He showed us the choke as a submission move he told us to apply the pressure lightly and that it is very effective but don’t put someone out with it.
oh it was a triangle one i think. (From the back arm goes round neck with the other crossing the back of his head pushing down making triangle.)
In that circumstance I would respond with what ever force is necessary to preserve my life. However, in any other situation I would walk away if I can, fighting only as a last resort. As you progress further in your studies you will learn to defuse situations mentally as well as physically.
Some old sayings my teachers used to say:
“If you have to resort to violence then, you have already lost.”
“When two tigers fight. One is certain to be injured, the other to die.”
Yes, that type of choke hold does have the small possibility of causing death so, be careful when practicing with it. Don’t practice it outside of the dojo (Except in self defense of course) or only practice it with other martial artist. In other words don’t go showing these techniques off to all of your friends. Even the joint locks can be dangerous. You would be surprised how easy a wrist or arm brakes with those holds.
I wouldn’t go showing any moves, techniques i have learnt off to anyone unless i was defending myself.
I’m not one of those people who goes out looking for fights. If i was attacked then i probably would want to get away. But if i couldn’t then i will fight.
Alright, so last night I finally went out and checked out the martial arts school I’ve been looking into. I had a free trial class and wow, was that hard. Not more tiring than hockey, but it definately uses a much wider variety of muscles. Except maybe the foot muscles, which I think skating probably covers better than any other sport. Weird but yeah, okay I’ll shut up about that now. We were doing ground grappling and take downs. I start on Thursday if I decide on this. I haven’t decided for sure yet, but I think I will. Just in case though, what can anyone here tell me about Gracie Jiu Jitsu?
EDIT: Alright, does anyone want to explain to how an ad for the very same martial arts school I’m talking about ends up at the bottom of this friggin’ page? I mean what are the odds? I didn’t even think LD4all even has ads anywhere except the main page of the forum! Some stupid google ad… do you have any idea how many reality checks I had to go through? Oh well, whatever… it’s late and I’m going crazy so goodnight everybody.
EDIT 2: got rid of the name of the school cuz I don’t want any stalkers (or just anybody in general) being able to trace where I live.
Google is all knowing!
The Gracie family were taught Japanese Jiu Jitsu and then adpated it to win any one on one fight. They did amazingly well later with ultimate fighting (ring fighting between martial arts) where the rules favoured the Gracie style, no eye gouges, fish hooking, biting etc to name a few that stand up styles rely on when they have some attack them and westle them. Ground and pound techs have suppassed GJJ in the ring now.
GJJ is just a variation of BJJ (brazilian).
It depends what you want from your martial art, this one will make you very tough to fight one on one, so if you go around challenging people to fights it prehaps the best. Its almost all ground work with the emphasis on taking the oppnent to the ground as soon as possible, this makes it useless in a fight against two or more people, in a crowded place, on rough urban streets etc.
Japanese JJ does teach half stand up (punching kicking) half floor work so if you want it for self defense I’d go for the Japanese version.
JJJ, BJJ and GJJ will all be equally as taxing physically if your just wanting it for fitness.
BJJ and GJJ will have the widest support for any sport aspect.
JJJ is the most spirtitual and traditional of all of them.
Alright thanks. I think the program I’m going to take is one that combines Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Japanese Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Striking, Karate & Kung Fu, and boxing, among other styles. That way I think I’ll get a good combination of grappling and striking on both the ground and on my feet.
Ive had a few more lessons and boy am i enjoying it w00t. Im loving it. Plus its a huge confidence boost when you are told by the most experienced lad there that i am picking it all up very fast. I don’t find it overly tiring as i have been playing touch rugby everyweek for about a year so my fitness is not a problem.
Plan to become a jack of all trades and master of none. 
Well, It might be easier to find a teacher who teaches their style in the traditional way.
You will find a mix of grappling, striking, and kicking in any style if it is taught properly.
For example: while the so called gentle arts like Aki-jitsu/Aikido, Ju Jitsu, judo etc place a strong emphasis on locks and throws they also have devastating kicks and strikes which they deliver with blinding speed.
My advice would be to find a style that fits you and stick with that one for a long time then start to learn other styles.
The emphasis of the program is very largely Gracie Jui Jitsu and is taught in its entirety, with only the most effective techniques taken from the other styles.
FFFlarex, have you ever loked at Jeet Kune Do? Because it too takes effective techniques from other styles. Bruce lee was the founder, he took all the effective techniques from other styles such as wing chun, silat and kali just to name a few and he called it Jeet Kune Do. Just my two cents but think about it.
I personally would prefer (trying to) master a traditional style first rather than incorporating numerous styles. This seems to be what most “Masters” do anyway. They fine-tune one style/form, then add on to it, just as you would build a house - you form a foundation and only then learn to improvise. Or like with music or other “arts”: you learn fundamentals and theory or “classical”, then you move on to the more imporvizational styles… Otherwise like milod said above, you become “a master of none.” By the way, this is my first post, so I hope non one is offended if a newbie chimes in… cool forum!
