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Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: BIG ACH on December 24, 2009, 03:35:53 PM
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So I've been thinking for a while now about starting some martial arts training. I spent sometime reading up on BJJ, Kempo Karate, Muay Thai, etc and it seemed like Hapkido would be the most interesting/enjoyable for me. I found what seems like a legit training facility near where I live (actually 2, but the second one seems like it could be a "McDojo"). So I was curious to know if any of you beasts on here have ever practiced Hapkido?
When I was a young kid I did some basic Karate and Judo, but that was a long time ago, and I can honestly say I have no "real" fighting experience so I'm keeping my mind open and looking foward to learning something new.
If any of you have ever participated in Hapkido, I wantd to know;
What should I look for in a school/training facility?
What should I look for in an instructor?
Honestly, am I too old to start (27)?
How many times a week does one usually attend sessions in order to actually progress and really learn the discipline?
Whats usually the cost?
Is there anything else I should really know before joining?
Thanks guys!
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never heard of it
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So I've been thinking for a while now about starting some martial arts training. I spent sometime reading up on BJJ, Kempo Karate, Muay Thai, etc and it seemed like Hapkido would be the most interesting/enjoyable for me. I found what seems like a legit training facility near where I live (actually 2, but the second one seems like it could be a "McDojo"). So I was curious to know if any of you beasts on here have ever practiced Hapkido?
When I was a young kid I did some basic Karate and Judo, but that was a long time ago, and I can honestly say I have no "real" fighting experience so I'm keeping my mind open and looking foward to learning something new.
If any of you have ever participated in Hapkido, I wantd to know;
What should I look for in a school/training facility?
What should I look for in an instructor?
Honestly, am I too old to start (27)?
How many times a week does one usually attend sessions in order to actually progress and really learn the discipline?
Whats usually the cost?
Is there anything else I should really know before joining?
Thanks guys!
I have, my instructor was John Beluschak. His instructor, Ji Han Jae was in that bruce lee movie (guy on 3rd level I believe) with Kareem Abdul Jabar.
I took Hapkido up to about 9th grade.
I won't bother to answer your questions because martial arts are a waste of time, take boxing instead.
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those moves are really cool and martial arts can be interesting however real life is a different ball game...
spend your time learning something constructive, play an instrument, learn a new language (no homo)
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depends on what you want to accomplish BIG...
if your looking for functionality than NOOOOOO hapkido is not it, something like BJJ or boxing is much more functional for self defense or cross training between grappling and striking training.
Whatever you go into make sure the training is geared to what you want. Im sure hapkido could be taught in a more functional way but to me its not the ideal training for use in real life there are a ton of other disciplines out there that I would go with first.
Youre definitely not to old to start bro
Most gyms will let you come in and try a class or two for free or at the very least come and watch a class or two to make sure you are going to want to join.
Youre probably going to end up practicing 2-4 times a week or thats what they will probably offer.
Do a little research on the gym most will say if they have trained anyone who has won major titles etc...or who they trainers trained with prior to opening their own gym.
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Thanks for the guys who answered my questions and for those who didn't lol
Bobby, I'm actually in the process of learning to play an instrument right now! and I also just bought a motorcycle and am learning to ride it, took a class and got my license and all!
Martial Arts is something else that I wanted to try out!
How can you say that Hapkido is not functional for real life? It seems everything I read says that its actually quite useful, I mean I know the rules are different from the rings to the streets in regards to practically all martial arts? But what I liked about Hapkido was the hybrid of joint locking techniques as well as the the inclusion of striking methods. And I never said I wanted somethign for pure street fighting, it would make sense if that was my only concern to go with a practice like Krav Maga which is derived SPECIFICALLY for street attacks and defense. But I'm also interested in the competitive nature of Hapkido and in regards to the art itself..
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Tony thanks for your answers, makes perfect sense, I already visited one school but wasn't impressed, going to check out some other ones after the holidays!
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Thanks for the guys who answered my questions and for those who didn't lol
Bobby, I'm actually in the process of learning to play an instrument right now! and I also just bought a motorcycle and am learning to ride it, took a class and got my license and all!
Martial Arts is something else that I wanted to try out!
How can you say that Hapkido is not functional for real life? It seems everything I read says that its actually quite useful, I mean I know the rules are different from the rings to the streets in regards to practically all martial arts? But what I liked about Hapkido was the hybrid of joint locking techniques as well as the the inclusion of striking methods. And I never said I wanted somethign for pure street fighting, it would make sense if that was my only concern to go with a practice like Krav Maga which is derived SPECIFICALLY for street attacks and defense. But I'm also interested in the competitive nature of Hapkido and in regards to the art itself..
Joint locks don't work in real life... esp on big strong guys that have had a few drinks. The choke holds taught in Hapkido are effective, but I could show you how to do those in 10 minutes.
Seriously, find a good old school boxing gym and learn to box if you want to make yourself a lethal weapon. I started boxing about 5 months ago and have my first fight on Jan 8th. I think you would be hard pressed to find a sport that is tougher or requires more conditioning than boxing.
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Joint locks don't work in real life... esp on big strong guys that have had a few drinks. The choke holds taught in Hapkido are effective, but I could show you how to do those in 10 minutes.
Seriously, find a good old school boxing gym and learn to box if you want to make yourself a lethal weapon. I started boxing about 5 months ago and have my first fight on Jan 8th. I think you would be hard pressed to find a sport that is tougher or requires more conditioning than boxing.
Thanks for your message bro. Its not about making myself a lethal weapon, lol and no doubt about boxing - I've had some friends who did it, and they had crazy conditioning and unreal punching powers. But as I said I'm actually interested in Hapkido as a sport (or art - whatever) maybe competitively one day!
Good luck in your first fight bro! Let us know how it goes!
