Majofo

I hate seeing workout threads.. meal planning this, cardio this, pump this, protein this.. It works.
I bought into the game several times, always fell off the wagon because.. boring food, boring routine, stale playlist..
I still lift on a blue moon.. less so these days, at least in the traditional sense.. deadlift and curls everyday tho

But what has always kept my interest and kept me in shape (round is a shape right? right?!?!?!), is martial arts.
I don't mean effing Billy Blanks kick-it to TaeBo (don't get butthurt if you do cardio kickboxing)..
I mean some 250 lb guy choking the shit out of you with his balls in yo mouf, just kill me already training..
Or liver kick, reset my life, respawn on my couch with a beer and burrito training..

Anyways.....
Who does / did martial arts?
What did you / have you trained?
Did you see a physical transformation training?
Would you encourage others to try?
What type of common injuries have you seen or should look out for while training?
How many guys have you taken down at one time????
etc..

Point is, I think many haven't thought of martial arts as a good physical outlet to get in good shape, learn good self-defense, etc.
It's also great for kids, discipline, confidence, anti-bullying, family time..
It would be cool to learn what some of you have trained, get perspective about other martial arts you might be interested in, and ultimately encourage others to try..
Discuss..

edit: Videos Removed
New Video:

Doom878

Is this the thread where you remind us how tough you are and can take out the big bad bodybuilders

I trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu no gi in the past with my blue belt friend who had a good 100 pounds on me. That was fun when I was on the bottom The weight difference helped though because it made me rely more on skill than strength. As far as body transformation I was already rotating in weights and cardioboxing classes they offered so hard to tell. Training was fun but scheduling was tough and eventually he didn't have time to train me with his own business. As far as injuries, get your neck ready for pain and movements you've never felt with weights. Last time I was helping out my friend's teenage kids practice their rear naked choke and it felt like my windpipe got crushed. Neck was sore for 2 days.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

weight training is relatively free, but would love to learn how to use my pinky to defend myself.
in general, how much are sessions/trainings/lessons?

Majofo

That's a mixed bag crabs.. smaller schools will tend to be pricier.. anywhere from 75 to 150 / mo..
My brosef trains at Atos and I think it's 150-200 / mo, but those are almost all world-class guys.
Something like a MMA gym (UFC gym, etc) might be a lot cheaper and accessible..

My cuzzo had a school.. charged only $30-40 /mo but had hundreds of students.. open 7 days / week
He recently sold the school because it was tough for him to manage, and he's still young so it was difficult for him to learn as he grew.
He really undervalued his services.. but all that to say, it really depends on the school.

You want the most value for $$.. but sometimes you might pay less, but get less attention, so it's not always the best value.
There's an apex of hours of training available open to your schedule, price, number of students, culture, and instructors..
Do your research, and almost all schools will let you try for free, even 2 weeks at some places..

Majofo

Brah.. grab my arm.. no with your other arm.. not so tight.. change your stance.. perfect.. BAM!

Really it's the fight in the dog.. But practice is preparation.. If you master certain skills, you will always have the advantage.
If you're not well rounded, you can get exposed and all that you trained is for nothing.

BJJ will keep you honest.. I've trained with some very strong guys.. but I put the weight on them and they suffocate or burn out.
Now you roll with some guy that's a wet blanket and a black belt.. forget it..

Anyways.. No.. that is not what this thread is about..

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I loved martial arts when I was a kid, I had a 3 degree black belt in Taekwondo when I was a teenager, but I haven't practiced it in years. It's a great way to learn discipline and self control. My joints are too shitty these days to try and get back into it, but I loved it when I was young and spry

Majofo

That's why god created the 1911..
We'll call that Puerto Rican Judo..

Very cool Ack, would have never guessed.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I tried Jiu Jitzu for a while too, but hated all the grappling and throwing

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

And yes, these days my time is better spent at the range

Though I do still practice some CQB tecniques

Majofo

BJJ rolling, especially for new guys, can be a huge fat cutter..
5 minutes and I see guys puking and ready to roll off the mat..
Completely burned out..

I train with some guys that have been doing BJJ for over 20 years
One guy said, he's never loved it.. still doesn't, but he's committed..
It's one of those martial arts that you may question why you do it..
Almost every time you're on the mat..

