so is the consensus for strikin arts over grappling?
is Vladimir Vasiliev's school really worth it? its a 50 min + drive to thornhill from brampton.
the schools testimonials are all by 10 year + marital artists, marine officers, etc, is this a art for begginers as well?
"so is the consensus for strikin arts over grappling?"that's a loaded question.re: where to sign up and learn - it's easy to recommend people in your area based on a variety of factors such as personal experience with the instructor, friend's experience with the instructor, instructor's reputation, the instructor of that instructor's reputation, etc. but what it boils down to is this: will you like the instructor? the material? the other students? the fees? the traveling?most places will offer a free lesson so you can check them out and decide.bottom line: try out what's available of what interests you in your area and make a decision. we got members of this forum with varied backgrounds and experiences from Blauer's TCMS to TKD to Hockheim to Sayoc to aikido to kendo to modern arnis to whatever and they have made recommendations, but they are not you. only you can decide what's good and what will work for you.
is VV's school really as effective as they claim?
i have no personal experience with VV, but my friend from the UK likes him very much - something about a different way they move - check him out yourself.
VV is good. But I live in a city of about half a million so to me it's unthinkable to drive 50 minutes to train. Visit when you have a chance, but find a place closer by where you would be willing to make the trip regularly.
Your mind, if that fails, a very hard elbow.
Carrying weapons on the street gets you in the shit unless you have a really good reason.
iron thats what i was thinkin of doin is takin a art here and goin every now and then to VV my city is only 340 000 (well not small either). I know i asked this but maybe i missed it what should be my art that i focus on in my area?
The way VV thinks and moves is so weirdly different from anything else, if you're training in other arts, you'll actually have a rough time picking up systema in sporadic training. Visit it, but treat it as a "field trip". Matt Thornton popularized the idea of "aliveness" as an explanation why some training studios are SO good and others are SO bad. I agree with his ideas but I've always referred to it as "responsiveness". That is, there is movement, timing, and energy.
Boxing or muay Thai might be a good place to start, but you could also pick a place that does more holistic combat from the get-go.
This brings up a problem that I've discussed on other occasions. How does one help someone in another city find a good school that is combat-oriented? It's difficult, but there are some things that are usually "hints" that a school is on the right track.
Look for small class sizes, athletic wear instead of uniforms (or if there is a uniform, it may just be the studio t-shirt or a gi for subwrestling). Look for boxing gloves, thai pads, practice knives, and kali sticks. Look for an absence of trophies or long-term contracts or "line drills" (everybody standing in rows doing the same motion on counts). Look for gross-motor movements. Look for teaching systems from more than one culture. Look for promotion of seminars. Look for courtesy but not formality. Look for water bottles and sweat.
One "indicator" does not make or break a place, but these are some of the things I usually see in good combat schools. I smirk at the "pyjamas" and coloured belts one of my friends makes his students wear, but his combat jujitsu training is top notch. You'll see most of the other "hints" at his school, other than "no uniforms".
Can anyone else help with their points-of-view?
I understand Dog Brothers and Bakbahkan have good instructional stick fighting tapes. I have taken Muay Thai, Hapkido, Ssirum, Judo, kickboxing and Submission. Kali will be next. I've seen fellaz do serious damage with the filipino arts.
Really good advice above. Advoidance is ideal, if it is possible. I like how you are thinking. i think most your age would be frustrated and end up doing something that will sacrifice their freedom. Good Luck FutureProdigy ! my fingers are crossed for a peaceful resolution to this.
Re: VV
I think he's a very good teacher teaching a very good art. Is it striking over grappling? depends who's doing it,really. In fact, I'd say it's both, integrated. It also covers weapons defence and use, including improvised weapons. He can even teach you sword fighting if you ask nicely. Of course, I'm biased, having trained with him for the past 4 years or so. But when a guy teaches cops and bodygaurds how to deal with guns and knives, and they come back, that speaks to me.
In general, there are some good books that will tell you criteria for street-effective combatatives. Currently, I am reading 'Attack Proof', which has lots of police data backing it. I have also read 'Sharpening the Warrior's Edge' which has some really well-thought-out research in this area. A lot of cops go by this book, in fact, the guy I got it from heard about it from policemen. There's other guys too that I want to read, but I can't remember their names offhand.
Having said that, systema fits the criteria set by both of these books, and in fact one of the authors of 'attack proof' attended a seminar and told VV it was very gratifying to have his theories confirmed by an expert.
For weapons, I'm starting to think maybe a yawara-stick-type thing, maybe a sap (not sure about saps in canada). I'd like to learn the japanese binding art, but the only legit guy I know who teaches is James Williams down in the states. Couldn't see being pulled over for possession of a rope, though.
If you do go to VV's, beware - some of the people are brown...
I carry my big Nalgene water bottle made of hard plastic. Aside from refreshing drink, I can coldcock someome upside the jaw with it.
Seriously, anything can be made to be an effective weapon. Really, all you need is enough time to disengage. Training is the best weapon. Training in awareness, situations and de-escalation techniques.
Read Stickgrappler's post on the bum. I may break down a few confrontations I had in the way he did for analysis.
Rear Naked Choke
I have done some brief training with some of the
Attack Proof/Perkins/"Ghostfist" guys. I thought it
was ok, nothing special. Although it did remind me
of a lot of the Vasiliev/Ryabko clips I've seen online.
I liked the Attack Proof book. Haven't adapted many of their drills for teaching, but still it impressed me. Some stuff in common with systema, but more with WWII methodology. Some folks tell me that they didn't think their approach was suitable for beginners. I KIND OF see what they're talking about, maybe. What did you think?
Stuff I liked about the training:
1) It wasn't prearranged, you were really trying to
access the targets, and the opponent was
resisting. It didn't follow a particular "structure" like
chi sau, hubud, push hands....
2) They have a decent ability to sink their weight
into shots (on a target pad)
What I didn't like:
1) Primarily it was arm-touching/sensitivity drilling.
No distance striking, no pummeling for position.
Just a lot of "I can snake my arms around yours to
simulate an eye gouge".
2) The drilling that I did, and have seen in the video
on the Attack Proof site, was no where near full
speed or power. There is also a lack of any kind of
serious contact, and there was an air of that "we
can't actually use our techniques because they are
too deadly".
Having said all that, I only worked out with those
guys twice (about an hour each time), so it
probably doesn't reflect all their training. They were
also real nice people.
Just not my cup of tea.
Brazilian Jiu jitsu is all a man needs.
Thanks, Saxon. Whenever I train in a very unusual, different methodology--even a kinda funny one, even once or twice--I come out feeling a little more well-rounded, a little broader and more aware.
By the way, do you smell troll?
*sniffes around*
i don't know if i smell troll or not (YET)
but members are entitled to their opinions :-)
It's not trolling if it's your opinion. Only if you're "goofing" on people.