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VulgarandStupid posted:I train at Wai Kru in Allston and run an open mat for them on Fridays. We have a good Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu, no gi and MMA programs. Our website schedule is painfully out of date, however. I was kind of curious about BJJ, but I'm more interested in something that's focused on personal development. I did karate as a PE credit back in college and generally enjoyed it, especially the katas and all. Discipline and conditioning is something I generally lack, and I like performance over pads and mouthguards. I also like having something to cultivate and improve in myself. I don't mean to come off as disparaging towards competitive arts, if I seem like I am. I just kinda have specific tastes and have no idea what I'm talking about 
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May 18, 2015 05:24
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Ligur posted:It's funny how it's a repeated theme that it's always the Russians with the craziest poo poo You should see Russian HEMA, actually even russian LARP. Here LARP is a bunch of morons throwing hackey sacks at each other and swinging foam. In Russia it is basically regiment-scale HEMA.
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May 18, 2015 05:36
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Pollyanna posted:I've heard that tai chi and aikido are at the very least notable in the Boston area. Does location matter a whole lot? I don't have a car. Location is huge, because it can become a real impediment to keeping up regular training if you have to sit an hour on the T both ways to get to classes. I understand your personal development angle -- it's focused on getting the kata execution right more than doing anything with the techniques in the kata. Lt. Shiny-sides posted:Hand speed correlates fairly well to max bench and max squat. The correlation is higher in ballistic version of those movements, but there is relationship with max strength. Ah, so it's not a waste of time to do traditional routines for max strength, but it would be more optimal to do ballistic versions?
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May 18, 2015 06:57
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Keldoclock posted:You should see Russian HEMA, actually even russian LARP. Here LARP is a bunch of morons throwing hackey sacks at each other and swinging foam. In Russia it is basically regiment-scale HEMA. Russian LARP has been posted here before! Yes it's more like large groups of armoured people charging each other and making injury inducing assaults against built fortifications.
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May 18, 2015 14:08
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Pollyanna posted:I was kind of curious about BJJ, but I'm more interested in something that's focused on personal development. I did karate as a PE credit back in college and generally enjoyed it, especially the katas and all. Discipline and conditioning is something I generally lack, and I like performance over pads and mouthguards. I also like having something to cultivate and improve in myself. Honestly, your conditioning will improve the most in an environment with people who compete regularly, regardless of whether or not you choose to compete.
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May 18, 2015 15:13
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Keldoclock posted:You should see Russian HEMA, actually even russian LARP. Here LARP is a bunch of morons throwing hackey sacks at each other and swinging foam. In Russia it is basically regiment-scale HEMA. There are crazy people who do that kind of poo poo in North America too. SCA and so forth, or poo poo involving night vision glasses and explosives. Even historical reenactments. You just don't hear about in the same terms because the people who find it interesting are embarrassed to be put into the same category as the "boffer" dorks.
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May 18, 2015 15:17
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Anyone have suggestions for a good medium/heavy weight karate gi? I'd like it to be able to hold up to a little bit of grappling but nothing intense. I wouldn't be against suggestions for a good grappling gi either. I don't like looking like a NASCAR so most BJJ gis are probably out.
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May 18, 2015 16:32
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Competitive martial arts generally have an environment of self improvement and discipline they just don't plaster it all over the wall like many traditional schools. Also, because guys are really competing it's often closer to what you're looking for vs delusional people who give lip service to being humble and getting better while they hide behind excuses and over inflated egos. But if you like kata then that's cool and I'm sure schools that compete in kata have similar environments to fight competition schools. Judo might be cool for you, they have a lot of focus on personal growth through the art and even a full kata system.
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May 18, 2015 17:37
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n3rdal3rt posted:Anyone have suggestions for a good medium/heavy weight karate gi? I'd like it to be able to hold up to a little bit of grappling but nothing intense. i bought a fuji double weave gi its held up really well
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May 18, 2015 18:29
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Xguard86 posted:Competitive martial arts generally have an environment of self improvement and discipline they just don't plaster it all over the wall like many traditional schools. Also, because guys are really competing it's often closer to what you're looking for vs delusional people who give lip service to being humble and getting better while they hide behind excuses and over inflated egos. Judo is best of both words because you can get black belt advancement through competition or through kata.
