I've been interested in martial arts classes for a while. Looking for recommendations around the south raleigh/nc state area....

What type of martial arts would I want if I'm looking for self defense/offense? I'm not interested in becoming a monk or the exercise forms....I just want to defend myself from a one on one attack and some offense....basically a learn how to fight class.

Anybody do boxing classes around raleigh?

1/19/2009 5:53:49 PM

ninja training off kaplan

1/19/2009 5:56:23 PM

http://www.martialtalk.com is an excellent resource for determining what sort of art you want to pursue. There are some martial arts clubs that meet in the gym that basically have "free" classes I think.

It's really hard to just name an art for somebody to take because they're all so different. Do some research on the martial talk forums (they seriously have just about any time you'll think of taking) and find one that sounds exciting to you.

1/19/2009 5:56:51 PM

boxing

1/19/2009 6:07:38 PM

i can talk with my coach and get back to you

he is very familiar with the legit mixed martial arts and traditional martial arts gyms in the area and knows which ones are bogus mcdojos

seriously becareful of those, dont just look at the price take advantage of trial classes or sit in and watch classes

dont go to TEAM ROC gyms, them dudes lame

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Reason : d]

1/19/2009 6:25:58 PM

Oh yeah, I took Wing Chun for a month at the RDU Wing Chun school ( http://www.rduwingchun.com/ ) and was able to properly attend four classes (was when I was starting grad school and things rapidly began deteriorating for me). Hell of a lot of fun, very intense, very awesome environment and definitely not a mcdojo. They have classes 5 nights a week plus saturday mornings. Class is from 7-9pm (I think) and you're supposed to show up 30 minutes early to exercise/practice (so it ends up being ~2.5 hours of exercise). You definitely have to commit a lot of time to it. I'm not sure it's going to fit in to me having a professional career later on and I might have to pursue something a little slower pace to fit in better with the diabetes (exercising that long will send my blood sugar to the moon). They have a free demonstration class if you wanna check it out, though they're out near I-540 & I-70.

1/19/2009 6:32:57 PM

i like raleigh institute of martial arts


http://www.4kickbox.com

brazilian jiu jitsu, mma, hapkido, muay thai, and fitness kickboxing (tho that's not really a martial art). only thing is that it's expensive as balls. they do have free trials...

1/19/2009 6:44:52 PM

krav maga?

1/19/2009 7:13:09 PM

wing chun is a good one to learn. i'd recommend it.

1/19/2009 7:44:28 PM

i say try em all out, do the classes sit in on all the ones youll find the one that best fits you

even if they are all good schools, one is bound to match your desires better than the others

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 8:58 PM. Reason : d]

1/19/2009 8:58:11 PM

where are some boxing schools?

1/19/2009 9:17:59 PM

I teach Taekwondo at Allen's Taekwondo in Cary so I'm gonna have to say Taekwondo. =P

1/19/2009 9:49:20 PM

theres a place called triangle area boxing somewhere on 70 i think, i have only heard of it but it has coaches decdicated to boxing and its real good a guy i train with goes to that gym for his boxing training

1/19/2009 9:50:46 PM

if you want self defense, make sure to go to a place where you can spar full-contact. Anything less, and you're just kidding yourself.

You want to see some real tai chi and crane style wushu masters? here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1KQefb7UnU

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 10:11 PM. Reason : laff]

1/19/2009 10:10:33 PM

Ill third Wing Chun.

Great workout, and sifu edwards is the shit.

1/19/2009 11:40:27 PM

contact Wayne Pollard from NC State. I took a class in Karate with him. Really intense, practical stuff. At the end of the class he allowed students to submit an essay of why they would like to continue privately. This is not a commercial dojo, he does not need your money. He teaches small classes at a dojo he built in his house out near chapel hill, a bit of a drive but worth it. The style is Wado Ryu Karate from an ancient okinawan form. It is very rare and very effective. check him out, hope this helps.

also a friend of mine took Thaijitsu which was practically about how to end somebody's life as effeciently and quickly as possible. Don't know any of the details but this kid was really small and got to where he could just pick apart our really big friends.

