Martial arts suggestions?

[Slide Panda]

Cool that you found a class you like.  Regardless of style, getting a good instructor's so key.  Not matter how 'hard core' the art is... if you can't learn from the instructor - what good is it.

From what ive seen (they teach it where i take MT) its about 80% cheap shots to the eyes thoat and nuts. the super secret squirrel elite stuff about it is awesome, but most classes dont focus on that part of KM.

I used to teach Krav.. and yeah a lot of it is 'cheap shots'.  It's a self defense form, and as such take a 'do what it takes' stance.  So yeah, eye pokes, groin, hitting with objects, bites- all fair game.  

Beyond the combative (the jargon for punching and kicking) some of the things KM does is work people up to be able to deal with stressed situations.  Like anything, it starts slow, but in pretty rapid succession you've got people under a lot of duress and they are still able to perform - where before they would have locked up.  A lot of people have never been hit/kicked/choked/tackled and as a result, their system is overwhelmed.  For lack of a better analogy, part of the system is to acclimatize people to the jolts jars and shocks of a physical attack.

For the basic classes you learn a lot of 'hammer and screw driver' stuff - straight punches, elbows, knees, kicks etc etc (combatives) and a wide variety of self defenses.  You start off with simple hands around the neck chokes and progress from there.  They use a 'lego' (my term) sort of approach where they build derivations off a simple technique.  IT makes for very fast learning.  For example, 1st you learn standing front choke, next the attacker gets to choke AND push you, next choke, push AND then bash you into the wall.  Elements you learn in item 1 are applied in situations 2 & 3 etc.

The weapon stuff *technically* comes later in the curriculum, but it's not uncommon for teachers to have a play day and break out the guns and knives with relatively new students.

And I've rambled on long enough - anyone wants to know more I'm a PM away

[rgramjet]

Im a black belt in Tae Kwon .357!