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How can you say that Hapkido is not functional for real life? It seems everything I read says that its actually quite useful, I mean I know the rules are different from the rings to the streets in regards to practically all martial arts? But what I liked about Hapkido was the hybrid of joint locking techniques as well as the the inclusion of striking methods. And I never said I wanted somethign for pure street fighting, it would make sense if that was my only concern to go with a practice like Krav Maga which is derived SPECIFICALLY for street attacks and defense. But I'm also interested in the competitive nature of Hapkido and in regards to the art itself..
Its not that I dont think that Hapkido cant be practical I just think there are alot other forms of self defense that are more practical. I trained in Judo since I was 4 and can tell you without any remorse that traditional judo is not all that practical in this day in age. I trained for competitions and while there is more practicality in that form of training b/c you are acting instead of reacting it wouldnt be my first choice.
All the joint manipulation shit etc can work and does work to a certain extent but what happens if the dude doesnt grab you? or he bear hugs you?
just not very practical to me there is to much of a reliance on what the other person does and how you react to that instead of you acting on them.
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Thanks for your message bro. Its not about making myself a lethal weapon, lol and no doubt about boxing - I've had some friends who did it, and they had crazy conditioning and unreal punching powers. But as I said I'm actually interested in Hapkido as a sport (or art - whatever) maybe competitively one day!
Good luck in your first fight bro! Let us know how it goes!
Ok well if you are dead set on Hapkido, see my resp below in all caps
What should I look for in a school/training facility?
PROFESSIONAL, CLEAN, ORGANIZED. IS THE MAT CLEAN, DOES IT SMELL LIKE FEET INSIDE?
What should I look for in an instructor?
EXPERIENCE!! HAS HE GONE OVERSEAS TO TRAIN IN KOREA AND LEARN IT FROM ITS LAND OF ORIGIN?
Honestly, am I too old to start (27)?
NOT AT ALL, MOST PEOPLE THAT TAKE THAT CRAP ARE EVERYDAY OUT OF SHAPE REGULAR JOES.
How many times a week does one usually attend sessions in order to actually progress and really learn the discipline?
3X PER WEEK
Whats usually the cost?
WHEN I TOOK IT, WAS AROUND 600 PER YEAR, BUT THAT WAS 13 YEARS AGO... ALSO HAVE COSTS FOR TAKING THE TEST TO MOVE TO THE NEXT BELT. I WOULD FIND OUT HOW MUCH THOSE COST IF YOU ARE ON A BUDGET.
Is there anything else I should really know before joining?
JUDGE THE SCHOOL BY THE STUDENTS. IS IT SERIOUS TRAINING, OR A BLACKBELT FACTORY? ASK HOW MUCH THE TESTS COST, AND HOW MUCH TIME IS REQUIRED TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE BELTS. WHITE-YELLOW-ORANGE-GREEN-BLUE-BROWN-BLACK
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Joint locks don't work in real life... esp on big strong guys that have had a few drinks. The choke holds taught in Hapkido are effective, but I could show you how to do those in 10 minutes.
Seriously, find a good old school boxing gym and learn to box if you want to make yourself a lethal weapon. I started boxing about 5 months ago and have my first fight on Jan 8th. I think you would be hard pressed to find a sport that is tougher or requires more conditioning than boxing.
Disagree about the locks, again they are not the most practical but there are certain bars and locks where the more muscle you have the more painful it actually is for you.
My whole thing about the arm bars and leg locks etc...is in todays world you almost are never fighting one on one and if youre putting an arm bar on someone or some type of lock their buddy is probably about half a second from kicking you in your fuking head.
I agree I think boxing is probably one of the best things to learn that along with some type of grappling BJJ, judo, sambo etc...and your going to be ok
Ive heard that about boxing and conditioning too, I think I may take up boxing simply for that reason.
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Its not that I dont think that Hapkido cant be practical I just think there are alot other forms of self defense that are more practical. I trained in Judo since I was 4 and can tell you without any remorse that traditional judo is not all that practical in this day in age. I trained for competitions and while there is more practicality in that form of training b/c you are acting instead of reacting it wouldnt be my first choice.
All the joint manipulation shit etc can work and does work to a certain extent but what happens if the dude doesnt grab you? or he bear hugs you?
just not very practical to me there is to much of a reliance on what the other person does and how you react to that instead of you acting on them.
Tony, I see where you are coming from for sure, you watch some of these videos of traditional martial arts like hapkido or judo or whatever and you see that its very dependent on what the opponent does, and he does it a different way you are screwed. I definitely understand your point of view now. I know that BJJ and Mauy Thai are "harder" forms of martial arts and possibly more practical in a street fight, but like I said, for me its not all about that. At the same time, its not all about "being one with the wind" or whatever and practicing my kata and form, I'm very much interested in contact sparring and plenty of ring time. Its the competitive nature for me.
As you were responding I read a very interesting post on a martial arts forum about what I was just talking about, here it is (kinda long) but feel free to share your opinions on it...
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Some comments.
The value of sparring.
Sparring has its place, but I think it is OVERATED for a "real life situation", particularly if you do sparring with gear.
Sparring "lets you" take hits that would injure you and is not good practice for a real life situation. The main benefit of sparring with "gear" is for sport, for "distancing" and feeling the impact with hands and feet (also it can be fun). If you are going to spar, for "real life" you would be better served by sparring with no gear and pull punches and kicks (semi-contact). But in general Sparring is not such a great way to train for being in a street fight.
If you want to "spar" then go somewhere where there is sparring, I think there is a great difference between wanting to spar and wanting to prepare for a fight. If you really want to prepare for a fight, you should get in some fights.
ANY art, sport, etc, will do you some "good" and I do not think that one is necessarily better than the other. A lot has been made out of MMA and its relation to street fighting, but it is still not a real fight.