1/19/2009 11:56:35 PM

Quote :

"if you want self defense, make sure to go to a place where you can spar full-contact. Anything less, and you're just kidding yourself. "

I agree. Not necessarily "no-holds-barred", but you need to know what it feels like to get hit, choked, slammed around, etc.

Whatever you choose, I would make sure that it incorporates some sort of grappling...i.e., taekwondo (for example) is fine as a sport, but there are better ways to defend yourself, in my opinion.

1/20/2009 8:39:24 AM

judo, boxing, some kind of kicking (kick boxing ) should be a good foundation.

everyone needs to learn how to box. street fighting is a good way to reinforce what works.

1/20/2009 8:48:22 AM

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the most effective one-on-one street fighting style on the planet. Only catch is you have to train some striking as well.

If you know how to grapple and the other guy doesn't he's in for a world of hurt after you take him down from the clinch/shot. Even a small amount of knowledge will allow you to clown the untrained.

There are several decent BJJ schools in the Triangle, but RIMA is def. known, they have very good technical instruction.

1/20/2009 8:59:12 AM

I used to train Hapkido at RIMA for a year and a half.

Muay Thai is good if you are more interested in competing
and taking an art more for sport.

Hapkido and espicially Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu are great arts
if you genuinely want to hurt someone. Hapkido follows more like your traditional
martial art.

Fitness Kickboxing is great if you are a fat chick trying to lose weight haha

During the year and half i took hapkido i was probably in the best shape of my life.
The only caveat though it does take commitment and not just conditionally. I have seen
a lot of people come in and go during my time and if you aren't paying attention u are going
to get hurt.

1/20/2009 9:15:15 AM

I'll second the Raleigh Institute of Martial Arts. Went there for a little while. The instructors know their shit, and it is a real gym so you can do some cross training in other arts.

And I'll 4th (or 5th?) Wing Chun. I took it when I was in High School. It was a good way to keep in shape in the off seasons. I never left that place without my shirt soaked with sweat.

1/20/2009 9:35:36 AM

Aikido

One of the most elegant and beautiful, not to mention, very effective at self-defense, without throwing any blows.

1/20/2009 10:21:39 AM

sparring has got to be the best thing you can do

there is no other way to be prepared for the toll it takes to fight...even if a fight only lasts like 30 seconds

especially gettign kiocked in the ribs your first time, its somethin you get over real quick, but your first kick in the floater you will NOT be prepared for...it takes two or three to be able to walk through them

1/20/2009 1:29:51 PM

sorry, what is sparring?

1/20/2009 1:50:57 PM

^it's controlled fighting...some have pads and some don't but you test how good your skills are against another person

1/20/2009 2:12:33 PM

Haha yeah. Took a nice spinning sidekick in my floaters for the first time and was down slammin my fists on the ground rofl. Love sparring. =)

1/20/2009 8:06:39 PM

lol it sucks cuz a minute later it doesnt hurt at all

yet when u took the kick you fall on the floor and wave off the sparring session completely and you feel like you gonna die

its such a pussy feeling when theres no pain a minute later and u realize u coulda kept fightin through it

1/20/2009 8:24:41 PM

Hey, since we're here you guys: in how many street fights have you had the opportunity to participate?

1/20/2009 8:31:39 PM

prolly like twice in my whole life

im not interested in gettin shot i avoid physical conflict completely

1/20/2009 9:08:11 PM

i have been in 3 as a cop. countless more in the jail. so far im undefeated, a few I had backup, others i didnt

1/20/2009 10:01:54 PM

you've been to jail yet were able to become a cop?

1/20/2009 10:17:20 PM

were hurting for law enforcement round here man

1/20/2009 10:18:52 PM

ya i was in jail for 9 months, i worked there. Occam's razor dude.

