Martial Arts Styles

[Staircase]

I see. So what would you reccomend to somebody living in america, who wants to learn an "applyable" martial arts? Or is their basicaly no hope.

[Kiera]

lol, there is hope xD. Try to take something that interest you, I do not know what everyone would like, all Martial Arts, start out basic just some require a more advance field such as weaponary, but you are aiming for the basic art, so just try anything that doesn't have to deal with weaponary until later, the staff is the basic weapon ^^b

[Staircase]

I've always been a fan of martial arts and all that good stuff, but their isn't much around me except places aimed at children. Hopefully when i can move out (1 more year... ^^) I'll be a little closer to a martial arts place.

Thanks a lot for the tips. =)

[Kiera]

np lol, I am glad I can go anywhere ^^ Oo you should check out these links if I have not put them up yet, this is what I do called tricking, its a branch off of Capoeira.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kem-IRcXbAQ&NR
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ubFa9wGA0_U
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IHajB-FufZU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9qSYLfKRamY

This is what not to do:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rFx2A4GufqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPEJWXbkj-Y

[Phoenix Flame]

Wow! Those are some smooth moves.

[Squall Lionheart]

Intresting links...but I don't think that the staff is necessarily the basic weapon...

[Andrew Scaves]

Oh I am fo sho down with Martial arts. I'm proficcient in Boxing and getting there in Judo.

[Kiera]

Boxing is more of a conditioning sport, and Judo, if you take that, they usually add Jujutsu into it also, since they are similiar in many ways. When I took it, it was fun ^^, I liked it a lot. Also, I did not say it was the only basic weapon, the staff are one of the easiest forms to learn for anyone. What other basic weapons can you think of?

[Squall Lionheart]

Generally this the first time I hear about combat basic weapons for martial arts...unless it meant hand to hand weapons and excluding advanced weapons...
In any case, here are some weapons that are more commonly associated with martial arts...

For example: swords, blades, nunchakus etc...

As for weapons that have been used since a long time and are also basic weapons varying and mostly are close range combat weapons, for example other than those mentionned here are some of these weapons: Whips, Gloves/claws, maces etc...

[John Smith]

I thought that only boxing and fencing used weapons :S (gloves and 3 different sword types, respectively).

I'm not gonna talk about bows, because there are plenty with those, so I exclude them from my above sentence

[Squall Lionheart]

Many other weapons were associated with martial arts, some were unique...I only said about the more widely-used ones...

[Kiera]

The hand gloves, do you mean Cestis? Also, The reason why I say it is a basic weapon, because it is considered a basic form when learned. When you learn the staff, it branches off into the wide range of the Butterfly Form of the Sword and other forms of the sword. Also, when you mean blades do you mean Sabers and such? Sword just widely ranges into other long bladed weapons. What I am trying to say is, that sword is a category not a weapon. Like if you ask someone, which Martial Arts do you take? Not do you take Kun-Fu and Martial arts? The person who asks that is completely clueless. Also, I know in the olden times or era, they used various weapons, but it started with Pitch Forks and farm tools before they became real weapons then people started learning techniques for them and the staff was of the most basic since they do not require much or no money and can be made within a minutes. Also, Just like learning to do math, you must know the basic forms of it, such as + - / *. They are all basic things to remember correct? But later on you will learn how to use them in various ways, even using numbers to make pictures, such as in Physics. Same as the staff, there are more than on weapon that is basic to learn to go on to another weaponary, Sword is more of an intermediate weaponary, if you are going to take a weapons class most of them require you to have some prerequisite of some sort and being able to be flexible enough.

[Squall Lionheart]

Each weapon requires different skills to use it (including staffs)...you just can't compare it and say the similiarity in usage makes a certain weapon a basic one...

I'm not an expert about martial arts but from my experience I know that commonly used weapons in different forms of martial arts include : Swords, staffs, and nunchakus...and each one of the weapons requires different skills even if someone is learning just the basics of the weapon's usage, that can't be substituted...

That's because there are too many points that can completely change the weapon's required skills, here are the most important ones : Dimensions, weight distribution, blade, weak spots (This isn't too important if you're going to switch to a weapon of the same category)...all these general examples differ widely between any weapons (sword and staff if you want) for any usage (Martial arts or duels)...

Also you can't really tell how the most basic weapons were since they originated from different places at different times...even most of the weapons don't have a standard clear form of developement because of this...

From what you know some used their farm tools...but somewhere else, swords and other blades (by which I meant different types and forms of swords, knives, daggers etc...) were remodeled even at earlier times...For example pitchforks are very late designs (for farming or military use in general) compared to many other weapons like those I already mentionned...in short not all weapons originated from farm tools -or any other tools- at all...

In summary I agree that anyone should learn the basics of the weapon s/he is using, but you should doublecheck your source about weapons origins as well as accepting that learning a weapon's basics can makes you ready to use a similiar one in a completely different category...(if you meant swords and staffs in a specific way, then there's still a big difference between them)...

[Kiera]

I know where you are getting to, I am saying that Staff is a basic weapon, as to the 3 segmented staff. And such >.> You're practically agreeing argueing with me >.>.

[Phoenix Flame]

Originally Posted by Kiera

I know where you are getting to, I am saying that Staff is a basic weapon, as to the 3 segmented staff. And such >.> You're practically agreeing argueing with me >.>.

...but at least he is co-operatingly agreeing arguing w/you.

Its all one's perception of 'basic'...kinda like Clinton's infamous "...can you describe: sex?" LOL!

I view staves/nunchaku (sp?)and swords all as basic (entry level) weapons. Depending on one's preferrance. ie: someone preferring close-quarter combat would use the Sai while another person, favoring distance melee would want a bo.

I would think a spear or javelin would be the next knotch up...followed by a weighted trident or something...you get my point.

...so I'm a noob