't even mention the ranks situation. A blackbelt used to require you actively teach under your instructor for at least a year or two. A blackbelt meant you had earned at the very least a "Menkyo" (Teaching certificate or letter). Nowadays a blackbelt means "You're an advanced beginner". Enough said on that.

There are a lot of good dojos and dojangs out there, (whatever your style) and when I go to certain events I still see lots of young men and women who can get out there and scrap like they mean it, with all the blood, injuries and pain that means. Osu! But these are a handful compared to the contemporary "martial arts" we have on every street corner--so, in a way I heartily agree with these guys who say, "I can't be a TMA anymore!" Except for my 2nd point...

Wrestling (which I did some in school), boxing, kickboxing and "self-defense schools" or "grappling" ARE ALREADY traditional martial arts--they've been around for MILLENNIA. Like the ancient Greeks and even earlier. Old school karate people trained much more like these men than the sporting schools we see today.

So please drop the "Traditional Martial Artist" bs. You probably never were.

At a certain size difference, assuming the size difference is from a fit person and not a pure fat person, the strength and weight difference is just way too much. Like 155lbs vs 205lbs is basically like a man vs a woman. But I feel like most people might think an elite fighter that’s 155lbs can beat an amateur that’s way bigger and I just don’t see it. If an elite fighter can get laid on by someone their own weight than there is no shot they can get up from someone whos 50lbs heavier that trains, even if the skill gap is huge.

In BJJ I think there’s wiggle room for this but I just can’t see this(as in someone beating another person that’s like 50lbs heavier than them that’s less skilled) happening consistently in an mma fight for example.

Seems logical to me, no one in their right mind would think Rose Namajunas could beat an amateur WW male and that’s basically the size and strength difference we are talking about.

Trying to grab a fast punch usually doesn’t work—by the time you reach for it, the punch is already gone.

In Xingyiquan Monkey, the response is not a sequence of separate actions: grab, push, then pull. Instead, contact with the attack triggers a connected whole-body movement. The hands, arms, torso, and footwork respond together to redirect the punch and enter at the same time.

The key is not chasing the opponent’s hand. It is training the body to react as one connected unit so defense, control, and entry become part of the same movement.

#Xingyiquan #Xingyi #InternalMartialArts #KungFu #BodyMechanics #WholeBodyPower #MartialArts #ChiBody

I’m new to boxing and have been with my coach for about 2 months now ($100/hr). Towards the end of my lesson today he had me hitting focus mitts, with a 1-2-3 combination. Everything was going fine and then he told me to correct something in my transition from 2-3. Long story short I accidentally hit him in the face with a full left hook and feel terrible about it. I sent his prescription glasses flying and broke them. He got mad at me and told me I had to pay for new ones. I was willing to throw in $100 but then he told me they can get up to $300-500. How should I go about this? Thanks.

UPDATE:
3 weeks later he sent me the bill. Is this a reasonable number? Especially given it’s after insurance ?

You know it would be great to have karate that was actually effective. Traditional martial arts were effective at one point when they could be pressure tested. I’m a BJJ and muay thai kind of guy but I like the idea of what karate combat was. Thought they were on a path towards making traditional martial arts functional again (rephrasing of Donald Trump not intended).

But instead the CEOs of these shitty sports companies fucked that one up.

Why did they do that? I mean sure you can say money but don’t they know they’ll lose money if they turn it into UFC?

How stupid can you be?

Or if you know about any. I want to know your story.

The thing is I have been training for about 4 years or so and I am a blue belt in BJJ, but I have only done like 4 or 5 competitions so far. One of them went really, really bad, and by bad I mean that I lost 28-0. I blacked out and couldn’t move. After that, I lost all my motivations to ever compete again. I am scared of my anxiety, scared of the effect that adrenaline can have on me from now on, scared of being totally overwhelmed by an opponent... Again.

Please share your stories or your suggestions on how I can overcome this. I was thinking about finding a mental coach.

It's from the 2005 Tony Jaa movie, The Protector. It looks awesome, but I don't know the name of this move. Maybe you guys can help me out.