General Chat & Info Board

rustytinker3 said:I did one year of kickboxing and one year of Muay Thai. They weren't really my thing—not quite the "skill" I was looking for...
Thanks in advance!!!!

Whereabouts did you train Muay Thai? And what do you mean by them not being a skill?

rustytinker3 said:Can anyone recommend a good stand-up combat sport or skill for self-defense???
Thanks in advance!!!!

😕 😕
One of the best stand-up options is Muay Thai.
Self-defense isn't strictly limited to stand-up, though.

Hey, Jonathan Johnson67, let me be more specific... I want to learn joint locks—you know, breaking arms—clearing techniques, maybe some weapon work, and just general strikes that can take an opponent out of the fight immediately. I'm looking for skills similar to Kung Fu!!!
Also, how practical are those kinds of moves in a real street fight?
What about getting into Wing Chun or Ninjutsu?

I’m not interested in ground fighting or Jiu-Jitsu, because if I wanted that, I’d go to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym. You're right that Muay Thai has solid stand-up, but it isn't exactly a self-defense sport, and I'm more drawn to stuff like Kung Fu.

I train Muay Thai on my own in Orlando at the Ameno club.
Well... I'm assuming that breaking an arm with a joint lock... is a skill. Anyone can throw a decent straight punch or a high kick with a little practice. But look, I'm not downplaying Muay Thai; I know how dangerous the sport is and how bad the injuries can get. So... that's just my take!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw1hq...ch=wing%20tsun

I need to learn this... seriously.
This guy is terrifying.

@Jonathan Johnson67, is Wing Chun anything like this?

rustytinker3 said:@Jonathan Johnson67, let me be more specific... I want to learn joint locks—specifically armbars—clearing techniques, weapon combat, and general strikes designed to immediately incapacitate an opponent. I'm interested in martial arts similar to kung fu.!!!
How useful are those skills in a real street fight?
What do you actually learn in Wing Chun? Ninjutsu isn't just about flashy moves you see in movies. It’s about efficiency, stealth, and knowing how to leverage your environment to end a confrontation before it even starts. If you're looking for substance over style, that's where the real discipline lies.

Ground fighting isn't my thing—I have zero interest in jujigatame. If I actually cared about grappling, I would’ve just gone to Brazil for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You're right that Muay Thai has solid stand-up, but it isn't strictly a self-defense sport, and besides, it's just not for me. They’re more interested in skills similar to kung fu..

I'm training Muay Thai at the Ameno club in Split.
Breaking an arm halfway through a fight? That’s just skill. Anyone can throw a decent direct punch or a high kick if they put in a little work. Don't get me wrong—I'm not downplaying Muay Thai; I know exactly how dangerous it is and how brutal the injuries can be. But that's just my take on it.

You’re being illogical. You don't know Kung Fu. For what it's worth, Kung Fu refers to Wing Chun here—if you spent a little time actually studying this forum, you'd understand how things work around here.

Breaking an arm with a half-guard could technically be considered a sport—whether you're talking judo, BJJ, or sambo. It just means you have a flawed perception of what constitutes a sport or a skill.

Self-defense training includes grappling components, primarily drawn from Judo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—think takedowns, throws, chokes, and joint locks. To neutralize an opponent, you'll start with strikes from Muay Thai, boxing, or other standard striking arts; that's the universal baseline. Don't get ahead of yourself thinking you'll be catching limbs mid-air or pulling off wild throws like something out of a movie. 😉

Jujigatame said:You’re full of nonsense—you wouldn't know Kung Fu if it hit you. And just to correct your "info," Kung Fu equals Wing Chun,