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May 18, 2015 18:30
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kimbo305 posted:Donnie Yen's mom still teaches tai chi somewhere out in Newton. I don't know of anyone else major. I'd say neither aikido nor taichi register that high on the fun or workout scale. Yeah, as much as I love Taoism, tai chi doesn't feel interesting enough to me. I'm more excited by karate and TKD. That said, I really don't know much about martial arts at all, so I have no idea if what I'm doing makes sense. I really need to do two things: learn more about various disciplines, and just choose something and stick with it. To that end... kimbo305 posted:Location is huge, because it can become a real impediment to keeping up regular training if you have to sit an hour on the T both ways to get to classes. This is the biggest issue, IMO, and since that TKD gym is nearby, it might make sense to go "gently caress it" and start there. I'm bad at kicks, but I'll learn. kimbo305 posted:I understand your personal development angle -- it's focused on getting the kata execution right more than doing anything with the techniques in the kata. I'm not a competitive person by nature, but I like building a skill and getting good at something like anyone else. The fact that it's something that I find cool and the fact that it's exercise is the frosting and gravy on top. I just don't want to be expected to be super competitive and for the people I work with to understand that I'm not crazy about it, but I trust them to be understanding. VulgarandStupid posted:Honestly, your conditioning will improve the most in an environment with people who compete regularly, regardless of whether or not you choose to compete. Just by the exercises and drilling they have us do? TKD is a sensible choice in that nature, then. Xguard86 posted:Competitive martial arts generally have an environment of self improvement and discipline they just don't plaster it all over the wall like many traditional schools. Also, because guys are really competing it's often closer to what you're looking for vs delusional people who give lip service to being humble and getting better while they hide behind excuses and over inflated egos. CommonShore posted:Judo is best of both words because you can get black belt advancement through competition or through kata. That class back in college had a judo component, too. I'm curious about that one, too, but I don't know nearly enough about it.
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May 18, 2015 18:33
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"Real competitors are totally more humble than delusional egotist jerks.  "Aikido is actually cool and fun, and it's alright to practice a style that doesn't actually test itself beyond graduation exams or whatever. I mean, sure, it's gonna suck if the people at the club mistake their cool meditative thing for some kind of Real Samurai Action, but it's not cool to paint all of us fantasy martial artists with that brush. 
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May 18, 2015 18:35
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there is an aikido club thats opened in my town and they have like the wierdest location ever its this place that used to be a corner kiosk thingy on the other side of the road (super heavy traffic during the day) from a row of resturants and coffee places in this hipster hellhole part of town. its all glass windows so thousands of people walk/drive/bus/bike past them while they get their samurai on every day
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May 18, 2015 18:52
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Did anyone (not) see this Brazilian striking exercise yet or is it discussed elsewhere? I have possibly NEVER seen anything this crazy. At least in regards to training in an MA club, hell I don't think even Russians can beat this even though I've seen clips of more advanced strikers just annihilating weakers ones, but poo poo at least usually just kick them really hard to the body or the legs or choke them or something. Like, everyone knows repeated hard shots to the head help you withstand KO's better in the future, and safeguard against emerging issues like slurred speech or loss of balance later in life, right? Right? (What the everliving gently caress?!?)
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May 18, 2015 20:39
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Ligur posted:Did anyone (not) see this Brazilian striking exercise yet or is it discussed elsewhere? I have possibly NEVER seen anything this crazy. At least in regards to training in an MA club, hell I don't think even Russians can beat this even though I've seen clips of more advanced strikers just annihilating weakers ones, but poo poo at least usually just kick them really hard to the body or the legs or choke them or something. We were making fun of it in one of the PSP threads.
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May 18, 2015 20:43
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At least, the, uhhh, second guy sort of knows how to tuck his chin and roll with blows.... maybe he learned it doing this great exercise (maybe not).