My focus for martial arts would be more on the mind-body discipline and coordination rather than the practical fighting per se though partially because unless you go around looking for trouble or if you are a competitor or merc for hire or something you will not need practical application. You build and train, then when it is needed, the practical application will flow naturally (we hope), right?
whoa, good conversations, i haven’t checked this topic in a while.
i recently hooked up with a group trying to get started up on campus who does brazilian jiu jiutsu. it’s interesting stuff. the practice isn’t very structured, but that’s somewhat intentional. i went there because i got it in my head that my grappling was weak (i practice cuong nhu which incomporates elements from many styles, and at least in my school, we haven’t been doing a whole lot of grappling) but i realized after grappling a couple of these guys, that my grappling is not weak, but my sport-oriented grappling is just inexperienced. so when i was grappling these guys, i was thinking “i know about 2 chokes and an armbar, but if i could just elbow him in the face right now, this would be over” now i keep going just for the novelty not for the idea that my self-defense is incomplete
perhaps because cuong nhu (the art i train in) was founded by one such master makes me a little biased. but if most masters like you say started off in one style and added onto it from others, then instead of doing the exact same thing they did, wouldn’t you get further along by training in a style started by one of these masters who have the vision from doing in the hard way to show practitioners how one style flows into and cannot be separated from the next?
That’s a style I never herd of before. I’ll have to look that one up.
The idea of mixing styles is nothing new. It is in fact what Bruce Lee did. First mastering Wing Chun then studied other arts and blended them together to form his own style Jeet Kun Do (way of the intercepting fist).
There was also a style called nojitsu-do which was also a combination of different styles.
Anyway, I agree with what was said above, master one style first then build on that foundation.
I am going to get lots of hate mail for this I am sure but, I met some of these Gracie jujitsu students (at least that is what they said)and to be honest I was not all that impressed. I felt they were to sport orientated by the way they were talking and the way they practiced. Perhaps these guys were just inexperienced (or lying).
BTW- Petra-fi welcome to the forum.
Totally. I agree. Each person’s style and cadence/rhythm and ability to learn is different, so one traditional style is not necessarily “better” than another… you find one that you are interested in, find a passion and rigorous self-discipline for it and learn the fundamentals. Trying to get overly stylistic or complex too fast only seems to hinder most people. I’ve only taken one year of Tang Soo Do and one year of judo, but I think the basic principle of fundamentals and discipline apply to nearly any art form or sport. Hollywood and TV martial arts is simply choreographed and over-done for the sake of the “wow” factor, but it is highly impractical and steers away from the priority which is as a coach of mine used to say "fundies first and always. 
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Based on where I live, my choices are basically either aikido, taekwondo, or this. There are a few other styles, but this is the best style offered around me I think. If I had a choice of any martial art I wanted I’d be taking something different, but I can’t.
Last semester I took Judo here at school and really enjoyed it (except when I was with an incompetent partner who ended up throwing me wrong and straned a tendon in my shoulder). I tried for my yellow belt but I’m not sure if I managed to get it. I thought about joining the Judo Club or even just re-taking it again when it’s offered. I learned a lot, but the class went kind of fast and since time was limited, I’m not sure exactly how much I learned. I’m thinking it’d be nice to be in a smaller class to get more individual attention, and I think part of my problem was confidence and placing too much attention on not hurting the other person. That probably made my throws weaker (and less effective, as I found out towards the end of the class).
I’m kind of scared of joining the club, though. I have a very meek nature.
Aikido is an awesome style to learn. I studied that briefly and whish I could study it more. A few schools have opened up here and I might go check them out.
What is wrong with Tae Kwon Do? Check it out before you dismiss it. While most schools are too commercialized and sport orientated not all are. See, there is no such thing as Tae Kwon Do. That is just a generic term. There are many different “styles” or kwons under the umbrella of Tae Kwon Do. The style I took was a traditional style called Chung Do Kwon. It turned out to be an excellent art that included armed/unarmed combat as well as locks and throws.
The thing about taking any martial art is that accidents happen. Especially in the beginning, you are going to strain, pull and bruise muscles etc. As for your desire not to hurt anyone else, well that is the desire of any true martial artist. However, living in these dangerous times there may come a point where you are forced to defend yourself. More importantly, true martial arts are spiritual as well as physical. I think you would get a lot of benefit if you study with the right instructor.
Well, im loving JKD. I have learnt how to get someone into an armbar from last weeks lesson. Maybe when i am older and have more money i might try and travel out to a school in another country and see how things are done there with JKD.
JKD is a cool martial art. I have never studied it as there are no instructors in my area who teach it, but I did buy some books on it.
For a short time we had some guy that opened a so called JKD school. I took a free class but I do not think he was teaching JKD. I believe he was teaching Kempo but, calling it JKD (to make money off the name). The school did not stay open long so I do not know what the truth was.