I've trained a lot of martial arts.. shotokan, kajukenbo, and kempo karate
I have two black belts (3rd and 1st) in TKD and HKD, training a mixed style (Gongkwon Yusul - kyokushin / judo / hkd / bjj style)
I've informally trained BJJ since the late 90's, used to get with buddies and read a 600 page manual of BJJ techniques
then practice in an open-lease office.. I formally got back into it a few years back and have been rolling regularly going on two years.. still a white belt
I also get in some judo with my brosef who just won open tournament in San Antone 4 ippons, one draw. (I'm too old for Judo.. too many injuries).

Majofo

of course.. the ultimate.. 100 man kumite.. kyokushin.. the legend, FF

Majofo

I'm posting vids that might deter some, but these are competition vids.
Most schools really focus on building the body and learning techniques.
I've never been seriously injured in all the years I've been involved
Of course you want to train with good partners, it's a lot of give and take

Doom878

Belts in BJJ are hard to get. A blue belt is the next one up and they're already kicking the majority of the earth's population with no weapons. So much knowledge.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Cool thread, Joe.
I did Judo when I was 6 for a year, then TaeKwonDo from 9 until 14...
probably why I have such strong legs.

I wish I had stuck with it, probably would not be overweight, inflexible and with a knee surgery under my almost black belt.

Majofo

The water is deep, that's for sure..
Many Gracie school students (gracie U.. ugh) have blue belts within a year or two..
Some schools just aren't keen about handing out belts
Some schools value your ability to clean up the floor with belts below you and hang with the belts in that group before going up...

If you can compete, and wipe the floor with your competitors.. well.. you're obviously not the correct rank..
BJ Penn "the prodigy" comes to mind.. world champ in 4 years.. yeah

What I learned though.. it's not about the belt, it's about the journey.
I've seen blue belts tap black belts.. the belt just signifies your spirit and your knowledge..
Never judge a book by the cover.. also.. I love my white belt.

Majofo

Anyways.. you guys should get back into it..
Maybe something low-key non-committal at first..

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Jhoon Rhee TKD was more about the discipline within...
following rules, listen to parents, do homework...
perfecting forms and respecting the Korean traditions.
I think my inclination to be more of a lover than a fighter was very apparent when I excelled at forms and "passing" belts but shied away from tournies.
Plus, this pretty face is my money maker.

I did have one instance in 6th grade where I was new in a school full of kids that grew up together, I wore weird shit and had an earring...I'm sure you can imagine. One afternoon in aftercare about 5 of them tried to corner me to bully me...I picked the fattest one, did a running side kick right into his chest as high as I could muster...and ran and played cool behind the counselor...I ain't rat, but I ain't stupid either.

Majofo

Jhoon Rhee.. a great master. His health has gone downhill in most recent years. He went back to Korea this past year, great man.
He would wake up 5AM and get in his morning routine.. like clockwork..



His musical forms are probably the best ever created.
I always loved his fight scenes.. especially this one with Hwang In Shik (Jackie Chan's only real MA master - Hapkido)

Majofo

Up until his health declined, he was still a pillar of health and physique.. freaking all muscle.. still doing his reggo routine..
Hee Il Cho.. another great master is the same way.. freaking kick your ass.. and in his 70s..

Majofo

age 68 here

Majofo

No excuses y'all!!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I know you're right.
I met him...very cool man, even as a kid that guy demanded respect when he walked in a room.
the Perez Family that ran the dojo were Puerto Rican...(well, husband was)
they were cool but even at 14, I could tell they were more about making the money than following his path...they kept adding belts to make it longer to get to black.
Got my Fuschia belt

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Exodus, baby...
wow, daily dozen...I haven't thought about that in over 2 decades. Very cool, thanks for sharing, man.
Every class started with that.

Sarlacc

My kids just started at the Dan Inosanto School of Martial Arts.

If you dont know who he is, look him up, and he is still the Guru/Sifu there at 80 years old. Right around the corner from me.

Majofo

Dan is the man.. he really carried the torch for JKD and made it quite the formidable art it is today.
I do a little modern arnis on the side.. I'm sure the kiddos learn a lot of kicks and weaponry, but do they learn eskrima as well?
I love that scene of him against Seagal.. so close to cracking his skull and ripping his pony tail off

Majofo

I'll text you later.. I tried to dig up some vids you might enjoy.. I think it's in my other drive.
I've only seen Exodus done by two people that did it any justice.. GM Rhee was one of them of course.

