at 48 i'm training again.

a dear friends son is visiting me for a few days.
he's 22, built like a brick house.
when he drove up to my place he instantly began asking questions about the, solar panels,
water system etc...
he's from l.a. has rarely been out of the city.
after a while i ask him about his life.
right away it was about his training.
he's into this 'ultimate fighting' scene. i'd heard of it before a number of years ago.
i guess it's grown a whole lot. pay per view, dvd's etc.......
in no way do i mean for this to be a commercial, but when he began to explain the training he's been doing
my interest was obvious.
basically, boxing, olympic style wrestling, kick boxing and this.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒɪwˈʒitsu], English: /dʒuːˈdʒɪtsuː/) (BJJ) is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. The art was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan judo (which itself is derived from Japanese Jujutsu; the name Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an homage to this origin) in the early 20th century.[1][2]

i've studied a bit of marshal arts and other training techniques in the past.
all right, punk, bring it on.
a quick kick to my thigh, a hard right to my ribs and he took me down.
i even have a few extra inches and poundage.
i'm hooked, the training is intense and very mental.
there's thousands of different moves from multiple concepts.
look into it if you're looking for a change of pace.
i'd also like to warn that if you watch anything you may google, the matches are intense and at times bloody.
search for training techniques.

reply to post by rubbertramp



Good luck to you! We all lose it a bit when we get older but you are being positive so I hope you are the best you can possibly be. I know you will. I feel the age also. No where near as good as my youth but I still train and can still hold my own with the younger dudes.

I prefer jeet kune do over them all, it's your own scientific and philosophical interpretation of martial arts.

an old granny can knock you out like any MMA fighter if she hits you in the right place at the right time, with just the right amount of force. it applies to any person who stands in opposition of you, so you need to know every possible move that they can make from whatever position you are analyzing them in. any person you fight has the same basic vulnerabilities, but each has a different style to go with mindsets, which you can understand and emulate.

reply to post by phatpackage


ah, but it was the techniques and power that got me off guard.
i do 5 to 20 miles a day in the n.m. woods.
i'm no slacker.
bet this punk could drop you like a wet rag.

reply to post by yourmaker


absolutely. that's why i've been enjoying this.
it's like chess, much of it is figuring out your opponents next move.

I've always been a fan of Bruce Lees philosophical side and Jeet Kune Do. When I was young I took Tae Kwon Do for years, a martial arts class really helps to limber you up and strengthen you even for the rest of your life if you stick with it. I assume there are probably laws in place now, but when I was younger we didn't wear gloves or headgear, just no hitting to the face/head (kicking allowed) or kicking/hitting below the belt. No trying any special fancy stuff either, it was just Tae Kwon Do after all.

I've always wanted to get some more in depth martial arts training, problem is unless you live somewhere like LA, serious martial arts programs aren't all that common. Most of them are for younger children, people who need to get in shape or learn self defense, not for someone who can already deliver. There are a few around here, but I tend to be judgmental about the instructors, most of them I just don't trust in the same way I wouldn't trust a shady used car dealer.

Don't know where you are, but the school I went to now has a website here. The same guy, Master Pae (9th dan), still teaches it after all these years and he is an excellent instructor, very strict and focused on discipline, which I see as a good thing. He teaches many children and has beginner classes, but when I was in the school he was also personally teaching a few people who were very good. Looks like his school has moved and gotten a lot larger since I was there, he probably also speaks better English now. I've been across the US now and compared to Pae's school most of them seem like a joke, and I have been looking.

why bother?

being fit and strong doesn't ensure survival.

look at the POWs...the ones that survived had strength of will.

I used to play squash and there was this guy that was all super fit, didn't smoke, didn't drink and ate super good food, he died on the court, had a heart attack and he was in his 40s, what a waste of time and energy for him!

reply to post by rubbertramp

bet this punk could drop you like a wet rag

I was not looking a fight just trying to encourage you and never said or implied you were a slacker. But bring on! Drop me "like a wet rag" you have to be kidding! Does not scare me one iota! I have have been around long enough and had enough street and ring fighting not to let that intimidate me! But then again that's you just talking not him!


Is that how you treat people trying to be nice and encourage you?

encountered it back in the early 70s .. its a good strong often overlooked style...
good luck on your training ..
still practice iajutsu , aikido and tai chi daily here ...

Good luck to you on your quest.

I'm 37 and have trained in the arts all my life to some degree. Though I rarely put it 'to use' anymore. I usually stay away from bad situations.

If you've always had fast reflexes and good coordination you can get to a good place. I thing people are either born slow or quick with reflexes. Some are more natural than others.

One suggestion:

If you're going to train stick to

1) Boxing for arms distance strikes.
2) Muay Thai for clinches and knees.
3) JKD for trapping range.
4) BJJ for ground attacks and defense.

Study 10 good moves and defenses in all groups.

Also look into Keysi for elbows and head guards against brute attackers.

Oh also forgot, order as many Paul Vunak tapes you can get. Good stuff for trapping range and "douchebag in bar gets in my face and looks like he wants some" moments.

Practice core strength and flexibility. Leg strength (Hams, quads)

Why am I writing all this? LOL I dunno.

Originally posted by Thurisaz
being fit and strong doesn't ensure survival.

