I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, some boxing and MMA. It's my main hobby and time sink after work. Our gym focuses a lot on conditioning and just good ol' grit. Being mentally broken from conditioning drills makes everything else not as bad.
Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
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Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
Poor choice of words. At that distance, you don't know what happens, and how to respond, when your bell gets rung.
Then also do MMA ground-and-pound drills if that concerns you. I find my BJJ base (purple belt) helps immensely when I have someone in my guard trying to punch me in the face.
In practical circumstances, I don't know why I'd willingly go to the ground, especially against someone bigger (and usually that's what bullies are). And I say that as a former wrestler.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#33Not a martial art exactly but I would say fencing without a doubt. It's like physical chess
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#34When I was in school I was lucky enough to find a place that offered a mix of wing chun, kali, muay thai, and moves from arts like silat. This was before the MMA/BJJ craze so there was not much "grappling" at the time. I could not find a similar school in the Bay Area so I went to Fairtex. I don't think it developed any skills directly related to programming, but it was a lot of fun.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then also do MMA ground-and-pound drills if that concerns you. I find my BJJ base (purple belt) helps immensely when I have someone in my guard trying to punch me in the face.
In practical circumstances, I don't know why I'd willingly go to the ground, especially against someone bigger (and usually that's what bullies are). And I say that as a former wrestler.
Sometimes you don't have a choice.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then also do MMA ground-and-pound drills if that concerns you. I find my BJJ base (purple belt) helps immensely when I have someone in my guard trying to punch me in the face.
In practical circumstances, I don't know why I'd willingly go to the ground, especially against someone bigger (and usually that's what bullies are). And I say that as a former wrestler.
All martial artists know from extensive research on internet forums, that 99% of street fights go to the ground.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#37I think Aikido is a very good option, not only to programmers, but to all the people. It's a martial art which is meant to preserve the integrity of both players. Both mental and body health are the main concerns of this martial art.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#38i have no idea how martial arts would help my programming other than some kind of meditation-centric art (shaolin?). i do arnis/eskrima, which are philipino martial arts. the hand to hand is similar to muay thai but a little more focus on defense like locks. the stick fighting is neat because your reflexes improve and you learn how to move (good for sparring). i imagine most weapons classes would be good to sharpen your hand-eye coordination.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#39Growing up we watched tons of martial art related shows because they "looked cool", but while my brothers took some courses I never did (I was teaching myself BASIC). Being older and seeing life a bit differently I see martial arts differently as well. I stumbled across a new show where I was surprised to see childhood action-hero Steven Seagal as a real sheriff. It's a good example to me of the real, rather than tv…
I second Aikido for a software developer martial art. It requires no physical force to apply techniques and control opponents (if you're a big burly guy your learning of Aikido will actually be hampered because the technique will work even if you don't do it properly), which is probably what you want if you're of average programmer build.
If you like attacking, Aikido is not for you though. The movements are strictly defensive.
Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer
#40Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Practical and Powerful. Great lineage. Check it out.