34
votes
What are the main uses of aikido in self-defense?
What you're really asking for is insight into the strengths and weaknesses of Aikido pertaining to self-defense scenarios.
Aikido uses a small number of throws, joint locks, submissions, and strikes. ...
- 18.1k
24
votes
Do I have a bad Wing Chun teacher and is Wing Chun worth it?
Wing chun doesn't have to be bad for this school to be bad for you. It sounds like you're not comfortable there. I think you should stop training with these people.
- 20.8k
23
votes
Accepted
How to improve my skills when I'm highest ranked
Realistically a collection of white belts aren't going to challenge you much if you've been training for 14 years.
I'm reasonably new, tiny and a girl so I'm probably not ever going to find myself in ...
- 523
23
votes
Non-sexist equivalent of "Man up" within the dojo
"Harden up", "come on", "toughen up", "get it together", "just do it", and "let's go" can all be slotted into the same purpose. One could even reach for "osu".
I find the gist of the phrase comes ...
- 20.8k
22
votes
Accepted
Benefits of women only sessions
Nobody cares if a man likes the idea of women-only classes. They're not for you. They're for women.
With some historical perspective, poo-pooing the idea of women-only classes becomes even more ...
- 20.8k
18
votes
Men hitting women too hard in martial arts
In my experience as a male trainer and trainee the key for a hard, educational or maybe painful training is trust between all parts of the training group.
Female fighters have told me that they were ...
- 281
17
votes
How a woman can teach martial art for men?
First, men who know nothing about martial arts may see a woman leading the class and immediately think that they (the men) could beat up the female teacher. So they think there is no reason why the ...
- 18.1k
16
votes
Is hitting hard objects really effective in making bones harder?
Yes, but... (and it's a big "but")
Two things stimulate bone density:
Damage
Generally our biological systems are set up so that if something is damaged, cells lay down more, tougher material ...
- 8,313
16
votes
Is it ok to start taekwondo at the age of 14?
Absolutely. I was 27ish when I took my first lessons, and was so inflexible that when I sat on the floor and stretched my leg out I could only reach halfway down my shin towards my foot. And the ...
- 1,357
13
votes
Accepted
Until one has mastered a martial art, is one actually more vulnerable to attack than before training began?
Generally, no
This is generally not true - there are many defensive arts where you improve your fighting skills right away and reach a basic proficiency within a matter of a few weeks or months at ...
- 8,313
13
votes
Accepted
Measurement of the practicality of a martial art
No absolute measure
I do not think an absolute measure can be determined as the skill, training, and physical differences between participants in addition to local environmental factors would make ...
12
votes
Accepted
Martial arts club politics
There are many valid reasons (fitness, self defence, enhance self worth, socialise, whatever...) why one goes to train but politics is not one of them. So, just smile and walk away. Avoid ...
12
votes
Benefits of women only sessions
Just as a women that trained in both women-only and mixed-classes:
Body issues - I feel more confident when I'm surrounded by women. In my gender-mixed training I always make sure I wear long pants.
...
- 121
11
votes
Men hitting women too hard in martial arts
Accidents happen. However, when you have an accident with people you are not really trying to hurt - you make extra effort to make sure the accident doesn't happen again - otherwise it is not an ...
- 8,313
11
votes
Is hitting hard objects really effective in making bones harder?
Yes, hitting objects does make your bones more solid.
Bones are primarily made up of two parts, and outer layer and an inner layer.
The outer is a thin layer of compact bone (cortical bone). The inner ...
- 340
11
votes
Should I quit competitive sparring class in tae kwon do?
Of course you should quit!
From what you said, you are neither having fun nor learning anything. I know you are young but your time is valuable. There is no point in wasting your time with people ...
11
votes
What is the best martial art to learn for the military?
The military doesn't care very much about your hand to hand skills, a few months isn't a lot of time to learn, and picking a gym is mostly about which specific gyms are available to you.
Your best ...
- 20.8k
11
votes
How can I practice any martial art if I have difficulty with motor and coordination skills?
Martial arts are a journey on your own path, at your own time and speed.
I have (or have had) a number of students with wide ranging issues with co-ordination, flexibility and movement. As an ...
- 2,709
11
votes
Is it necessary to practice falling on concrete to help prepare for a real life situation and build up endurance?
Practicing on a mat is not sufficient.
If you do not progress to harder materials you will not have the feedback benefit harder surfaces provide. You might think you're doing well because it's (...
- 1,365
10
votes
Accepted
Aikido - working with difficult uke
tl;dr Balance breaking, timing, and power/speed is what you are looking for.
The answer depends what type of training you: kata, randori, or shihai.
In kata, you are supposed to learn basic movement....
10
votes
Accepted
Martial art without exam and secrets
There's a few things to navigate and untangle in your question, but the short answer is YES, there are martial arts out there that do this.
Mostly it comes down to instructor rather than specific ...
- 8,313
10
votes
Wearing a fitness tracker during a martial arts session
I would surmise that most of the fitbit type trackers will not work accurately enough for your purposes.
Most of these models rely either on accelerometers (devices that register the change in motion)...
- 4,510
10
votes
Accepted
Will training Muay Thai affect my BJJ skills?
No.
The only asset is if you have to train less BJJ to training Muay Thai. If you will train MT and will have the same hours of training of BJJ this is not an issue.
As a martial art, you need spend ...
- 1,155
10
votes
Do I have a bad Wing Chun teacher and is Wing Chun worth it?
Do you have a bad Wing Chun teacher?
I don't know, as it really does not sound at all like Wing Chun.
Going back to its roots, Wing Chun is actually named for one of the early female practitioners ...
- 201
10
votes
how to use o2 mask to training martial arts
This sort of product will fail to achieve any short term or long term benefits over regular training. In fact, some results show that it can hinder performance.
People believe these sorts of products ...
- 18.1k
10
votes
Accepted
How do you harden the outer side of your thighs?
You can't actually "harden" soft tissue through conditioning. You can:
A) increase the muscle strength and density (though strength training), which gives you better ability to absorb/resist hits
B)...
- 8,313
10
votes
Can a trained 60 year-old outfight an untrained 20 year-old?
I have had the occasion to spar with a national senior champion in karate (the guy is a little over 60). I am 30 years old and reasonnably fit as well, and I have 10+ years of practice of light ...
- 101
10
votes
Accepted
Is it necessary to practice falling on concrete to help prepare for a real life situation and build up endurance?
No, falling on concrete is not necessary, provided you train with mats as a safety mechanism and you do not rely on mats to protect you from unrealistic techniques.
Use mats for extra safety for ...
- 13.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Wearing a fitness tracker during a martial arts session
I have worn my fitbit flex during warmup (purely accidental as I forgot to take it off when arriving at class). It doesn't give any sort of accurate reading of calories because it's only a pedometer ...
- 236
9
votes
Accepted
Do you take supplements like protein when you train in Martial Arts?
While it is essential that you get enough protein (and calories by the way) in your daily diet if you want to build muscle, it turns out that the timing of it is not important at all. Studies show ...
- 18.1k
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