What type of martial art do you take (be specific), and how hard is your training?

Best answer will be rewarded to someone who goes into depth about their martial art, its training, and how good it would be in a self defense situation.


I take shotokan, and I love it. We have hard training in our school, we almost always drip sweat. We also learn some grappling techniques.

What type of martial art do you take (be specific), and how hard is your training?
Kyokushing karate, we have 5 different classes throughout the week, this is not including the beginer classes and the childerens classes only the adults





The standard class consists of stretching for about 10 min, then basics, we do 10 slow then around 30 quick of each technique sometimes we do ALOT of mawashi geris, after the basics we do some advanced techniques, moving and attacking in stances that sort of thing, since you do shotokan you know the kind of techniques there are, after the basics is partner and bag work, just going for power, then depending on what time of year it is, we either do sparing or kata, if there is a tournament coming up we will do more kata if there is a grading we will do more kata usually we do sparing on every one of these classes at least one fight





Also there are "fight classes" these are basically fitness bag work and sparing, period, these classes are the most difcult physcially





then we also have a "nutcase class" which is two hours of everything but everything is twice as quick and hard as the normal class





also there is a "sparing class" which is just sparing and it goes on until no one can take it anymore





and finally there is a kata class which is only kata kata kata





I love my school, its like the people who you train with are so much different from the people outside the dojo, you can ask anyone for anything and they will go out of their way to help you, especially the higher grades, even if you bash the crap out of them in sparing! its great, its definately great for self defence, you are put under as much pressure as possible to prepare you for a real street fight, especially in the tournaments, and the techniques are nice, simple and to the point, once in a while you get a sprinkling of defence against knife attacks and holds but most of these are taught much more in depth to black belts so that they can teach it to others, but if you want to know how to disarm a knife they will know it





oh and we ALWAYS drip in sweat, good luck and all the best


OSU!
Reply:I take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I love it. Very intense workouts. I always drip sweat--even in the middle of winter. And for me, as a smaller woman, I feel that it is very good for me self-defense wise
Reply:I train Gracie Jui Jitsu and we train very hard. everyone in our gym is very competitive and nobody wants to tap which leads to some very gruelling sparring matches. it is not uncommon for drills to turn into matches as well. After focusing primarily on grappling(no striking) we often glove up and enter the ring for some MMA rounds. these always get intresting as people who are not always the best on the ground can often get some pay back by ground and pounding someone into submission. When doing MMA rounds we hardly ever go 100% but there are times when it turns out that way. regardless we always sweat hard and end up with bumbs and bruises but hey there isnt any love shown on the streets and this is why we train.
Reply:Kyokushin Karate founded by Mas Oyama. I have been training in this style for over 15 years now. When I first started, I did not have much confidence, nor discipline. Through long and hard training changed me from inside out. I hit so many walls in the past 15 years in training, but learned to over come them one at a time mostly mentally. My friend practiced Shotokan for many years, and he suggested I shall take Karate for health. That is how it all started. The more I train, sweat, shed blood and tear, the more I learn the deep meaning of karate. I've learned that it is a life long journey. Regardless of what style or which martial art, if you dedicate yourself into it by meeting the self challenge, you can discover yourself. I have never been in street fight. You just do not when you earn experience in Martial Art. I believe Street fights are different than training in school. You can face a life threatening situation with a deadly weapon. Human body is very fragile no matter how strong or tough you think you are. The best self defense is to be aware, and be able to avoid the situation. Through Martial Art training, you will earn the confident and street intellectual. Martial Arts or not, there are many people out there who can fight. Being street wise and be realistic is the best self defense. I do not dare go around telling people bragging about my Martial Art skills. Humble takes strength. Strength takes dedicated daily consistent training.
Reply:I take TKD. BUT we also train in Judo, Jujitsu and Hapkido. Every night I come home sweaty and physically drained. Often I come home with my legs and arms trembling. Some times I come home with blood on my uniform. I've come home limping and nursing sore joints from the self defense techniques that we practice. I've had a dislocation and broken bones.





We probably aren't a typical TKD school. We focus pretty heavy on practical self defense and we don't point spar. We practice full contact. I feel confident with my self defense.
Reply:I take three. They are called capoeira, shaolin-do, and ki-aikido. I often mention these and go in depth about them alot, but I'm tired right now and won't.
Reply:Muay Thai, BJJ, and MMA training.





Mon- 1 hr of BJJ gi training, then 1+ hr of MMA training.


Tues- 1 hr Muay Thai, then 1+ hr of BJJ no-gi.


Thur- 1 hr Muay Thai then 1+ hr of BJJ no-gi.





The Muay Thai training is very taxing on your stamina, especially right before rolling for an hour or so! Most people leave after that class, but me and a few others stay for the no-gi after wards. We throw pads for the majority of class then train heavy cardio with a 10 minute cool down with a lot of body-weight resistance exercises.





After that is the no-gi BJJ class, which never lasts for only an hour. We have instruction for 30min of class, then we roll live the other 30min. At the end we have open mat and can stay as long as there are people to train with.





