I love Wing Chun. I think out of all the Chinese martial arts it's probably got the most applications an average person could use. I like that it was geared towards the poor to learn self-defense and to train it all you need is a small space and a dummy. Even people out of shape can do it, I believe Sammo Hung trained in it and he's a big dude.

Second love is Mantis Kung Fu, it's just so goofy and it's my favorite animal style.

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        4 months ago

        My understanding of aikido is it works, but pulling it off requires every single thing to go right and if you mess up at all it's easy for your opponent to no-sell your non-attack. So like the skill floor is very high and there's no margin for error, so it's not very practical if you actually want to defend yourself from attackers.

        • CarbonConscious [he/him]
          ·
          4 months ago

          This guy does a pretty good breakdown of the concept. Basically he says it's not a competition style, but a "survival" style. So much like Krav Maga, actual execution is a lot about using things like surprise and dirty shots to end the fight as quickly as possible.

          https://youtu.be/PtibobLK56I

          Bonus: This channel also does a pretty good interview with Akkido Master Steven Segal, and he comes out sounding... reasonable and kinda normal?

          (ignore the very clickbaity title, at no point does he "confront" him in any way) https://youtu.be/7Gt-7U1ctao

    • WashedAnus [he/him]
      ·
      4 months ago

      I didn't do Aikido, but when I did karate as a teenager I went to an Aikido event and learned a little, and it was a lot of fun. The first time I got hit with one of their "neck throws" I felt like a cartoon character.