Beginning Martial Arts

ya know.. dont wanna sound like a prick.. but im more concerned about what MA i should do then that my joke got taken seriously...

 

I think everyone will have a generally mixed opinion on what is "best for you". If you can find a comprehensive list of clubs in your area along with a syllabus of what they teach within that class. Than you could if you wanted, ask here or on the other specific style forums about the art, and if this club your looking is a complete form of the stated MA.

 

Well that's the problem with your question, it's very tough to tell you which type of martial arts is best suited for you. You've given us physical states, but to tell you which martial arts is right for you would include your mental state as well... heritage has a lot to do with which type you will be more likely to enjoy and stick with... it's a very tough question. It's very tough to try to decide which style is for you, let alone have total strangers do it. That's why I'm involved in 7 different styles, to try everything out. My only suggestion is to call the schools near you and ask them what they teach, what a normal training session is like, and what they hope to accomplish by the time they are finished with their students. Then try to decide which option is best for you.

 

im sooooooooooo wasted right now
thats for being in college
thanx for the advice,
but im rather suprised you cannot advise a specific martial art for me.. .i guess i should stick to Hung Gar Kung Fu

 

Starting a ninjutsu class

Ok IM thinking of starting a martial art,most likely Ninjutsu.I live in NYC and would like to know if anyone could recommend a certain school for me.Help is greatly appreciated.Also,could someone explain Shoten No Kama,its a technique that allows the practitioner to run up walls.Im asking because I saw it in the course outline at Ninjutsu.com.Is it possible?

Thanks,
CHX

 

Take wc ya lazy drunk .

 

*spittake*

Run up walls? RUN UP WALLS?

I'm afraid that anyone who lists that in their curriculum is feeding you a line of BS. RUN UP WALLS?! Seriously, that's straight crap.

Real life is not a kung fu or ninja movie.

For more information on what that guy is trying to pass on you see www.bullshido.com

 

dont start your crap here either hedge.
running up walls is part of the curriculum but not anything matrixy just a couple steps only a foot higher than a normal jump, but its a useful 1 foot
chx if you want to learn about ninjutsu, go to the ninjutsu forum (youll also see why im touchy about his aforementioned "crap")
a good wabsite for a bujinkan dojo in your area is www.winjutsu.com i think that is right. if its not just search winjutsu youll go straight to it
i dont know a site for genbukan right off, but if you search for it it shouldnt be hard.
for jinekan i think the yamajutsu kai site is jinekan, but if you ask in the ninja forum, youll get a better answer
http://shell.world-net.co.nz/~jimgould/index.html should take you to it

 

Other than fun what use would that be?

 

I'd suggest drunken form, you're already halfway there

 

learn the "drunken fist" and be the next "drunken master"

 

Ugh, why didn't I think of that . Good one though!

 

Thanks for the info Kagebushi.Your help is greatly appreciated

 

ninjutsu is more than a combat art, it is a survival art. the combat part is taijutsu. agility/climbing/stealth skills are very useful when you come up against a person/group that you cant beat, whether its because of skill, equipment :woo: or just plain numbers. and you never know what will become useful with terrorism (especially in certain countries) on the rise.
it IS pretty fun, though.

 

They fly pretty good if you throw them...

 

Hello, I am very new to Martial Arts, so please forgive my ignorance. I have a number of questions.

The three arts I find initially appealling are: Ninjutsu, Karate or Kendo (is that what katana fighting is called?)

My first wish would be to study Ninjutsu, but I'm a little confused. No schools in my area (Kentucky) offer that, rather something called "Bujinkan", I think. Does Bujinkan = Ninjutsu?

Is Kendo the correct name for a katana art? I don't see it much, so I was wondering if I got the name wrong.

How do you tell if a potential instructor is good at what he does? I have no criteria to judge by, and the nearest "Bujinkan" instructor sounds like a low-budget deal, is this something to be wary of?

Lastly, is "meditation" an integral part of Ninjutsu, Karate and "Kendo"? Or can one do well without getting into it?

Thanks in advance.

 

Not quite so new, but...

Is there more to Taekwondo than just kicking and punching? I know it's 'The Way of Fist and Foot' or some variation thereof, but is that all there is to it?

 

The little I know about ninjutsu, karate, and kendo, as pertaining to your questions is this:

Bujinkan is one form of Ninjutsu, or so I've read. Ninjutsu is a blanket statement the same way Karate is: There's more than one style it.

Strictly speaking, Kendo does translate as "The Way of the Sword", but it is by no means the only katana-oriented art. You've got Iaido, which deals with attacking while drawing the sword, kenjutsu, which is more like what samurai might have learned, and as such, deals more with killing people quickly (I think), and Kendo is all about single combat with swords. It's probably Kendo if the combatants are wearing actual armor and fighting one on one.

There are a bunch of ways to know a good teacher when you see him or her, and cost for lessons isn't automatically a positive or negative point, either. Too little, and it may be a guy running classes out of his back yard. While doable, it's definitely worth it to be skeptical. Too expensive, and it's just plain not feasable to train at such a high cost. Unlike with most things, you don't necessarily get what you pay for with martial arts.

A good teacher will likely take active part in the class, instead of delegating assistants to teach while he's in the office. Also, a good teacher will lead by good example. He or she will demonstrate every new technique, and do so properly. Knowing if it's taught properly only really comes by watching other teachers in the same art, so you get a good idea what's what. Lastly, a good teacher will engage in one-on-one teaching after class if a student's struggling, and asks about it. There's undoubtably more criteria, but that's all I can think of.

Honestly, I don't know anything about meditation in ninjutsu. I'd imagine it's important, but I don't know why.

 

Bujinkan is the organisation based around Budo Taijutsu. it is basically Ninjutsu, but is in fact nine kobudo (ancient Japanese martial arts). It teaches many different things such as striking, locks, weapons (including Kenjutsu).

Kenjutsu is a collective name for Japanese sword arts, Kendo and Iaido would fit in. Budo Taijutsu incorporates this and it is this year's theme, so there's plenty of practise going on with katanas and wakizashis this year. You'll start practising with them at about 8th or 7th Kyu.

Meditation varies from dojo to dojo, you'll have to ask the head instructor.

Just ring up your nearest dojo and arrange to sit in on a class. Pay attention to not only the art, but the instructor and how he handles the class. Also, have a chat with him/her, ask a few questions and get a fairly good idea of what type of person they are.

 

Thanks for squaring that up about the Ninjutsu/Bujinkan thing