Martial art for US army?
Been really helpful, now i got some thinking to do though. Thanks again and if anyone thinks of something more that could be helpful please add OVERDRIVE4825
New Member
Before I start, a little bit of background: I am a practicing student of karate and I train in an Okinawan style of karate called Shuri-Ryu.
Like Redleg said, a lot of martial arts schools in the US have lost the martial, or "military" aspect of it, and teach mainly flashy techniques like high, jumping, spinning, something, kick.
If you're looking for a martial art to train in as a prelude to going into the service, look for a school that is straightforward, little to no flashy techniques, is disciplined, and works both standing and ground-fighting.
So, as a general tip in that area, try to stay away from karate, taekwondo, kung-fu, etc. I'm not saying that they're not good, I love shuri-ryu, I'm saying that it's quite hard and few people are fortunate to come across a teacher that understands actual combat and prepares students for it.
A few months ago, I was able to work with a man named Avi Nardia, a reserve Major in the Israeli IDF who served in a counter-terror unit before becoming one of Israel's top hand-to-hand instructors. One of the things that he worked with in our school was called Kapap, something that I had never heard of before that night. Kapap is a system of combat principles that adds on to existing martial knowledge to improve upon the combative efficiency of the martial artist. These were developed for military use. If it's something that you're interested in, be sure to check it out. Avi sells DVDs that detail these principles.
Krav Maga is a great place to start, just make sure that you find a good teacher that knows what he's doing.
Also, look into jiujitsu. Not any jiujitsu school though. Make sure that they teach combat jiujitsu, not sport jiujitsu. The sport variety will limit what you are taught, but the combat jiujitsu is taught without rules and will include many techniques that are used standing up as well.
Hope at least some of this was helpful.
Like Redleg said, a lot of martial arts schools in the US have lost the martial, or "military" aspect of it, and teach mainly flashy techniques like high, jumping, spinning, something, kick.
If you're looking for a martial art to train in as a prelude to going into the service, look for a school that is straightforward, little to no flashy techniques, is disciplined, and works both standing and ground-fighting.
So, as a general tip in that area, try to stay away from karate, taekwondo, kung-fu, etc. I'm not saying that they're not good, I love shuri-ryu, I'm saying that it's quite hard and few people are fortunate to come across a teacher that understands actual combat and prepares students for it.
A few months ago, I was able to work with a man named Avi Nardia, a reserve Major in the Israeli IDF who served in a counter-terror unit before becoming one of Israel's top hand-to-hand instructors. One of the things that he worked with in our school was called Kapap, something that I had never heard of before that night. Kapap is a system of combat principles that adds on to existing martial knowledge to improve upon the combative efficiency of the martial artist. These were developed for military use. If it's something that you're interested in, be sure to check it out. Avi sells DVDs that detail these principles.
Krav Maga is a great place to start, just make sure that you find a good teacher that knows what he's doing.
Also, look into jiujitsu. Not any jiujitsu school though. Make sure that they teach combat jiujitsu, not sport jiujitsu. The sport variety will limit what you are taught, but the combat jiujitsu is taught without rules and will include many techniques that are used standing up as well.
Hope at least some of this was helpful.
EagleHammer
Active member
Hi, i can personally recomend Krav maga, i started with it before i joined the Swedish army and still practice it, it proved quite wise beacuse almost every one in a combat position in the Swedish army gets lessons in krav maga.
I advise against martial arts that train a lot of high kicks or just grund fighting. First of all you can't kick high when your wearing military equipment, second it's not wise laying on the ground wrestling with an opponent in a combat situation.
In Krav Maga you to learn how to deal with armed threats, and courses are often held by Israeli masters who have combat experince, i have met a few that are members of Israeli special forces.
I advise against martial arts that train a lot of high kicks or just grund fighting. First of all you can't kick high when your wearing military equipment, second it's not wise laying on the ground wrestling with an opponent in a combat situation.
In Krav Maga you to learn how to deal with armed threats, and courses are often held by Israeli masters who have combat experince, i have met a few that are members of Israeli special forces.
OVERDRIVE4825
New Member
Not trying to turn this into an argument, but in my experience and opinion, there can be no "best" martial art. Better practitioners, but not a best art. It's like saying that one instrument is better than all others. I have ones that I favor, but none is the best. How skilled you become in a martial art depends on who your teacher is and how much you dedicate yourself to your training. Obviously, your training can only go as high as your teacher's, and there are many instructors who know more about high kicks and making it look "cool" than they do about actually fighting and manipulating an opponent in any situation. As long as you can steer clear of those and find a real teacher, one who has the experience (preferably military in az0r's case) and the technique, as well as the ability to effectively teach, you should be set as long as you are willing to apply yourself 110%.
MikeP
Active member
A lot of military hand to hand is pretty rudimentary stuff.
Some guys and units may go farther on a group or personal basis.
I wouldn't put much time in a martial art just to prepare for service.
You might find something you like and pursue it, but it's not a casual activity if you want to be proficient.
An aspect a lot of would be martial artists come up against is actual toughness regarding the amount of punishment they can handle.
Some guys and units may go farther on a group or personal basis.
I wouldn't put much time in a martial art just to prepare for service.
You might find something you like and pursue it, but it's not a casual activity if you want to be proficient.
An aspect a lot of would be martial artists come up against is actual toughness regarding the amount of punishment they can handle.
Klibanophoros
Active member
Agreed. The hardest part isn't the conditioning or the techniques, it's taking the hits and the pain.