MMA is more like boxing with all parts of your body. Would a trained boxer do well in a street fight - no shit - of course he would, would a trained MMA, no doubt. Would a trained hapkido-ist, - no doubt.
Some advantages of hapkido (I do not do hapkido, but another traditional MA, and IMO they are all similar in that your body only moves in so many ways) for a real situation is that practice things that would be effective like eyes and groin strikes, head butts and joint locks (more about that later). There are also no weight classes (not sure about MMA)
Some other comments:
What is the value of Kata
Kata is one way of developing good form, by practicing repeated you are developing muscle memory and a trained response. I also like paired kata, it is very good for focussing on distancing ( a most overlooked skill) If you have seen many "real" fights (by this I mean punch up in the street) you will notice that this is a very common "weak point"
joint locks
Many people think they are not effective when they study because at the early levels. For example, when the attacker grabs your right wrist in an overhand grip with his left hand and pushes down near navel level, could open your palm, rotate at the wrist while simultaneously pushing on his hand with yours, bring your elbow over his forearm creating an "s" shape in his arms and it is simple to make him eat he floor.
Then you go home and practice it with a friend and since he "doesn't grab you right" the reverse doesn't work and we can conclude it is rather useless in real life. Fair enough, but if you stick with it you will find most joint locks and reverses are built on each other and the early ones are pretty useless, but you need these and the "feel" to learn how to apply others. Basically if your buddy didn't grab you right, there is another joint reverse ( you probably haven't studied it yet).
ANother thing to consider is that before you do a real joint lock you usually get them off balance (in this example with an eye strike, groin kick, shot to the neck or perhaps a kick under the hand to the ribs) They do not need to even hit for it to make it much easier to use the lock.
Long story, but the point is if your skill level is high, joint locks are very effective, especially in a the university pub type fight where the guys want to push each other or grab each others wrist/ arms.
jumping over guys and other wierd stuff
Is there no value in being able to jump over things and keep your balance in a street fight. or learning how to fall if you are flipped so your foot takes the fall and not your back, how to roll so your head is protected.
This is getting a bit long winded but the point is, take what you want- but whatever you take your skill at it will be much more important the which system you actually choose. (btw most MMA guys studied traditional MA and took the techniques that work for them - based on their body dynamics etc)
I think that you should be looking for something that is fun and what you want to do, rather than some thing for the street, because that is really a different deal than what most people take about when they throw out words like self defense, real life, etc.
cheers
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Ok well if you are dead set on Hapkido, see my resp below in all caps
What should I look for in a school/training facility?
PROFESSIONAL, CLEAN, ORGANIZED. IS THE MAT CLEAN, DOES IT SMELL LIKE FEET INSIDE?
What should I look for in an instructor?
EXPERIENCE!! HAS HE GONE OVERSEAS TO TRAIN IN KOREA AND LEARN IT FROM ITS LAND OF ORIGIN?
Honestly, am I too old to start (27)?
NOT AT ALL, MOST PEOPLE THAT TAKE THAT CRAP ARE EVERYDAY OUT OF SHAPE REGULAR JOES.
How many times a week does one usually attend sessions in order to actually progress and really learn the discipline?
3X PER WEEK
Whats usually the cost?
WHEN I TOOK IT, WAS AROUND 600 PER YEAR, BUT THAT WAS 13 YEARS AGO... ALSO HAVE COSTS FOR TAKING THE TEST TO MOVE TO THE NEXT BELT. I WOULD FIND OUT HOW MUCH THOSE COST IF YOU ARE ON A BUDGET.
Is there anything else I should really know before joining?
JUDGE THE SCHOOL BY THE STUDENTS. IS IT SERIOUS TRAINING, OR A BLACKBELT FACTORY? ASK HOW MUCH THE TESTS COST, AND HOW MUCH TIME IS REQUIRED TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE BELTS. WHITE-YELLOW-ORANGE-GREEN-BLUE-BROWN-BLACK
Stormshadow, EXCELLENT response, thank you, hit the nail right on what I was asking about!
Its not that I'm DEAD set on Hapkido,
I was mainly looking for a traditional form that was big on the striking aspect. A first choice would have been some form of Karate such as Shotokan or Kempo. But there are hardly any schools around me that are offering this, and the few that are look terrible.
There are a million Tae Kwon Do schools around me, some that actually look really good, but as you may know that's an art which is huge on kicking and seems even less practical than anything else
This leaves MMA (BJJ or Muay Thai) but like I said I was looking for more traditional, so enter Hapkido, which I know is a derivative of Tae Kwon Do, but seems to incorporate a number of other aspects of martial arts!
Does this all make sense?
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My hopes are to maybe one day be good enough to do some sort of tournament such as this - (Not as glamorous as UFC I know but its something I've always been interetsed in!)
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I agree and disagree with that post ACH
Judo and BJJ are different sparring wise from striking sports I definitely understand what he is saying with the pads etc as they pertain to striking sports...but with grappling sparring can be very very similar to actual fights. Ive personally have had dislocated fingers, fractured arms, broken toes, busted lips, black eyes from just sparring in practice and have seen much worse.
I agree with him about being better off and Ive always said that a person with even a limited amount of training in how to handle themselves is probably going to kick the ass out the average person who has no training 9 out of 10 times.
Kata to me is the enemy in terms of functionality, while I understand the need for it, it is extremely rigid and alot of dojos teach along this line instead of using this as a jumping off point. This would be the difference between teaching hapkido and teaching functional hapkido in my mind. You will probably learn the kata in the beginning but without the ceremonial BS and if you stick with it long enough and have to learn it for a test you will realize that its pretty much the basic basic stuff but very very regimented and specific.
I hated HATED learning kata, I didnt even want to get my black belt to be honest though and that just made it even worse.