1/20/2009 10:23:40 PM

I've punched a couple of people (one of them slapped me in the face, so I hit him in the solar plexus and dropped him, the other was a roommate who got drunk and grabbed me by the throat...I gave him an uppercut to the jaw. he said it hurt like hell for a week and a half, haha).

I've choked a few others...I think 3. They were all in defense of other people who'd gotten attacked at concerts/parties back in college/bars (except that I got mixed up and grabbed the wrong guy on that occasion, and ended up choking the bouncer...whoops!). That, and I've broken up a couple of fights between friends by choking one while someone else grabbed the other guy.

had a couple of other little altercations...had a fight break out in my room at a party in college--had to grab a guy by the throat and beat his head against a wall until he chilled out. He had a whole new outlook on things after that--couldn't have asked for him to be more cooperative.

Most of those were in college, though, and all but the 2 occasions where someone attacked me first were instances where I was protecting someone else and/or breaking a fight up. I've never been in a knock-down, drag-out fight. Most of the time, it's pretty easily avoided by simply not acting like a major asshole. Barring that, most people are all talk and will calm down as soon as they realize that you're not interested in mouthing off back and forth, and will simply bust their head if they take it to that extreme. Also, from what I've seen, sometimes people just need to be popped hard once, then they'll calm down and be civilized.

1/21/2009 8:17:21 AM

How did I miss this thread?
http://bushidojudoschool.com/index.html
In karate, I learned to hit people with my fists. In judo, I learned to hit people with the ground. Judo is often overlooked because "there's no striking" and yet none of our students have ever found themselves in a situation where they cannot defend themselves.

I'll also second Sensei Pollard. He's cool. I try to send more people his way, partially out of guilt that I declined the offer to join his school.

I'll defend the Team Roc guys, though. Especially at Crossfit, they combine their workouts with strenuous physical training that really makes you learn to fight. Ah, if I weren't hobbling around on this damn cane...

1/21/2009 9:31:03 AM

judo is fuckin awesome

matt major is teaching us judo at the mma gym im at, he comes in when hes in between fights

hes real philosophical, hes a black belt i cant remember under who but its great its cool because his submission game is based off judowaza (sp?) moreso thant brazilian jiu jitsu, and im the kinda guy that likes to flow from position to technique quickly


hah Team ROC guys are assholes they think their way is the best and thats not true...id tell this guy to watch out for gyms like that that dont encourage becoming a martial artist as a opposed to a martial robot


ive rolled with them....they also like to talk shit about other gyms

DONT get me wrong, youd be a fool to not go there and learn from the crazy experienced gi and no-gi grapplers there...but I keep ROC to open mat sessions on saturday moreso than making them my school of choice the students there are cool as hell and like to teach and learn though so its good to go there and exchange skills and techniques...just dont let the coaches see you lol...i see they way alot of the ROC guys come out during fights and..it doesnt seem like they are taught much other than jiu jitsu.





[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 11:35 AM. Reason : d]

1/21/2009 11:25:49 AM

like people have been saying depends on what you are looking for, looking to obtain, and what level of commitment you can give.

1/21/2009 1:30:16 PM

krav maga is pretty slick. we've got classes at a gym out here that i've been doing for a while now. it's full-contact. we joke around and call it "ass-kicking class" because that's basically what happens to you.

1/21/2009 1:45:37 PM

krav maga seems like a good way to get good return on your time investment. i've never done it, but it doesn't sound like it would be the optimum against a trained fighter. However, it sounds like it would be good in terms of quickly teaching a neophyte what he needs to know in order to really wreck joe schmoe off the street...sort of like the Marine Corp's MCMAP program.

1/21/2009 1:51:43 PM

I do Hapkido and Judo too, and would say Hapkido is a great choice if you just want self-defense. Judo is a lot more of a sport imo.

