How may martial artists are out there in the Rpg world?

[zdanboy]

Hello!

Ok, that out of the way.....time to get to the point:

How many of you ENworlders study/was studying martial arts? What martial arts did you study? Did they help you in your life?

On a sidenote I practice Hung Gar kung fu.....which I find a very practical all-round kung fu style (more punches than kicks though)......

On a a another sidenote: Did you meet with the opinion that kung fu is generally impractical on the street? What do you think? (in my country - Poland - most people treat Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu as the best street style)

 

[Balgus]

wushu for a couple years. I just wanted to get flexible and learn how to do flying kicks.

A lot of good they did- i am no longer flexible- and you can tell where my flying went...

 

[Crothian]

I took some kick boxing but had to stop becasue of bad health. I can still do many of the moves, I'll regret it afterwards, but I can still do them.

The most useful thing I learned to help on the street was high school track, I was a sprinter!!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Pistol, rifle, light machine gun, heavy machine gun, AT rockets, demolitions, grenades, grenade launchers, 25mm cannon, 120mm smoothbore ...

Oh, you mean unarmed combat.

Nothing to see here ... move along.

 

[firstborne]

I'm a swordsman; I've been studying western swordsmanship for going on five years now. Mainly two handed, with a good bit of sword and shield thrown in for good measure. And no, I'm not with the SCA; I have too many problems with their "training" style, let alone their actual combat rules.

 

[takyris]

We had a thread like this a few months ago, I think. It stayed surprisingly good-natured, given the tendency of all martial artists to declare their style supreme and all other styles rank imitation after about ten minutes of conversation.

I've studied Kenpo Karate for the past 11 or so years. Shoot, coming up on 12 now. I'm one of two 5th-degree black belts in the school, the two of us ranking only under the two instructors. It's not a terribly fast-promoting art or school -- I advanced faster than normal because a) I've got a really good memory, and b) I was a geek who had no life except doing BBSes and practicing karate. I'm not saying that to brag -- I just don't wanna make it sound like my school gives people their black belts on the third week of class.

Kenpo has helped me a bunch. I've never had to use it on the street, but the REASON I've never had to use it is because I knew that I could break elbows, knees, or necks if I had to, and the projection of self-confidence was an effective deterrant to a few would-be threats. Beyond that, it's kept me in good shape even as my youthful metabolism slows down, helped me focus my mind and get my pscyhological stuff in better order, and taught me a ton about humility and self-confidence.

EDIT: As far as street practicality, it really depends on the style, and the school you're studying at. Some schools look all artsy and flowery and the motions are soft and beautiful, but when you get to a certain degree your instructor says, "Hey, by the way, in this move here, we're actually raking the groin, elbowing them in the throat, and putting a thumb into their eye." My style starts out pretty pragmatic and then gets more graceful (while still staying street-smart) as time goes on.

Gracie Jujitsu is certainly an excellent street-defense style, since they currently have pretty good control over who gets to teach. Tae Kwon Do and Ninjitsu (or Bujinkan or Hoshinjitsu or whatever) get a bad rep because a bunch of knockoffs and frustrated students spun out their own schools without a real understanding of the deeper concepts, and tried to fill in the gaps with their own goofy philosophies. REAL versions of either of those styles work just fine on the street.

-Tacky

 

[Tsyr]

A year or thereabouts of karate, some years ago. More recently (And ongoing) is Kenjitsu.

 

[Zappo]

I've practiced judo for one year, many years ago, then I got bored and quit. The low degree of seriousness didn't help; it was one of the schools takyris hinted at, where you get promoted every three months or so. I can't even remember the master's face, let alone the actual art (I can confidently state that it's exactly as if I didn't do it).

The one thing I gained from it is that I learned that doing something because your fellow teenagers find it cool isn't worth it, even when the only thing you lose is time. Martial arts require dedication, doing them just to keep fit is pointless IMO (there are nonmartial disciplines that are more efficient in achieving that).

 

[tengu]

I've been involved in the arts off and on for somewhere around 18 years now.

I started off with Kempo just before my 13th birthday, and before my senior year of high school, I had been awarded my 2nd degree brown belt. However, my instructor's instructor took over the school, merged his students in with us, effectively booted my instructor out, and turned it into a rather unfriendly atmosphere. I took a leave of absence soon after.

In my first year of college, I investigated the school's karate club, where they practiced Shotokan Karate. I stuck with it for a few weeks, but it was tough on the body to go from a softer, more fluid style into a harder, more rigid style.

When I transferred colleges, I started my career at U-Mass with Aikido (for credit, no less), and loved it. I took the second semester Aikido course in my final semester at U-Mass. Afterwards, I investigated a local Aikido dojo, only to find that it was a bit out of my price range at the time.

During my breaks from formal training, I've dabbled with other styles and arts, including kickboxing, several ch'uan-fa (kung fu) schools, fighting with staff and sticks, and even some Japanese swordwork. Also, I've some experience with boffo-weapons from the live-action role-players who held open fighting practice sessions.

All in all, I'd love to get back on the mat with either Aikido or Aikijujutsu. But first, I need to get into better shape, and get more energy through my body.

Practicality: All in how you use it... granted, you're in the dojo, practicing with someone who does the attack in the "proper" method and expects the technique, and will act/fall accordingly. I've worked with a Kempo student while using an Aikido technique, and he was able to find holes in it. Perhaps there's only a handful of styles that would be considered streetworthy, or at least massively effective outside of the dojo. I can't say what' the best style out there...
As I said, all in how you use it.

I may not be the best martial artist around, but I do like to see how RPGs out there handle the arts. So far, I think only the Hero/Champions and GURPS systems have done very well with it.
Of course, that's just my lookout... I might be mistaken...

 

[Umbran]

I've got a few years of Shotokan karate under my belt. Unfortunately, the inexpensive lessons I was getting through the university aren't so great now (club under new leadership )