I agree and disagree with his assessment of locks they just arent the most practical shit at times
you might have picked up on my advice to cross train, honestly I think thats the best way to go for functionality but you say youre interested in hapkido for more than simply self defense.
If thats the case than by all means bro jump in and enjoy yourself, if youre looking for something more functional that still allows for the same experience(belts, competition, training)Id recommend BJJ, Sambo, boxing, even a competitive Judo club
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Another example of what I would like to do (ok maybe not the world championships lol), but dude lost his head piece!
Tony, yeah I think there are a lot of pros and cons in the post I pasted, and to be honest I can't personally speak on it because like I said I literally have "ZERO" experience in this field, even the street fights I was involved in never really amounted to anything other than pushing and shoving (I like to tell myself they got scared cause i'm a big guy lol), but in all seriousness, I'm really thinking of going for it just to try something new and see if I could hold my own or even make it to a competitive level. Maybe one day I'll change my mind and try something on the lines of MMA, I guess what i'm trying to say is I'm really going into this with an open mind and just wanting to learn something new and see where it will take me!
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No harm in trying bro sounds like you have a great attitude about it and I cant see you having a bad experience if you do some research on your gym and instructor. Give it a go im sure if you put in the time and effort you will make it to the competitive level.
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i want to start going to kick boxing lessons too,
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Tony, my friend, thanks for the kind words! We'll see how it goes, I'm definitely excited about it!
HTexan, you mean like Muay Thai Kickboxing? or more for like cardio/fitness?
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i dont know any type of martial arts....but i did arrest an asian guy at walmarts for masturbating once...i think that should count.
bench
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i dont know any type of martial arts....but i did arrest an asian guy at walmarts for masturbating once...i think that should count.
bench
Dude that like qualifies for a 3rd degree blackbelt !!
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Dude that like qualifies for a 3rd degree blackbelt !!
8)
bench
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Judo's sick , but stuff like combat hapkido and aikido are not the most efficient arts out there... like kung fu , karate they require years upon years of consistent training to get to a decent level where it will make a difference in self defense/street fight.. instead focus on something like boxing or best yet and most effective in the shortest amount of time: muay thai ... other then that for basic street defense, systema/krav maga are pretty good.. I'm suggesting these to save you years of pointless repetetive drills, kata's and form training.. hapkido is based on circular motions, aside from the joint locks, it also relies heavily on leverage. Like I said earlier though, overall (unless you're looking for something to invest 10 years in) go with muay thai, some boxing, judo is sick also and probably the most underrated of all martial arts.
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Tony, my friend, thanks for the kind words! We'll see how it goes, I'm definitely excited about it!
HTexan, you mean like Muay Thai Kickboxing? or more for like cardio/fitness?
Muay thai. The school by my house teaching that and mma.
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Boxing, BJJ, Sambo and Muay Thai are the way to go. Katas and point fighting are pointless. Korean Hapkido used to be great considering it was the only Karate with take downs but that was ages ago before the MMA revolution showed what works in the real world.
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Why is everyone coming on here and telling me that Hapkido is pointless in the streets and that I have to go with BJJ, don't you all read the thread?
I'm not interested in this because of street fighting! I'm genuinely interested in point fighting for sport, don't really care about the katas all that much but I know they are part of many of the arts!
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Sorry for the post. If that's your thing go for it and don't give a damm what anyone else thinks.
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Thanks OT, I will just wanted to see if anyone tried it and if they had any suggestions for schools, etc!
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BJJ is the most practical of all the martial arts, however even this has limited practial value in the real world.
Trying to armbar, or triangle choke someone on the ground while 6 of your opponets friends try and kick your head in, does not make for sucess.
In the real word...know where your nearest weapon is, and your nearest exit. Use the weapon if possible, and run!
M!
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In the real world people use weapons. Walking away to the exit if possible is always option one.
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Yo, check out my sensie:
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this was my sensei
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dont you have something beter to do of your life ::)
Sparring overated? Ummm ok. Here is a pic of me with my nose busted 4 weeks ago while sparring. This is with headgear and 16oz gloves. Cost me 1,100 in medical bills to have it straightened back out.
hahah what a retard. and proud of it.
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Stotm Shadow, for the record I didn't write that article - someone else, I personally don't consider sparring to be overrated and have seen friends get some serious fucking injuries! sparring definitely has its advantages but no matter the discipline its still very different than real life situations!
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The consensus is pretty clear, muay thai and boxing = way to go... old school like karate, kung fu, aikido, hapkido = waste of time... but I suppose you already knew that before starting this thread.. for all practical purposes (in self defense and street fighting) that's the way to go.. if you're into point fighting and the sport aspect of it, and want to dedicate a good 7-15 years of your life to an art, then by all means go for it dude :)
It just sounds like you're bitter that those with experience told you the truth and you were hoping for a different answer.
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The consensus is pretty clear, muay thai and boxing = way to go... old school like karate, kung fu, aikido, hapkido = waste of time... but I suppose you already knew that before starting this thread.. for all practical purposes (in self defense and street fighting) that's the way to go.. if you're into point fighting and the sport aspect of it, and want to dedicate a good 7-15 years of your life to an art, then by all means go for it dude :)
It just sounds like you're bitter that those with experience told you the truth and you were hoping for a different answer.
Bitter about what? Did you read my original post? Did I ever ask "what martial arts should I go into?" Did I ever ask "should I do hapkido or BJJ or muay thai?" Did I ever ask "Hey I'm scared to walk in the streets alone what martial arts is best for street fighting?"
I specifically stated, "Hapkido looks the most interesting to me! I am interested in point fighting for sport/competition" Never once did I mention that I'm on the fence about BJJ or muay thai? so what do I have to be bitter about exactly?