1/21/2009 3:16:51 PM

I teach Taekwondo at Black Belt World so I'm gonna have to say Taekwondo (WTF - the same style TKD you see in the Olympics). We also teach Hapkido. Ive been in Tae Kwon Do for 16 years and have worked security in many bars and clubs. I offer this info because I have had several occasions where I had to utilize my skills, but ironically you really dont feel like fighting people when you start training, nor do you tend to get in many fights. Its one of those awkward phenomena you tend to notice over time.

=P

Also, there is no one specific "best" martial art to learn self defense. Some are more oriented than others toward that (like Hapkido among others), but in all reality martial arts doesnt mean anything if you dont train your body to be strong enough or fast enough to implement it. Keep that in mind. Also, you must realize the origin of most martial arts were developed toward what was most effective for people of a certain region to defend themselves. Believe it or not, some martial arts are best for people of certain body builds. This is also an important factor.

On the other hand most people are LESS aggressive when they start training in martial arts. If you just want to fight someone then MMA is your best bet. However MMA is not a martial art itself, its pretty much just one big fight. Youll also notice the best MMA fighters are extraordinarily proficient in a single marital art or another, then pick up skills from other arts to supplement their training and put together a "total package". If youre just starting out I would NOT recommend MMA, find a more traditional art first like TKD, Kickboxing, etc.

Side note: TKD by its very nature incorporates Hapkido (both are Korean Martial Arts) in to its curriculum. Id say its the best value to learn both kicking, punching, and grappling/joint lock techniques.

However, if you want to compete you should go with a VERY well rounded school, or one targeted mostly toward Olympic Sparring (Im sure there are plenty around). Our school in Durham is just that. The Master there has 6th degree black belts in TKD, Hapkido, and MAIF (Security - never really understood this one though), 2nd degree in Judo, and 2nd degree in Korean Swordsmanship has approximately 40 championships to include US Open titles, World Military Championships, World Asian Games championships, coached for the Korean National TKD team for 7 years, is a certified trainer and chiropractor, and coaches the current Korean National sparring champion.

I would also suggest, if your looking at TKD, to find a WTF school (not ITF).


[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 3:47 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2009 3:33:31 PM

i think there is a black belt world near my house on duraleigh....is that a satellite school or part of your network?

dont let soem instructor tell you something is NOT effective. every technique of every martial art is effective or else no one would teach it. my mma coach took a whole class and basically went through moves of about 30 different martial arts and demonstrated them in context because a few knuckleheads were talkin shit about traditional martial arts and how the moves are "scams and dont work"

like he did the kata and then had someone semi spar with him and hed execute the move live and show how the kata was meant to be performed and why its performed the way it is.


it really opened my eyes it was cool, and no hes not a super high level in a vast majority of the arts, but hes been aroudn for so long in southern cali (martial arts hub) hes seen and been exposed to it all so i really respect him for that demonstration it allowed me to open up my mind for using techniques that i like and that i think my body can do well

[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 4:03 PM. Reason : f]

1/21/2009 3:58:20 PM

Thats part of our network. All schools titled "Black Belt World" are in our network. We also have affiliate schools that do not use our name. The knightdale location is an international training center and is pretty much state of the art for a martial arts school. Its nice as hell, I have to admit.

Master Phuong (pronounced Fong) runs that school. Ive known her for a little more than 10 years. She is an excellent teacher and one of the most articulate Masters I have known (she is also an NCSU alum) Her husband, Master Jun is highly regarded as well.

You can go to http://www.blackbeltworld.com and look at the credentials of all of our Masters.

Master Phuongs qualifications:

Quote :

" * Student of Grand Master Jun Lee * 4th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do * Certified Referee & Judge * Certified Instructor * Senior at NCSU Majoring in Biological Science * 1997 Capitol Open National Championship, 1st Place * 1998 Capitol Open National Championship, 1st Place * 1997 Black Belt USA International Championship, 1st Place * 1998 Black Belt USA International Championship, 1st Place * 1999 Black Belt USA International Championship, 1st Place * 1998 Black Belt World Most Loyal Student of the Year * Outstanding Student Award by World Martial Arts Research Institute * Black Belt World College Scholarship Recipient * Black Belt World Festival Secretary General * 2007 ICG (International Coalition For Good Health & Good Friends) Executive Board Member "

