General Chat & Info Board

Rebecca Smith4 said:I am not entirely sure what all they have over there or how high their level actually is.
but you should definitely give Bujinkana Sansa a shot.
based on everything I can see, they ought to be one of the higher-quality clubs in this part of the country, I suppose...
🙂

I think I might try to switch up my skill set for some reason...
they seem to cover everything I am interested in.👍
probably because they cover just about everything that comes to mind, I guess....

How exactly do you mean by that? Are we talking about that ridiculous daytime TV drama style—you know, like those trashy reality shows on TLC where people decide they’re "re-evaluating their marriage" for a few days just to stir up chaos, or are we talking about a permanent, scorched-earth divorce? Give me some context here. 😕

I swung by to check out a Jiu-Jitsu training session last Friday—it’s something I’ve been curious about for a while now, but honestly, after seeing it in person, I'm feeling even more into it. I guess it means I should probably look into signing up pretty soon

That's awesome. I hope you have a great time diving in and picking up some useful new skills along the way.

Hey, placidbison20, let me know when they have their Bujinkan Ninjutsu training sessions—I’d love to go check it out. I’ve seen some photos from seminars, but I honestly have no clue which gym or dojo they use!? Not a single training day listed either....

Thanks, I definitely will

Andrew Mendoza9 said:So, I was thinking—what actually makes up classic ju-jitsu versus Brazilian ju-jitsu? Like, what’s the real breakdown there?

Maybe the easiest way to break it down is this: ju-jitsu is the OG. It's traditional Japanese martial arts, originally built for actual warfare. Later on, once people started training it more for sport or just for fun, things got watered down and simplified, which eventually gave birth to karate, judo, aikido... and basically all those other Japanese styles. So, ju-jitsu is really the umbrella that covers all of them. Brazilian style, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely—maybe exclusively—on ground fighting. In karate, you're looking at strikes; in judo, it's throws; aikido is big on blocks. Ju-jitsu ties it all together: standing, ground work, strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks, chokes... even weapons stuff.
Long story short, anything with "ju-jitsu" in the name should theoretically include all those elements. Depending on the specific organization or school, though, they might lean harder into one area or dilute others to fit their vibe.

Paul Peterson8 said:Maybe the easiest way to break it down is this: ju-jitsu is the OG. It's traditional Japanese martial arts, originally built for actual warfare. Later on, once people started training it more for sport or just for fun, things got watered down and simplified, which eventually gave birth to karate, judo, aikido... and basically all those other Japanese styles. So, ju-jitsu is really the umbrella that covers all of them. Brazilian style, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely—maybe exclusively—on ground fighting. In karate, you're looking at strikes; in judo, it's throws; aikido is big on blocks. Ju-jitsu ties it all together: standing, ground work, strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks, chokes... even weapons stuff.
Long story short, anything with "ju-jitsu" in the name should theoretically include all those elements. Depending on the specific organization or school, though, they might lean harder into one area or dilute others to fit their vibe.

😕 If you mean blocking strikes by meeting force with force, that isn't what Aikido is about. In kihon, certain techniques might look like blocks initially, but that isn't the underlying principle.

Paul Peterson8 said:Maybe the easiest way to break it down is this: ju-jitsu is the OG. It's traditional Japanese martial arts, originally built for actual warfare. Later on, once people started training it more for sport or just for fun, things got watered down and simplified, which eventually gave birth to karate, judo, aikido... and basically all those other Japanese styles. So, ju-jitsu is really the umbrella that covers all of them. Brazilian style, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely—maybe exclusively—on ground fighting. In karate, you're looking at strikes; in judo, it's throws; aikido is big on blocks. Ju-jitsu ties it all together: standing, ground work, strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks, chokes... even weapons stuff.
Long story short, anything with "ju-jitsu" in the name should theoretically include all those elements. Depending on the specific organization or school, though, they might lean harder into one area or dilute others to fit their vibe.

I can’t help but laugh at this. 😂 😂 🤣

Wait, if everything supposedly stems from jujitsu, then what exactly are aikijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and the rest?

Because of how names evolve, all these disciplines changed their labels. They shifted from "-jutsu" to "-do." In plain terms: aikijutsu became Aikido, Jujutsu became Judo, Kenjutsu became Kendo, and so on. (As for ninjutsu, it basically didn't exist because it was banned anyway.)
I'm not going to get into which ones are "traditional" and which aren't. I really don't have the energy for that.

