The NEW A/T Martial Arts Thread: Aikido to Zoo-jitsu

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > The NEW A/T Martial Arts Thread: Aikido to Zoo-jitsu

Mad Wack: Mar 27, 2008; "The faster you use your cooldowns, the faster you can use them again"

How the heck do I find a decent teacher for ANY martial art? Everything around me looks like a McDojo - is there any site or association or resource?

EDIT: Thanks for the replies - both joke and helpful

- I did read the OP for sections like the what to avoid section, I was just hoping the internet would make it even easier then that.

Mad Wack fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 7, 2011 23:10

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# ? May 29, 2024 12:50

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I know its bewildering when faced with a plethora of choices in martial arts and martial arts schools. But here are a few simple rules that will help you choose an awesome martial arts school.

Credentials and lineage are very important. You don't want to learn from some no name guy when you can learn from a well regarded martial artist.

1. Check Martial Arts Halls of.Fame. There are a number of them so check them all since they each have slightly different criteria and cover different arts. One thing they have in common is that other great martial arts instructors voted them in so you know their peers think highly of them.

2. Check Rank. You don't.want to be learning from a purple belt when you could learn from a black or red belt. A black belt is nice but a 10th degree black belt is uniformly incredibly impressive. So go with the tenth degree guy, Likewise titles are very important. The most senior titles differ from art to art but you will want to find an Osensei (Japanese), Sifu (Chinese), Grandmaster (American), or Mentiroso (Portuguese)

3. Cross-Training is Critical. The UFC has taught us that no one martial art is.the best. People have to have complete games and have to have cross trained in many arts. So look for the teacher who has a lot of blackbelts in different martial arts. Most teachers have at least 2 blackbelts so look for those who have 3 or more. The best instructors will train a lot of martial arts and many of them decide to put together what works from each art and combine it into their own hybrid martial arts system. Many of these hybrid schools are great.

4. Lineage is Important. Ask about the lineage of theor school. I know being an inexperienced student you likely will not know who any of these people are in the lineage but it doesn't hurt to ask. And some people will have very impressive lineages you will recognize. For example many Jeet Kune Do schools can trace their lineage to the founder Bruce Lee. And some kung fu schools go all the way back to the ancient Shaolin monks. But if the instructor can't or won't tell you his lineage don't worry. That doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad school. Some instructors won't share since they find it insulting to question their credentials or others have simply been training so long that they have forgotten who awarded a particular belt.

5. Performance is King. Look for the instructor with the best fight record. Many of them will list their championships and fight records. Why go to the guy who is 3-4 in MMA when you can learn from the guy who is 120-0. But the performance of the instructor alone is not enough. Who cares about how good an instructor is if his students suck? So when you go visit the school or even just check out the website look for a lot of trophies. Or references to national and state champions in their martial art who have trained there. One thing that can help verify performance is school demonstrations. Try to attend a demonstration put on by the school. The more impressive the demonstration is the better you know the school is. If they can train an 8 year old to move like that, they can certainly train you. You.can see the instructors skill.level in how the instructor can send his students flying through the air with almost no contact.

6. Find a Combat Tested Martial Art. How can you tell if a martial art will be effective on the streets? Well if the military or police rely on those arts. Many of the best martial artists have trained elite military and police teams. So look on their sites for information stating that they have worked with this elite unit or that elite unit. Of course some special operations forces are very secretive so the site might just say "trained elite.special forces" or "trained swat team" without more details. Even better yet, is if the instructor themself has served in an elite unit. We all know that the most effective martial arts are learned on the most high speed combat teams. So look for instructors who let you know that they are former Navy Seals or Green Berets especially if they tell you they have conducted a lot of.secret mission where they had to actually use their martial arts prowess. The entire art of Krav Maga was founded by Israeli commandos, the deadliest hand to hand fighters in the world. So it is hard to find a bad Krav Maga school.

So with these 6 simple tips you can find the best school for you! Don't thank me now. Thank me after you have found an awesome school using my tips and have trained there for a decade.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 00:27

Rinar: Sep 9, 2007

Bohemian Nights posted:

Welcome to the club, duder! Hugging guys owns.

