Striking Art

[Wiking]

I'm curious as to what the Ninjashoes community would consider the better striking art to get into. In my younger days I breifly took TKD, like most kids but it never lasted very long, and really I took barely anything from it. I've been taking Judo now for a couple months and I'm enjoying it, and now I want to take up a second art. I live near a major city so basically everything is available to me.

This is where you come in, I was leaning towards either Kyokushin Karate or Kickboxing/Muay Thai. What do you boys think of the choices, or better yet perhaps a suggestion for something else.

[Aiden]

Yeah i took the TKD and local small town Karate growing up too, I got pretty flexible and had a good time learning Katas and remembering things famous people said but not how to fight...I think you could learn how to strike by studying either of the disiplines you mentioned but whats alot more important though is who's teaching it to you. I would research the schools, instructors, and type of product they have put out, Take the free classes and see if it is the kind of enviorment you would be comfortable learning in and if you like how the people treat you and each other. Then make your decision.

[ninjashoes]

;273825']Yeah i took the TKD and local small town Karate growing up too, I got pretty flexible and had a good time learning Katas and remembering things famous people said but not how to fight...I think you could learn how to strike by studying either of the disiplines you mentioned but whats alot more important though is who's teaching it to you. I would research the schools, instructors, and type of product they have put out, Take the free classes and see if it is the kind of enviorment you would be comfortable learning in and if you like how the people treat you and each other. Then make your decision.

great post, I agree 100%

[blackass]

If you are looking for a striking art go with Muy Thai or a good full-contact Kempo school. Kempo (A Hawaiian hybrid of Karate and kickboxing and some JJ) is often under-rated, but there's a reason Chucks got that tat.

[Vikeif]

If you are looking for a striking art go with Muy Thai or a good full-contact Kempo school. Kempo (A Hawaiian hybrid of Karate and kickboxing and some JJ) is often under-rated, but there's a reason Chucks got that tat.

Kempo or kenpo? I am wondering if those are differing spellings or totally different arts because i took kenpo when i was younger and it was a japanese art...

[Aiden]

Kenpo Karate Definition - Kenpo Karate is an art created by ancient Samurai Warriors of Japan, to deal with the most severe self defense situations. It is the only self defense art taught today that is designed to protect the individual by any and all means necessary. Kenpo, by its powerful philosophy and devastating hand techniques, enables the individual to use enough force necessary to dissuade, disable, injure, or neutralize the assailant.

Found this too - Kenpo or Kempo (lit. fighting method) is a category of mixed martial arts that have a basis in Karate, that incorporates Shaolin Kung Fu and/or Kickboxing to make the art more technically complete. In Japan Kempo has a long history. Kempo itself is a Japanese word that is the translation of the Chinese "fist law." In the west, all Kempo styles (know by their use of the black uniform),can trace their lineage to James Mitose, a Hawaiian born Japanese who taught several students

[Rob]

I did a little bit of Kenpo through school. It was American Kenpo and we would salute Ed Parker and he was credited with being the founder of American Kenpo.

Aiden when you wrote that the style incorporates any means necessary you're right. The first move we learned was "delayed sword" and that incorporated kicking the guy in the balls. Many other moves used kicking or hitting the guy in the balls. There was another technique I remember called "clutching feathers" which involves pulling the opponent's hair.

These techniques are supposed to be designed for street fighting and when the basis of dirty fighting would be difficult to adapt or use in MMA. I currently do Muay Thai and BJJ and find those styles much more practical and they have helped me become more well rounded then Kenpo ever did.

[blackass]

First off, some of you may wonder why the two names? Some folks spell it with an M, others with an N. In any case, the meaning is the same - The Way (Law) of the Fist! This is the same meaning as the Chinese term Chuan-Fa, and the Indonesian term Kun-Tao.

Kempo is a Chinese based art form, that depending on what branch of the Kempo tree you look to might also be influenced by Hawaiian, Japanese, or American sources (yes, I know Hawaii is part of America, but the influences from there are farther reaching as Hawaii is a melting pot of cultures.)

Overall, the style is known for having both Hard and Soft techniques, rapid-fire hand strikes, joint locking, and a great number of self-defense scenario drills. Again, depending on which school of Kempo you study, this will vary. Even within one school (say "Ed Parker's American Kenpo") you will find great diversity, with some teachers emphasizing the speed striking, others the nerve point work, and still others the street defense techniques. This is because in many ways, Kempo is an individually tailored art "Make the art fit the person" Ed Parker would say.

While those of you in the arts may roll your eyes, those unfamiliar with the Eastern styles may now be asking "So just who IS this Ed Parker you keep going on about?" Well, Mr. Parker was the undisputed Father of Kenpo in America. He was a very influential man in the martial arts world here throughout his lifetime. He put the arts in the public's eye, writing books, appearing on TV, teaching many celebrities back in the early days (50s-60s) and founding a tournament (the Long Beach Internationals - where a young man named Bruce Lee was first noticed after Ed invited him to show his skills) that still happens each year.

This public aspect aside, perhaps Ed's greatest contribution to us all was in his ability to analyze the art and break down the many principles involved in each technique to allow a student better understanding of the the major and minor keys that would make each technique effective. This kind of scientific investigation transcends style! If you have read the article we did on Duality Training, then you have had a glimpse into some of Ed's ideas.

[Wiking]

Well now im kind of in a bind. I went and watched one of the Kyokushin Karate classes and it was in the tinyest effin room ive ever seen and there were probably 6-8 people and the class was about as ghetto as she gets. The instructor(who seemed to be the only cool guy there) was hitting on this chick he was stretching with ridiculously, completely turned me off. Also, the class consisted of a bunch of pussies, and I really don't think it would push me, or i'd even enjoy the thing so thats out.

And unfortunately both of the Kickboxing gyms that I know of run their main classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays which is when my Judo classes are...weak.
Although I did find a Muay Thai gym in the process of writing this, so ill have to give em a call.

Oh and the Kempo thing is a no go, I don't believe there is a dojo around.

[combatbasedonny]

I have been fighting now for ten years and started in TKD like many ppl and now ive progressed into what I think is the best fighting style/styles. I currently fight semi pro mma but i have have many thai matchs and full contact kb matches. Here are my favorite arts:

Top 3: Thai boxing, wrestling, bjj (proved time and time again)

Striking arts:
#1 - Thai boxing
#2 - Boxing
#3 - Kick boxing (K1 style)
#4 - Full contact styles such as Kyyokushin
#5 - TKD

mr rutten also agrees, he went from TKD black belt, to kyyokushin black belt, to thai boxing coach. he said each time he saw something better and moved on.

Again, only my opinion.

[TripleAAA]

The argument I hear the most is that boxers use the least technique and perfect them the most. I would go with that.

[The Hero]

muay thai for pure striking, Kosho ryu Kempo for good street self defense.