Martial Arts Blog
Here we aim to bring you martial arts news and articles from around the web, especially the more whacky and weird aspects. We will also post blogs here from the Bear Martial Arts team, and also from you guys.
If you fancy writing a blog or posting an article, please email team@bearmartialarts.com your article and we will publish it on our site. You'll get full credit for your article, and we will even promote your own website / blog if you have one :)
Please note that any articles which are offensive, or are deemed inappropriate, will not be approved for publication.
The Perfect Martial Arts Combo
It's quite normal these days for people to train in more than one style of martial arts. Some people like to train in many similar styles (learning more than one Kung Fu animal style for example) and some people like total diversity (one from China, one from Japan, one from Korea etc).
Depending on how much time you have, you might train in 2 or 3 styles (or maybe even more if you are really keen / mad), so we thought that this morning we would look at what the best combinations would be, to make you the most complete martial artist possible.
Two Martial Arts
If you have time for 2 martial arts then it's important to get 2 arts that complement each other enough to be effective, but are different enough that they give you a bit of everything.
A good starting place is to have 1 martial art that is a physical, fighting martial art that concentrates on throwing, locking and ground work. There are many of these, namely:
- Japanese Ju Jitsu
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Judo
- Aikido
- Krav Maga
- Hapkido
Once you have a ground fighting martial art, the best way to compliment it is with a mainly striking martial art. Again, there are many to choose from, the main ones being:
- Karate
- Taekwondo
- Muay Thai
- Capoeira
- Kung Fu
We reckon that if you chose one from each list, and trained in both regularly, you would be a formidable martial artist in no time at all.
Three Martial Arts
If you have a bit more time on your hands, or if martial arts really is your thing, then you might want to train in 3 different martial arts all at once.
One split which people like to do is to choose 3 martial arts from 3 different parts of the world. Some of the best combos for this are as follows:
- Japanese Ju Jitsu / Kung Fu / Taekwondo
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Karate / Capoeira
- Aikdio / Muay Thai / Krav Maga
As I'm sure you can work out the list of possible combinations is long, and getting the right mix could really turn you into a great martial artist.
Another approach is to try and find 3 martial arts that give you an overall skill set that covers everything.
The classic ground fighting martial arts are a good place to start. The ground fighting martial arts also throw-in throws and locks for good measure.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Japanese Jiu Jitsu
- Aikido
- Judo
- Hapkido
The next block from which one should be picked is the martial arts that concentrate on striking:
- Karate
- Taekwondo
- Muay Thai
Finally, there are "the rest". Lots of martial arts have a mixture of grappling-style and striking-style techniques, and picking one of them to give you a bit more of each area wouldn't be a bad way to complete your set of 3:
- Kung Fu (any style)
- Krav Maga
- Capoeira
Training in any combination of martial arts, using our tips above or not (for example training in Judo, Japanese Ju Jitsu and Aikido would go completely against the above) is going to make you a better martial artist. The additional training, and the different perspectives of each art and their instructors will only add to your perspective and skill set.
And besides, how can you tell anyone that your martial art is the best without trying them all first?
6 Signs That Martial Arts Has Taken Over Your Everyday Life
When we start training in a martial art, for most of us it starts as a hobby. Something we do once or twice a week, probably mixed in with a whole host of other activities.
But if you train long enough, one-day without even realising it becomes more than just a hobby. It starts to become part of almost every event in your life, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. Here are some of the signs that this might have happened to you.
You Treat Difficult Situations Differently
You might be in a pub or a park, at a party or at school. Then a fight or an argument breaks out, maybe not even involving you. Your martial arts brain kicks in, and you find yourself taking longer to reach a state of anger, you want to avoid a physical conflict at all costs, but your brain is also working out how big the potential opponents are, what to do to who first, and what potential weapons are around that might be of use.
Your Friends Volunteer Your Skills At Parties
We will all be there at some point. We are at a drunken gathering (whether you are drunk or not), and your martial arts training will come up as part of the normal chatter amongst friends and new acquaintances. Instantly you will be asked to “show us something” or “what would you do against this.” You find this difficult to respond to, because know that demonstrating techniques effectively can cause mild discomfort or pain to the person you are demonstrating on. Do this at a party and people get upset, but if you don’t demonstrate effectively people will think badly of your art, and maybe of you for “pretending” to know how to fight.
Our advice here, tell them to come to your class so you can demonstrate properly there. Not only can you then do a proper demonstration in safe conditions, your club might even gain a new student.
Mundane Events Can Be a Chance To Train
Training can be done anywhere at any time. Check out our “Secret Martial Artist” blog for some great tips for training at work, in meetings, your office, and the photocopier room.
Other situations can also be a chance to train. Stand at a bus stop in a wider stance, strengthening your stance, is a class example of this.
Job Interviews Become Easier
If you haven’t yet put your training on your CV, we strongly recommend that you do. It gives you a great talking point during an interview (your interviewer will probably bring it up), shows you have self confidence as you know to defend yourself, and in our experience often prompts the interviewer to say something like “I had best offer you the job in case you hurt me.”
Watching Movies Brings a New Level of Understanding
After training for a while, any action film will never be the same again. You will start to realise which fighting moves are tough, which are easy, and which are actually impossible in real life. Films will also give you ideas of things to try in class.
Recommendation here – watch The Raid, and then try and do those moves in class. You will have a lot of fun!
Your Patience Increases In All Situations
Spending hours a week hitting things, learning defence techniques, and getting out all that aggression seems to calm most people, and makes us all a little more patient in every day life.
Work will be less stressful, home will be less stressful. Part of this is the exercise, and part of this is the new respect for the world that training in martial arts teaches you.
80s Aerobic Self Defense
Is this the original body combat gym program?