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May 18, 2015 21:10
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I've never seen anyone training Homer Simpson style before
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May 18, 2015 21:39
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Siivola posted:"Real competitors are totally more humble than delusional egotist jerks. That's fair. I should have said that I've seen more jerks and egos at aikido and tkd than I have seen at boxing Muay Thai bjj. But the majority at both places are nice people enjoying their hobby.
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May 18, 2015 21:42
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Ligur posted:
Brazil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2SX6yeDvKU Although it also sort of reminds me of the so called milling drill British paras have to do to learn to keep their head up under fire or somethng along those lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezcn_eSMLbg
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May 18, 2015 21:48
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Hey I've seen before. I particularly "like" Fabricio Werdum charging in and throwing repeated more-or-less cheap shot haymakers while his training partner takes several drops and struggles to get up after each TKO. How manly. Toughening. Thick, solid. quote:Although it also sort of reminds me of the so called milling drill British paras have to do to learn to keep their head up under fire or somethng along those lines. At least they are not training a thing in which they will get repeatedly punched in the head during their career: drumroll.. not quite as dumb ugggh.
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May 18, 2015 22:41
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kimbo305 posted:Ah, so it's not a waste of time to do traditional routines for max strength, but it would be more optimal to do ballistic versions? It is always a good idea to be stronger. If you are stronger you will get more out of power training. Unless you are already pretty strong, like a 2-2.5xbw deadlift, then I would focus more just on maintaining strength and focus on power. I tend to think about all training in relation to competition. As such, I train force production early in an athlete's prep period and then power training as they get closer to competition. If a person is just interested in training as a hobby I would say give yourself periods of max strength (3-4 months at a time), then a period of power training (2-3 months), and finally a pre-hab period (only a month or two) to focus on mobility and dealing with niggling injuries. I would just repeat that cycle as long as I was training.
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May 19, 2015 02:15
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Lt. Shiny-sides posted:It is always a good idea to be stronger. If you are stronger you will get more out of power training. Unless you are already pretty strong, like a 2-2.5xbw deadlift, then I would focus more just on maintaining strength and focus on power. So I understand that strength vs power: “strength is the ability to move a certain amount of weight, whereas power is the ability to move weight quickly. To give a simple example: Performing a deadlift involves a strong base of strength, whereas a movement like the snatch requires explosive power." I'm a bit unsure how to train for "power" in striking though. I've posted about this earlier, but I used to quasi-religiously believe boxers or strikers shouldn't lift that much (until I read this thread, that is). I finally started lifting in 2013 mostly just going heavy (of course I mix longer or simply more explosive reps with 50% max some weeks etc.) and have noticed.... 0% reduction, really, in speed or force after the first months: in the beginning I felt sluggish, sometimes quite so, but that went away. My poorly educated guess is that was mostly due to my muscles and nervous system being stressed in a new way but they got accustomed. Today a lot of my strikes seem to have a bit more *thud* in them but I don't know if I should attribute that to a few years more of improved technique, the lifting, or both.
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May 19, 2015 11:05
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Is there a "formula" to deciding on the weight class you should be trying to compete in grappling, when I ask this question at the gym I generally get the unhelpful answer of "the lightest one" or variations on competing by cutting as much as you can to get to a weight bracket below you, I'm a 6'1 guy and I've been trying to cut weight by working out and eating relatively healthy and my shape is definitely loosing inches, but I'm loosing barely any weight even discounting water weight. What I'm saying is, do I get to be like Josh Barnett or fat James Toney and compete with the heavy weights or am I just a baaby who can't cut right/isn't and I can actually compete with the middle weights.
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May 19, 2015 14:52
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KildarX posted:Is there a "formula" to deciding on the weight class you should be trying to compete in grappling, when I ask this question at the gym I generally get the unhelpful answer of "the lightest one" or variations on competing by cutting as much as you can to get to a weight bracket below you, I'm a 6'1 guy and I've been trying to cut weight by working out and eating relatively healthy and my shape is definitely loosing inches, but I'm loosing barely any weight even discounting water weight. What I'm saying is, do I get to be like Josh Barnett or fat James Toney and compete with the heavy weights or am I just a baaby who can't cut right/isn't and I can actually compete with the middle weights. Once your weight settles, you should probably only consider cutting up to 10 lbs of water weight. Until it settles it's very hard to say.