That's where it starts.. His nature is to be very happy and kind.. but don't mistake his aloha for weakness..
Anyways, he lived his life on the straight and narrow.. like I said, a great man.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I see that, I was too young to truly understand that, but I'd like to think you take something from everyone you meet in life.
Definitely someone to try and use as an example in life.

You can say 3 now, because I am graceful and strong as fuck. My tornado kick was not something to fuck with
Actually, my sister was better than I was even.

Majofo

It's still 2

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

fuhhh...GM Rhee will be crushed you dropped him from the list!
I guess I really did set the bar pretty high then.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

my dad was a Vovinam instructor to the South Vietnamese army during the VN war... between 5-10 yrs of age, he trained me at home... i was lazy with my practicing but i still remember a lot of the forms... it taught me a lot of discipline and balance to execute a lot of the moves, but some of them are not really practical in real life... it is flashy, but on the street, i wouldn't be doing half the moves i still remember... i do still have a long staff and hand baton at my house sitting in the basement that i should dust off...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vovinam

i'm too old for this stuff now, and if i ever do get back into some sort of Martial Arts, it will probably be Tai Chi for flexibility and breathing...

TacoBello

Joe, I wanted to show you this vid- a friend of mine who looks very unassuming... but would pretzel me and break every bone I have faster than I could imagine. This is why I never started $hit with people at bars. You never know who you're dealing with.

Anyway, 30 full force kicks in 15 seconds. Not bad. Not bad.

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Majofo

I practiced Tai Chi for a year.. really improved my balance and coordination
It's funny, the Chinese lady we studied with has been doing Tai Chi for 30 something years.. doesn't consider herself a master, just sharing her knowledge
She goes back to China every year for a couple of months to study under her master.. who is like 90 something years old..

Anyways, she doesn't see the connection between Tai Chi and fighting. But it's fundamentally the same..
Here's a head's up.. learn to roll your hip under your tail bone and try to keep 90% of your weight on one leg while extending the other out slowly..
It's effing aggravating, and my fucking back has never forgiven me.. It's not fucking easy, I'll tell you that.. at least if you're trying to do it properly.

Sounds like you should try Yoga instead.. which is also not as chill as people think.
We mix in a yoga session once in a while (one of the student's mom is yogi from N. India).. it's intense.. but great, especially the breathing
Yoga is the one practice I wish I had a daily regimen with.. not just stretching but really centering yourself each day, meditation, breathing, etc.

Majofo

You should train with him Taco..
Do you know who Buakaw is? Fucking guy is a freak.. he's my Thai spirit animal..

Majofo

Also Kam, never heard of Vovinam.. checking it out now..
Very cool family history you shared btw..

TacoBello

I could train with him... But it's not cheap. I think he charges $60 per session, and prefers two sessions a week. Another close friend of mine trains with him (that's how I met him)- not for fighting, but all around body strength and just living a healthy lifestyle. I think he shredded like 50 pounds off his body and continues to lift more and more at the gym, yet he doesn't look big at all. It's so deceiving.

TacoBello

Jesus... Buakaw is an animal

Majofo

60CAD x 2 x 4.5 = 540CAD / mo

What's that.. like $10USD?



That's an effing crazy price per session
Are they running fight camps?

TacoBello

Well it's kind of fucked up... he's a manager at a gym here in town. Not a fighting gym, but just a regular old, lift weights and treadmill gym. He trains people out of there, because he has free access at all times there, so the only way to train with him is by having to buy training sessions through that place and train with him while he is working. He can't do it for free because he would get shit canned. He can't do any personal business there. i don't remember where he actually trains for fighting and I don't think he trains people there. It's simply a lack of time on his part to be able to do anything else and consistently stick to it. Between his regimen and travelling, and his GFs (she's a fitness model for magazines and shit), there isn't much left.

I think its $60/session, but the more you buy, the cheaper it gets- to a point. I think the lowest it goes is like 45-50/session. That's the damn gym prices (on top of the monthly membership price), not his. Burrrshit!

Majofo

Oh.. personal lessons are different.. I meant train at his Muay Thai gym.. with the other MT rats.
Should be a lot cheaper..

TacoBello

You're probably right. I can't imagine any fighting gym charging that much.