Witness The Fitness - The Bear and Badger

Minkymu

Wookienopants wrote:

Because there's plenty of systems and styles out there and all have variations in how they are taught and implemented.
But the biggest factor in this is also "what's closest" and "what fits into my life" because there's no point finding the perfect martial arts system for you if you have to drive an hour each way and it's only at a time that is so unsuitable for you

Agreed

LivDiv

Capoeira
10 years of looking like you're skanking then backflips.

Wookienopants

If it's practical and involves contact I would avoid Taekwondo. I've met plenty of instructors and only one has understood how to use it as a practical system and not "olympic foot tag".

Why not look for a practical karate system? I know I'm biased but properly taught karate has close range, ground fighting, throws, locks, and breaks. I was taught it as a non contact sport as a kid but as a teenager taught how to use it as a full contact knockdown system, then as a 20 something as a practical fighting system and close range system full of elbows, joint locks, throws and ground fighting.

Wookienopants

LivDiv wrote:

Capoeira
10 years of looking like you're skanking then backflips.

I had a brilliant fight with a Capoeira instructor once. Was great fun

Minkymu

Wookienopants wrote:

If it's practical and involves contact I would avoid Taekwondo. I've met plenty of instructors and only one has understood how to use it as a practical system and not "olympic foot tag".

Why not look for a practical karate system? I know I'm biased but properly taught karate has close range, ground fighting, throws, locks, and breaks. I was taught it as a non contact sport as a kid but as a teenager taught how to use it as a full contact knockdown system, then as a 20 something as a practical fighting system and close range system full of elbows, joint locks, throws and ground fighting.

I thought you'd say that lol.

I will take a look at local classes. Cheers

Wookienopants

No worries. I'm happy to provide any advice but ultimately it's a personal thing and as long as you find something that you enjoy you'll be grand

RamSteelwood

Wookienopants wrote:

LivDiv wrote:

Capoeira 10 years of looking like you're skanking then backflips.

I had a brilliant fight with a Capoeira instructor once. Was great fun

Wookienopants

He ran a rival dojo at the same location as me and invited me in to meet his students. Nice chap but he spent the whole hour fighting me. Was brilliant fun

RamSteelwood

who won?

Wookienopants

He won the first few rounds until I was able to work out how he was moving to the beat. Once I "got into the groove" and stopped letting him play his game I won a few. Until he switched it up and worked out MY game. Then it turned into a scrap.

Nobody won that lol

Wookienopants

It was probably the most fun I had in a ring in years, we both finished laughing and went for beers after.

Questor

Have to say, getting back into Karate a few years ago did wonders for my mental health - Working healthcare through covid was stressful as fuck, and having the ability to go to the dojo (when we could of course) really helped me not bring the stress home.

Obviously any martial art is going to be instructor dependent, but I got really lucky in that my chief instructor and I get on really well, so much so, he invited my wife and I round for tea on Christmas Day, and got me a ticket for the Boxing Day test!

tigersgogrrr

Taekwondo is great but it's more geared towards poomsae and cool athletic shit than actual fighting. I was lucky with my instructor though.

Wookienopants

Any martial art is great if you train it right. If you know what you want from it and your instructor provides that then that's all that you need.
I do hate the "this style is better than that style" stuff that goes on, the benefits from just getting out there and moving, enjoying the movements and having fun are far more valuable.

Comparing one to another is just silly.

Questor

Agreed Wookie - I hate the comparison rubbish too.

Just do SOMETHING - that's better than sitting on the couch. anything else is just personal preference.

acemuzzy

I'm middle class + middle aged so... I've joined a golf club!

hylian_elf

Golf is for really old people, dumbass. Not middle-aged guys.

Subbax

I've failed miserably at anything for years now and I can't run anymore so I'm going to start walking a 12 degree incline at the gym 3 times a week, mainly because it's dark and I don't want to get mugged.
Might try biking/rowing if I get bored but I just need to do something so I don't get out of breath running for more than 30 seconds.

So I'm going to walk/bike/row from the Shire to Morder, 660 miles across 5 varying length legs. The Conqueror Virtual Challenge is the thing I'm using. Get a cool medal for each leg. First one comes with a ring.

Already nailed the, admittedly very short, Macchu Pichu walk. Was free so not sure if I get a medal for that one.

RamSteelwood

Good stuff

LivDiv

I was looking at that Mordor Conquer challenge thing the other day, looked pretty good, the cost ran against my other more financial goals however.

Incline walking is good, used to do that a while back when I frequented a gym. Much less chance of injury than running. Running being only second to throwing yourself down the stairs in terms of likely injury.

Im a week into the yoga proper, including a full rest day Sunday and a restorative session on Wednesday which was less about supporting body weight and more contorting oneself into a pretzel. Enjoying it and feeling improvements here and there, I can do more poses and hold them for longer.

RamSteelwood

i went to the gym on sat for the first time in a while. went on treadmill for a bit that was my first running in months.
then stupidly decided since the squat rack was free to work on my form there with just the bar...then added a bit weight....then added a bit more, until i basically duped myself into a full squat workout.
haven't been able to walk properly since!

acemuzzy

hylian_elf wrote:

Golf is for really old people, dumbass. Not middle-aged guys.