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May 19, 2015 15:00
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So I looked up reviews for that TKD place nearby, and apparently it does some sort of "black belt program" that's $1000 and requires a year-long contract. I'm super wary of that cause that's hella money and a year-long commitment sounds like a really bad idea to me. I just dislike those kinds of contracts. Would anyone else agree that this is kind of a bad sign for the place in general? The main draw otherwise seems to be that it's headed by this grandmaster dude I don't know anything about, and the reviews on Yelp are kinda middling. I might drop in to preview, but I'm thinking of trying my luck elsewhere too.
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May 19, 2015 18:02
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KildarX posted:Is there a "formula" to deciding on the weight class you should be trying to compete in grappling, when I ask this question at the gym I generally get the unhelpful answer of "the lightest one" or variations on competing by cutting as much as you can to get to a weight bracket below you, I'm a 6'1 guy and I've been trying to cut weight by working out and eating relatively healthy and my shape is definitely loosing inches, but I'm loosing barely any weight even discounting water weight. What I'm saying is, do I get to be like Josh Barnett or fat James Toney and compete with the heavy weights or am I just a baaby who can't cut right/isn't and I can actually compete with the middle weights. I'd go with the lightest one you can get to via proper diet and an empty stomach. Maybe if you have to sweat off a pound or two and don't mind go for it, but the general vibe I've always picked up is that doing an actual cut (as opposed to just walking around lean and weighing in on empty stomach) for regional grappling tourneys is kind of  and/or overkill.
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May 19, 2015 18:24
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Pollyanna posted:So I looked up reviews for that TKD place nearby, and apparently it does some sort of "black belt program" that's $1000 and requires a year-long contract. I'm super wary of that cause that's hella money and a year-long commitment sounds like a really bad idea to me. I just dislike those kinds of contracts. Do the preview, but unless the class is just really amazing, I would avoid the place.
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May 19, 2015 18:31
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The Fool posted:Do the preview, but unless the class is just really amazing, I would avoid the place. I'll see what it's like, and ask if they have free introductory classes, but so far I'm not impressed. This place, though, looks much more promising. Not nearly as out of the way as Somerville and Cambridge  I'll totally do jujutsu/judo/BJJ, in order of preference. Gonna look there too.
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May 19, 2015 19:42
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Pollyanna posted:I'll see what it's like, and ask if they have free introductory classes, but so far I'm not impressed. Not sure if you follow MMA, but Kenny Florian is a pretty respected and respectable fellow. If I lived in that area I'd check it out on that reputation alone. I'm not at all surprised that his gym gets good reviews.
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May 19, 2015 19:50
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Pollyanna posted:I'll see what it's like, and ask if they have free introductory classes, but so far I'm not impressed. Uh, yeah, if you can go train with a guy who was one of the best fighters in the world I would go do that.
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May 19, 2015 19:56
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Kekekela posted:I'd go with the lightest one you can get to via proper diet and an empty stomach. Maybe if you have to sweat off a pound or two and don't mind go for it, but the general vibe I've always picked up is that doing an actual cut (as opposed to just walking around lean and weighing in on empty stomach) for regional grappling tourneys is kind of You can cut like 3-5% of water weight with almost no effort and very little effect on performance. That usually correlates to like 1 weight class lighter than your normal weight. I would cut about that much but after that it's progressively more painful and dumb per lb. if you're aren't really serious about the competition I would just try to edge into 1 class lower and call it a day.
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May 19, 2015 19:58
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gently caress doing any worse cutting than drinking almost no water and having a meal bar.
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May 19, 2015 19:59
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Glad to hear my interest and curiosity was entirely warranted. Totally checking it out when I'm back in town.
