(Part 3) Top products from r/martialarts

glad you like it! ( /u/T3chnopsycho and /u/paksaochuyie too!)

I like it for developing combinations because it helps people to be able to get away from " I need to do x, in y situation" and lets them focus more on movement, both continuous striking and sidestepping / turning the opponent in a fluid manor and not freezing when something doesn't go your way. Plus you can start shadow boxing those types of combinations and work them independently. it's very clear, very fast where my weaknesses are - I hurt my knee when I was 16, so I favor my left foot forward. So any chance I get to spar lower belt students, I spar right foot forward and work the point combinations.

If you look at anyone in high level competition, across all sports ( baseball, football, golf, tennis, etc), it's clear they did something akin to a form many MANY times over, and that the "form" they did helped shape them, but the form was only part of the answer. Like a Rolodex of answers to questions you have on your journey. Baseball is a great example! If you are a professional baseball player, you stand out in the field and you play catch for hours and hours. Then you go to to the batting cages and hit thousands of balls a month and then get together and practice. Then you have people hit balls at you day in and day out in the off season ( this like sparring for us). When the players step on the field though, it looks nothing like practice because its' been refined, reworked, and perfected to a pro level that's nothing like the game kids play in the parks on the weekend.

Success is like pregnancy - everyone sees the result, they don't see the thousands of times you got screwed to get there. I think a lot of people get so caught up in ego about "my martial art is better" that they forget it's just a body mechanic exercise and lots of repetition. There's a limited amount of answers to any question in our sport. Sure there's a lot of possible strikes ( just like in chess or go, hundreds of possible moves) but only a couple of them are really viable in any situation. You can arrive at the same destination from any direction, it's all about finding the right way that suits you.

I highly recommend this book The inner game of tennis - while not directly applicable being as its' a different sport, it has many parallels and some direct comparisons.

If you ever want to chat about any of this, I've been both training and coaching a long time and love to have friendly conversations and have my opinions challenged!

Happy training!

Hapkido has seemed appealing to me; unfortunately, I've come across a number of things that have made it seem less so over the years.

Firstly, there's the multitude of techniques. My mother in law has this book that I looked through a bit: http://www.amazon.com/Hapkido-Traditions-Philosophy-Marc-Tedeschi/dp/0834804441/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373945813&sr=1-3&keywords=hapkido - Great book by the way, for anyone who's is doing hapkido or who enjoys collecting martial arts books.

There are multiple pages of hand positions for various punches/strikes. There's a similar multitude of 'options' for pretty much everything. Now, on one hand, many options is a great thing. On the other hand when you figure every technique you want to be able to use readily in self defense needs to have X number of hours behind it, the more techniques you split your time between the worse all of them are.

So I looked for a stripped down version of Hapkido... Ah ha! Someone had stripped out a bunch of the 'useless' bits and and created Combat Hapkido. It had great reviews, you can read about the founder in Black Belt Mag, awesome. Oh, even better, you can get your black belt online! Just buy these courses! http://www.combathapkido.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=35

Hmm. So what about all these local hapkido schools? Huh, so they all talk about families, and kids, and there appears to be no sparring whatsoever. Just what I wanted.

Anyways, I think Hapkido has great potential-there's a lot of good techniques in there. What it needs is an instructor capable of cutting out the strikes that require this knuckle this way or that way, and making sure that there's good sparring. If you can find that, then good. Otherwise, it's not really useful for self defense or sport fighting.

/u/Toptomcat nailed it. Wholeheartedly agree in reference to Bubishi, not very practical but interesting nonetheless. I loved Draeger's CAFA and Unante is comprehensive thesis on the historical origins and lineages of the Okinawan fighting arts. These titles might not be for everyone but I am a history buff in addition to a martial artist so I enjoyed them.

Couple of others:

• Book of the five Rings-Miyamoto Musashi
  
  
• Karate-do: my way of life- Funakoshi
  
  A few off-topic but related titles:
  
  
• Ways of the Peaceful Warrior
  
  
• Autumn lighting
  
  
• American Shaolin
  
  
• The Ronin
  
• Musashi-perhaps on of my favorite novels of all time
  

It's almost impossible to teach yourself any martial arts style unless you already have a high baseline of athleticism or already have some training in a combat sport or martial art. Without observation and feedback from an expert, you're at a very high risk of developing poor habits and potentially injuring yourself long-term. I'm sure you know that already, though. If you must practice by yourself, here are some tips:

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1. Film yourself from every angle and compare it with what you see in the videos. If you can find a mirror, use that, too.
   