I think I trained briefly with a guy from that gym in New York, but I can't remember his name.

Thanks man, hugging dudes is some of the most fun I've had in a long time. After practise they opened up the mats and let us mess around for half an hour before kicking us out. It's weird doing a judo throw without ever having practised judo and basing it on some of the videos posted in this thread. I don't even know the name of it and was kinda shocked it worked, it's so much fun fighting other newbies!

Do you remember at all what the guy looked like? It'd be kinda funny to say hi to him from you.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 00:47

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

Yuns posted:

I know its bewildering when faced with a plethora of choices in martial arts and martial arts schools. But here are a few simple rules that will help you choose an awesome martial arts school.

Credentials and lineage are very important. You don't want to learn from some no name guy when you can learn from a well regarded martial artist.

1. Check Martial Arts Halls of.Fame. There are a number of them so check them all since they each have slightly different criteria and cover different arts. One thing they have in common is that other great martial arts instructors voted them in so you know their peers think highly of them.

2. Check Rank. You don't.want to be learning from a purple belt when you could learn from a black or red belt. A black belt is nice but a 10th degree black belt is uniformly incredibly impressive. So go with the tenth degree guy, Likewise titles are very important. The most senior titles differ from art to art but you will want to find an Osensei (Japanese), Sifu (Chinese), Grandmaster (American), or Mentiroso (Portuguese)

3. Cross-Training is Critical. The UFC has taught us that no one martial art is.the best. People have to have complete games and have to have cross trained in many arts. So look for the teacher who has a lot of blackbelts in different martial arts. Most teachers have at least 2 blackbelts so look for those who have 3 or more. The best instructors will train a lot of martial arts and many of them decide to put together what works from each art and combine it into their own hybrid martial arts system. Many of these hybrid schools are great.

4. Lineage is Important. Ask about the lineage of theor school. I know being an inexperienced student you likely will not know who any of these people are in the lineage but it doesn't hurt to ask. And some people will have very impressive lineages you will recognize. For example many Jeet Kune Do schools can trace their lineage to the founder Bruce Lee. And some kung fu schools go all the way back to the ancient Shaolin monks. But if the instructor can't or won't tell you his lineage don't worry. That doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad school. Some instructors won't share since they find it insulting to question their credentials or others have simply been training so long that they have forgotten who awarded a particular belt.

5. Performance is King. Look for the instructor with the best fight record. Many of them will list their championships and fight records. Why go to the guy who is 3-4 in MMA when you can learn from the guy who is 120-0. But the performance of the instructor alone is not enough. Who cares about how good an instructor is if his students suck? So when you go visit the school or even just check out the website look for a lot of trophies. Or references to national and state champions in their martial art who have trained there. One thing that can help verify performance is school demonstrations. Try to attend a demonstration put on by the school. The more impressive the demonstration is the better you know the school is. If they can train an 8 year old to move like that, they can certainly train you. You.can see the instructors skill.level in how the instructor can send his students flying through the air with almost no contact.

6. Find a Combat Tested Martial Art. How can you tell if a martial art will be effective on the streets? Well if the military or police rely on those arts. Many of the best martial artists have trained elite military and police teams. So look on their sites for information stating that they have worked with this elite unit or that elite unit. Of course some special operations forces are very secretive so the site might just say "trained elite.special forces" or "trained swat team" without more details. Even better yet, is if the instructor themself has served in an elite unit. We all know that the most effective martial arts are learned on the most high speed combat teams. So look for instructors who let you know that they are former Navy Seals or Green Berets especially if they tell you they have conducted a lot of.secret mission where they had to actually use their martial arts prowess. The entire art of Krav Maga was founded by Israeli commandos, the deadliest hand to hand fighters in the world. So it is hard to find a bad Krav Maga school.

So with these 6 simple tips you can find the best school for you! Don't thank me now. Thank me after you have found an awesome school using my tips and have trained there for a decade.

Do this. Or Instead:

READ THE OP

I give you two choice grasshopper, one is right one is wrong. you must pick to be man.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 01:08

Nierbo: Dec 5, 2010; sup brah?

