Level of posters.

Just a random wondering really but,,

What styles does everyone on here practice??

How long have you been doing it for?

What grade have you reached??

Intrigued to know

Discipline: Aiki-JuJutsu
How Long: 9 Months
Grade: Orange Belt

Last Friday was my grading when I earnt my Orange Belt, in Aiki-JuJutsu there are gradings every four months, so I hope to finish the year as a Green Belt. If all goes to plan by this time next year I will have earnt my Brown Belt, however you must be invited to grade so it all depends on how much progress I make over the next year.

The Grading system goes as follows:

1. White Belt (Novice)
2. Yellow Belt
3. Orange Belt
4. Green Belt
5. Blue Belt
6. Brown Belt Level 3
7. Brown Belt Level 2
8. Brown Belt Level 1
9. Black Belt 1st Dan

I believe there are 8 or 9 Dan grades and for each Dan grade you have to wait the same number of years, so for 2nd Dan you have to wait 2 years between gradings, then another 3 years for 3rd Dan etc. Once you reach 5th Dan you are given the rank of Master and once you've reached 8th Dan it technically means you have transcended the Grading system and have nothing more to learn. However you would literally have to be practising for decades in order to achieve 8th Dan so it is a life long achievement. One of my instructors is an 8th Dan and he has just retired.

hockeyking0011 wrote:

What styles does everyone on here practice??

How long have you been doing it for?

What grade have you reached??

Chen Style Taijiquan and Cannon Fist Taiji (Pao Chui)

Two years and two months.

There's no traditional grading system in Taijiquan.

How about you hockeyking? : )

Solerina

Style: Budo Kai Ju Jitsu

Just got my Green Belt

Been practising for about 8/9 months.

Is interesting to see the range.

Talking point where abouts do you practise as there is an Aiki team that trains in the same dojo as us. Long shot I know but would be a coincidence...

I train in Brightlingsea and Colchester Essex so not the same dojo, but would have been cool.

Budo Kai Ju Jitsu sounds intriguing I'd like to learn more, is it competition based or more kata? Is it a traditional form of Jiu-Jitsu or is it a modern version? Always nice to speak to fellow Jiu-Jitsuka.

talkingpoint wrote: Always nice to speak to fellow Jiu-Jitsuka.

Would you two please find some good examples, on youtube, of this stuff you do......I'd like to see it : )

Solerina

Here is a very good demonstration of Aiki JuJutsu from the katshushika Dojo 30th Anniversary; I believe it is the Daito-Ryu school of Aiki JuJutsu which is the oldest school of Aiki JuJutsu in Japan and the predecessor of the Hakko Ryu style that my club is based on. Most of the techniques demonstrated in this video we practice on a weekly basis at my club and form the grading syllabus.

Practice is always done at a slow pace in order to perfect the technique as speed can mask sloppy technique. The demonstrations likewise are not done in 'real time' or with full force otherwise wrists and arms would be broken! I hope you enjoy it as I find it a very stimulating and rewarding art to learn. The Aiki principles are definitely the hardest thing to grasp and perform correctly - it takes years of practice to really be able to blend your energy with another person; however we don't take it to the same level as Aikido.

Here are two more videos the first features a good demonstration of the sitting Kata known as Suware Waza and the second some good examples of knife defence:

Suware Waza

Knife Defence

The black baggy trousers that we have in common with Aikido are called the Hakama and only brown belts and black belts are allowed to wear them. I look forward to the time when I will have earnt the right to wear them.

As Aiki JuJutsu is a very old martial art it is important to understand that the majority of techniques were designed against a sword attack on the battlefields, which is why there are so many cutting like strikes as opposed to fists, however we do learn techniques against straight punches, roundhouses and overhead strikes. We also learn techniques against chokes and strangulation from behind, infront and to the side; as well as techniques against one handed and two handed grabs. You don't grade in knife defence until brown belt and can't earn your 1st Dan black belt until you have demonstrated 5 techniques for each of the various different knife attacks. I think there is a total of about 25 techniques just for knife defence.

I've been very lazy for the past few years but when I was younger I reached brown belt in TKD and blue in Karate. After that I spent a few years going to boxing on and off but I have a massive nose and it was just a target for everyone. More recently I studied Judo and held a blue belt and krav maga which didn't really have a belt system. Just started Wing Chun (I can't remember what style) and have yet to see anyone wearing a belt (when researching online I heard they used a sash instead of a belt) and this particular instructor seems to have made his own variation of Wing Chun up just to kick the snot out of his students ha. Other than that I practice BJJ with a freind who trains in it but I have never really attended a class so dunno if that counts

Thanks talkingpoint......interesting stuff.

These two videos appear to be the same

talkingpoint wrote:
Suware Waza

Knife Defence

Solerina

oops sorry copied and pasted the same url

here you go:

knife defence

talkingpoint wrote:

here you go:

knife defence

Thanks talkingpoint.

I imagine, even in practice, that could be pretty painful.

Hope you soon get to wear the Hakama : )

Solerina

If people are particularly stiff in their wrists or forearms and put one of those wrist locks on they hurt a lot! We have to be as gentle yet firm as possible, it's tricky to get right because on the one hand you need to put the lock on firm enough for the technique to work but because it's very hard to gauge how much pressure you're putting on your uke it's important there is constant communication and as soon as someone taps you let go! A lot of the techniques are bone/joint breakers.

TipToes88 wrote:I've been very lazy for the past few years but when I was younger I reached brown belt in TKD and blue in Karate. After that I spent a few years going to boxing on and off but I have a massive nose and it was just a target for everyone. More recently I studied Judo and held a blue belt and krav maga which didn't really have a belt system. Just started Wing Chun (I can't remember what style) and have yet to see anyone wearing a belt (when researching online I heard they used a sash instead of a belt) and this particular instructor seems to have made his own variation of Wing Chun up just to kick the snot out of his students ha. Other than that I practice BJJ with a freind who trains in it but I have never really attended a class so dunno if that counts

wow that's quite a comprehensive list of martial arts/combat sports! Out of interest are you content just to 'pick and mix' from different disciplines or would you like to achieve black belt/sash status in at least one? I would like to take up a second martial art at some stage, probably Judo, but at the moment I am dedicating myself to the one so that I can do everything possible to achieve my dan grade.

I thought about going back to TKD to get my black belt but its been so long and I wouldn't want to start from the begining again. Other than that, I'm just doing it for fun, I would never actually use anything I've learned on anyone so I don't feel the need to perfect much after I get to grips with it. That said if I could find somewhere nearby that taught Hapkido (spelling?) I would probablly go for a black belt at that because it was watching scorpion on MK that made me get into martial arts as a child and I've always wanted to learn it. Strange reason I know ha

Judo is a really good call. Really enjoyable to train in and really gives you an all round work out. Good luck on reaching dan grade mate

Scorpion is meant to be a Hapkido specialist? Didn't realise that! I was similarily influenced as a kid by Ryu from Street Fighter

I don't know Karate but I do know Ca-razy, and I'm not afraid to use it!

On a serious note I don't do any MMA but I do help my brother out in the backyard grapping and striking sometimes. He's been doing Hap Gar for a few years and has been doing MMA for 3 months.

I used to do Hap Gar myself but when I turned 14 I broke into my local u17 division 1 sunday league football team and left it behind.