Here is Master Jun's qualifications:

Quote :

" * Student of Grand Master Jun Lee * 2004 Graduated from TaeKyeong College Majoring in Security Force * 5th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do * 2nd Degree Black Belt in JuDo * 1st Degree Black Belt in Komodo (Korean Sword) * Certified Massage Therapist * Certified International Instructor * 1997 Korean National High School Tae Kwon-Do Champion * 2001 Korean Marine Corps Tae Kwon-Do * Championship, 1st Place Winner * 2001 Selected as a member of The 901st Korean * Marine Corps Tae Kwon-Do Team Member * 2003 Served as the Head Instructor at World Tae Kwon-Do Gym in TaeGu, Korea * 2004 Appointed as a Youth Police Officer in TaeGu, Korea "

[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 4:09 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2009 4:08:15 PM

Quote :

"dont let soem instructor tell you something is NOT effective. every technique of every martial art is effective or else no one would teach it. my mma coach took a whole class and basically went through moves of about 30 different martial arts and demonstrated them in context because a few knuckleheads were talkin shit about traditional martial arts and how the moves are "scams and dont work" like he did the kata and then had someone semi spar with him and hed execute the move live and show how the kata was meant to be performed and why its performed the way it is."

This is very true. In particular, katas/forms/poomses are mostly all symmetrical patterns of which their intent is to practice fighting off imaginary attackers from many directions. Your MMA coach is spot on!

[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 4:14 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2009 4:13:56 PM

Another vote for Wing Chun. Went to the RDU school off Glenwood for about 3 months...had other stuff interfere too often so I had to stop going. I still practice a little with a guy at work who is pretty serious with it. Definitely worth the time if you have it. You'll learn to fight very well and get beat up some in the process. I really wish I had the time to still take classes

1/21/2009 5:15:23 PM

you'll never learn if you don't get beat up.

1/21/2009 5:29:18 PM

Quote :

"contact Wayne Pollard from NC State. I took a class in Karate with him. Really intense, practical stuff. At the end of the class he allowed students to submit an essay of why they would like to continue privately. This is not a commercial dojo, he does not need your money. He teaches small classes at a dojo he built in his house out near chapel hill, a bit of a drive but worth it. The style is Wado Ryu Karate from an ancient okinawan form. It is very rare and very effective. check him out, hope this helps. "

Gotta third this. For technical accuracy, he's expanded somewhat and the dojo is a little further down the road and outside of his home now. Take his PE235 class for starters, and his 237 for weight training won't hurt either. Wayne's about as far as you can get from commercial, and the handful of people who have black belts from his school have really earned them (in contrast to the black belts you see handed out to 12 year olds like popcorn at other places.)

homeslice11, if you're interested in self defense you should consider looking into a one-shot self defense class offered at State. Martial arts is a great path to start and will get you there eventually, but a self defense class or course can send you home with something you can use immediately. They're usually targeted to women but check the rec center to see what's available this semester.

1/21/2009 6:54:11 PM

Quote :

"This is very true. In particular, katas/forms/poomses are mostly all symmetrical patterns of which their intent is to practice fighting off imaginary attackers from many directions"

kata/forms are a load of BS in terms of fight training. See the youtube video I posted earlier. Chinese masters fighting like little kids.

1/21/2009 7:02:15 PM

^thats a bunch of bullshit

it trains muscle memory, you cant just go out there and perform a technique without drilling in any context

why do i lay on my back doing nothing but armbar drills without a partner for an hour?

katas are BS if your instructor has you do them and nothing else, and then sends u out to a competition with a pat on the rear expecting you to perform it live

[Edited on January 21, 2009 at 7:08 PM. Reason : s]

1/21/2009 7:05:48 PM

Forms are all about muscle memory and conditioning. I love holding deep stances for that nice feeling u get in your quads. =P

1/21/2009 9:57:18 PM