what would you recommend someone at 5 foot 7 inches

it dont show you a street fighting scernio can someone give me a link for that please

None of the above listed will ever help you in a fight. There is a good reason why none of this crap goes in any serious MMA fight.

If anyone is looking for a real fighting form, go to your local MMA gym and train there.

I have studied several martial arts and I like many of them for different reasons but if I have to choose just one it would by Aikido. It develops an individual's ki while being the least aggressive of martial arts and also highly effective. It is as much a way of life as a martial art. With Aikido you can do as little damage or as much as is needed. It is very flexible in that way. The more someone pours on the attack the more they get messed up. Tia Chi is likely considered less aggressive even than Aikido but if it is done at a higher speed what is called hard Tai Chi is is far more aggressive than Aikido.

I like Hsing-I. I think it's pretty cool to watch. never been able to study it before though.

As for me I have done Akido and Hopkido for a while and like that martial art a lot. Kempo is pretty cool to.

There is a place down the street from me that is a pretty serious and traditional gong fu school. Nobody shakes hands in there they all just bow and say amitofu or something. They are very friendly and seem to study it in a more traditional fashion. the head shifu is even a decon at the shaolin temple in china but lives in the US now. I'm thinking of taking some classes there. The shifu said that he would start me on some basic qigong and then move to basic gong fu a few months later. he seems to have a very internal strength leads to external hard strength approach. SO I might join up.

Since you practice kung fu what advise can you give me about taking the journey into learning the art.

All my experience has been in external arts like kickboxing, tae kwon do, aikido (sorta internal, sorta not)

[edit on 17-8-2008 by BASSPLYR]

Originally posted by UFOTECH
I have studied several martial arts and I like many of them for different reasons but if I have to choose just one it would by Aikido.

I'd have to go with you on that one too

I took it up after a few years boxing for a complimentary art..
It's a perfect match as it's very defensive.
Very 'legal' friendly as you don't leave marks.

Ju-Jitsu is its 'parent' and a lot more of an offensive art..nasty/brutal/street.. in other words..effective when in the right situation... ie 'X' when you don't have to worry about thing like lawyers and courts etc.

Funny thing about MMA. I've never seen a serious fight there either. Those guys aren't the most experienced or mature of fighters. Watching them make some of the biggest mistakes in fights all day long on ultimate fighter has always been pretty sad. MMA is cool, but only when actual experts of martial arts actually hybrid their system with another system they are experts in. Having a guy who spends 6 weeks learning this than 6 weeks learning that and then going straight into a ring isn't the pinnacle of fighting either. Maybe a expert martial artist doesn't have any interest going on shows like MMA of doing K1 fighting. A real fight would be over in a few blows.

Wanna bet an angry greco roman style wrestler would take down a brazilian gracy wrestler in about 3 seconds. All topped off with a nasty elbow in an incapacitating blow to the sternum of the MMA guy. Any one of those guys could wreak havoc in the MMA ring if they wanted to but wow they have no desire too. So you really have nothing substantial to base that claim on that a master of hopkido would get his but kicked in a street fight or in an MMA ring.

Just pick one; are you kidding? My favorite form to watch is Jackie Chan's "furniture foo". Not the spectacular stunts heavily choreographed and rehearsed, but the concept that anything - including yourself - can be a weapon or a shield.
My martial arts teacher liked to help students find the right forms for them, and go with what works. He started me with wing chun. I loved it! But there was one move that I kept messing up. You're supposed to step forward and slightly to the right so that you can deflect a left punch, whack them in the elbow with your right hand, slide your right hand down their arm, catch the small space between the wrist bones (crab fist) and disarm, trip, disengage, whatever fits. Wing chun leaves lots of room for variables. But I could only do that when he had a wooden practice knife in his hand. All the other times, no matter which way he set it up, when he made that specific opening and left punch; my right foot would step back and to the left, lining me up with the punch and I'd catch it left handed and push all his energy back through him.
... So he switched me over to tai chi chi and I loved that too. (I pronounce it tai chi chi, I don't know how it's spelled)
Thanks for creating a ost where I could tell my story!

My personal favorite martial art is:
Women's Judo. Why? Very fun to watch

By the way, my favorite sport is womens beach volley ball.
Thanks,
Vance

My favorite type of martial arts of all time would have to be Jeet Kun Do. Some would call it the " Bruce Lee" style of martial arts. This style incorporates many styles.

Originally posted by vance

By the way, my favorite sport is womens beach volley ball.
Thanks,
Vance

Mine too after watching Georgia vs Russia..
Sasha.. wooooo..

I love watching Jackie Chan too.. That guy has no idea what gravity is..

aikido is the way to go.

but it takes a long time to study and get he muscle memory to pull off in a fight. But effective when executed well.

Can be as gentle as one wishes or absolutely vicious and brutal complete with shoulder sockets being shattered and compound bone fractures.

best part. the defender never ever has to go to the ground and compromise themselves in a real fight, unlike in jujitsu. seen a jujitsu guy in a street fight do a fabulous takedown and wail on a guy only to get his face shattered ( I mean shattered literally)by the guys friend standing a few feet away that the jujitsu guy forgot about and frankly is an issue martial art never addresses well. A full boot to the face, guess who one the fight. wasn't the jujitsu guy.

In real life. Jujitsu=good if alone one on one in an alley. yeah right like fights ever go down that are fair and one on one. It's Absolutely retarded when you have to fight in an environment where there is more than one person standing around.

Ever wonder why most martial arts frown about going to the ground. in combat the ground is a stupid place to be either attacking or defending. somebody else is going to stomp you to death literally. With aikido the attacker goes on the ground, you do not, and are still moving quick and light footed ready to take down the next attacker who comes along.

Think steven segal can kick jacky chans ass? jacky does.

Gotta agree with UFO tech on the tai chi. I've seen videos of it performed at combat speed the hard form you mentioned. and it's seems pretty damned effective. very cleaver and subtle. the attacker wouldn't be able to figure out what form or where the next blow would come from. very subtle cleaver art form when done in that way.

Yeah sasha was hot in that game. Me likes watching girls beach volley ball too. nice bums on them girls. and pleasantly surprised but a lot of ass slapping/ patting done by them girls to their fellow team mates. thank god for the instant replay function on the new cable boxes.

Originally posted by Founding
None of the above listed will ever help you in a fight. There is a good reason why none of this crap goes in any serious MMA fight.

If anyone is looking for a real fighting form, go to your local MMA gym and train there.

Not strictly true I have seen several doorman put in their place by very simple martial arts. Its all about locking up and dis-arming Unfortunately in the west the immature mind takes over and its all about strength and 'who is the hardest' the real martial art is lost due to ever growing western ego.

[edit on 17-8-2008 by franspeakfree]

Originally posted by _Heretic

I basically have a formless mutt art of my own which I think is natural for most artists, and have messed with the internals sporadically in my youth, and have really enjoyed the soft styles and will be sticking with them for quite a while

Nail and Head my friend.

I personally follow the philosophy of Bruce Lee.

Most people missed what Bruce was trying to convey. Finding way without way.

Truth comes from fluidity of mind and body. If you separate the mind from the body by using inflexible systems you will be beaten...

Being prepared does not mean thinking about learning, it means being real in the moment without having to think.

Reacting directly without hesitation comes from within and only is restricted by ones own physical attributes.

So taking elements of each art form and adapting them to the moment as and when you need to coupled with peak physical preparedness is the key to becoming true confident.

All the best,

NeoN HaZe