And before I even started this thread, I already knew that Hapkido was not the best defense for street fighting, thats not what I was asking about! I specifically wanted to know about HAPKIDO schools, instructors, etc
So remind me again, what should I be bitter about? lol
Maybe I missed this in one of your earlier posts, did you practice martial arts? (this is not for me to go "What the fuck do you know?" if you haven't, but its purely to learn more about your perspective, experience etc!)
Thanks dawg!
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Bitter about what? Did you read my original post? Did I ever ask "what martial arts should I go into?" Did I ever ask "should I do hapkido or BJJ or muay thai?" Did I ever ask "Hey I'm scared to walk in the streets alone what martial arts is best for street fighting?"
I specifically stated, "Hapkido looks the most interesting to me! I am interested in point fighting for sport/competition" Never once did I mention that I'm on the fence about BJJ or muay thai? so what do I have to be bitter about exactly?
And before I even started this thread, I already knew that Hapkido was not the best defense for street fighting, thats not what I was asking about! I specifically wanted to know about HAPKIDO schools, instructors, etc
So remind me again, what should I be bitter about? lol
Maybe I missed this in one of your earlier posts, did you practice martial arts? (this is not for me to go "What the fuck do you know?" if you haven't, but its purely to learn more about your perspective, experience etc!)
Thanks dawg!
Dear 'Dawg' I've been doing martial arts for over 15 years, started in karate when I was around 14, did that for about 5 years, then got into muay thai and other tactical fighting systems like systema and krav maga (I worked as a bouncer for 9 years so I needed something quick and effective) also did a little of boxing later on (few years ago) played around with jiu jitsu (brazillian, with gi) but didn't really get into it too much and instead experimented with sambo for a short time. Never got into aikido or combat hapkido because aside from some of the basics (transfer of energy, using attackers momentum against them) it seemed pretty useless to me and not as effective as other fighting arts I was doing at the time.
Good luck with your hapkido practice (no sarcasm) I'm sure you will enjoy it :)
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Dear 'Dawg' I've been doing martial arts for over 15 years, started in karate when I was around 14, did that for about 5 years, then got into muay thai and other tactical fighting systems like systema and krav maga (I worked as a bouncer for 9 years so I needed something quick and effective) also did a little of boxing later on (few years ago) played around with jiu jitsu (brazillian, with gi) but didn't really get into it too much and instead experimented with sambo for a short time. Never got into aikido or combat hapkido because aside from some of the basics (transfer of energy, using attackers momentum against them) it seemed pretty useless to me and not as effective as other fighting arts I was doing at the time.
Good luck with your hapkido practice (no sarcasm) I'm sure you will enjoy it :)
Well "dawg" (no homo)
You obviously know your shit, no doubt about that. What were your goals when you started/continued martial arts. I'm guessing if you were doing Krav Maga you were interested in self defense and fast response to attacks. But what about with the muay thai and jiu jitsu, were you engaging in competitions as well, or was it all purely for street fighting/self defense?
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just go for it ach it wont take you 7 years to be competitive, it might take you 7 years to be competitive nationally or even internationally but you should be able to compete within the first year bro.
If that is one of your goals I would make sure that the club you join is geared toward competitions though some clubs dont push tournaments and some do so make sure that the club you choose suits your goals.
I did Judo for years and cross trained with a few other sports to help with it I was national champion twice, State champ more times than I can remember, ranked 2nd in my division in the world as a youth and competed for the Texas A&M Judo team. Competitions are more than just competing bro its like a road trip with good friends man after the comp you all go out and party and have a genuine good time with ppl who share a common interest.
just do some research on the club first to make sure its geared to what you would like to achieve and the ppl that are in the club are ppl you could see yourself spending a good amount of time with b/c if you plan on competing you probably will spend a good amount of time with them.
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Well "dawg" (no homo)
You obviously know your shit, no doubt about that. What were your goals when you started/continued martial arts. I'm guessing if you were doing Krav Maga you were interested in self defense and fast response to attacks. But what about with the muay thai and jiu jitsu, were you engaging in competitions as well, or was it all purely for street fighting/self defense?
I started in Karate because my father is a 2nd degree black belt and he felt it was something I should partake in (I was in my early teenage years) other then that I grew up on Van Damme and Seagal movies, so..naturally I was into the whole martial arts (pre-mma) hype, this was way before UFC was big and everyone was and their brother were a mma fighter.. lol, I got into the muay thai because I realized that what took 4 years to get to in karate was easily outdone by guys with 6 months of muay thai training.. the systema/krav maga I was doing mostly for bouncing/security work, it's a no nonsense, non-sport, tactical type of fighting which is used by special/elite forces, seals, spetznas and so on..I got interested in it because it was bad ass and would definetly help do security work. I've participated in a few local tournaments, bunch of stuff for point fighting in karate and few local muay thai matches with headgear/pads, nothing special... lol, now I'm too lazy to train mma anymore but warm up for weights with 10-15 minutes on the bags.
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just go for it ach it wont take you 7 years to be competitive, it might take you 7 years to be competitive nationally or even internationally but you should be able to compete within the first year bro.
If that is one of your goals I would make sure that the club you join is geared toward competitions though some clubs dont push tournaments and some do so make sure that the club you choose suits your goals.
I did Judo for years and cross trained with a few other sports to help with it I was national champion twice, State champ more times than I can remember, ranked 2nd in my division in the world as a youth and competed for the Texas A&M Judo team. Competitions are more than just competing bro its like a road trip with good friends man after the comp you all go out and party and have a genuine good time with ppl who share a common interest.
just do some research on the club first to make sure its geared to what you would like to achieve and the ppl that are in the club are ppl you could see yourself spending a good amount of time with b/c if you plan on competing you probably will spend a good amount of time with them.
2x national Judo champ? :o Did you go to the Olympics? What's your name?
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Is Buff Goddess trying to bully you again ACH?
