i dont do ANY forms of martial arts, although ive beed tempted to learn. the problem is that my local dojo charges weekly for a few hours at a rate i'm just not prepared to pay.
I want to learn to better myself, keep fit and be able to defend myself if and when i get into a spot of bother. the problem is, unlike other sports or physical activities, you need a guy there telling you how to do such things so while i'm still an utter n00b for like 3 years or something, i'm gonna need a guy to teach me all this stuff, whereas i can go and get better at football or hockey with just basic ball (and stick) equipment.

so yeah, until i get a well paying job and some free time, i wont be learning anytime soon.

i'm curious though, with so many martial arts to choose from, which are deemed the 'best'. is shaoulin (sp?) a form or is that a religious movement or what? cause ive seen those monks and they kick ass (and i saw shaoulin soccer as well )

-arcon
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I also have never tried any martial art. But I am intrested. I would prefer one dealing with weapons, swords to be precise.

But I have neither the funds nor the time to follow such a practice. At my current state, I don't even have time for my beloved Scouting.

Life: No one gets out alive.

@ Rilms

On-Topic: with weapons you say, you should try Aikido.
And I have never done any martial arts myself with a group but I did study it for myself, and I tranied myself off-course

Off-Topic: Are you A scout member?... Me too
Does your group have a URL? if so, would you like to post it on Scap.nl.

just click the one button right of the page saying Nieuw Bericht
then filling in your name in the top box, and put your message in the big box below. (up to 140 characters) if you would thank you>

__________________________________________________________
Oh, dear, How sad, Never mind!!-Battery Sergeant Major Williams

Self-training tends to encourage bad habits... it can work against you more than it helps.

A good general rule is that if it costs too much, it's not worth it. It's the difference between a dojo and a business.

@ Locutus,

Unfortunaly my troop no longer has a webpage, it was taken down after the last Scout Master left the troop.

How long have you been a scout? I've been in it for 15 years. www.scouts.ca is the Canadian Scout page.

Life: No one gets out alive.

I've been doing some Jedi-karate for a few days now

The Titan Flies Like A Cow
"They're talking from here..." - Freddy Mercury '86

TLR: You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.

Wait, isn't Aikido all about locks and throws? I didn't think it had much to do w/ weapons?

I to would love to take a weapon-heavy martial art... they're so hard to find. I think most places don't want to deal w/ the insurance/lawsuit issues.

I wanna learn Gun-kata (inside joke alert )

@ Deviant

One of my friends did Aikido, it involves the use of swords and other weps.

Life: No one gets out alive.

@FF- we know. Gun-kata is something nice, as long as you the correct Gun for the kata

@Rilms- I have been a scout for about 10 years

__________________________________________________________
Oh, dear, How sad, Never mind!!-Battery Sergeant Major Williams

@ Locutus

I added you to my ICQ so we can talk more about scouting there.

Life: No one gets out alive.

Nice to see that some people are actually interested in studying martial arts.

If you look around, you can find a good dojo that meets your needs AND your budget. I train at a club that charges a flat monthly fee (Approx $50 CDN) which allows you to train at ANY of the 30 associated dojos in the city as often as you want. It's the best price I've ever found.

As for one martial art being better than any other, I don't think anyone can honestly answer that question. It depends on what you want to learn and what your goals are. All martial arts teach self defense, but they all do it in different ways. Does that make any one "better" than another, I don't think so, IMHO. However, for each individual out there, there is probably one or two specific arts that will appeal to you and work better for you depending on your physique, experience, goals, attitude, etc.

Shotokan karate is a very "solid" martial art. There are very few jumping or spinning moves like Tae Kwon Do. It focuses on stance and power. My sensai once said that a shotokan karate-ka trains so that if a fight ever happens, it should be over in one move. Many of the attacks in shotokan are designed to stop an opponent by crippling them. It's not a pretty art, but it is very powerful. Again, this is one man's opinion. If you are truly interested, research them all. Kung Fu remains the number 1 most popular martial art in the world, so obviously there are some excellent things to be learned there.

As for weapons, in Shotokan we train to use the jo-staff (4 feet), bo-staff (6 feet), nunchaku (nunchuks), sai, bokken (wooden samurai sword), tonfa, kama (mini sickles), and shinai. Weapons training is FUN! Remeber the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? All of their weapons are used in Shotokan karate.

Anyway, if you are seriously interested, I suggest that you start researching out the different styles and clubs in your area. If anyone lives in Calgary, Canada, I can highly recommend a club for you.

So far no replies from anyone who actively trains though. There must be some karate-ka or other marial arts students out there! Share your thoughts. I definitely don't own the market on martial arts knowledge. Although I have done my research...

Daniel: Hey, you ever get into fights when you were a kid?
Miyagi: Huh - plenty.
Daniel: Yeah, but it wasn't like the problem I have, right?
Miyagi: Why? Fighting fighting. Same same.
Daniel: Yeah, but you knew karate.
Miyagi: Someone always know more.

Wap

i have a friend who does something called Kendo and my aunt was an ex-Karate instructor

"Make it so Number One"
Captain Picard 'Star Trek the Next Generation'

me and the boy regularly try to maim each other with samurai swords (ok he's 9 he can't lift his) my what fun i have as he tries to cleave my arm off. btw he's doing tae-bo too and practices on me without warning i.e. I'm coming out of the bathroom and this tiny thing comes whirling up to me flailing its arms and legs. he loves it!

when i put him to bed 2night he was cleaning his Uzi *sigh* my little man and his arsenal of weapons He asked me for a Sig 552 SEALS Special O.P.S. for Christmas (but I think I'll get away with an XBox)