Posts by Jonathan Johnson67

rowdyhawk25 said:Inner peace and a black belt😉

Just go online and pay for it...

rowdyhawk25 said:Anyone know where I could train kung fu in Chicago???

Maybe do a quick search through the forum first... if I remember right, che explained once that "kung fu" basically just means time spent or effort invested. It’s a bit of a misnomer, really. Plus, there are so many different Chinese styles out there—hard style, soft style... we've had endless threads about this exact stuff here, so just dig around a little. Wing Chun is probably the most common one you'll find around here since it's from China, though honestly, I wouldn't suggest starting with that locally... you'll see why if you look at any of the ten thousand Wing Chun threads floating around this board. Just... yeah...

Justin Adams5 said:Why would I get beaten up if I’m just doing this recreationally, without any sparring or actual fights?

What kind of martial arts can you actually train without sparring? Sure, maybe you won't get hit... but honestly, everyone who starts training just to lose weight usually lasts a few months, drops a few pounds, and then quits. Once they stop, the weight just comes right back...

Justin Adams5 said:Just start. Don't worry about the toughness part... that comes naturally once you're actually in the sessions.👍

👍 👍 You just need the willpower and some persistence... everything else follows the training...

Look, if your only goal is dropping some weight, don't go looking for a fight in a ring. You'll just end up taking beatings until you finally decide to throw in the towel. If that's the mission, stick to running, cardio, or stuff like that... much better way to go about it.
Look, if you’re actually serious about training some kind of martial art... then just go. Just go to whatever number of classes you can actually handle. Physically, schedule-wise, even the money side of things... just find that sweet spot where you won't burn out. Otherwise, what's the point?

Paul King78 said:I'll tell you, obviously! 👍 Though, as things stand right now, if they even exist, the ninjas in Los Angeles are pretty damn good at hiding...

Now those are actual ninjas. Our local ones here in NYC... they're all easy to spot right away. 😬.

rustytinker3 said:You mentioned Aikido...
but what’s actually the focus there? Joint locks, chokes, sweeps...?

Oh, and some guy recommended Japanese Jiu-Jitsu over in Los Angeles... what’s your take on that, Jonathan Johnson67???

There was actually a whole debate about this on the boards once:

If I remember right, there isn't a single gym in LA that hasn't been trashed by someone else in the city. So, honestly, just go check out a few different spots first. See where you click and what feels right. You’ll always find one person cheering you on and another one tearing you down... somewhere...

Honestly, you’re probably better off looking into Aikido... though I’m not entirely sure what the scene looks like down there right now.
From what I can gather, there isn't much else to choose from in the city. I mean, if you aren't looking for MMA or kickboxing, your options are pretty thin. Wing Chun doesn't seem to be at a high level, and as far as I know, Ninjutsu just isn't an option locally. Maybe placidbison20, David Lewis7, or Mark Wilson39 would have a better idea of which schools are actually worth your time...
PS. That guy is basically the local authority on Wing Chun around here. He basically chased off everyone else practicing it... 😂🙂

Look, you didn't actually specify which styles really grab you. If you're looking to get into stand-up training, you could swing by our place—near the old downtown area... Or if you want to try Wing Chun, Ninjutsu, Kenpo...
If Japanese martial arts are what you're after, maybe give Ninjutsu or Kenpo a shot. I’d guess Ninjutsu is probably the closest thing to Jiu-Jitsu you'll find around here. placidbison20 might be able to give you the lowdown on that...

mistybadger said:Wait, what even is that?

From what I can gather... it's some kind of hybrid between Karate and TKD... maybe...

Or you can just head over to properties and it'll lay out everything you need right there.
PS. If you're looking for codecs, check this spot: www.free-codecs.com

Jujigatame said:Yeah. let's go!!
🤣

Someone give me a good laugh... I've been staring at books all day.

Go ahead and laugh at me.
I'm out by the coast right now, but instead of enjoying it, I'm just buried in my notes. Even though I've been studying non-stop, I probably won't cover everything before my finals anyway... I've got five exams lined up. So, really, this whole grind feels pretty pointless. Just a lot of wasted effort—the studying, the tests, even the people who came up with the whole system...

ruggedfalcon2 said:-tough luck
-that's just how I see things...

if you already know all that, why even bother training Wing Chun?
PS. this goes out to all the Wing Chun practitioners out there...

So how are you actually supposed to learn some decent Wing Chun then?
From the looks of this, it feels like every instructor out there is just looking to bleed you dry without teaching you anything worth knowing.

So, yeah... nothing much else to say. Same goes for all those other instructors I haven't actually met personally.
If you're really curious about how someone teaches, just go sign up for their classes and see for yourself.

So, I finally caught that movie a few months back. It wasn’t half bad... definitely more visual flair than the last one, and the graphics felt like a step up—even though I was watching a pretty low-quality rip.

David Lewis7 said:Hey everyone... I'm back from my annual vacation... 👍

Good to see you back... maybe this place will actually start feeling alive again now that you're around. Does this mean placidbison20 is heading back soon too?
P.S. regarding what ruggedfalcon2 said, I’m on the same page as Jamie Fowler2.

Feeling pretty good... just happy, I guess.

ruggedfalcon2 said:I don't know about you guys, but I actually can't stand listening to music while I'm working out 😢 and that's saying something, because I'm definitely a music lover... it's just when I'm training, I crave nothing but absolute silence 🙂

👍 👍 yeah, exactly... music would just be a distraction during my sets. though, if I'm doing strength training at home, it doesn't bother me as much.

A buddy of mine is thinking about taking up rowing, but he’s stuck on the fact that he’s already 22... isn't exactly built like an athlete, and he's really not looking to end up stuck coaching middle schoolers...
is there actually a group for older beginners, maybe someone closer to his age?

Alex Parker8 said:...personally, I find it incredibly disrespectful when an opponent just drops their hands—you know, opening up the guard—right there in the cage... it feels like pure condescension... though, usually, those are the guys who end up losing... ☕

I haven't really seen that happen in the big championship fights.
maybe it isn't even about being disrespectful... sometimes they just run out of gas and can't hold the guard up anymore... depends on if it happens at the start or toward the end of the fight, I guess...