MMA on Monday is my favorite class. We do a lot of stand-up work (boxing, wrestling take downs, muay thai, full contact) and heavy grappling at the end. We grapple with MMA gloves and shin guards on and train with strikes to the body. When any of us has a match coming up, we do a lot of clinch work and train against the wall (to simulate the cage).
Reply:Hi, I'm a red belt in tkd. I've practiced both olympic tkd and sogoham tkd. I love olympic tkd, the training was extremely intense. Training sessions lasted an hour and a half. The warm ups were 30 minutes long and damn though!! Some of the exercises performed were: regular push ups, clapping push ups, jumping jacks, squats, futter kicks, leg levers, sprints, etc. After we were done w/ the warm up, we would do 50 alternating round house kicks. After that we would go over numerous combinations and other techniques. Forms or katas were also practiced, but we didn't focus on them that much, sparring was our priority. Sometimes at the end of the class, we'd cool down by doing 300 sit ups. Stretching was very important. The majority of the techniques taught and practiced were usually kicks. We didn't use our hands a lot. Grappling was never practiced. Sparring was full contact and very intense. I do not recommend olympic tkd for self defense purposes.


I'm currently practicing sogoham or traditional tkd. Self defense and forms are a priority in this martial art, at least where I train. We learn how to use numerous weapons like knives, sticks, swords, among others. Since we point spar, the conditioning is not very tough. We also learn grappling techniques. We work out 3 days a week: modays, tuesdays and thurdays. Mondays are dedicated to conditionin' and tuesdays and thursdays to forms, self defense and sparring. This martial art is great for self defense: u learn how to strike, grapple, and disarm opponents.





Tkd= taek won do
Reply:hwar do is my style and in less then two years I'll become a black belt.
Reply:I have trained in a multitude of artforms, from Choy Lay Fut kung fu to Sun Taijiquan, Aikido to Judo, Shotokan to Okinawa-te (I was very young, don't remember much of either). Now I train Muay Thai and no-gi grappling, basically jujutsu without gi grips and gi chokes. I train MT mostly, focusing on standup fighting, then takedown defense, reversals and sweeps, and finally fighting from within the guard. We're firm believers that you should train what you know, what is your strongest aspect, and add to it the other keys to make yourself a whole fighter. I happen to be well versed in MT, so we started there and moved into the realm of ground fighting.





Currently, due to injury, I do not train very hard. I lost my first cage match after my knee hyperextended twice, but I still delivered skip knees (knee strike from the side, attacking thigh or ribcage with body torque to add power) with both legs until I was taken down to the ground at the cage edge. When I do train at full force, it is generally for 3 hours a day in 1 hour increments. I'll work different aspects of my game for each increment, breaking it down into drills. A common MT training day will be as follows:





Five 3-minute rounds of Bagwork (each round is followed by a 1 minute period to rest)


6 minute rest


Five 3-minute rounds of Shadowbox, with Parry and Dodge drill called out by coach (example, "parry left, right cross, left hook, left hook" meaning to parry with my left, then follow with those punches, or "dodge right, left hook, left hook body, right hook" meaning to dodge a punch coming to my right, then hook to the head, body, then the head again)


6 minute rest


Three 3 minute rounds of Thai clinch, elbow, and knee strikes to Thai pads





That's a normal hour session of MT. We change it up with jumprope, cardio, combo at 50% speed work to get the muscle memory formed for perfect technique, etc.





When I grapple, on the other hand, we break it up into 5 minute rounds, generally. Grappling is not quite as intensive and draining on the body. A normal session of grappling will include isolation techniques, technique drills, and free fighting.





Isolation techniques, like the name suggests, isolates you into using only one technique to perfect it from every angle you can. For instance, we might work only on triangles from every conceivable position for 5-10 minutes, then move to triangle reversal for another 5-10.





In technique drilling, we'll go over a new technique or a new setup to an old technique, then drill it over and over. Unlike isolations, we don't "roll" (ie., free fight), we merely get into specific positions and apply the technique, until we feel comfortable with it's usage. Then we will switch and drill our partners, and so on.





And in free fighting we will get onto the mat and "spar", using whatever techniques or skills we wish. We are encouraged to work on our weakest positions and techniques, of course, with an instructor giving pointers and watching to make sure we're working at full force. The point of free fighting is to utilize what you learn in the other drills and capitolize on the learning.





And for my third hour in a day, generally I will go over MT and no-gi grappling as it applies in MMA, ie. I will mesh the two with takedown defense, sprawling, etc. in a free fighting session that lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, done in 5 minute rounds. We will change round lengths if we're going into a tourney or fight and it dictates a shorter or longer round time. This helps to get you ready for the whole package, as it were. Alot of guys get too caught up in training the pieces of their system but not in meshing the whole, and when they start throwing sloppy roundhouse kicks, they end up on the ground, in side-mount, with no idea how to get out. The only thing we can't fully replicate right now is the feel of the cage itself, since we don't have one. But if I have my way, we'll build a half-cage and start training in there to get this aspect into the mix.
Reply:I train in Taekwondo. I train for an hour every day and also run everyday so I can be the best I can be. I wake up every morning and perform a short session of yoga followed by a run and then usually train in the evenings after work.





