mercop
Member.
This has to be one of the most common questions I get, both in person or online. What Martial Art should I take? That is almost impossible to answer. Here is my $.02.
The first thing you need to do is decide what you are looking for. When it comes to martial arts, it usually comes down to one of or a combination of these three things: personal development, tournament, and self-defense.
Personnel Development- for the person who has the time and money to engage in a life long pursuit of being the best they can be in mind, body, and soul. Many traditional arts such as Ju Jitsu, Judo, Aikido, and Kenjitsu come to mind. These may appeal to the person who wants a hobby as well as the ability to pursue perfection. These arts have a huge "head" component that requires the student to learn to be calm through mediation. They all have a combat application, but can take months or years of effective study to use in the street.
Tournament- this is for the person who wants to compete against others. Arts like Karate, Tae Kwondo, Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Only advanced students are likely to be able to apply these arts to the street against things like weapons and multiple opponents. These arts are also likely to take months to years of study before the student can have confidence in using them on the street.
Self-Defense- this is the sticking point for many. For those that have spent years pursuing a particular art, sadly sometimes it becomes like religion. Practitioners feel that even by entertaining or trying something outside of their art they are being disloyal. And those that practice something else just don't "get it". The majority of traditional or cultural martial arts are based on the need for war or because of oppression. Both of these things create a mortar that make the art part of the life of the student. First, let's look at arts that were created for the battlefield. One of the biggest concerns is that unlike those at war long ago, you and I will have to answer for our actions, and have much to lose. For those born out of oppression, they were often kept secret by way of both practice and use. That is a luxury that we cannot afford these days. The majority of us will have to answer for and justify our actions to people that do not share our belief in self-defense,.
My answer to this problem is to get the best of both worlds by choosing a traditional Martial Art as well as taking some combative types courses based on your own ability, environment, and needs..
When you go into a school, watch a few classes, and see who attends them. Are they police, military, bouncers, or are they office workers, and business owners. If it is the former, there is a good chance that the curriculum is at least in part reality based. Ask the owner about his background, both personally and professionally. I would rather train with someone who grew up in a bad neighborhood having to fight his way to and from home from school, than someone who pointed to a wall full of trophies, and pictures of him with other instructors. Ask them if they had ever been in a situation that scared them, but they were able to handle themselves because of their training. I don't want to train with anyone who will not admit to ever being scared.
After all this, you may decide that for one reason or another you are not willing to invest the time and money to be a "better person", but instead want to learn how to justifiably defend yourself and others in the environments you typically find yourself in, with tools you can legally carry., This is one of the reasons MCS was created. First you learn-
How to be Aware
How Avoid
How to be Aggressive
We break Aggressive Skill Sets into the following-
Working knowledge of the judicious use of force
Open Hand Combatives (punches/kicks, take downs/throws, and ground control)
Impact Weapons
Edged Weapons (open hand defense before offensive use)
Firearms (pistol, shotgun, and rifle)
The funny thing is that you will soon find that both traditional martial arts and combatives are a life long pursuit. The difference is that combatives allows you to learn much more in a shorter amount of time. Ask yourself how long do I have until I need to defend my life?
The first thing you need to do is decide what you are looking for. When it comes to martial arts, it usually comes down to one of or a combination of these three things: personal development, tournament, and self-defense.
Personnel Development- for the person who has the time and money to engage in a life long pursuit of being the best they can be in mind, body, and soul. Many traditional arts such as Ju Jitsu, Judo, Aikido, and Kenjitsu come to mind. These may appeal to the person who wants a hobby as well as the ability to pursue perfection. These arts have a huge "head" component that requires the student to learn to be calm through mediation. They all have a combat application, but can take months or years of effective study to use in the street.
Tournament- this is for the person who wants to compete against others. Arts like Karate, Tae Kwondo, Brazilian Ju Jitsu. Only advanced students are likely to be able to apply these arts to the street against things like weapons and multiple opponents. These arts are also likely to take months to years of study before the student can have confidence in using them on the street.
Self-Defense- this is the sticking point for many. For those that have spent years pursuing a particular art, sadly sometimes it becomes like religion. Practitioners feel that even by entertaining or trying something outside of their art they are being disloyal. And those that practice something else just don't "get it". The majority of traditional or cultural martial arts are based on the need for war or because of oppression. Both of these things create a mortar that make the art part of the life of the student. First, let's look at arts that were created for the battlefield. One of the biggest concerns is that unlike those at war long ago, you and I will have to answer for our actions, and have much to lose. For those born out of oppression, they were often kept secret by way of both practice and use. That is a luxury that we cannot afford these days. The majority of us will have to answer for and justify our actions to people that do not share our belief in self-defense,.
My answer to this problem is to get the best of both worlds by choosing a traditional Martial Art as well as taking some combative types courses based on your own ability, environment, and needs..
When you go into a school, watch a few classes, and see who attends them. Are they police, military, bouncers, or are they office workers, and business owners. If it is the former, there is a good chance that the curriculum is at least in part reality based. Ask the owner about his background, both personally and professionally. I would rather train with someone who grew up in a bad neighborhood having to fight his way to and from home from school, than someone who pointed to a wall full of trophies, and pictures of him with other instructors. Ask them if they had ever been in a situation that scared them, but they were able to handle themselves because of their training. I don't want to train with anyone who will not admit to ever being scared.
After all this, you may decide that for one reason or another you are not willing to invest the time and money to be a "better person", but instead want to learn how to justifiably defend yourself and others in the environments you typically find yourself in, with tools you can legally carry., This is one of the reasons MCS was created. First you learn-
How to be Aware
How Avoid
How to be Aggressive
We break Aggressive Skill Sets into the following-
Working knowledge of the judicious use of force
Open Hand Combatives (punches/kicks, take downs/throws, and ground control)
Impact Weapons
Edged Weapons (open hand defense before offensive use)
Firearms (pistol, shotgun, and rifle)
The funny thing is that you will soon find that both traditional martial arts and combatives are a life long pursuit. The difference is that combatives allows you to learn much more in a shorter amount of time. Ask yourself how long do I have until I need to defend my life?
, willing to incorporate techniques from other styles THAT WORK.