Ah yes I forgot Rory was in his 70s

In other good news, it's the club you can see out your front window, so you can wave at me as I go round...

Questor

Ah shit....

I will hopefully be testing for my karate black belt in mid October of this year.

Sensei pulled me aside in class last night to ask me to think about what katas I want to do for my 1st Dan grading - in our style when you get your black belt you then within the next year grade for your 1st Dan rank. When he asked me, he said he had a plan. This set little alarm bells off in my head, as we have a trip planned to Japan in December for the 75th anniversary celebration of our style of karate.

Him asking me that particular question almost certainly means that he wants me to grade in Japan in December, which will be approximately 6-8 weeks after I test for my black belt. And given it's the anniversary celebration, there will be very high ranking people there from all over the world.

No pressure then.......

The Daddy

That sounds really cool, great opportunity!

Wookienopants

Mate, that sounds like exactly what you think it is.
You're grading in Japan under a Japanese instructor.
That'll be brilliant and a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Which Katas will you have to do and how are you tested on them? Is it solo performance, bunkai drills or live sparring application?
I'm genuinely excited for you. I remember the run up to my first black belt grading

Pseudoscot

So I've had a full week of sport.

Wed - Wheelchair basketball practice
Fri - Wheelchair rugby league practice
Sat - WhRL pre-season friendly
Sun - 2x Basketball games in a development league up in Penrith

Monday I hurt a lot. Today I hurt even more. I am an old, old man. I have socks older than some of my team mates.

The Rugby League game was brutal and intense. We lost by 2 pts thanks to one of the dodgiest refereeing decisions I have ever seen. Our last minute game winning try was disallowed for a knock on. My head was 2ft away from it when it was grounded and that decision was utter bullshit. However, it was a pre-season friendly and we sent out a lot of the inexperience players to get game time. We will beat this team when we play them in the league. On the plus side I scored a full length breakaway try which amazed me more than the crowd. I left the younglings to eat my dust. Ha, not bad for someone who has been given the nickname 'silverback'.

I had to get up at 5am to get up to Penrith in time for the early basketball tip off. I was rather sore from the previous day but still managed to do quite well. I scored a fair few points and really earned the 'bastard octopus' tag on defence. We won the first game against a club's 5th team and then a couple of hours later won less convincingly against their 6th side. The 6th's were children. I felt no shame in being a twat. Cross the line and you are in my house. lol

TL:DR - Old man does a lot of sport in a short time. Does well but is in a lot of pain now. Totally worth it.

Questor

Wookienopants wrote:

Mate, that sounds like exactly what you think it is. You're grading in Japan under a Japanese instructor. That'll be brilliant and a once in a lifetime opportunity! Which Katas will you have to do and how are you tested on them? Is it solo performance, bunkai drills or live sparring application? I'm genuinely excited for you. I remember the run up to my first black belt grading

Yep, it will be under our Hanshi (for those not familiar, basically the head of style) - I will have to perform 2 kata and then show 2 bunkai for each kata

I am currently thinking I will grade with Bassai Sho and Ananku

Wookienopants

Ooooh, I haven't trained Ananku for YEARS. It was taught to me by an instructor I spent a long weekend camping with many years back. We worked padwork drills for 3 days, at the end he taught me the solo form to remember the pad work drills.
"That, my friend, is Ananku" he said.

The Daddy

Pseudoscot wrote:

So I've had a full week of sport.

Wed - Wheelchair basketball practice
Fri - Wheelchair rugby league practice
Sat - WhRL pre-season friendly
Sun - 2x Basketball games in a development league up in Penrith

Monday I hurt a lot. Today I hurt even more. I am an old, old man. I have socks older than some of my team mates.

The Rugby League game was brutal and intense. We lost by 2 pts thanks to one of the dodgiest refereeing decisions I have ever seen. Our last minute game winning try was disallowed for a knock on. My head was 2ft away from it when it was grounded and that decision was utter bullshit. However, it was a pre-season friendly and we sent out a lot of the inexperience players to get game time. We will beat this team when we play them in the league. On the plus side I scored a full length breakaway try which amazed me more than the crowd. I left the younglings to eat my dust. Ha, not bad for someone who has been given the nickname 'silverback'.

I had to get up at 5am to get up to Penrith in time for the early basketball tip off. I was rather sore from the previous day but still managed to do quite well. I scored a fair few points and really earned the 'bastard octopus' tag on defence. We won the first game against a club's 5th team and then a couple of hours later won less convincingly against their 6th side. The 6th's were children. I felt no shame in being a twat. Cross the line and you are in my house. lol

TL:DR - Old man does a lot of sport in a short time. Does well but is in a lot of pain now. Totally worth it.

Great effort. I’m exhausted just reading that.

Questor

Wookienopants wrote:

Ooooh, I haven't trained Ananku for YEARS. It was taught to me by an instructor I spent a long weekend camping with many years back. We worked padwork drills for 3 days, at the end he taught me the solo form to remember the pad work drills. "That, my friend, is Ananku" he said.

Ananku is a really fun kata, and has one of my absolute favourite bunkai

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