http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......start=30

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=32

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=42

Lots of talk about martial arts on here and I found the above topics when trying to decided on whether or not to start a new topic. Most of the topics are old though so here's a new one.


I was very seriously into MA training for quite a while until Army deployments, injuries and a medical condition put the brakes on it. I've decided to ignore (within the limits of sanity) the medical issues and return to training. I'm off to visit a school this afternoon to see what they are about.

I was studying primarily Shorin-Ryu before, but my Sensei was great about encouraging, even insisting on, cross training in other arts. The school I'm looking at (One Spirit Martial Arts in Herndon, VA) offers a lot of cross training opportunities. Right now it looks like my main study will be Aikido (similar lineage, different style than I'm from) and my secondary program will be Krav Maga.

I purposely chose two totally opposite styles on purpose. I really like the grounded in tradition approach of Aikido. Aikido will be best for my physical condition and limitations, but Krav Maga will be a more rapid path to "street effective defense."

As much as I'm able, I will be attending the other programs offered too.
Off the top of my head the school also offers:

MMA training
Kali
BJJ
Muay Thai
Judo

The school is located right down the street from my office and has both lunch and evening classes. I'm excited!

I've been thinking about taking some BJJ classes. I need to get in shape and BJJ looks pretty fun.

I used to practice Lua which is a mostly soft style Hawaian form of Kung Fu. That and my wrestling background worked together pretty well. My Sifu (Sensei) said I was a natrual at close range, jamming up most opponants. Never did get to far with it, but it is always good to be prepared.

It will be interesting to see if this school lives up to what I think it is like. I dropped by a class (BJJ) last night for a few minutes and will head over for the Aikido class tonight. I suppose I'll wear sweats as I don't have a white-belt to wear and all my uniforms have my school patches on them from before.

I'd love to find a good Shorin-ryu school in the area, but so far no luck.

You will love BJJ.

I'm sure I will. I really enjoy joint locks etc. I'm not sure I can use it as a full time study though as it will not go well with a genetic connective tissue disorder that makes my joints like mush. I'll be talking with the instructor(s) though to get their thoughts.

Do you do it abc? It seems to be like it would be fun, plus it looks like it would be a good full body workout.

Oooh, Aikido's fun. (Been a while since I've been able to practice, mainly due to practical issues regarding distance to dojo from where I live. (Every time I'd go would be ~75mile round trip. Maybe I ought check around if any dojo's that do my prefered flavor have opened up closer to home...) But it's still plenty of fun.

Aikido... where you have Issac Newton do all the work for you.

Anyways, have fun!

I use to do BJJ. It is a lot of fun. In karate or Kung Fu you can get away with practicing for long amounts of time without getting hurt or feeling much pain. In BJJ you can't. It is kind of a bitter sweet pain. Start grapling and you will be surprised how tired you get. Yes, it is a full body workout.

I went to the academy last night to watch a few classes. The Aikido class didn't go because there was an even scheduled for them elswewhere that I didn't know about. I sat in and observed the BJJ class which came after the Krav Maga class. I actually participated in that one. I can hardly move this morning, but it is a good feeling. Bruised knuckles and sore muscles

I was really impressed with the staff and the students.

The BJJ instructor is Pedro Sauer! Even with his credentials he seems to be one of the most humble guys you could ever meet.

It was good to see the camaraderie among the students and staff.

What a quandary I find myself in now. I wondered in to another Dojo and just had that "I belong here" feeling. I've trained there three times now and really enjoy the atmosphere and the training.

I also found a Shorin-ryu school (two actually, but one was not for me) which was my previous style. I can train there and finish my Shodan if I choose. It's not really about belt color or rank, just a sense of completion at the basic level. Shodan is only the beginning.

I can afford to take both classes and the schedules match, but I feel they may be incompatible. For example: One style turns the support foot for a side kick, while the other doesn't.

I'm positive I want to have my main focus on the new style, but a little voice, and a couple of my friends, are urging me to complete my Shodan in Shorin-ryu before I leave it behind.

Very interesting that my new instructor is also a magician!

Best,
Jim

Stupid question, what is BJJ?

BJJ = Brazilian Jujitsu

Have fun with it. I owned a school (Shaolin Wu family Black Dragon Fist)for a while in the '90s; such a nightmare! The last few years I have only been teaching hand-selected people in my back yard or the park. But my instructor moved back to town a few months ago and opened a small school designed for private lessons only (it is where Impact, the Michael Paul, DVD was shot because the original school we were supposed to use got suddenly evicted when the building they were in changed hands) and I keep finding myself there. In fact, I'll be there tomorrow for a seminar!

Jim,

I did Wu Ying Tao for several years. (Basicaly a form of MMA and KickBoxing).

What are you looking for in a school? Do you want to learn to fight? Or do you want you learn an Art?

I have never been very interested in learning Katas (Forms). I wanted the fighting aspect.

My teacher was and X-gang member turned Christian (Jamale Nagi) so he had Black Belt knowledge along with real life experience.

Just a thought,
With your side kick think about it this way, Rotation should be on the ball of your foot. This keep down the friction and allows stability.

Anyway, Happy learning!

Hi Jim. It's good to see another Shorin-Ryu practioner! I was a Shodan in Shorin-Ryu at 16 (back in 1975). I think it's great that you're exploring different styles now. Good luck to you.

Also, it's almost eerie how many martial artists or former martial artists are into magic. I wonder what the connection is? It seems to defy the normal statistical expectation.

Ron

I really enjoy the art side of it, but realize that to be effective, there needs to be more. That's what was so great about my last school. I enjoy kata for many reasons, but one has to go further into the bunkai (applications) of them to be effective in the real world. They are awesome for learning technique and focus. They are like meditation in motion to me.

As for the side kick, the school I'm at now teaches no rotation of the planted foot at all. It's different, but can't say that it's better or worse than the other way I was taught. Just hard to "re-learn."

Eerie is right.

I'm going to go visit one more Shorin-ryu school this week sometime if I can swing it. They operate under Sensei Iha up through GM Miyahira. They haven't returned my e-mail yet though. I guess I'll just drop in one day.

I have two theories on the magic/martial arts overlap:

One, magic and martial arts both attract people interested in keeping alive traditional knowledge.

Two, we all want to be Batman. Seriously: we are trying to collect skills that move us towards the archetypical model of the hero.

Neither accounts for why magicians tend to drink so much!

Maybe because trying to be Batman will always lead to failure?

LOL