To loki and G-Lo, i'd ask how many different martial arts have you done and how long have you done these for besides this style of Jiu Jitsu ?
I did karate when I was a nipper, got to blue belt. Judo when I was about 12-13 and got to blue belt again.
twjnorth wrote:
How many different instructors within your style have you trained with and at how many different clubs - are they all the same quality or does it vary ?
Well with BJJ, I've only had 1 instructor up to now. Lucio Rodrigues. He's a 3 time world champion, but the classes are really expensive and far away, so I'm moving to a more local class taught by one of only 6 british BJJ black belts.
The instruction, although in broken English is fantastic
twjnorth wrote:
Have you looked at other variations of Jiu Jitsu or just this one and if the former, what sets the Brazillian version apart from other styles of Jiu Jitsu that makes it 'the best'.
Well standard Jiu Jitsu is very similar to Judo/Jiu Do in that it's mainly stand up clinch and throw/takedown. BJJ is takedown and ground work involving submissions and chokes. I think it's a more practical form of the style, and as proven by the gracie family, is effective across all MMA/Vale tudo styles as BJJ fighters have dominated pride, UFC and many of the other smaller MMA federations.
twjnorth wrote:
Is it the instructors that are great, the fact that you get realistic fighting techniques or just the group atmosphere of the clubs that you train with.
It's a combination for me. A really friendly group atmosphere, even though they are trying to make you unconscious.
The realistic fighting aspect, I don't know many other arts where you are fighting week in week out.
The techniques are something that interests me. BJJ is like chess. Brute force doesn't work. Setting up your opponent 3 or 4 moves in advance for a limb lock or choke is fascinating. I'm not at a standard to do that, but you canm see the higher belts setting moves up, only to quickly change and fool their opponent.
I did karate as a kid for 3 years, then did kick boxing competitively for 2 and a half years, shukotan in first year of uni (bit shite really) and now just do BJJ occasionally and do my own pad work training, incorporating Muay Thai strikes as well as kick boxing moves.
Now I only do it for exercise and because I enjoy it. In terms of cardio fitness the only thing that comes close to the fitness required for BJJ is circuit training I did with kick boxing. BJJ is also full contact pretty much all the time, rather than shadow boxing or light sparring - one reason I prefer it. I have tried jiu-jitsu, but it's less fun and less realistic IMO than BJJ. The instructor (one of three I've been taught by in BJJ) is great, the atmosphere is friendly but competitve and I just enjoy it - hence why it's my favourite.
You're reply is now much better for explaining your background and puts in context why you like your particular style. It also explains that your style is full contact but this isnt what everyone is looking for. This is why i suggested that the right answer to "which martial art is best" isnt one you can answer by saying, mine is the best without any additional information.
The techniques are something that interests me. BJJ is like chess. Brute force doesn't work. Setting up your opponent 3 or 4 moves in advance for a limb lock or choke is fascinating. I'm not at a standard to do that, but you canm see the higher belts setting moves up, only to quickly change and fool their opponent.
As with loki, you're second reply puts into context your assertion that you like your artform but not everyone is looking for full contact and this is why i suggested that people should go along and watch as many styles as they can, look at the group dynamics and then decide.
Tetsudo, the style i practice, is a non contact martial art but there are different forms of the freestyle, Compromised where two people work together to create a flowing sequence of movements. This is great for beginners to practice their techniques without the stress created by a competitive situation where someone is trying to score a point, then this progresses to semi-competitive where you do start to look for point scoring but dont necessarily take every opportunity and then onto competitive.
At a certain level, when you come up against someone whos technical level is equal, then it is when strategy comes into play and the smartest will win and brute force is the surest way to lose. At this point, it is indeed more like a game of chess than a tug of war.
Few people have to think about placing one foot in front of the other and about balance in order to walk and so it becomes for the techniques within a martial art.
People outside of martial arts are often of the belief that once you get to black belt, you have learned all there is to learn but in reality, you have only started to gain control of these techniques at that stage and the degrees of black belt are a measure of your progress in mastering these techniques and freeing your mind to concentrate on the strategy. Once you start to grasp these fundamentals, you can see how it applys to everyday life, not just inside a dojo.
Anyone who gets to that level will naturally be entushiastic about whatever it is that they discovered this from, whether that is BJJ, Karate or any martial art and I am sure this extends to any sporting activity. The top level of tennis, golf or the sport of your choice must also require the same level of attainment. You will attribute that find to the sport or art within which you found it but that is not to say that for someone else, that same attainment will lie in another art, or another sport.
So is tetsudo like what the Shaolin monks do? I went to watch the shaolin monks ages ago and they were ace. Jumping everywhere with swords. It was like 'Ninja: The musical' which is a little play I have made in my mind
So is tetsudo like what the Shaolin monks do? I went to watch the shaolin monks ages ago and they were ace. Jumping everywhere with swords. It was like 'Ninja: The musical' which is a little play I have made in my mind
I too went to see the Shaolin monks when they were at the Hammersmith Apollo and was very impressed, the difference is they are professionals - the life of a true shaolin monk involves training virtually from dusk til dawn.
Tetsudo instructors dont get paid for teaching, the training fees are low, just covering the cost of hall rentals plus a little for advertising but otherwise it is a non-profit organisation. Therefore, they dont make a living from teaching and have 'real' jobs besides their commitments to passing on their martial arts knowledge.
Not sure you'll find much on Youtube but if you are interested, have a look on the Tetsudo website and choose library in the frame on the left hand side. There isnt much freestyle but there are some breaking demonstrations and some basic techniques being demonstrated.
The freestyle is much more fluid than what is shown in the basics but the mechanics of the technique are learnt so that this can then be applied in a freestyle manner.
Thank you STE for your valuable and insightful reply. I think we are all greatly enlightened by your relevant contributions to this thread.
I'm sure if you do practice a martial art, that you make your instructors and fellow students proud to be associated with you.
Whilst Mr Lee was not the only person involved in bring martial arts to the masses, he certainly played his part in raising their profile and bringing them to the western world so people such as yourself at least have the opportunity to participate if you choose to. For that reason alone he deserves some respect.