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Tony, I think I'll definitely be going for it, just looking for the right school and instructor. This is a potential school: http://www.jinpalhapkido.com/ grandmaster there seems to have quite a record in the timeline section (martial arts movies and all lol) 10,000 square feet and even a weight room on site, but I'm still asking around, I have a friend who has competed in hapkido locally he's checking a few things for me too! I did Judo as a kid and made it to yellow belt lol, but I dont remember shit, so it will be cool trying all of this out again and getting a feel for the mat! I don't know about being competitively nationally or internationally, I just want to see how I would do in a local tournament lol - have some fun, and just see where it all goes! Congrats on all your success bro, looks like you really took it to the next level! Why did you decide to stop?
Captain, thanks again for your insight. What type of Karate did you practice? As I said initially I would've liked to go into Shotokan or Kempo, but no good schools around me so that option is out!
You've been doing this a long time so it seems and I'm sure I'll have some more questions for you later! Is weight training a serious aspect for you as martial arts were? Did you find that benefited you in the ring or on the mat? Will be interested to see how this all effects me from a conditioning point of view, I fucking need the cardio which I keep skipping! Cardio sucks, so I'll be glad to have some other form of activity in my life aside from hitting the weights!
LOL Lats, you figured out the real reason why I'm trying to get into this! Girls are whoopin my asss, and the first of them being my wife!
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2x national Judo champ? :o Did you go to the Olympics? What's your name?
No never made it to the olympics I gave it up after a 2 years of college, the cutting weight wasnt conducive to my party lifestyle and I was lifting alot which didnt help either. Im an idiot I know I probably could have made the olympics if not as the primary as an alternate for sure. I still think if I got back into it and dropped about 40 lbs I could probably make the olympics still but who knows its a young mans game.
I won the nationals in two separate divisions 132's and 145's I now weigh about 190 but could probably be competitive in the 160 division thats the division I fought in the majority of college.
I wont give my name and I know Ill probably get more shit than its worth for posting my achievements but it is what it is, I still have gi's with USA patches on the back from international tournaments. I trained with a few japanese olympians in Japan who were coaches of college teams over there and have gi's given to me by them with my name in japanese on them if you want to see those Ill only show the first name though ;D
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Why did you decide to stop?
Looking back it was probably one of the stupidest things ive ever done but when youre practicing 4 or 5 times a week cutting weight 4 or 5 times a year for tournaments you cant really live the life of an average person. I really hated cutting weight I would sometimes lose 10-15 lbs in a week or two having to sweat off the last 3 or 4 lbs to make weight. Just wasnt enjoyable to me anymore it was all about competing and less and less about enjoying myself.
I really didnt know anything about dieting at that time if I had I think I probably would have stayed with it.
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Tony, I think I'll definitely be going for it, just looking for the right school and instructor. This is a potential school: http://www.jinpalhapkido.com/ grandmaster there seems to have quite a record in the timeline section (martial arts movies and all lol) 10,000 square feet and even a weight room on site, but I'm still asking around, I have a friend who has competed in hapkido locally he's checking a few things for me too! I did Judo as a kid and made it to yellow belt lol, but I dont remember shit, so it will be cool trying all of this out again and getting a feel for the mat! I don't know about being competitively nationally or internationally, I just want to see how I would do in a local tournament lol - have some fun, and just see where it all goes! Congrats on all your success bro, looks like you really took it to the next level! Why did you decide to stop?
Captain, thanks again for your insight. What type of Karate did you practice? As I said initially I would've liked to go into Shotokan or Kempo, but no good schools around me so that option is out!
You've been doing this a long time so it seems and I'm sure I'll have some more questions for you later! Is weight training a serious aspect for you as martial arts were? Did you find that benefited you in the ring or on the mat? Will be interested to see how this all effects me from a conditioning point of view, I fucking need the cardio which I keep skipping! Cardio sucks, so I'll be glad to have some other form of activity in my life aside from hitting the weights!
LOL Lats, you figured out the real reason why I'm trying to get into this! Girls are whoopin my asss, and the first of them being my wife!
Probably just as much if not more, lol.. I did some local fitness modelling, basically an ad for a buddy's supplement store.. the weight training was a bit of a hinderance once I would get big, like over 240lbs. jacked, mostly because of traps/delts getting in the way of proper striking techniques, esp. in the muay thai.. as one of my kru (muay thai instructor/sensei) put it, never train before coming to class! lol, I had shown up one day after training shoulders and couldn't function properly when it came to technique, but I was also gassing heavily so it didn't help, in the end i basically would yo yo back and forth between martial arts and hardcore training/bodybuilding, it also helped that i didn't get into working out until I was around 20 and already had been doing martial arts for many years by then.
I'm 6"1, around 255-260 in this pic..
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Sorry, almost forgot.. I practiced Goju Ryu Karate, achieved 1st dan black belt..
the only added benefit of the weight training was the extra strength I had, esp. when it came to chokes or grip on guy's when bouncing...also intimidation by size.. way less people wanted to f*ck with you when you're walking around at a muscular 260.
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Looking back it was probably one of the stupidest things ive ever done but when youre practicing 4 or 5 times a week cutting weight 4 or 5 times a year for tournaments you cant really live the life of an average person. I really hated cutting weight I would sometimes lose 10-15 lbs in a week or two having to sweat off the last 3 or 4 lbs to make weight. Just wasnt enjoyable to me anymore it was all about competing and less and less about enjoying myself.
I really didnt know anything about dieting at that time if I had I think I probably would have stayed with it.
LOL dude I was competing in bodybuilding while I was in college and was dieting down 50-70 lbs in 4 monthsl, it ain't fun for sure, I definitely know what you are talking about!!!
