New Beginners FAQ

Ok folks it's high time we had a new FAQ for the Beginners section. The aim of the FAQ is to provide useful and honest answers to the most commonly asked questions on the forum.

Since this is a "Beginners" FAQ beginners are more than welcome to suggest questions they want answered.

Our regular members can help in two ways. Suggest questions of your own you think might be useful and provide the answer you would give. It's that simple.

 

Why can't I use the Arcade?

 

Because you need to be a member for 2 weeks and have at least 50 posts on the forum.

Can I post style VS style threads on here ???

 

This Beginners Forum pertains to members who are new to Martial Arts, or want to begin ma training not new to just the site.... so questions should be related to this!

New forum members who have questions navigating the site can still post over on the Problems & Questions forum ... or better yet read the FAQ's and the threads at the beginning of the Intro & Bios Forum

 

Which is the best martial art?

Think about what you've just asked. Really. Think it through. If there was a "best" martial art, why aren't we all doing it? There are many different flavours of MA, and there some damn scary people and some slightly limp ones in every style. All you need to remember is to use a bit of common sense - if you're asked to pay more than you're willing for classes or don't feel you're learning from a class, ditch it and try a new one.

No, but really, which is the most practical one, y'know, for the STREET?

It's that one that teaches you how to defend yourself against an aggressor. You know the one I mean - where the guy attacks you and you learn to fight him off. It's called ALL OF THEM!!!!

Can BJJ and MMA beat WKF TKD and RBSD?

No, because they're all abstract concepts, not people. JKD can't beat Wing Chun, because it doesn't have arms or legs - it's an ideology, a framework, not a fighter. Only people can fight other people (discounting animals, dinosaurs and giant robots) - so one wing chun fighter might be able to beat one MMA fighter, but in another matchup with different people the outcome might be different. People train, people fight, styles are just the framework.

Can Ninjutsu guys teleport?

No

I've just started "art X" and am worried because my friend says that it always gets pwned by "art Y" - should I quit?

In 90% of cases, no! Your friend's a schmuck. Really - he sucks ass - just ignore him. Unless he's in the FBI or has any concrete reason to think that the school's a fraud, it's probably sour grapes because he can't get himself off the couch and do something fun like MA.

What's a McDojo so I can avoid them?

A bad martial arts school that fraudulently claims to be teaching you fighting skills.

 

LOL moosey, those are great !!!

 

Good ideas from The Moose. I'd add another one:

Q. Who would win in a fight between X and Y? (e.g. Bruce Lee versus Mike Tyson, Bruce Lee versus King Kong, Bruce Lee versus a giant squid, etc.)

A. Er, I can't actually think of a polite answer to this type of question. But we do seem to get rather a lot of them.

 

A: The squid, always the squid, and only the squid. For those of you who are new to MAP and martial arts generally, recent scientific research has shown that the elusive giant squid survives on a diet of "versus" threads. Every thread you post feeds his voracious appetite and makes him hungry for world domination. Naturalists (with help from naturists) have recently discovered that the giant squid is nothing but a regular squid fed on a diet of "Bruce Lee versus..." threads until he grows to the size of a small country. Once at this size, simple "Jacky Chan versus a polar bear" threads can no longer satisfy him - then it must be "Pride versus UFC" or "Muay Thai versus Tae Kwon Do". Eventually the squid becomes so mean and power crazed that he'll kill us all and it'll be ALL YOUR FAULT for posting versus threads. Think about that before posting - the squid has eaten godzilla already. He's picking his teeth with the remains of the power rangers and uses the X-Men as novelty table ornaments. Versus threads ONLY SERVE TO FEED THE SQUID.

 

Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I think you should be in control of all FAQ threads from now

 

And the squid is VERY hungry...

 

You'd be suprised mention beer and we can move that quick it'll look like we've teleported!


Good post Moosey!

 

Can I learn Ma from a book/DVD?


No no no and er no find a good teacher!

 

My master/sifu/sensei/seibumnim/coach/meistro/uncle Frank won't let me cross-train in other styles/attend other seminars - what should I do?

First thing to do is ask him why? Maybe he has a good reason. If he doesn't have a good reason, kick him in the nuts as hard as you can. Or alternately, just leave his school and train in whatever the heck you want. Remember, you're paying your teacher for lessons - he may be your teacher, but he's also, to an extent, your employee - and how would the average boss feel if his employees started telling him what to do?

Someone on the General Discussion forum told me my art was t3h 5uxx0r and I should take up "Art X" instead - should I just quit my current MA?

Always think to yourself: would you trust someone on an internet forum with your credit cards? So why trust them with your free time. Do you buy everything Amazon suggests to you (even the crap by the bands you don't really like and only once looked at as a birthday present for your sister)? So why believe everything that internet people tell you? People on here make suggestions, give advice and will generally act in what they perceive to be your best interest - but we're all influenced by our own experiences, opinions and preferences. Listen to people, but in the end, think for yourself. If you wanna quit your MA and take up a new one - do it because YOU want to - not because someone told you to.

 

Well I've always referred beginners to this thread I started which I hope would have answered at least some of the questions new or soon-to-be artist's questions.
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5219

You'll find some good FAQ's to incorporate here in the rec.martial-arts FAQ's

 

Bravo moosey bravo.

 

I'm just going through posting in all the relevant threads so here's my question.

I've heard that TWD is "sporty" and not very good for self defense. Is this really true? I mean, maybe not against a trained fighter, but for your average yahoo can it be effective?

 

Why am I getting silly replies to my question?

Quite often, MAP is governed by the simple rule: "ask a silly question, get a silly answer". Unfortunately, what is considered a silly question on MAP might not be obvious to the average beginner. Some of the following types of post will have the squid pictures, flame forms and Slipthejab's 18pt bold text piling up in no time...

1. Deliberately stupid questions

Yes, we have had long threads on whether BJJ can beat wild animals. If you post something like this, you're not likely to get anthropological debate.

2. Questions with an obvious answer

Do you really need someone to tell you whether a karate man can beat 18 men armed with machine guns? Or whether it's illegal to kill defenceless old ladies using muay thai?

3. Questions that have been asked and answered a million times before.

Do a quick search if you need to find out what martial art Jackie Chan studied, who invented kyokushin karate or whether you should condition your shins by kicking trees. People get bored of writing the same replies, so you're more likely to get a stupid answer involving vaseline, horses and Chun Li.

4. Questions that are thinly veiled self-promotion

People can quite easily see through questions like "Why is it that I'm so hardcore I can beat anyone?" as just bragging. If you want to brag - just say so - and preferably post video evidence 'cos it's going to be asked for sooner or later.

 

Good advice

Myself, having just taken my first ever MA class last week, and going to #2 tonight, find this useful.I did what you suggested, and since there was only one MA instructor right here in my little town, I chose him. I think I made a good choice. As for being told your art choice is crap,Why would any Martial Artist put down anothers art choice. Does'nt that cross the line from"courteous to all" into disrespect? Each is good in thier own way.I have already learned, just from one lesson, what to expect and not expect.For instance, I chose Tang Soo Do. But I know it(the art) is no better or worse than Wado Ryu, Shotokan, TWD, ect. The art is no better than I learn and apply it.

Thanks for good tips.

 

hi