I've written about this a hundred times already... what people generally mean when they say "Kung Fu," Wing Chun doesn't even fall under that umbrella🙄. Saying Wing Chun equals Kung Fu is like saying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu equals Kung Fu... it's neither more nor less... I really don't know why Jujigatame doesn't read my blog with any actual comprehension🙄... ☕

ruggedfalcon2 said:I’ve already covered this... what people call kung fu or Wing Chun isn't some separate category. 🙄 Saying Wing Chun is Kung Fu is like saying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is Kung Fu. It's neither more nor less. I don't know why Gerald Smith76 doesn't read my blog with actual comprehension. 🙄 ☕

I get the distinction now. The issue is that when people say "kung fu," they’re usually thinking of what they see in something like Wing Chun—even if they don't realize it's Wing Chun specifically. They just call it kung fu. I used to do the same thing. Or they think of Bruce Lee and his movies. Most people have no clue how many different styles exist in China, or the technical differences between them.

It's the same deal with the term Jiu-Jitsu. When you say it, most people immediately picture BJJ, even though they likely know nothing about classical Jiu-Jitsu or its actual content, let alone Judo or Aikido.

rustytinker3 said:I used to train at the Ameno club back in Miami.
Anyone can throw a decent straight punch or a high kick if they put in a little work. Now, don't get me wrong—I’m not downplaying Muay Thai. I know how brutal that sport is and how nasty the injuries can get. But... that’s just my take!

Look, it’s pretty obvious you don't quite grasp what Muay Thai is all about. A straight jab might look simple, but if it were actually that easy, everyone would be a world-class fighter. In Muay Thai, you have an endless arsenal: strikes, counters, sweeps, clinch work, defense, head movement, you name it. I could spend the whole day writing about it and still wouldn't cover everything. Beyond the technical stuff, you’ve got strength, explosiveness, timing, conditioning, and the mental grit. You can't just explain that on a forum; you have to grind through millions of actual training sessions, sparring rounds, and watching countless fights to get it. Major props to that Ameno club, but it’s hard to believe you learned true Thai boxing there. Honestly, you probably couldn't find real Muay Thai training in all of Florida, let alone just that one spot.

rustytinker3 said:Look... I mean, I definitely think breaking an arm mid-fight is more about skill—or lack thereof—than anything else. Anyone can learn to throw a decent direct punch or a high kick if they put in the work. But hey, don't get me wrong—I’m not downplaying Muay Thai at all. I know firsthand how brutal that sport can be and how nasty the injuries get. Just my two cents, though!

Look, you're dead wrong—you're looking at this all sideways. Sure, any monkey can learn a move, but actually being able to pull it off when things get real? That’s a completely different beast. It takes actual science and a massive amount of grueling training. It's the exact same deal with a straight punch or any kind of kick. It's not exactly rocket science to figure out *how* to swing or snap your leg—but landing that hit at the perfect millisecond, managing your distance, reading how your opponent moves, and reacting on the fly? That's where the real work happens. We're talking about taking that whole learning process and squaring it. It's a whole different level of difficulty.
I've always been training this particular style of grappling—probably because I’m just built that way, I guess. I haven't seen much posted about this lately—just felt like throwing it out there. When it comes to combat sports—honestly, I’ve always felt like landing a solid punch or kick is way harder than just ripping a submission out of some kid using leverage or a quick throw.

Maybe you've just realized that striking isn't really your thing—which, honestly, was the case for me a long time ago. You start looking for an easier way out because you think Kung Fu or whatever is some kind of holy grail that just crushes everyone... but it’s not. I spent a couple of years training traditional Jiu-Jitsu, and let me tell you, those fancy stand-up leverage moves? They're pretty naive and incredibly hard to pull off in a real situation. I saw this firsthand back at my old gym during sparring sessions—it didn't matter if people were trading hands and feet or hitting the clinch—everyone ended up just throwing standard, old-school wrestling takedowns. I never once saw those "specialized" techniques actually work in a live spar.
And hey, here's the thing—they’re claiming it actually works out on the street too (using some kind of logic that just flies right over my head, honestly).

