Martial arts?

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Any of you do martial arts? how good are you at what you do? i'm a begginer in feng shou

I used to do Judo and Taekwando, I really suck at that now.

i once did judo and hated it lol

I had to do it mandatory by my parents, I quit when I had the chance.

Tai Chi Chuan. I can apply some of the principles, but my speed isn't really up to the point where I'd be able to fight effectively. In order to do that, I need a partner to practice with. I don't have one just yet.

TaeKwonDo. Been doing it since I was a little kid. I teach too. Its a lot of fun for me.

I started Aikido 11 years and 1 day ago.

It was the best decision in my life, and by this point my technique has become practical, as well. I understand both the "hand caught in heavy machinery" Aikido and the flowing smooth Aikido.

Aikido keeps me sane and centered in a reality that seems bent on decentering me and driving me insane. I shudder to think of what shape I would be in by now, both mental and physical, if not for Aikido.

It has been with me through hell and back. When I had continuous panic attacks (worst feeling in the world), they magically ceased when I entered the dojo, before even getting on the mat.

Aikido is my rock. Its physical movement works magic on your subconscious, reprogramming the brain. Among other things, it helped me get rid of violent flashbacks of being bullied in school. They just faded away.

It also forced me to see social situations as a fluid concept, through above reprogramming of the brain. Aikido technique develops fluidity, which forces the brain to move some pieces around. As result, I am far less rigid in social settings now, and do not cling on to pre-thought if-then patterns like to a life raft.

I just started Aikido, monsterland. I find it jives quite well with my meditation practice. It is very interesting. I did not know what to expect, I think it found me more than I found it. I'm sure that practicing aikido could even out some neurological kinks.

This feeling is usually a good omen toward your staying with it

same here my parents made me and i quit asap

It's been two years so far. I'm currently learning a cocktail of...lets see here.... Kali, Kuntao/Silat, Wing Chun, Five Animal Kung Fu (southern), and San Shou. Very practical stuff, at least the way its being taught where I'm at, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not only can I get certified by my teacher in all of these except the Wing Chun, the last part is no loss because I can still learn the full 116 of the Muk Yan Jong from him as well as the hidden sweeps and take-downs within that system.

Have trained in Bujinkan (specializing in taijutsu) for going on 3 years. I did some Taekwondo for a few years before that.

i'v been doing goju ryu karate for years, i was poor at sparing with other styles, but only realy wanted self defence and conditioning anyways, now gone from being bullied to faceing them at ease, they see i'm not bothered, strange for them, as i come across meek, confused ,this puts them off as i cant argue.

I train in Krav Maga, an Israeli hand-to-hand combat system. It's not a traditional system, unlike Kung Fu, traditional Karate, aikido, etc. It has no Katas, no philosophical rituals, and technically, it's not a "martial art." It's a practical self-defense method that's simple, fast, and most importantly, effective! It's all based on gross motor skill as opposed to complex motor skill. I've been training in it for a year now and it's the system that I'm going to stick with.

Watching the trends though its been interesting to see how things fluctuate. Take for example Dan Inosanto, he was JKD's purveyor, then he went strong on Kali in the 80's and 90's, now he has his own brand of Silat. It seems like most of the different styles out there had different specialties. What I tend to tell people into karate for example is that it was build by peasants to fight samurai, and when you think about it - its moves are quite application specific that way. Things like Filipino Martial arts - Kali, etc., some of the better Silats, Win Chun, Kuntao, are built more for very quick and hard midrange fighting, Krav Maga and Systema both seem to remind me of the later, although Systema has its obvious leanings on Aikido. What I have been able to see of Krav Maga looks good though, like seeing the bil sao blocks, invading the center, changing the center, forarm strikes to the neck, etc.. It really does seem to come down to the teacher and what they tend to throw in. I'm with you on the practical - that's paramount in my books too.

Martial arts are practical... in most cases.

Sport martial arts aren't, really. In Judo, for example, a lot of the techniques wouldn't work against anyone who's trained in a practical martial art. They'd be able to counter them rather easily. But with two fighters only allowed to use Judo techniques, those techniques are advantageous.

Kung fus are practical, but only if you're properly trained. The problem tends to be more along the lines of a lack of training than a lack of practicality.

Now, an interesting argument that's persisted through the ages is this: Which style is best?

Well, that's the wrong question. Here's why: These are the three most important things for a fighter, in order from most important to least important:

1. Strength (meaning physical attributes, such as strength, speed, and agility)
2. Courage (meaning fighting spirit)
3. Technique (the fighting style)

And the third one is far down there. As long as the style that you use can counter the style your opponent is using (and, as long as it's not a sport martial art, it should be able to), then the only things that are really important are the first and the second.