2. Like other commenters have suggested, combat sports such as boxing and wrestling are "martial arts," too, and extremely useful for self-defense and general fitness. Try to find a club or instructor nearby for those.
   
3. Work on basic fitness, including strength, endurance, and flexibility. Lift weights, do some cardio (calisthenics, jogging, cycling, etc.) and stretch at least a little every day.
   
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   Here are some of my favorite resources. Note that I use these to supplement my training because I am a karate black belt with over a decade of experience; I really don't think beginners can teach themselves from videos or books. Proceed very slowly and with caution. If and when you do get formal instruction, be prepared to unlearn a lot of bad habits you may have accidentally acquired.
   
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   Here are my favorite martial arts YouTube channels:
   
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4. Fight Tips – MMA instruction by Shane Fazen https://www.youtube.com/user/FightTipsVideos
   
5. Kwonkicker – Taekwondo and Muay Thai instruction by Micah Brock https://www.youtube.com/user/kwonkicker
   
6. Ando Mierzwa – Kung Fu and general martial arts instruction by Andrew Mierzwa https://www.youtube.com/user/AndoMierzwa
   
7. Ginger Ninja Trickster – Taekwondo and kickboxing instruction by Aaron Gasser https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerNinjaTrickster
   
8. ATHLEAN-X – Strength training and general fitness by Jeff Cavaliere https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24
   
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   My favorite books:
   
   
9. Stretching Scientifically – If you want to develop high kicks and good overall flexibility, you need this. A guide to stretching by Thomas Kurz https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451
   
10. Championship Fighting – A handy guide to boxing by world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501111485
    
11. Training and Fighting Skills – An introduction to kickboxing by undefeated champion kickboxer Benny Urquidez https://www.amazon.com/Training-Fighting-Skills-Benny-Urquidez/dp/0865680159/

Someone mentioned a book by Neil Ohlencamp as being really good for improving one's Judo/Sambo game and being an all-around great read in regards to technique with principle.

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https://www.amazon.com/Judo-Unleashed-Essential-Techniques-Intermediate/dp/0071475346

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Also the Judo Master Series many have said are very Good Books for Judo/Sambo/Grappling.

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https://www.amazon.com/Pick-Ups-Masterclass-Techniques-Robert-Walle/dp/1874572100/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=judo+pick+ups&qid=1556987181&s=books&sr=1-1-spell

Jujitsu has great finger/wrist/arm locks. Hapkido does too.

Tedesci's book on the subject is pretty good.

I started by reading the Bubishi, a classical text about White Crane Kung-fu and is considered the origin of many Karate styles. It has some helpful charts, but most of the meridian names are in Chinese (as any legitimate book will be). The book that helped me the most when I started learning was Essential Anatomy for Healing and Martial Arts, by Marc Tedeschi. Awesome resource for reference, as it has charts by both individual meridians and the entire body. It is really overwhelming when you start trying to learn the meridians, but just start one at a time and you'll get it!

Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Anatomy-Healing-Martial-Arts/dp/0834804433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382547186&sr=8-1&keywords=essential+anatomy+for+healing+and+martial+arts

>i used to do Muay thai(for those who dont know its kickboxing but a little different)and i had to stop due to intense pain after sessions


Here's your problem -- you're putting a lot of force through your system and not aligning your bones/joints to transmit the force safely through your physical structure. If you keep putting force through your body without first learning proper alignment you will cripple yourself.


Form >>>> force


https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Alignment-Through-Imagery-2nd/dp/0736067892


Start with gentle range-of-motion exercises, without resistance. Develop body awareness. Maybe switch to Tai Chi while you rehabilitate your spine. Do not stop moving/exercising, just dial down the force production and focus entirely on alignment.


Good luck.

You don't wanna shout at them when they're making fun of you; that lowers their status, but it lowers yours as well. I recommend reading Impro, and then taking some improv classes with a local theatre group. It will be painful and awkward, but those are the skills you really need. It is the social martial art of status exchanges.