Rhaka posted:

Buh, annoying. Overexerted one of my arms again, last time this happened I was out of training for 6 months.

Until you can stretch like this, don't bother going back:

# ? Sep 8, 2011 01:09

Thoguh: Nov 8, 2002; College Slice

Yuns posted:

I know its bewildering when faced with a plethora of choices in martial arts and martial arts schools. But here are a few simple rules that will help you choose an awesome martial arts school.

Credentials and lineage are very important. You don't want to learn from some no name guy when you can learn from a well regarded martial artist.

1. Check Martial Arts Halls of.Fame. There are a number of them so check them all since they each have slightly different criteria and cover different arts. One thing they have in common is that other great martial arts instructors voted them in so you know their peers think highly of them.

2. Check Rank. You don't.want to be learning from a purple belt when you could learn from a black or red belt. A black belt is nice but a 10th degree black belt is uniformly incredibly impressive. So go with the tenth degree guy, Likewise titles are very important. The most senior titles differ from art to art but you will want to find an Osensei (Japanese), Sifu (Chinese), Grandmaster (American), or Mentiroso (Portuguese)

3. Cross-Training is Critical. The UFC has taught us that no one martial art is.the best. People have to have complete games and have to have cross trained in many arts. So look for the teacher who has a lot of blackbelts in different martial arts. Most teachers have at least 2 blackbelts so look for those who have 3 or more. The best instructors will train a lot of martial arts and many of them decide to put together what works from each art and combine it into their own hybrid martial arts system. Many of these hybrid schools are great.

4. Lineage is Important. Ask about the lineage of theor school. I know being an inexperienced student you likely will not know who any of these people are in the lineage but it doesn't hurt to ask. And some people will have very impressive lineages you will recognize. For example many Jeet Kune Do schools can trace their lineage to the founder Bruce Lee. And some kung fu schools go all the way back to the ancient Shaolin monks. But if the instructor can't or won't tell you his lineage don't worry. That doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad school. Some instructors won't share since they find it insulting to question their credentials or others have simply been training so long that they have forgotten who awarded a particular belt.

5. Performance is King. Look for the instructor with the best fight record. Many of them will list their championships and fight records. Why go to the guy who is 3-4 in MMA when you can learn from the guy who is 120-0. But the performance of the instructor alone is not enough. Who cares about how good an instructor is if his students suck? So when you go visit the school or even just check out the website look for a lot of trophies. Or references to national and state champions in their martial art who have trained there. One thing that can help verify performance is school demonstrations. Try to attend a demonstration put on by the school. The more impressive the demonstration is the better you know the school is. If they can train an 8 year old to move like that, they can certainly train you. You.can see the instructors skill.level in how the instructor can send his students flying through the air with almost no contact.

6. Find a Combat Tested Martial Art. How can you tell if a martial art will be effective on the streets? Well if the military or police rely on those arts. Many of the best martial artists have trained elite military and police teams. So look on their sites for information stating that they have worked with this elite unit or that elite unit. Of course some special operations forces are very secretive so the site might just say "trained elite.special forces" or "trained swat team" without more details. Even better yet, is if the instructor themself has served in an elite unit. We all know that the most effective martial arts are learned on the most high speed combat teams. So look for instructors who let you know that they are former Navy Seals or Green Berets especially if they tell you they have conducted a lot of.secret mission where they had to actually use their martial arts prowess. The entire art of Krav Maga was founded by Israeli commandos, the deadliest hand to hand fighters in the world. So it is hard to find a bad Krav Maga school.

So with these 6 simple tips you can find the best school for you! Don't thank me now. Thank me after you have found an awesome school using my tips and have trained there for a decade.

::clap::

It's so beautiful.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 01:32

kimbo305: Jun 9, 2007; actually, yeah, I am a little mad

I'd say #4 should be deemphasized. Lineage isn't important if the other aspects are demonstrably good.