To put it briefly: the Japanese essentially adapted concepts from China to meet actual military needs, developing systems like Yawara and later Jujutsu—methods designed to incorporate a wide array of weapons alongside unarmed combat. Over time, these techniques were refined and expanded. I’ve read that some of the hand-to-hand developments were tested on prisoners and inmates, which sounds disturbingly similar to the "research" conducted in Third Reich camps. Since no one can master every single discipline and everyone has different tactical requirements, various clans specialized in specific areas—some focused on strikes, others on joint locks or weaponry. At its core, it's all part of the Jujutsu tradition; no one just woke up and invented a revolution overnight.

My take on the whole situation is this: the downside was isolation, both within the individual clans and Japan's status as an island nation. We know that when knowledge is transmitted in isolation—passed down blindly without any adaptation while everyone jealously guards their secrets—progress stalls. (Though, to be fair, that isolation also prevented the dilution and "jack-of-all-trades" mediocrity we see today, so there's a balance to be found.)
The most significant breakthroughs came from combat challenges. If the winner survived, they would often adopt the very style that had just defeated them.

p.s. I think Paul Peterson8 made a slip-up there; blocks are a hallmark of Karate, and he knows that. ; )

placidbison20 said:There’s no need to change up your technique.
Our seminars are open to everyone, not just the local guys.
You can find a full list of upcoming sessions on our website; if anything catches your eye, just let me know.
We don't have many scheduled here in the States this year, unfortunately, but we'll have two excellent specialty seminars toward the end of the year. Honestly, I think fighting without gear or barehanded is a real struggle.

I took a look, but I don't think I saw anything coming up soon, if I recall correctly.
Either way, I'll try to make it to one...
🙂

Just a quick correction: the nose and the stick are at the end of the year.

I was just sitting here wondering—is there actually an expiration date on learning? Like, is there a specific window where you really *have* to start picking up a new skill if you want to actually master it, or is that whole idea just a myth? I mean, maybe there’s a biological cutoff, but then again, I feel like you can probably learn pretty much anything at any stage of life if you have the patience for it. Does age really limit us, or can we just keep evolving no matter how many birthdays we've had?

She isn't the obstacle. The real limit is just a lack of will and grit.

I mean, look, if you’re ninety and can barely make it across the room, you probably aren't going to be mastering advanced circular movements or anything like that... and sure, a toddler isn't exactly going to grasp leverage, but aside from that, people are right when they say those prime years are between 7 and 77.
Martial arts isn't nuclear physics or anything... you can learn just about anything at any age, really, provided you've got the grit to stick with it. Some folks are going to need way more repetitions than others, I guess, but everyone is capable of learning.

Andrew Mendoza9 said:I was just sitting here wondering—is there actually an expiration date on learning? Like, is there a specific window where you really *have* to start picking up a new skill if you want to actually master it, or is that whole idea just a myth? I mean, maybe there’s a biological cutoff, but then again, I feel like you can probably learn pretty much anything at any stage of life if you have the patience for it. Does age really limit us, or can we just keep evolving no matter how many birthdays we've had?

It really depends on the discipline. Tiger who is a kickboxer gives a pretty foolish answer by saying age doesn't matter. For his specific sport, it absolutely does. (granted, the guy asked about martial arts generally and I'm talking about sports... 😛). But kickboxing isn't exactly built for older people—not because of their age per se, but because they lack the stamina, the raw power, or the lightning-fast reflexes required. 😁

I’m not entirely sure if this question has already crossed anyone's feed... but I am on the hunt for some Hunter-style shorts specifically for No-Gi grappling—not the skin-tight compression stuff, but the looser, wider-cut variety. Does anyone happen to know where I might find a decent pair and, more importantly, what kind of damage I should expect to take out of my wallet? Thanks in advance.

feralskipper21 said:I’m not entirely sure if this question has already crossed anyone's feed... but I am on the hunt for some Hunter-style shorts specifically for No-Gi grappling—not the skin-tight compression stuff, but the looser, wider-cut variety. Does anyone happen to know where I might find a decent pair and, more importantly, what kind of damage I should expect to take out of my wallet? Thanks in advance.

Check out http://www.profightstore.com/--they should have exactly what you need!

Iman 16

Hey! I have a quick question about women's Taekwondo. Where can I train in the Greater Chicago area? I think there was a club called Pantera or something similar, but I can't seem to find any info online 😢 thanks in advance!

Jerry Thompson said:It really depends on the discipline. Tiger who is a kickboxer gives a pretty foolish answer by saying age doesn't matter. For his specific sport, it absolutely does. (granted, the guy asked about martial arts generally and I'm talking about sports... 😛). But kickboxing isn't exactly built for older people—not because of their age per se, but because they lack the stamina, the raw power, or the lightning-fast reflexes required. 😁

You've got it wrong. I was just explaining why my post got deleted... the real sweet spot to start kickboxing and actually see results is around age 50!!!
I know exactly what I'm talking about, and I know more than some Aikido guy who has zero connection to kickboxing... which makes total sense.