Taking martial arts will help you with this somewhat, especially if you do sparring. Knowing you could handle yourself in a physical altercation with whomever you're speaking to helps you display high-status behaviors. But it's still just a peripheral aid, the real skill is understanding the language of primate status signaling.

If you're interested in specifically joint manipulation, Practical Chin Na is a great resource.

I would add Mastering Kung-Fu it does a great job of breaking down mid range fighting into a easy to understand concepts.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Kung-Fu-Martial-Arts/dp/0736045686

It's fiction, but I recently read and really enjoyed City of Jade by Fonda Lee. It's got a ton of great martial arts action, about warring gang empires who train to the bone and wear mystical jade to augment their perception and reflexes. It's kind of like a great crime drama, plus martial arts action, plus some light fantasy elements.


Maybe not what you're exactly asking for, but related? And probably not a bad way to pass the time if you're laid up with an injury.


https://www.amazon.com/Jade-City-Green-Bone-Saga/dp/0316440868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542818367&sr=8-1&keywords=jade+city+fonda+lee

Yeah, get a banana bag. Problem solved.

You can paint areas on it to simulate different areas, IE a face, or a body, the location of the liver.

I think some companies have actually made hanging bags that are shaped like people, but seriously, a heavy bag is more than sufficient. I actually have a banana bag myself.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07RN11C9N/

if you really want something that's human shaped, there are hanging bags you can find shaped like a person.

Seems interesting, see also Angry White Pyjamas for the somewhat equivalent Aikido-course.

Well, there are two problems here, and both relate to the terms ninjutsu and taijutsu, and both are due to people inferring more than what is actually said.

Both are just general terms, and people misuse both. So, ninjutsu is just intelligence gathering techniques. I mean the CIA technically practices ninjutsu, but no one calls it ninjutsu. The English term used most is "Spycraft." During WWII, the Japanese taught indivduals ninjutsu. It was called the Nakano School.

Now, to be a good spy, one should know some hand to hand in case things go really bad. This is where taijutsu comes in. But taijutsu just means "body techniques." Technically, every martial art is this, and it's the equivalent of "fighting method." Nothing special. The Bujinkan has taken the 6 samurai arts that it teaches and called those "ninpo taijutsu" or "Bujinkan Budo taijutsu", which is just their form of arts, no different from saying something like Gracie Jujutsu. Most of the modern school stuff comes from Kukishinden ryu, which stems from a koryu, Kukishin Ryu. TEchnically, you could be a ninja and learn any fighting method you wanted.

The last thing is that none of the modern schools actually state that they teach ninjutsu. They say things like "ninpo taijutsu" or "the fighting art of the ninja." Scrub their websites and you will find that you won't find them saying that they teach ninjutsu. Even Stephen K. Hayes's most well know book, The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art, only talks about "ninjutsu" for 31 of its 156 pages, and even then, it's mostly from a historical perspective. The other books do so in a similar fashion.

In reality, there are better methods today than there were back then. Camouflage used to be a secret technique, but now there are books on it everywhere, and you can learn it from different sources.

You laugh...

Been wanting to check this book out

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Batman-Possibility-Paul-Zehr/dp/0801890632/ref=pd_sim_b_3

I don't have any for you but this book was recently gifted to me. I don't do bo staff but I'd considering picking up a bo and doing the exercises in it.

There's a book I read that deals with this called "Her Wits About Her", which is a couple of dozen accounts written by women who survived some sort of defence situation. It was an interesting read but was written decades ago and is a bit outdated.

Perhaps you could tactfully post a request in another sub reddit with more women, although that may be a bit of a minefield and I have no idea what sub would be appropriate. Maybe there is an assault survivors sub or something? If you phrase your request as wanting to be assistance to other women you might get a few useful stories.

Wrestling Tough - Great for the mentality of training, especially getting through difficult times (or terrible if you're dealing with an injury that you should really give some rest).

Scaling Force - Something everyone should read if they train martial arts for self defense. Understanding that not all situations call for the same response is very important, and something that's often lost sight of.

How Not to Get Hit - Not getting into a fight in the first place is the most important part of self defense, seriously neglected by even martial arts that pay the topic more than just lip service.