Match the martial art to the person
yan...@vnet.ibm.com
a few months of Kung Fu (don't remember which style), but wasn't really
into it. I'm quite near-sighted, and so avoiding my opponent was a bit
of a problem. I also didn't care much for the atmosphere of the class:
it seemed that most of the students were walking through life with a
"come on, throw a punch at me" attitude. I don't think that I could
cope with life if I was always preoccupied with the best way to pound
the next person whom I met (just dealing with the aggressiveness of the
other students was too much after a while).
Basically I'm looking for a martial art that views physical conflict as
a last resort (hopefully while preparing me to resolve that conflict
quickly if necessary), as well as one in which clear unaided vision isn't
a requirement.
Any suggestions? I was contemplating Aikido, although I really don't know
much about it.
Thanks,
-Ivan Yanasak yan...@vnet.ibm.com
Jeffrey A Lew
I suggest wing chun. It's the kung fu style that Bruce Lee first learned.
Wing chun is a style of very close in fighting. It mainly deals with
redirecting your opponent's force.
As far as your near-sightedness is concerned, wing chun basically teaches you
to feel your opponent and "stick" to him or her (most likely him.) Once you
feel your opponent, like his arm, you know exactly where the rest of him is.
Well, you do after some years of training. My Si Fu would always demonstrate
with his eyes closed.
Wing chun is very practical, yet it is quite difficult to learn. I suggest
stretching your upper body a lot if you decide to learn wing chun.
Jeff Lew
ja...@cunixa.columbia.cc.edu
Robert Gillespie
:
<snip>
:
>>Any suggestions? I was contemplating Aikido, although I really don't know
>>much about it.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>-Ivan Yanasak yan...@vnet.ibm.com
>
>I suggest wing chun. It's the kung fu style that Bruce Lee first learned.
>Wing chun is a style of very close in fighting. It mainly deals with
>redirecting your opponent's force.
It is also a very chi oriented art.
>
>As far as your near-sightedness is concerned, wing chun basically teaches you
>to feel your opponent and "stick" to him or her (most likely him.) Once you
>feel your opponent, like his arm, you know exactly where the rest of him is.
>Well, you do after some years of training. My Si Fu would always demonstrate
>with his eyes closed.
>
Yup, if blindfolded is near-sighted enough for you then Wing Chun would be
perfect. I wear glasses (goggles while sparring), and they are likely to be
the first thing flying off into space during a conflict.
>Wing chun is very practical, yet it is quite difficult to learn.
I agree about the practical part, but I would say easy to learn, hard
to master. Some practical results are easily learned, but the subtleties
could take a lifetime.
>I suggest
>stretching your upper body a lot if you decide to learn wing chun.
>
>Jeff Lew
>ja...@cunixa.columbia.cc.edu
Stretch your whole body, Wing Chun involves the whole body, although some
parts of the forms are for isolating movements.
Properly performed Wing Chun should not be particularly hard on the muscles
and joints. Since interruptibility is a key factor, movements are
minimalistic, full power is seldom used, and there is almost never
hyperextension.
I heartily concur with Jeff's assertion that Wing Chun is practical, but
don't be afraid to take it out of a sense of it being too complicated
or too strenuous.
rg
Hal Render
: I'm looking for martial art form suggestions. A few years back I had
: <SNIP!>
: Any suggestions? I was contemplating Aikido, although I really don't know
I think Aikido would be a good choice. Since doing aikido requires connection
to the other person, what you can feel is often more important than what you
can see. At my dojo, we occasionally practice in the dark. It's surprising
how little this affects us. Probably the best thing to do first would be to
visit local schools and find styles and instructors you like and then decide
which one to try.
--
hal render
univ. of colorado at colorado-springs
ren...@massive.uccs.edu
Alexander Halavais
Well you can't get much closer than Judo. It relies on feeling the
balance of the opponent rather than relying on sight. It is arguable
how effective it is as a form of self-defense, but combined with
jujutsu, you have the best of both worlds.
Alex Halavais
ahal...@igc.org
Robert Lockstone
>I'm looking for martial art form suggestions.
>
>a last resort (hopefully while preparing me to resolve that conflict
>quickly if necessary), as well as one in which clear unaided vision isn't
>a requirement.
>
>Any suggestions? I was contemplating Aikido, although I really don't know
>much about it.
>
>Thanks,
>-Ivan Yanasak yan...@vnet.ibm.com
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tai Chi as a viable option.
Tai Chi is one of the 'soft' styles of martial arts. Very
flowing and circular motions. 'Soft' does not mean 'wimpy'.
In my experience, softer styles, such as Tai Chi, Aikido and
Judo are more difficult to learn and master, particularly in
the early stages, than the harder styles. This is because
the early stages of most hard styles concentrate on fairly
straightforward hand and foot techniques. While softer styles
make you learn more about falling, rolling and other (what I
like to call) 'total body awareness' techniques. These tend
to be more difficult to learn, for most students who I have
seen, than standard beginning hand and foot techniques.
(Note: Please, I don't want to get into a flame war about which
styles are harder to learn and who teaches what at what
stage. I'm speaking in general terms here.)
I agree with the previous posters' suggestions about Wing Chun.
So my advice would be, if you want to learn a 'hard' style,
go with Wing Chun. If you want a 'soft' style, Tai Chi would
be my recommendation. And *always* go and watch a few of the
classes before joining. Get a feel for the atmosphere, other
students and, of course, the instructor(s). The same style
taught by two different instructors may be presented to you in
two very different ways, one you might like and one you may not,
even though it's the same style.
_________________________________________________________________
Robert K. Lockstone : rob...@vnet.ibm.com : IBM - Boca Raton, FL
"All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door."