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May 19, 2015 20:27
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KildarX posted:Is there a "formula" to deciding on the weight class you should be trying to compete in grappling, when I ask this question at the gym I generally get the unhelpful answer of "the lightest one" or variations on competing by cutting as much as you can to get to a weight bracket below you, I'm a 6'1 guy and I've been trying to cut weight by working out and eating relatively healthy and my shape is definitely loosing inches, but I'm loosing barely any weight even discounting water weight. What I'm saying is, do I get to be like Josh Barnett or fat James Toney and compete with the heavy weights or am I just a baaby who can't cut right/isn't and I can actually compete with the middle weights. There's a formula that college wrestling uses for a minimum level of body fat & hydration. But that's way more hardcore than you are looking for. "The lightest weight you can make and have the energy to compete at the level you want to be able to compete at" sounds like a dick answer, but it really is the correct answer unless you want them to say "Go ask your doctor". How much do you weigh right now? What's your body fat percentage? That's a lot more relevant than your height.
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May 19, 2015 21:23
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Pollyanna posted:So I looked up reviews for that TKD place nearby, and apparently it does some sort of "black belt program" that's $1000 and requires a year-long contract. I'm super wary of that cause that's hella money and a year-long commitment sounds like a really bad idea to me. I just dislike those kinds of contracts. Yeah, that's a big red flag. Even if you don't go in for the $$$ program or whatever it does say a bit about their priorities and the market they're angling at. For more specific help, I had a girlfriend for a while who was going to this place http://bostonselfdefense.com/ for jiujitsu and liked it. I went to a belt test and it seemed reasonably not woo for a place not really running for competitions or whatever. Maybe a little bit of 'rah totally prepared for anything graah' but the techniques were sound enough. Horrible pronunciation but that's kinda par for the course.
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May 19, 2015 21:47
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So balance seems to be a pretty big issue with new people (or sometimes everyone depending on what we're doing). Any suggestions on good balance drills to help? Doing standing quad/hamstring stretches seemed to help me but my balance was already decent before I started those. Should I just have them alternate standing on one foot with the other extended out for a little bit?
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May 20, 2015 21:39
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eagerly awaiting answers to this ^^^ my balance is AWFUL. My physio said it may be down to my ankles and hips which seemingly are out of wacky. awaiting a podiatrist appointment currently
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May 20, 2015 23:23
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n3rdal3rt posted:So balance seems to be a pretty big issue with new people (or sometimes everyone depending on what we're doing). Any suggestions on good balance drills to help? Doing standing quad/hamstring stretches seemed to help me but my balance was already decent before I started those. Should I just have them alternate standing on one foot with the other extended out for a little bit? Um, stand on one foot, move raised leg to the front, retract without putting foot down, move raised leg to the side, retract, move raised leg to the back and retract. You can do it slow or as kicks (or both!), but for actually improving balance I found the slower the better.
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May 20, 2015 23:29
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Ligur posted:So I understand that strength vs power: “strength is the ability to move a certain amount of weight, whereas power is the ability to move weight quickly. To give a simple example: Performing a deadlift involves a strong base of strength, whereas a movement like the snatch requires explosive power." I agree with your deadlift vs. snatch example. Strength is about force production, or mass x acceleration. S&C tend to focus on the mass part of that equation when training force/strength. Power is force x velocity. There is an optimal load for each person based off of their genetics and training history that they move with enough velocity to produce peak power. To measure that you need some advanced equipment. Now at this point who knows if peak power training is best for striking or if there needs to be more focus on velocity. Training power for striking is not well understood. I have tons of stuff I use with my guys but I haven't done enough research at this point to say, "this will undoubtedly improve striking force". Anecdotally, traditional power movements do seem to improve striking force. I have also played around with band resisted strikes and had good results. Again, if you don't have a good strength base the majority of power training isn't really worth it. I really don't get why strikers (boxers specifically) think that strength training is so bad. Tons of other high velocity sports train for max strength and get amazing results. There are tons of sprinters that have a 2xbw squat or deadlift, are they slow? Over ten meters, Olympic lifters are faster than a lot other athletes. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Not trying to pick on anyone with this, it just drives me crazy.
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May 21, 2015 00:38
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Nichololas posted:Um, stand on one foot, move raised leg to the front, retract without putting foot down, move raised leg to the side, retract, move raised leg to the back and retract. You can do it slow or as kicks (or both!), but for actually improving balance I found the slower the better. That's pretty much what I had come up with, just incrementally increase the distance they raise their foot as they become more stable.
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May 21, 2015 01:39
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