What is your preffered ancient style of Martial Arts?

Question

Please mention your favorite style of martial arts. I am looking preferably for rare styles and where only chosen few have come to master the art of it. If you do know of the different styles please post it, the description of it, the origins if possible, and possibly a location. I'm very interested in learning new forms.

Serious Posts Only

Answer 1

Jiu Jitsu is good. I train in Goju Zen, otherwiswe known as Goju Ryu. Goju means "Hard-Soft" It is an Okinawan based ,Just like Karate started in Okinawa 1000's of years ago. Goju has a chinese influence where we also use "soft, "or circle techniques like the Chinese Martial Arts do. Original Okinawan Karate is Straight blocks & punches intended to "break", Goju has some soft blocks & energy misdirection to use your opponent's energy against himself. Did you notice that all forms of Karate, when you "strike." both feet are on the ground, generating more power than if you were in the air like Taekwondo. Don't get me wrong Taekwondo (from Korea), lots of kicks is also an excellent discipline. I have been fortunate to get 1on 1 or 1on2 private training w/ a 6th degree black belt who died this year of a heart attack the day after Christmas. He studied in Japan & dojos in Hawaii. He also taught in the airforce & in Washington State for awhile. People would come to Hawaii for a week or 2 just to train w/ him, so I got to train w/ them & see different styles also. My uncle teaches Shodukan in San Jose. I've seen Kenpo classes also but I prefer Goju, especially because i'm Okinawan & mediumin size, not considered a heavyweight or a "big " man. I'm 45 yrs. old & 5'9. 230lbs.(a little overweight, I used to be 200lbs. most of my life, but I still consider that medium to smaller than average 6'0-6'2 caucasains & blacks. Us Asains are not too big, but like Bruce Lee(who originated Jeet Kun Do) said in 1 of his movies, we train to learn the art of fighting without fighting. Discipline! There are some books & websites on Goju, but not too many Masters here. There is a Temple in Hawaii where you live & train for months at a time just like the Shaolin Monks, but you have to be invited or sponsored by a Sensei. Luckily my Sensei was presented his 6th degree by one of my former bosses who is a 7th degree Okinawan. There is also a Philipino Style that is gaining in popularity, & a Brazillian style that looks like a dance, because they had to hide it from the govt. years ago. There is also a Hawaiian Martial art.

Answer 2

If you try to make your own system it won't be effective. What is meant by what he said was to form your style within a system based on your strengths and weaknesses. I'll use my exerience as an example. At my MMA gym, we combine basically 4 things, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and BJJ. I'm 5'7 and weigh a fairly lean 195 and have pretty fast twitch explosive muscles. Based on those things my style within MMA is to be an aggressive striker. Being I'm short trying to be a counter puncher isn't going to work very well so i adapt the skills I've been taught to be aggressive. Being I come from a boxing background my ground fighting is much worse than my striking so I put more focus on defensive grappling and not offensive. Bruce lee did not invent a style, he modified what he learned to fit himself. Bruce lee was also trashing some of the training methods he saw. Often times traditional MA try to make a one size fits all style. This is not right because there's some techniques that don't work if your small, some that don't work if your big, and all people have different strengths. It kills me to see it when your required to do a certain technique to advance in belt. What if that persons body just doesn't allow them to effectively do it? Why do you have to learn a technique that you can't do effectively?

Answer 3

Aikido, using the opponents force against them, again using circular motion.
It's an old Japanese martial art derived from Japanese Jujitsu I think.
It's a form of defence that the Samurai used when they were disarmed of weapons....

I liked this one, you get to learn the defence, attack moves and we get to do weapons practise... yes even an umbrella is now a deadly tool ;op

There is also Karate - the old favourite Japanese art... well it wasn't really Japanese... Karate is a peasants art..... created on the island of Okinawa I think... That island in the past was not part of the Japanese empire. The people who lived there needed an art in which to protect themselves against the Samurai invasion at the time.
They didn't have proper weapons like the Samurai so they created this unarmed Martial art. Old, popular and effective.

Good but I still prefer Aikido :)

Aikido doesn't get many students compared to the other ones, mainly because this one has alot of spiritual content...
But for the mind, body and soul

Answer 4

I personally focused on Kung Fu San Soo, a five family freestyle fighting style from southern China (Thoi, Li, Ho, Fut, Hung is the english translation of the five fmaily symbols). You can find good info here: www.sansoojournal.com and many other sites. Most KFSS teachers are in Southern California but there are a few really good schools spotting this nations landscape.

Just go see a demo form a reputable school and it will change your life. I've been involved in KFSS since 1991.

Good luck and let me know if you have any serious questions. I can point you in the right direction if you are interested.

Good luck in your search.

Answer 5

My prefered style is Karate. It is very old and quite effective. Alot of the older Chineese styles seem to not be as effective in nodern times. I believe they (like all martial arts) have been slowly changed over time.

Answer 6

Jeet Kune Do or maybe Freestyle fighting.

In Freestyle, you can have any style you want unlike others like for example, SIKARAN (Philippines), which gives premium to backward kick.

Choose a style which you are not bound much on their specific style, it might be better that you can select a style which you think best and accumulate/ incorporate to your arsenals.

Answer 7

Wrestling or Greco Roman. It have been around since anicent Greek time and still going very strong and still kicking some serious ***.

btw to anyone who is thinking of saying "Muay Thai" You better recheck your history. Modern Muay Thai since 1920's is NOT anything like anicent Muay Thai. If you claim you do Krabi Krabong, be prepare to provide some serious info because not many people know of this.

Answer 8

Araki Ryu Iaido, began with Araki Mujensai

Answer 9

The Art of the Women

It consist of hair pulling, face scratching, eye gouging, spitting in the face, the jack slap, and the last but not least they teach you how to complain to your opponent until their ears bleed.

Are you can learn Jiu-jitsu.

Answer 10

Capoeira
it been around a long time i guess
i was read i book when blacks were enslaved in brazil they learn to fight capoeira then they revolt
it has been in my familoy for long time to practie capoeira but now my family forgot bout tradtions so i tried to learn it
PS im not brazilian