Taekwondo is the Korean art of self defence. It teaches respect, courtesy, indominable spirit and perseverence. We take a vow before every competition that we will not use our art to harm others only to act in self defence.





We learn patterns of moves such as blocks and punches which can easiy be used in the real world. We also train heavily in self defence and exhast possible scenarios to ensure students are as prepared as possible should it happen for real.





I love my sport because of the rigorous training it requires, to progress and understand the sport it must become a way of life to you, not just a hobby
Reply:I train in kajukenbo kenpo, the original method . Its a fast paced, hard hitting, street style, often referred to as America's first mixed martial art. It was created in Palama settlement in Hawaii between 1947 and 1949 by five blackbelts from different styles. The styles were Korean karate - Tang soo do, Judo, jujitsu, Kenpo, and Chinese boxing - kung fu.


It involves all ranges of fighting as well as weapon and multiple attacker training. The techniques taught are all street effective, tested and proven through actual fights.


We train hard with a lot of what some consider excessive contact. The kajukenbo theory is that you should feel pain before you deal it to others. I hope this explains at least a little about the martial art I practice and love.


Kajukenbo forever !!!!
Reply:Traditional Tae Kwon Do. Training is as hard as you make it. You get out what you put in. Yes it is useful for delf defense. I have friends in the police dept %26amp; it has worked for them.
Reply:I have been taking tai chi ch'uan for 6 months. I undertook it because that is what it was recommended for people who are in their 60's. I feel that I am spending a long time doing stretching exercises and exercises to strengthen the legs, as well as the 24 forms.





I just started to take karate. My first class was a few days ago. I am the oldest person in the class, and find it quite tiring. Quite frankly, I started the course with the motivation of getting an exercise course rather than as a course in martial arts. If I learn a fighting skill, that is just something extra.





You ask, "how hard is your training?" Compared to what? It was rather easy compared to the training I had in the Army some 38 years ago. But then, I am not in as good shape now as I was then.
Reply:I take aikido. Whoever said that it was the "gentle art" is laughing his *** off in heaven right now. It's extremely tough on the body when you first start out. You wake up every morning feeling like you've been hit by a mach truck. Then, a year or so passes by and you learn how to fall, then you really get thrown! We learn a lot of throws, joint locks, submissions, weapon defense- it's a bit like taking judo, jiu-jutsu, and bjj all in one. The self defense compared to what I learn in karate is phenomenal. A lot of people say aiki is useless, but they fail to take into account that one person's aiki move set is different from another's, and it's not all prettiness like it shows in many demos. It depends on what techniques are your favorite and what personally works best for you (and trad. aiki has 2884 to choose from). True self-defense isn't about creativity or beauty but what works for you, and I find a lot of moves that just happen to be aiki just work better for me.





I love how hard we work, but class is too short (1 hr 1/2, X3 a week). I feel like class should be at least 2, but those bratty little karate children have to have their time...I suppose *roll eyes*.
Reply:I have studied many Arts over the years, American Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, U.S. Tang Soo Do Fed., Chan Shou Do Kung-fu, Chung Moo Kwon, and Shotokan. For a little over the past 10 years now I have been learning and teaching the Art of Kenpo. In Kenpo Jujitsu I hold the rank of 2nd dan black belt and a 2nd dan black belt in Kenpo Karate. Those exams came in 2003 and 2005 so I am try to reach a 3rd dan level of black belt here in 2007-08.





In American TSD and TKD I hold the rank of brown belt and I am a 2nd black belt in U.S. TSD Fed. Back in the mid-late '70s I studied at one of the local John C. Kim Schools of Chung Moo Kwon (that is what the called it before he was sent to JAIL for TAX fraud) and that place was crazy! If you had a hard time doing something, EVERYONE PAID THE PRICE and I mean everyone. So after one year with them, I had enough of that crap and left.





The Korean Arts was a way of life for me at one time, 6 days I week and at one point two different Schools, yeas thats right. Kicks, kicks and more kicks, U.S. TSD and TKD. I was a red belt in TSD when I started taking TKD with a friend (who by the way was testing for his black belt and then off to become a Peace Officer) and mad it to the rank of a brown belt in one summer...1988





I was alwasy into weapons, so a friend of mine told me about this place that some guy was teaching Kung-fu...wah-lah..a new home ?? Well I did that for about 2 years and became a red belt before he moved away.





Out of everthing I have studied in the past I truly love KENPO it is like nothing I have ever done before, I know my kicks from those Korean Arts but this is a close quarter hand Art. Kenpo is a Awesome self defense Art with devastating techniques.





Everything in life is a learning prosess just like the Martial Arts is, we learn we advanced. All of the places I have been within the Martial Arts has been a challange, many broken boards, bricks, bottles and yes broken bones. I like most of us have had a fare share of black eyes, fat lips, bloody noses and sore muscles. Most of this can be found in just about any sport.

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