The Gang of Five
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => Hobbies and Recreation => Sports => Topic started by: Amaranthine on July 19, 2008, 07:54:37 PM
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Discuss Martial Arts and all of its forms here!
Martial Arts for me is more then a sport or even an art. It is an extension of my senses (heh, I'm sounding like Toph) However, honestly, it really is. As a kid, I was more about protecting myself from the world so I wasn't aware of people who were talking to me or if I was bumping into anyone. I use martial arts to be more attentive and to feel a lot more strength because I realize even though I may not be typically as large or as strong as some other people (although the sensei has complimented me that I was pretty strong physically XD) I can still use it to push the uke(attacker)s force against them.
So does anyone here do martial arts? Do you teach classes of martial arts? Tell your martial art stories here.
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I took Tae Kwon Do lessons as a kid, mainly 'cuz I had trouble with anger management :rolleyes:. It has helped me in several ways to this very day. First off, it taught me self-discipline and self-control, which has helped me get a handle on my anger and let my kind and caring side come out and show :^.^:. It taught me that the object of martial arts is to not harm the attacker, but to prevent them from causing harm to ya. Never engage in a fight unless you're sure ya can win. Lastly but definitely not least, it helped me learn self-defense and how to protect myself against assailants :yes. It makes me feel much more secure to have such knowledge of defending myself :).
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I will admit, I was into karate before I even took lessons. After watching Power Rangers for so long, I just had to learn it all. I started taking Tae Kwon Do when I was six, and it was the most fun I ever had in my life. I will also admit that I used to be very arrogant when I was younger. When I started taking lessons, I would always think I could beat people up. Of course, then I became a black belt at nine and finally realized I couldn't be so arrogant. From that moment on, Tae Kwon Do was a part of my life, and I stuck with it until I became a 2nd Degree Black Belt. Unfortunately, my studio was going through very difficult times, and it eventually went bankrupt. I now study Tang Soo Do, which is almost the same thing, and I've been taking that for the past two years.
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I went into Okinawan Karate in the middle of junior high (I knew it as middle school), because I was being viciously bullied. It was funny that for some reason when I started, I was never physically abused again, but I never told anyone at school about it. Anyway, I was in it for over 6 years and made it up to 1st degree black belt when I finally decided to quit, because I wasn't being trained further and the whole system was being changed to the point where it became more of a business than a school. I was doing pretty good in tournaments, and I made state champion in my division in '98 before our grand master decided against state tournaments and we went to local ones. I most favored katas, weapons, and team demonstrations (I always play a bad guy getting pounded).
Anyway, after I quit, I wanted to stay in shape so I took Latin dance classes at this place that also did karate, cardio kickboxing, step aerobics, body conditioning, and self-defense. So I took dancing and cardio kickboxing for three years before I moved to go to culinary school.
Taking martial arts really opened my eyes to the world of martial arts, and I really delved into the spiritual aspect of martial arts. I'm trying to at least find a school here that teaches tai chi. To summarize it all up, I believe I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't taken martial arts and kept me around long enough for me to discover cooking.
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I spent one and a half season learning Wing Chun (Kung-Fu).
Got over the basic kicks, punches and throws.
I didn't have the time to continue though. -_-
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I was in Judo one time. But I stopped practising it soon as I felt once on my head and had to go to the hospital :p Now I want to practise Capoeira, after the holidays.
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Tae Kwon Do since sixth grade for me. I want to take up either Kendo or Aikido soon, though. Muay Thai kickboxing looks fun too.
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When I was in CA, I took Kook Sool Wan, which is a Korean form of Martial arts, but when school starts, I'll take Tae Kwon Do. I made it as far as Yellow Belt Blue Stripe. My mom was in Tae Kwon Do was was a 3rd degree blackbelt when she married my dad. He said that he felt safe :lol:
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about 15-18 or so years ago I took kenpo karate for about a year or so but haven't been taking any martial arts since then.