Ligur posted:

Difficult question I now have the occasion to wax and wane over: how do you UN-TEACH people from their bad habits for a contact sport, without flooring anyone? Or is un-teaching the faster, or the slower path, when the basic mechanics are decent?

Say, take contact fighting: could it be easier (in general - nobody is a copy nor an island) to teach someone to do a kick or a punch "right" from the beginning, that is, to expect a counter. Or to technically perform the movement into empty space or maybe a mitt, with no worries over getting countered, until it is good enough, and then throw in a resisting partner.

A mystery!

They should have the technique down pretty well (both shadowboxed and against a bag or a pad or a mitt) before resistance is mixed in. It doesn't have to be 100%, obviously, or then people would never spar, but it should be sufficiently ingrained that they can do it when gasping for breath, or when you wake them up out of bed and ask them to do it. It should be reflexive. If this means having to radically alter their existing reflexive technique, then yeah, they do have to start from scratch.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 01:52

tarepanda: Mar 26, 2011; Living the Dream

I'd say 6 should be de-emphasized. Going after 6 tends to lead toward more whackos and crazies in my experience. "Yeah! My martial art descends from these people and these people with tweaks for modern day combat effectiveness! I train security guards!" Combat effectiveness should be running away.

I have a gripe with 2 as well, since belts differ so much from art to art. In some, 1-dan is pretty impressive; in others, it's kind of worthless. Ditto for countries; Japanese belts seem to carry more prestige since they're from "The Homeland" or whatever, but at the same time, some Japanese belts at the low 1-dan level are a lot easier to get than in America.

You're not going to find a 5-dan judo 4-dan BJJ 5-dan karate instructor in a hall of fame with an awesome record in every city. It's just not going to happen.

A number 7 that I would add would be something like:

7. Find someone who you feel comfortable with. Watch some classes, try some classes, see if you feel comfortable trusting this person with your body.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:03

Nierbo: Dec 5, 2010; sup brah?

Oh tarepanda.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:05

tarepanda: Mar 26, 2011; Living the Dream

Oh Nierbo. Did you bring me my flame-retardant suit?

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:12

wedgie deliverer: Oct 2, 2010

Also remember to practice something that you enjoy. There is no point if you're not having fun. Don't feel pressure that if you are really enjoying a TMA of some sort, whether its Chinese wushu, TKD, or Karate that you MUST be in a UFC-tested combat based MA. If you really enjoy what you are doing keep on doing it. Just watch out for whatever claims you're going to make.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:30

TheStampede: Feb 20, 2008; "I'm like a hunter of peace. One who chases the elusive mayfly of love... or something like that."

Obviously, the proper way to pick is by the Sensei's chi level. I'd say anything over 9,000 is a safe bet.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:36

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Vanan posted:

How the heck do I find a decent teacher for ANY martial art? Everything around me looks like a McDojo - is there any site or association or resource?

EDIT: Thanks for the replies - both joke and helpful - I did read the OP for sections like the what to avoid section, I was just hoping the internet would make it even easier then that.

Jokes aside. If you live in a particular area, let us know and someone might have suggestions.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 02:57

Office Sheep: Jan 20, 2007

So on a completely different note. There's one guy in my club who seems really bad at hiding a dislike for me and only me. As far as I can tell we're both fairly well liked at the club so I don't know what the deal is. This would be normal e/n crap except I'm starting to get worried about him getting me hurt. I'd just avoid him but it is hard given we are similar rank and weight. Does anyone have any experience with these animosity situations while training?

# ? Sep 8, 2011 03:11

mewse: May 2, 2006

Office Sheep posted:

So on a completely different note. There's one guy in my club who seems really bad at hiding a dislike for me and only me. As far as I can tell we're both fairly well liked at the club so I don't know what the deal is. This would be normal e/n crap except I'm starting to get worried about him getting me hurt. I'd just avoid him but it is hard given we are similar rank and weight. Does anyone have any experience with these animosity situations while training?

step 1 talk to him about it

if that doesnt fix things..

step 2 talk to your coach about it

# ? Sep 8, 2011 03:20

tarepanda: Mar 26, 2011; Living the Dream

Vanan posted:

How the heck do I find a decent teacher for ANY martial art? Everything around me looks like a McDojo - is there any site or association or resource?

