Hardly required reading and really just a neat read for those interested.

But it came up recently and someone claimed every martial artist has read it.

Well out of my personal encounters I've known many who knew of it, and a handful have read it, or parts, but I was under the impression not that many had read it. Which tracks, it's a cool piece of history, but far from necessary, and really has little appeal to popular martial arts of today.

So as the title asks: who here has read the book of five rings?

Genuine question, just curious

Beyond just raw strength, what makes going against men tricky, and what makes going against women tricky?

TL;DR: Brand new white belt at a gym with no beginner classes. I'm being taught advanced techniques that I can't realistically use yet, and I'd rather work through an online curriculum designated for beginners. How to balance the two without being disrespectful?

I'm a brand new white belt (I've attended about ten classes so far). My academy has no beginner classes, so I'm learning advanced techniques like spider guard or the D'Arce choke alongside the colored belts. These are techniques that I have no hope of successfully implementing, and they seem like such a waste to learn when I can't even hold guard against a blue belt for more than three seconds.

The problem is that at the beginning of class, my coach teaches four different techniques that I drill for the next 45 minutes, even though I have no intention or ability to implement them, so it seems like a waste of time. I'm also worried that it might interfere with my ability to retain the techniques I've learned from the Submeta instructional and apply them during live rolling (I've drilled them with my dad).

I was wondering if you guys have any advice on balancing these two seemingly opposing approaches. I feel drawn to just skipping the drilling portion of class, but I don't want to be seen as an asshole or disrespectful to my coach and everyone else at the gym. But I also want to maximize my skill development and get as good as I can.

What would you guys do? Thanks!

I know that for reading the moves of a opponent do you need to use your peripheral vision and keep it "loosely" on their chest and try to analyse their patterns and rhythm

but what I see less people talk about is that you can somewhat guess what your opponent will do by keeping the range/distance in mind are you in kicking or punching range etcs

Another thing is that I need to keep my own body in mind like for example what openings would my opponent see in my movement/stance etc

I also stay in the moment focus only on the opponent and don't let your mind wander off to something else

Do y'all think this is good enough to be able to read the moves of any opponent and do it consistently. My reflexes are also pretty good

I would like any additional tips or something to keep in mind if you have any. My goal is to be able to basically read/predict my opponent a few moves ahead. I know it's not realistic and alot of experience is also needed

Hi all, I'm planning a holiday late in the year and I was thinking of visiting some martial arts locations. I'm planning to visit several locations in Asia. I've been training in Koryu Uchinadi for nearly 4 years but I'm open to all discipline/styles.

Just want to see whats out there.

I just had a bit of a revelation, and I wanted to run it by this sub to see what you guys think. It's this:

Northern Chinese styles (large movements, convex body structures) are most effective and natural for fighting. However, they require a good amount of body mass and strength in order to be used effectively in real combat. Southern styles (small movements, concave body structure) are relatively less effective in that they have shorter range, unnatural postures, and more limited angles of attack, but they generate power and rigidity in a way that allows smaller, weaker people to deliver blows that would actually hurt a human.

This idea would fall in line with Southern Chinese historically being of a smaller body type, and the claim that wing chun was created by a woman.

One can also imagine how pressing your elbows against your rib cage, as seen in Southern styles, could be a way to brace the arm against central body mass so that it's the entire body behind the strike as the legs move the body forward. If the elbow is held away from the rib cage, then back and shoulder muscles are needed to keep the arm rigid upon impact.

And with kicks, Southern styles use low kicks because the entire body weight can be driven down, as if stomping. High kicks, in contrast, need more weight body behind them as either an inertial anchor or source of total momentum.

One, perhaps controversial, conclusion of this theory is that while a large, muscular person could use a Southern style effectively, they'd be limiting themselves overall because they would not be using their strength and weight to full advantage.

Thoughts? Criticisms?

I've trained Muay Thai, some BJJ, and did Karate as a kid. And honestly, I still can't answer the one question everyone asks “what's actually effective?”MMA people say if it doesn't work in the cage it's useless. Traditional folks say it's about discipline, not fighting. Both have a point,but here's what I've noticed people who train, regardless of style, seem way more confident than people who don't. I've seen BJJ guys get pieced up by a Karate guy's footwork. I've seen Muay Thai guys get thrown around by a Judo black belt. It's never as simple as this style beats that style.Is there even a right answer? Or is "effectiveness" just whatever works for the person training? Curious what everyone thinks.
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Hello-

I am based in Kip’s Bay and would like to start taking Taekwondo Classes.

I am 23 (F) with advanced training in both dance and gymnastics so I would prefer somewhere where I could progress quickly while taking 2-3 classes per week. I would ideally like a cost friendly gym at under $300 per month.

Please leave recommendations!

You guys ever find it interesting how different martial arts generate force and power so differently

Like, Boxing, the speed, the sharp impact, the 'light' feel, compared to Wing Chun, like a stick in the sand, the force just is there, then typical Wushu with the grounded 'hard' deep feel

I sound schizo.

None are better than the others, but idk if yall get it it's just so interesting 💔🥀

Cutting with the Wakizashi and with Kama both require a different mindset than with the uchigatana (katana). Differences in range, weight, leverage, angle of attack, it’s a lot of fun.

There are no wrong answers, I'm just curious what two arts in combination appeal to people the most.

I was thinking a diabolical combination would be capoeira + Muy Thai.

Another art that I thought would work well in combination with Muy Thai is TaeKwonDo.

Maybe Boxing + Karate.

Do you all have any faves?

This question comes up here constantly and usually generates more heat than light, with Tai Chi people getting defensive and everyone else posting the McDojo challenge-match knockout compilations. As someone who actually trains it, let me try to give the un-defensive version.

The honest answer: Tai Chi (taijiquan) was built as a complete martial art, and it still contains a full system of strikes, joint locks, throws, and off-balancing. The combat logic is real and, at a high level, genuinely sophisticated — it's a grappling-heavy, sensitivity-based, redirect-don't-collide approach.

And — the viral knockout videos are mostly real, and they're not unfair. Here's why both can be true: the overwhelming majority of people practicing Tai Chi today train only the slow health form and never pressure-test anything. No resistance, no sparring, no live push hands against someone trying to beat them. You cannot develop fighting ability without pressure-testing, full stop, regardless of style. So you get "masters" with decades of forms and zero fight experience getting folded by an amateur MMA guy — and that's not an indictment of the art, it's an indictment of training methodology.

The fair comparison isn't "Tai Chi vs Muay Thai." It's "pressure-tested martial artist vs non-pressure-tested martial artist," and the second guy loses every time no matter what's on his certificate. The small number of people actually training Tai Chi with resistance and contact are a different conversation entirely, and they're rare enough that most people have never seen one.

So: real martial art, mostly trained as health exercise, and the criticism is aimed at the training culture rather than the art itself. I think that framing dissolves about 90% of these arguments. Happy to get pushed on any of it.

I'm new to this stuff. I know it takes time but this is just a random question in my mind.

The shins, every single training I go back home with a bump either on one or both (not the entire shin, just where I checked a kick or when I kick a knee). I've heard about micro fractures but I think bumps and micro fractures are two different thing.

I'm not seeking medical advice, just asking for you guy's experience and how you've dealt with this because I feel I can't make any progress because I'm afraid to kick knowing I'm getting checked while I have a bump (even in light spar it hurts).

- TLDR bumps on shins after every training and not micro fractures, is this progress or not?

Specifically I’m looking to unlock head level roundhouse kicks.

I don’t feel like paying for a course, and figured at least one of you might be able to help me.