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a friend of mine(you a friend? yes indeed,)learned me some systema(russian karate) moves,
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When I was six I practiced Judo! Quited when I was 8 because there were no girls and practising with boys wasn't really fun. So you can't say im really good either xD
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I've recently wanted to take up Tai Chi..but dealing with college right now I've had to lower my standards considerably. I have been able to download a single Free lesson from this website...the name currently escapes me. -_- But I gotta say...it's fun! :DD
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Well, I finally got to start in 2 more combat arts: Fencing and Kendo. Just started in both, but it totally kicks butt! Busy as all get out, though...
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You're learning European fencing with Japanese fencing? Neat! The school where I learned Karate was on the verge of teaching chanbara, kind of like kendo but everything is made of foam.
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As a teen, I studied a specialist form of karate called "Inyo Karate Do". My younger brother and I took part in it. I studied this form for about 3 years. I made "Rokkyu" (6th level) which is green belt. I enjoyed it for a while, mainly because studying the Japanese language was also part of the class. The training was tough and my sensei and sempei were never easy on us. But it taught me a lot about discipline, self control and respect for others as well as how to defend myself and deal with given situations. We never used weapons (as it was a form of karate) yet it was a very engaging style involving katas (fight technique routines), ukemis (break falls and rolling techniques), grab and throws and other specialist techniques. I gave it up to go to university and I have since left it behind although I still do remember some moves and some of the lessons learned from the classes.
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I'd like to study Sambo someday.
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i took Taekwondo for 4 years in England. i got my 1st Degree black belt in december 06. i took my 2nd degree the following year, but failed it as a result of my teacher concentrating on his "elite" players for competition and stuff. never mind :). since coming to the States, i havent really gotten back into it yet. even though its the same art, alot of the stuff is very different.
eventually i wanna open up a school and start to teach. i love doing Taekwondo. even though i am currently not doing it, it is still a part of my life.
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I'm going to start Grappling pretty soon as well. :p
Basically it's intense wresting and of course, there is going to be more men and boys there then women...but heck, anything that can help me with my anger and maybe self-diagnosed depression is great! XD
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I'm going to start Grappling pretty soon as well. :p
Basically it's intense wresting and of course, there is going to be more men and boys there then women...but heck, anything that can help me with my anger and maybe self-diagnosed depression is great! XD
Look on the bright side...beating all those guys at Grappling will definitely put a dent in their egos. :DD
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Yes, and it will put a dent on mine as well believe it or not. :P:
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I would have loved to have taken martial arts, still would as a matter of fact, but I never got around to it.
It would be nice if taking it would help me deal with some of my anger.
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I'm doing Tai Chi. precisely the Wudang-school.
not long ago i started...
i was playing football (soccer) since i was six. in combination with immense growth spurts it somehow ruined my knees and made me wince in stabbing pain. so i stopped...way too late, as doctors told me.
one day i read about Tai Chi: suitable for every age and has almost nothing to do with physical strength. and i saw that awesome movie with jet li.
i never felt pain in my knees again, since i practice.
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Glad you found something that works & your knee pain is gone.
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I found a book called "The Way of the Warrior" a few days ago. It has information of all the most popular combat styles from around the world. The only place where a martial arts did not originate was Antartica... :rolleyes
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The only place where a martial arts did not originate was Antartica...
Well, if there were people there, I'm 99.999% sure a martial art would have developed.
I used to take Taekwondo like 10+ years ago. Didn't like it. I'm not really into combat sports (unless I'm screwing around with my friends... let's just say I used pool cues in a way the manufacturers never intended them to be used.)
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You could try something more for mental, spiritual, or physical relief. As Shinj said, Tai Chi does a lot for meditation. I used to do Tai Chi too along with Karate.
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Yeah Tai Chi is definitely more mind and soul than contact. I always wanted to take Tai Chi, but I'm satisfied with Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do. The one art I would absolutely positively love to learn is Muy Thai. I've watched people practice it, and it looks awesome.