EDIT: Thanks for the replies - both joke and helpful - I did read the OP for sections like the what to avoid section, I was just hoping the internet would make it even easier then that.

What martial art are you talking about, and what area?

A lot of martial arts (especially mainstream ones) have large federations/unions that sort of act like accrediting bodies.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 03:37

Bangkero: Dec 28, 2005; I baptize thee
not in the name of the father
but in the name of the devil.

Office Sheep posted:

So on a completely different note. There's one guy in my club who seems really bad at hiding a dislike for me and only me. As far as I can tell we're both fairly well liked at the club so I don't know what the deal is. This would be normal e/n crap except I'm starting to get worried about him getting me hurt. I'd just avoid him but it is hard given we are similar rank and weight. Does anyone have any experience with these animosity situations while training?

How did you come to that conclusion? I have no problem turning down someone in randori/rolling that I didn't feel comfortable with. What mewse said - a buddy of mine did exactly that last week to a brown belt that's been continually busting his balls for the last month. The instructor had a talk with the brown belt. Situation diffused.

But you first need to clear the air with him. Getting injured during training over petty ego poo poo is a terrible idea for both you and him.

And congrats Stampede on the win. Loved watching those throws!

# ? Sep 8, 2011 04:25

Grandmaster.flv: Jun 24, 2011

I know this is brought up now and then but are there any specific weight training programs you guys follow around your MA sessions?

# ? Sep 8, 2011 05:20

NovemberMike: Dec 28, 2008

Vanan posted:

How the heck do I find a decent teacher for ANY martial art? Everything around me looks like a McDojo - is there any site or association or resource?

EDIT: Thanks for the replies - both joke and helpful - I did read the OP for sections like the what to avoid section, I was just hoping the internet would make it even easier then that.

The other replies were good, but another big thing to remember is that certain arts are generally more legitimate than others. Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ and Judo are all generally good, for example. This doesn't mean they're automatically taught by qualified people, but all of these are taught in an "alive" manner (you regularly take the techniques and practice them full force on other humans) which makes them hard to bullshit. If you go to a BJJ place and you aren't on the ground trying to choke somebody within the first week then you know something's wrong, for example.

Karate, Kung Fu (most types), TKD etc have the problem that most of the training is done through drilling forms and that you often don't even have the resistance of a punching bag. This is hard on your joints and often doesn't give as much feedback as to how practical what you are doing is. This makes it popular with McDojos because there's no real test that the students can apply to see how much they are learning. You just get told you're a badass after two years because you got a black belt.

Then there are a few martial arts that are just worthless. Ninjutsu comes to mind, which is also called Bujinken Taijutsu (or some variation). You dress up as a ninja and throw shuriken at a board. It's basically a LARP.

This isn't to say that Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ and Judo are the only good arts, but you have to be a bit more careful with random Karate or TKD schools.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 05:21

Fontoyn: Aug 25, 2009; by Y Kant Ozma Post

origami posted:

I know this is brought up now and then but are there any specific weight training programs you guys follow around your MA sessions?

Westside for Skinny Bastards is my favorite.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 05:21

Nierbo: Dec 5, 2010; sup brah?

origami posted:

I know this is brought up now and then but are there any specific weight training programs you guys follow around your MA sessions?

I recently posted my horrible workout program and Xguard recommended rippetoes workout which I'm in my 2nd week of. As long as I do it early enough in the day I'm fine when Judo time rolls around at 7pm. From what I've read since then and what I feel its targeting, its working the important areas, instead of me making up my own routine and doing a million dumbbell curls like an idiot.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 05:37

02-6611-0142-1: Sep 30, 2004

These are the two that most beginners should be doing. If you're too advanced for these then you'll probably already know what kind of workout you want to do.

http://newbie-fitness.blogspot.com/2007/01/stripped-5x5.html
http://goonlifter.wikispaces.com/sean10mm%27s+Modified+Starting+Strength

02-6611-0142-1 fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 8, 2011 08:23