I'm around 230 now, god knows what my weight would be if I was to do a martial arts tournament! But I ain't going down to 175-180 like I did for bodybuilding :)
Captain, I gotta hand it to you man, you are a jack of all trades, look huge in that pic! I commend you bro! I think with guys like us, it almost becomes an obssession any task we engage in or involve ourselves in we practically Go at it at full force and really engulf ourselves into it!
You almost have to be a little obssessive to succeed! Good stuff man! Definitely know what you mean about guys not wanting to fuck with you at a muscular size - part of the reason why I'm not all too concerned with the street fighting aspect!
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LOL dude I was competing in bodybuilding while I was in college and was dieting down 50-70 lbs in 4 monthsl, it ain't fun for sure, I definitely know what you are talking about!!!
I'm around 230 now, god knows what my weight would be if I was to do a martial arts tournament! But I ain't going down to 175-180 like I did for bodybuilding :)
Captain, I gotta hand it to you man, you are a jack of all trades, look huge in that pic! I commend you bro! I think with guys like us, it almost becomes an obssession any task we engage in or involve ourselves in we practically Go at it at full force and really engulf ourselves into it!
You almost have to be a little obssessive to succeed! Good stuff man! Definitely know what you mean about guys not wanting to fuck with you at a muscular size - part of the reason why I'm not all too concerned with the street fighting aspect!
for shits sake man BB competitions during college that had to take some epic self control to not party it up and stay on a diet. I seriously dont know if I would have what it takes to diet that strict now let alone when I was partying my ass off. I dont know if weight plays as big a role in striking sports but grappling it plays a real big role. Everybody who fought in your division especially nationally and internationally probably weighed 10+ lbs more than the division they were fighting in but dieted down alot like wrestling.
and Captain good shit bro you look thick as shit in the photo
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No never made it to the olympics I gave it up after a 2 years of college, the cutting weight wasnt conducive to my party lifestyle and I was lifting alot which didnt help either. Im an idiot I know I probably could have made the olympics if not as the primary as an alternate for sure. I still think if I got back into it and dropped about 40 lbs I could probably make the olympics still but who knows its a young mans game.
I won the nationals in two separate divisions 132's and 145's I now weigh about 190 but could probably be competitive in the 160 division thats the division I fought in the majority of college.
I wont give my name and I know Ill probably get more shit than its worth for posting my achievements but it is what it is, I still have gi's with USA patches on the back from international tournaments. I trained with a few japanese olympians in Japan who were coaches of college teams over there and have gi's given to me by them with my name in japanese on them if you want to see those Ill only show the first name though ;D
No worries. That's amazing that you were competing at that level. I'd be scared to take a single step around guys like that.
Don't know what I'm weighing now after a flu but I'll probably come out around 175 at 5'10. I found it really hard practicing against fat bastards. I swear the average guy in the local club was about 260-280. Lots of cops in there, maybe the doughnut thing is true, but osaekomi practice was just about pointless with them, like trying to move a fucking house. Did you randori with big dudes or just guys around your weight?
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Thanks for the kind words guys.. I definetly have a lot of interests...probably too many, lol.. it might explain why I never have time and why the fiancee is always asking me to give up a hobby..lol, I try to enjoy life to the fullest
and so many things pick my curiosity!
Big Ach, you look huge bro.. I always was on the fence with actually competing but everytime I considered it I reminded myself how much I love food (of all varieties) and could never diet for longer then 2 weeks.
seriously best of luck with your venture into hapkido, I'm sure you will enjoy the most of it.
Tonymctones, props on the grappling achievements! that's really crazy, I know what you mean about the weight classes, it's like the UFC situation now where every guy cuts 20-30lbs., Anderson Silva who is 6"2 and has a 70+ reach was fighting at midleweight for the longest time... ??? ???
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if you wanna do martial arts do something that you can use in real life if you need too
boxing,, kickboxing, and somekind of grappling training + how to defend against weapons (krav maga etc)
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No worries. That's amazing that you were competing at that level. I'd be scared to take a single step around guys like that.
Don't know what I'm weighing now after a flu but I'll probably come out around 175 at 5'10. I found it really hard practicing against fat bastards. I swear the average guy in the local club was about 260-280. Lots of cops in there, maybe the doughnut thing is true, but osaekomi practice was just about pointless with them, like trying to move a fucking house. Did you randori with big dudes or just guys around your weight?
I was always lucky to have ppl around me who where my size or the size of ppl I competed against and that also competed at a high level. The club I practiced at had multiple national champions, a guy that went on the win some world sambo championship, a guy that fought for the pan american judo team/vying for an olympic spot and an olympic alternate all who where my size and comparable to the size of ppl I competed against.
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Joint locks don't work in real life... esp on big strong guys that have had a few drinks. The choke holds taught in Hapkido are effective, but I could show you how to do those in 10 minutes.
Seriously, find a good old school boxing gym and learn to box if you want to make yourself a lethal weapon. I started boxing about 5 months ago and have my first fight on Jan 8th. I think you would be hard pressed to find a sport that is tougher or requires more conditioning than boxing.
i agree
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If I lived in the States I would get a concealed weapon permit, and something nice and shiny that goes bang.
Fuck all the Jap slapping malarkey.
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I do live in the US, and would like to one day own a gun to protect my home and my wife, but I don't think I'll be going out carrying it with me like John Wayne or something! LOL
Captain I know what you mean about the lady stressing about your activities. My wife has always beens supportive with everything I do (except really the motorcycle lol probably with good reason) but she says that I get completely obssessed with everything and my mind can't focus on anything else, when I mentioned the martial arts though she really lit up and was like "yeah do it, I think it'll be great, i'll really support you in it!" I was like WOW this is awesome! So its nice to have her blessings LOL :-)
In regards to competitive bodybuilding man, yeah its very hard to do it when you love food, I'm the same way, I'm like a fat boy stuck inside a bodybuilder, I LOVE food, and I LOVE junk food, so its terrible ahaahaha, competing takes its toll!