The same guy I was just talking about (Master Pae) used to run his school out of the side of a convenience store he owned. One day a guy came in with a gun and tried to rob the place, Pae took the gun from him from over the counter and knocked him out cold. Didn't wake up until he was in handcuffs.

reply to post by phatpackage

Is that how you treat people trying to be nice and encourage you?

yea, sometimes my sarcasm gets the best of me.
meant no offense.

Nice post OP! I too, am a fan of BJJ. I've trained under Pedro Sauer, a long time friend and student of the Gracies. When I first started training my friend told me that everyone in the class would be able to submit me at first. I must admit that I had my doubts, as I am 6'5" and weigh about 275 lbs. and I was a wrestler in high school. Well, sure enough, I started rolling with a 16 yr. old kid who was half my size, and he had me tapping from an arm bar in about 30 seconds! Needless to say, it made a believer out of me. You are absolutely right, when you say it is a great self defense martial art. The only thing I would add is that I think it is wise to be trained any other forms as well. As you stated, most fights will end up on the ground at some point, and the person with superior grappling skills will have a distinct advantage at that point. However, BJJ is not much help when fighting more than one person, so it is wise to be proficiently trained in a striking defense as well. Thanks again for the post.

As a fighter or someone trained in anything, you won't do SQUAT unless you can get past the adrenaline freeze.

The moment where your body starts to shake and you're in your head wondering if the other guy will hurt you badly or if you'll HURT HIM worse.

I've hesitated in those moments and ended up blasted on by someone who had no hesitation.

"The firstest with the mostest is the bestest"

First rule of a street fight, where there really are no rules to begin with.

reply to post by RSF77


isn't that skill and bravery?

being fit didn't have anything to do with it. Perhaps it did? I know a boxer and he does have faster reflexes...

maybe martial arts increases your reflexes? and that would be a bonus.

reply to post by PaxVeritas


that is what my brother used to say to me. He would practice his martial arts on me and other various moves to teach me how to defend myself and he would say, holding me down, 'now what can you do?' and fightiing dirty works the best.

I bit his nose once and he let go straight away.

Another time I nubbed him in the eyes... did the job. Then when he was retracting, I kneed him in the balls and after about 30 or so, different scenarios he said, I would be fine.

but I am not fit, nor strong.

reply to post by Thurisaz

why bother?

it's not about insuring survival. i don't think that is realy possible.
guns and ammo- check
food and water- check.

i think anthing that will build your confidence for different situations helps.
i used to bounce bars, had training in submission, what i could and couldn't do in crowds.
how to break up fights between 2 or more people by myself.
this is showing me that even that was only training.

reply to post by Expat888

iajutsu

not familiar with this.
what i've really liked about my new discovery is that when i was doing my training in the past it was almost always 2 people using the same techniques.
this is different in the way that it's almost more street fighting, which is a bit different for me.
i have enough weapon training, and this is showing me things that i've never considered.

reply to post by rubbertramp


ok so your building your confidence?

I am a confident fighter but I am not strong nor fit.

Anyway, good for you and do what you need to do for yourself.

Mind over matter is more important to me. Brains over brawn..

OP I know about that style, yeah, it's pretty effective and can be brutal looking for sure.

I also agree with many of the above that it's all about mind over matter. I've sparred with various martial artists ( a few "black belt class", was beat up and never fought back in my youth at all, when I went into the military for those few years, a lot changed, and I've learned a little of this, and a little of that, but in the end for me, it's about being smarter than my opponent and calm about what I'm going to do next. Plus, as a fat butt with long hair hippy looking type, I am hugely underestimated, even by trained professionals.

I advise never underestimating your opponent. Don't think Grandma with a purse is always defenseless, or the homeless guy, or anyone, cannot hurt you, maybe even kill you, if they feel they have to. A Kitting needle/Broken Bottle in the eye is no way for a grown man to go out, you know?

I loved martial arts movies, and like I said, I got beat up a lot without fighting back until I was 19, and once I let loose and understood that protecting yourself was the right thing to do, I spent a lot of time learning a lot of different things, from a lot of military guys from all over, including this one guy who was up for the Olympics in Tae Kwon Do, but broke his hand sparring, and lost his chance and freaked out and joined the Army... anyways... and I liked jeet kune do and kept the mindset of that for sure.

I haven't had to defend myself physically in several years, I'm 43 now, but that quite inner confidence that shines through your eyes has stopped many many problems during that time, and I can still kick a six foot man in the chin with great speed, as one example, so I feel rightly justified in my confidence. I would prefer to not have to do anything, and I'm sure all the "Great Masters" (NOT SAYING I THINK I'M ONE OF THEM) preferred not to actually have to fight, and I'm sure they could avoid way more than they needed to response to with the stare of confidence and truth.

I try to go for that. There's little that can be resolved with violence.

I am glad you're getting into even better shape though, especially at 48 good for you man. I'm not gonna do it. Heck no. But, good on you.

Edit: To be honest at many concerts I've been to, including just a couple years ago, I've had to defend myself in "mosh pit" environments and impressed the 19 year olds I was with by not only standing my ground but forcing away one of the craziest bloodiest pits I've ever seen, and I started going to concerts in 1988, literally pushing, shoving, and in one case, throwing, dozens of men and womens away including three and more at a time. Real life is crazy. In any case, I know that I can defend myself, so when not in concerts, it's been a long time.