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Some martial arts are hard to find places to learn from since there are so few teachers in the us, or other then the native country it is from.
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When I got a Nintendo Wii a few months ago, I took up boxing :p. It's something I've been wanting to do for some time now; only, I don't have the time for classes. Still, shadowboxing makes me feel stronger and vents out anger I may be feeling :yes.
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I'm sure shadow boxing can have many good benefits, and if nothing else I'd guess it's a good form of exercise.
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i took tae-kwon-do for about four years while living in Ohio. got up to black belt. it was really more for me about defending myself
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In this world that is a good reason also.
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I can bet I'm probably the only person on here that practices Ninjutsu. I started off just using the books and videos, but finally I turned 16, and took up a local class. It's pretty good fun, and I can definitely feel that I'm making progress. I currently hold a 9th kyu grade (equivalent to whatever is just above yellow belt i na system) It follows the Bujinkan system, which comprises of 9 different specialist schools, like muscle attacks, bone attacks, weapons, tactics, etc. I also do reading up on the side from various schools.
I'm currently working on ways to work psychological tactics into the style. I'm reading up on hypnosis, mental associations and body language and stuff like that. Good stuff, good stuff.
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Sounds like you really enjoy it and are gaining a lot.
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I did a little bit of Kendo but stopped because I ran out of time.
I kind of want to consider Krav Maga.
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I finally got down to learning a new martial art via Youtube. It's medieval combat arts, and I'm starting off with the longsword. I'm still at the basics in stances and sword movements, since I have to work on strengthening my forearms. And I was using the wooden swords... :bang
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I used to learn Karate when I was smaller and I got to quite a high level. But then I realised that I'm a very lazy person, so I stopped going :rolleyes:
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I started taking Tae Lwon Do training when I was nine and have long since stopped and created my own unique fighting style. I still have my gi/uniform and medals.
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I used to do Aikido,and I hope I will be able to do it again.
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I'm a green belt in Tae Kwon Do; sort of unofficial as I work out with a friend who has sort of created his own little sect of TKD known as Planet Beast!
There is no pain on Planet Beast! Lol a bunch of other random and awesome sayings like that, too XDD
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Back during my elementary school and high school years I used to take Taekwondo courses on a regular basis. I haven't taken a course in years, but I do credit my experience in those courses with helping me learn self-discipline and a stronger sense of self-confidence.
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Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a few years. Thought I would need it for high school, never did.
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I have just started learning Shaolin Kung Fu. It's quite a workout, and different from Tae Kwon Do in that there's more fluidity in the movements. I'm self-learning this style, and looking into taking up a different martial art☺.
*I have previously earned my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
*I have taken the self-defense course and taught a couple of friends and coworkers under the table...since I don't have an official certification :p.
*I have gotten really good at boxing and now I'm focusing on kickboxing too.
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One of my friends (US Army) gave me a quick and short lesson on army combatives.
I'd still probably consider taking Krav Maga or some other hybrid combatives system. I'm not interested in belts or ranks or any of that, I just want to be able to protect myself.
And of course, I definitely pistol or rifle shooting. Seriously, it is considered a martial art.
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Haha I'm a lost cause on stuff like this. Nerds and sports stereotypically don't get along; I am a prime example of this. :lol :sducky
I did karate at elementary age but only for 2 years. I didn't care for it and wasn't particularly talented. The closest I've ever been to being in a sporting course other than that was a bowling league I was part of as a kid. I was decent - not great but decent.
I don't really have much interest in spending my time in activities like these. Don't get me wrong, I love casual sports with friends but I'm destined to suck at them. :p
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I am trained in the European Martial Arts.
My focuses are:
Spadda de Longa (Italian Long Sword)
Spadda de Filio (Side Sword)
Sword and Shield
Half Swording
Sabre (Saber)
I was trained by Sword Master of twenty years who won tournaments all over the world and was knighted.
I have self taught myself:
Kenjitsue (Kendo, Samurai Sword)
Ninjitsue
Tiger
Crane
Mantis