Syphilis Fish: Apr 27, 2006

02-6611-0142-1 posted:

These are the two that most beginners should be doing. If you're too advanced for these then you'll probably already know what kind of workout you want to do.

http://newbie-fitness.blogspot.com/2007/01/stripped-5x5.html
http://goonlifter.wikispaces.com/sean10mm's+Modified+Starting+Strength

I still do 5x5 whenever Im unsure of what direction I want to take my weight training in. Whenever I'm in a rut or whatever, I try 5x5 and it just awakens.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 09:43

Lt. Shiny-sides: Dec 24, 2008

origami posted:

I know this is brought up now and then but are there any specific weight training programs you guys follow around your MA sessions?

Everybody has listed great beginner workout plans. Just try to add some mobility work at the beginning of your workout and if you aren't doing westside add some jumps in occasionally.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 11:31

Bohemian Nights: Jul 14, 2006; When I wake up,
I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision
I should start living today; Clapping Larry

Rinar posted:

Do you remember at all what the guy looked like? It'd be kinda funny to say hi to him from you.

Uh, six feet, pretty fit-- only thing I can imagine that'll make him stand out on Iceland would be that I don't think he was blonde, although he had short hair, so who knows. I guess you'd know if someone mentions having trained at Marcelo Garcia's academy at some point!

drat, iceland must actually be a pretty baller place to live for martial arts. Sure, there might not be the hugest amount of instructors in the country itself, but you can get to anywhere from keflavik airport without having to stop anywhere along the way-- and pretty cheap, too.

Also, great post Yuns!
Personally, I'd always go for the 10th degree black belt over the purple belt, but if there's no other alternatives nearby, going for the purple belt would probably be good enough for at least year or two if you can supplement it with other material-- it sure would be preferable to not training at all!
This might apply more to pure grappling rather than something like Judo, where I'm under the impression that the belts come a little sooner.

My instructor was a (TJJ) purple belt when he started his club four years or so ago, and while he can't instruct the same way as someone like Marcelo Garcia and his team of instructors, people from our club has competed in BJJ/SW and won their divisions several times against people who are instructed by actual BJJ black belts.

The belts are a good indication to go by, but in the end it all boils down to the quality of the individual instructor.

(Let's disregard the fact that my own competition record is garbage)

# ? Sep 8, 2011 11:40

Nierbo: Dec 5, 2010; sup brah?

The guy that started Judo the same day as me and graded with me to yellow belt told me he's a brown belt in Karate. I only just asked him the other day what style of karate it was and he said it was Go Kan Ryu. Poor guy.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 11:57

02-6611-0142-1: Sep 30, 2004

I'm really disappointed in some of you for getting trolled so hard.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 12:51

Bohemian Nights: Jul 14, 2006; When I wake up,
I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision
I should start living today; Clapping Larry

Here's a really cool article re: bacteria, viruses and general hygiene in BJJ (or any martial art, for that matter): http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/

# ? Sep 8, 2011 13:40

KingColliwog: May 15, 2003; Let's go droogs

origami posted:

I know this is brought up now and then but are there any specific weight training programs you guys follow around your MA sessions?

It has been said before, but I really, really like Westside for Skinny Bastard. It's not too taxing on the body and it's great for general athleticism.

5x5 or Starting Strength is good and all, but I personally cannot do them + regular judo + some bjj + some light sport (volley-ball with the girlfriend, etc). It is way too taxing on my body even if I try to get as much food in my body as physically possible.

Lt. Shiny-sides posted:

Everybody has listed great beginner workout plans. Just try to add some mobility work at the beginning of your workout and if you aren't doing westside add some jumps in occasionally.

What do you mean by mobility work? Any dynamic stretches? Stuff like frog jumps and montain climbers?

02-6611-0142-1 posted:

I'm really disappointed in some of you for getting trolled so hard.

Bohemian Nights posted:

Here's a really cool article re: bacteria, viruses and general hygiene in BJJ (or any martial art, for that matter): http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/

Interesting... I really never wash my belt so I think I need to start doing that... But some belts tend to lose a lot of color and/or shrink ridiculously when washed so that's a problem. I'd need to wash them separately and mehhhh. Being the procrastinator I am I always wash my gi like 3 hours before going to my judo class so I need to be able to throw everything in the dryer.