You definitely got the size and muscularity and not too off with the bodyfat, maybe one day LOL
Tony, thats awesome with everything you got done through Judo, post up those pictures of the GI's from Japan, I wanna see those! Any videos of you in action?
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yes...i have dan ranks in hap ki do yu sul ai ki do and ju do etc...
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Thanks for the kind words guys.. I definetly have a lot of interests...probably too many, lol.. it might explain why I never have time and why the fiancee is always asking me to give up a hobby..lol, I try to enjoy life to the fullest
and so many things pick my curiosity!
Big Ach, you look huge bro.. I always was on the fence with actually competing but everytime I considered it I reminded myself how much I love food (of all varieties) and could never diet for longer then 2 weeks.
seriously best of luck with your venture into hapkido, I'm sure you will enjoy the most of it.
Tonymctones, props on the grappling achievements! that's really crazy, I know what you mean about the weight classes, it's like the UFC situation now where every guy cuts 20-30lbs., Anderson Silva who is 6"2 and has a 70+ reach was fighting at midleweight for the longest time... ??? ???
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Thats not Pavol Jablonky! ;D
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I do live in the US, and would like to one day own a gun to protect my home and my wife, but I don't think I'll be going out carrying it with me like John Wayne or something! LOL
Captain I know what you mean about the lady stressing about your activities. My wife has always beens supportive with everything I do (except really the motorcycle lol probably with good reason) but she says that I get completely obssessed with everything and my mind can't focus on anything else, when I mentioned the martial arts though she really lit up and was like "yeah do it, I think it'll be great, i'll really support you in it!" I was like WOW this is awesome! So its nice to have her blessings LOL :-)
In regards to competitive bodybuilding man, yeah its very hard to do it when you love food, I'm the same way, I'm like a fat boy stuck inside a bodybuilder, I LOVE food, and I LOVE junk food, so its terrible ahaahaha, competing takes its toll!
You definitely got the size and muscularity and not too off with the bodyfat, maybe one day LOL
Tony, thats awesome with everything you got done through Judo, post up those pictures of the GI's from Japan, I wanna see those! Any videos of you in action?
LOL at the fat kid comment
I have some vids but they are all on vhs tapes
this is one given to me by misaki iteya who was the coach of the Japan national team and the head coach of a college in Japan and an olympian or a olympic alternate I cant remember. I have others with patches from different tournaments but they are buried in a box somewhere that never got unpacked.
its the same gi they made everyone have a blue and white gi to cut down on confusion during matches and to make the sport more viewer friendly(I dont think anything could help that tbo) so they made reversible ones.
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LOL at the fat kid comment
I have some vids but they are all on vhs tapes
this is one given to me by misaki iteya who was the coach of the Japan national team and the head coach of a college in Japan and an olympian or a olympic alternate I cant remember. I have others with patches from different tournaments but they are buried in a box somewhere that never got unpacked.
its the same gi they made everyone have a blue and white gi to cut down on confusion during matches and to make the sport more viewer friendly(I dont think anything could help that tbo) so they made reversible ones.
That's so amazing man... as a kid when I was taking karate most of the other kids were dissing judo because it doesn't really involve striking (at least in the way that other martial arts do) man, how wrong they were.. personally I think judo is the most underrated and one of the most useful martial arts in existensce.. it's been proven well enough in the UFC as well. It's crazy how many concepts of martial arts changed in the UFC years, as far as what actually works and what doesn't..
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LOL at the fat kid comment
I have some vids but they are all on vhs tapes
this is one given to me by misaki iteya who was the coach of the Japan national team and the head coach of a college in Japan and an olympian or a olympic alternate I cant remember. I have others with patches from different tournaments but they are buried in a box somewhere that never got unpacked.
its the same gi they made everyone have a blue and white gi to cut down on confusion during matches and to make the sport more viewer friendly(I dont think anything could help that tbo) so they made reversible ones.
My prototypical Gravity Suit is hanging right next to my Kung Fu Kimono which also happens to be right under the shelved VCR tapes in which therein lies a video entitled "Deadlift". I haven`t watched the video in a few years so I can`t be too sure what is exactly on it, but if I was a betting man (which I am not in most instances), I would say that whatever is on that tape is what you are after. The problem is, you probably don`t have a VCR so I don`t think I can get you or anyone for that matter a copy. :-\
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So I've been thinking for a while now about starting some martial arts training. I spent sometime reading up on BJJ, Kempo Karate, Muay Thai, etc and it seemed like Hapkido would be the most interesting/enjoyable for me. I found what seems like a legit training facility near where I live (actually 2, but the second one seems like it could be a "McDojo"). So I was curious to know if any of you beasts on here have ever practiced Hapkido?
When I was a young kid I did some basic Karate and Judo, but that was a long time ago, and I can honestly say I have no "real" fighting experience so I'm keeping my mind open and looking foward to learning something new.
If any of you have ever participated in Hapkido, I wantd to know;
What should I look for in a school/training facility?
What should I look for in an instructor?
Honestly, am I too old to start (27)?
How many times a week does one usually attend sessions in order to actually progress and really learn the discipline?
Whats usually the cost?
Is there anything else I should really know before joining?
Thanks guys!
The most effective martial arts there is, if some dude wants to beat the crap out of you, apologize to him and when he turns his back hit him with a rock in the back of his head. Far more effective to finish him than jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, karate, etc.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
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the most effective martial arts there is, if some dude wants to beat the crap out of you, apologize to him and when he turns his back hit him with a rock in the back of his head. Far more effective to finish him than jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, karate, etc.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
Thanks for good advice.... you're almost a year late but still thanks, i'll put it to practice ;D