Self defense - Yoga?

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Tom Brands

Tom Brands

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Hey guys. I didn't play sports so I never lifted weights in my life. I don't really want to hurt my body lifting, and I think all the MMA stuff looks downright scary. So I'm thinking about doing yoga to help defend myself just in case someone attacks me on the street. Has anyone had any good experiences with yoga?
 
Tom, I'm going to pass on what the grandfathers say, "you need to sweat an hour a day." Do yoga, tai chi, 4 for the core, it's all doing it. I suppose it's mostly nutrition.
 
Tom Brands said:
Hey guys. I didn't play sports so I never lifted weights in my life. I don't really want to hurt my body lifting, and I think all the MMA stuff looks downright scary. So I'm thinking about doing yoga to help defend myself just in case someone attacks me on the street. Has anyone had any good experiences with yoga?
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:rolleyes:
 
I think if you work some striking motions into your yoga it could be a good form of self-defense.

I do a lot of hunting and fishing, as well as farm work and it really improves my strength.
 
Skeeter said:
I think if you work some striking motions into your yoga it could be a good form of self-defense.

I do a lot of hunting and fishing, as well as farm work and it really improves my strength.
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Hey thanks Skeeter. I have never hunted but I have fished. It kinda bored me but it was fun to catch a few.
 
Tom Brands said:
I'm guessing you're not a big yoga fan :)

I understand it's not for everyone. I was never a tough guy growing up so I need something that's not so rough.
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you are dead wrong,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't like trolls,and from what I see of you,,,you just are trying to stir things up,,,,
 
YUP,yoga is good,but you should try HOT yoga in a sauna and warm it up to 100 degrees celsius.....
 
Ok, first problem I have with this is, yoga does not practice handling a violent encounter. You react how you train so, unless you want to help them flex you as you fight them, fine. Next is Tai Chi. Sorry people but, this is only exercise and anyone that tells you different is selling something. Adding punching still isn't preparing you for a violent street encounter. MMA and UFC fighting is somewhat applicable but, most of what you do in a real self defense situation is banned and there's no ref in real life.

PS I've been training in the martial arts since I was 4 and hold too many black belts and instructors license to shake a stick at. I teach actual combat to police, military, feds, contractors, and the like. I've had to defend myself, clients and loved ones in very horrible at terrible ways. This is true and real experience talking.
 
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For being a fan of former Olympic wrestler and currently head wrestling coach for the University of Iowa, Tom Brands, its higly unbelievable that you have no clue about any martial arts...
 
I cant see yoga being much good for self defence, you'r hardly going to fight of the bad guy's in the lotus position are you?
 
I'm not familiar with how it is taught in the U.S. so that might be true here. What I know about it is from Taiwan, where my wife is from. Her brother in law showed me some pretty amazing things.
 
Usually what they use that seems actually combat effective is called Taiji Chin Na. It's a separate art but, usually taught alongside tai chi. Tai chi instructors rarely know or are taught the difference. They are separate art forms. However do to the efforts of one Chinese Dr they are now mostly taught as one art form. Historically they are not. Part of the confusion came from westerners who couldn't tell the difference between pronouncing tai chi and taiji. So the good Dr who taught both arts started teaching them together and changing his book title from Taiji Chin Na to Tai Chi Chin Na. Most Chinese martial arts have Chin Na (grappling) in them. These add a seemingly real aspect to there teaching. Their about as good as saying that skeet shooting prepares you for war. It may help learn to lead but, it ain't the same. And anyone who's been there knows.
 
Roninsensei said:
Usually what they use that seems actually combat effective is called Taiji Chin Na. It's a separate art but, usually taught alongside tai chi. Tai chi instructors rarely know or are taught the difference. They are separate art forms. However do to the efforts of one Chinese Dr they are now mostly taught as one art form. Historically they are not. Part of the confusion came from westerners who couldn't tell the difference between pronouncing tai chi and taiji. So the good Dr who taught both arts started teaching them together and changing his book title from Taiji Chin Na to Tai Chi Chin Na. Most Chinese martial arts have Chin Na (grappling) in them. These add a seemingly real aspect to there teaching. Their about as good as saying that skeet shooting prepares you for war. It may help learn to lead but, it ain't the same. And anyone who's been there knows.
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all the training in the world will not prepare you for war,,,you can be taught to defend yourself and how to kill and shoot but when you see combat the first time,,,it takes a mental toughness that can not be taught
 
太極: t‘ai chi (Wade-Giles Romanization) taiji (Pinyin Romanization) - Both the same word, just different ways of writing it in English. It is an abbreviation of 太極拳 - tàijí quán

What you have to understand is that all tai chi (taiji) disciplines are simply applications of taiji philosophy. The underlying philosophy of most Chinese martial arts (or what we would call Kung Fu) is taiji.

From Wikipedia taiji is
a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before duality, from which Yin and Yang originate
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The "Yin and Yang" symbol is the taijitu (symbolic representation of taiji)
200px-Yin_yang.svg.png


The communists purged the traditional form of taiji during the Cultural Revolution because of the religious aspects. What my brother-in-law practices in Taiwan can't be found in mainland China anymore, and I would guess from what you said it is hard to find in the U.S. It is a religion, a medicinal art, and a martial art - all dealing with channeling energy. But in reality, the religion, medicinal art and martial art are all just specific applications of taiji philosophy.
 
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Hunting and fishing can only teach you so much about seeing blood and open wounds. Seeing them on a person is a more serious matter.
 
all the training in the world will not prepare you for war,,,you can be taught to defend yourself and how to kill and shoot but when you see combat the first time,,,it takes a mental toughness that can not be taught
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I think that's why I like paintball. Even though it's only paint, there's something that flips in your mind, kind of a kill or be killed...and even a real fear of getting shot. Not because it hurts, it really doesn't, but more as a mirror of what it would be like if it wasn't just play. Even LEO and military friends I have, who do it, say it has many similarities, psychologically...which is why they use it for training.

Of course, it's also why LEOs and military types tend to LOSE at paintball, because the idea of sending decoys to be sacrificed is so alien to their training...hehe...
 
They have estimated that in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. troops expended a mind boggling 250,000 rounds per enemy soldier killed. A lot of that is suppressive fire, and probably includes training, but still, 250,000 rounds?

I've heard that in all wars, soldiers tend to shoot high. In The Great War (WWI), according to British Lieutenant George Roupell, the only way he could get his men to stop firing into the air was by drawing his sword, walking down the trench, "beating [them] on the backside and ... telling them to fire low"

So, yes, it is exceedingly difficult to prepare men (and women) for war. Having certain skills however, (like those acquired by hunting) will come in very handy if you overcome the mental barrier.
 
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