KingColliwog fucked around with this message at 14:55 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 8, 2011 14:24

Bangkero: Dec 28, 2005; I baptize thee
not in the name of the father
but in the name of the devil.

Bohemian Nights posted:

Here's a really cool article re: bacteria, viruses and general hygiene in BJJ (or any martial art, for that matter): http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/

that was an awesome read, thanks for that. The links in the article were good too. I've began using baby wipes (isopropanol) after training to quickly wipe myself down since it sometimes take more than 30 mins before I can hop in a shower.

My day job is all about biological safety and I can confirm that bleach is great for microorganism decontamination. That's what we ask 95% of the labs to use at our university. For general surface decontamination, we ask most labs to use 70% isopropyl alcohol.

edit: I read a couple more of her blog posts, and it's got some pretty interesting insight. The BJJ branding post was a good read.

Bangkero fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 8, 2011 14:40

Grandmaster.flv: Jun 24, 2011

KingColliwog posted:

It has been said before, but I really, really like Westside for Skinny Bastard. It's not too taxing on the body and it's great for general athleticism.

5x5 or Starting Strength is good and all, but I personally cannot do them + regular judo + some bjj + some light sport (volley-ball with the girlfriend, etc). It is way too taxing on my body even if I try to get as much food in my body as physically possible.

I did Starting Strength up to getting my Squat around 295 and then switched to Alfalfa's power builder program. It might be a little too much with bjj thrown in though. I'll check out Westside but I'm not particular skinny if that matters.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 14:48

KingColliwog: May 15, 2003; Let's go droogs

origami posted:

I did Starting Strength up to getting my Squat around 295 and then switched to Alfalfa's power builder program. It might be a little too much with bjj thrown in though. I'll check out Westside but I'm not particular skinny if that matters.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3359584

here's the exact one I'm following, but I wasn't doing dynamic effort this summer because of the opening hours of my gym which is sad because it's by far the most fun thing in the universe.

I don't think it matters that you are skinny or fat for this program. I'm pretty skinny (5'8 165 pounds, but people usually think I weight 150 at most) and I love it. The fact that it's 400% more fun than SS or 5x5 also helps.

KingColliwog fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 8, 2011 14:58

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

well, now I really want to start washing my belt more than my usual once a month. Its too bad no one makes belts out of anything but cotton. I have heard things like hemp are way less friendly to bacteria.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 15:09

NovemberMike: Dec 28, 2008

KingColliwog posted:

I don't think it matters that you are skinny or fat for this program. I'm pretty skinny (5'8 165 pounds, but people usually think I weight 150 at most) and I love it. The fact that it's 400% more fun than SS or 5x5 also helps.

Hmm, I'm not sure what their definition of skinny is but you do realize that 5'8" 165 lbs is overweight by BMI, right? I mean, it's obviously bullshit if you're active but it's definitely not skinny.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 17:43

KingColliwog: May 15, 2003; Let's go droogs

NovemberMike posted:

Hmm, I'm not sure what their definition of skinny is but you do realize that 5'8" 165 lbs is overweight by BMI, right? I mean, it's obviously bullshit if you're active but it's definitely not skinny.

Yeah I guess I'm no longer skinny by weight, but I look really skinny (probably because I have relatively low fat % and that I have a pretty small upper body compared to my legs). And I'm 5'9 actually if that changes anything.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 18:40

Ligur: Sep 6, 2000; by Lowtax

I am the mightiest of strikers. I was so tired sparring today by the fourth (!?) round I could only throw... the jab. Luckily my last partner was even more exhausted, so almost every jab landed on his face with a *SPLAT* before he could defend it. (Ok they were longer rounds then usual but that wasn't a... good show.)