Where's Robin Palmer3 hiding? I need him to cough up that five bucks for my report. 🙂

Jujigatame said:I finally realized the issue—when people say "Kung Fu," they’re probably just thinking about what they see in, say, Wing Chun (even if they don't realize it's actually Wing Chun, they just call it Kung Fu... I used to do the same thing). Or they think of Bruce Lee and his movies, as if anyone actually knows how many different styles there are in China, all the nuances, or the dialectical differences between them.

It’s the same deal with the term Jiu-Jitsu—whenever you say that, most people immediately picture BJJ (without having any clue about traditional Jujutsu or what it actually entails, let alone Judo, Aikido, or the "modern" versions...).

But "Kung Fu" can also mean painting, playing an instrument, cooking, or pretty much anything... in that case, it's better to be specific—use the term Wushu... though even then, Chinese practitioners usually just think of martial arts in general when they say Wushu. And Wushu includes DSJJ too... If we're talking specifically about Chinese martial arts, the only technically correct terms would be Kuo Shu (Mandarin) or Kwok Sut (Cantonese)... because, honestly, Kung Fu has nothing to do with fighting—it's more about skill, like the art of cooking...

Look, I get it. Science aims to put you in a position to pull a lever, but you don't need a PhD to clock someone in the jaw or kick them in the face...

In China, they’ve got about 130 different styles of Kung Fu, including Jujigatame.
Does anyone know if there's a Wing Chun spot in Los Angeles?

rustytinker3 said:-In LA, there's like 130 different types of Kung Fu—jujigatame and all that.
-Does anyone know if there's any Wing Chun training available in San Diego???

-man, please... you can find at least 150 varieties of Kung Fu just in a kitchen somewhere...
-nobody knows anything.

So, what's the closest thing to Wing Chun in Split?

rustytinker3 said:Look, I get it—you can spend your whole life studying physics just to figure out how to use a lever, but you don't need a PhD to know that punching someone in the face or kicking them in the head works just fine.

I’m sorry you didn't really listen to my points.
You should have.

David Lewis7 said:I'm sorry you didn't pay closer attention to the arguments.
You should.

👍

rustytinker3 said:So, what’s available in Los Angeles that's most similar to Wing Chun?

And what's got you so hung up on Wing Chun... I'm genuinely curious... did you hear some stories somewhere, or maybe catch a presentation that really caught your eye? 😁
I think there's some JKD out there—placidbison20 probably knows more about it—but if you ask me, you're better off picking up something else rather than Chinese martial arts here in the States... 😉

That’s not what I mean. Train boxing for a year, and you might actually land a hit on a pro.
Train Wing Chun for a year and you won't even be able to pull off a basic lever against a master.
So go ahead, try comparing the logic and science behind both styles if you want....

THEY AREN'T EVEN IN THE SAME LEAGUE!!!

I was pretty blown away by those Chinese martial arts skills...
what even do they teach at JKD???

rustytinker3 said:Train boxing for a year, and you’ll be able to land a hit even on a pro.
Train Wing Chun for a year and you won't even be able to pull off a basic leverage move against a master.

What's the actual metric here for why boxing is "worse"? Like—what exactly do you learn after a year that makes it different from your second example? I'm not following you at all.👎

Look, I don't know how old you are or what your training background is, but I wish you the best—just a heads-up though: watch out for those styles where you won't even touch the core stuff for the first five years. You'll finally be a total beast after twenty, though.

rustytinker3 said:I've always been impressed by Chinese martial arts....
What actually gets taught in JKD???

Look, that's fine... but you just have to make sure all that admiration doesn't lead you straight into the hands of some snake oil salesman.. that's the point of what I told you...
-JKD is a fighting philosophy pioneered by Bruce Lee... as for what they teach in these so-called JKD clubs across the States... I honestly don't know... though I'd assume they cover everything, especially the essentials...
-If you're really into martial arts, maybe look into Aikido or something... it's a beautiful discipline..... if that's your vibe🙂