Of course, I can think of the positives: I remember some years ago I was so tired I could only stand in place with my hands up, I could not throw the jab. One of the old boxing guys stood nearby watching, and between laughs would yell "throw the jab! Throw the jab! Hahahah! The jab" but my arm would not move: Hence, I have come a long way forward and my breast swells with pride.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 19:06

mindtwist: Jun 21, 2002; Think you, 'mid all this mighty sum of things for ever speaking? That nothing of itself will come, But we must still be seeking?

Goddamn, my last two training sessions were horrible.. I had been really confident in my progress, but I don't know what happened.. Felt like I forgot everything I know, my mind blanks and freezes and the other guy takes over and dictates the action.. by the end all my will power and self confidence were drained and I was just letting guys pass guard, laying there and giving up easy submissions just so I could stop rolling. For a little while I even talked myself out of my plans for going to my first competition and wanted to quit entirely, it was that bad

Everyone keeps telling me my skills are really advanced for the amount of time I've been training, and that everybody has setbacks and bad days like this.. I won't allow myself to stop and I'm gonna keep on going to classes/open mats and hopefully push through it, just felt like venting I guess

# ? Sep 8, 2011 19:33

mewse: May 2, 2006

mindtwist posted:

Goddamn, my last two training sessions were horrible.. I had been really confident in my progress, but I don't know what happened.. Felt like I forgot everything I know, my mind blanks and freezes and the other guy takes over and dictates the action.. by the end all my will power and self confidence were drained and I was just letting guys pass guard, laying there and giving up easy submissions just so I could stop rolling. For a little while I even talked myself out of my plans for going to my first competition and wanted to quit entirely, it was that bad

Everyone keeps telling me my skills are really advanced for the amount of time I've been training, and that everybody has setbacks and bad days like this.. I won't allow myself to stop and I'm gonna keep on going to classes/open mats and hopefully push through it, just felt like venting I guess

You will push through it with experience. Don't even worry about it, just shuttle your body to training and you will see ways to get better

# ? Sep 8, 2011 20:21

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

mewse posted:

You will push through it with experience. Don't even worry about it, just shuttle your body to training and you will see ways to get better

totally. just show up. Don't think about anything else, just be there, and do what you can do that day. There are 9/10 days and 1/10 days, but anything is better than a 0/10 day.

# ? Sep 8, 2011 21:00

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# ? May 29, 2024 12:50

Makrond: Aug 8, 2009; Now that I have all the animes, I can finally
become Emperor of Japan!

Ligur posted:

Difficult question I now have the occasion to wax and wane over: how do you UN-TEACH people from their bad habits for a contact sport, without flooring anyone? Or is un-teaching the faster, or the slower path, when the basic mechanics are decent?

Say, take contact fighting: could it be easier (in general - nobody is a copy nor an island) to teach someone to do a kick or a punch "right" from the beginning, that is, to expect a counter. Or to technically perform the movement into empty space or maybe a mitt, with no worries over getting countered, until it is good enough, and then throw in a resisting partner.

A mystery!

I personally feel that it's easier to teach someone correct form (not just effective body movement but also covering themselves in case of a counterattack, etc.) and then introduce more and more resistance as they get a better and more ingrained idea of the correct technique. So, as an example, you might teach someone how to jab at a focus pad. Once they get the technique down, can deliver an acceptable amount of force and aren't thinking too hard about all the body movements involved, you would teach them why they should keep their guard up while jabbing by lightly countering with the focus pad as they do the technique.

I guess the mistake some people make here (not necessarily saying you are) is thinking of resistance as "no opponent|resisting opponent" without much in between when in reality it's more of a sliding scale. It's possible to teach someone to expect a counter by actually countering in a way that doesn't necessarily hurt but does demonstrate that they've done something wrong. On top of that, technically flawless form should already put you in a position to defend against most, if not all counters without too much extra movement (there's not much point to a technique where you have to go significantly out of your way not to get hit back), so you should be defining and teaching 'correct' technique with this in mind anyway.

e:

Yuns posted:

something magical

I laughed v :shobon:

Makrond fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Sep 8, 2011

# ? Sep 8, 2011 21:12

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > The NEW A/T Martial Arts Thread: Aikido to Zoo-jitsu

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