wheelchair martial arts vs ''standard'' martial arts

Hi there,
im new to here so first off lemme start by saying hey to all
BUT befor you kick this post off to the newbie section please read through :

I need to open this thread by saying im a wheelchair user, i have no lower strength but strong in the shoulders…anyway

I started off learning wing chung, but i found it hard as im constantly sparing with people who are alot taller,
I kept this up for about two months but it then started going into movment and foot movments.

I moved onto self taught, carrying on wing chung, but also doing differnt things, Jo staff/bo staff, nunchaku’s and swords ( mostly broad sword)

anyway, it comes down to this,

I was wondering if anyone has any insight into wheelchair martial arts, self teaching is abit dull + you never know if you got it 100% right, and there is no sparing, if anyone has links or contacts this would be hugely apreciated, also, if there is prohaps a better style more suited for my needs, i found wing chung userful, but the move ments are extrealy tuff when sitting.

and one last question,

if there are anything else i can be self teaching in the weapon side of things, i gave the rope dart a try but found it impossible. im looking for somthing along the same style as nunchaku’s.

thanks a million and hope i posted this in the right place

L / k 104

Escrima/Kali/Arnis. Failing that, do BJJ.

_ing _un doesn’t work even for the able-bodied.

I hadnt heard of BJJ, but i just had a quick read up and it sounds intresting, do you have some helpful links? thanks very much for the help

L / k 104

Standard question, are you interested in MA mostly as a recreation/exercise program, or are you more specifically interested in real self defense?

Personally I would recommend Kali and Brazilian Jujitsu just like Hedgehogey. Kali has some of the most practical and applicable weapon work and Brazilian Jujitsu is great in using leverage to make up for strength.

There’s some good discussion and links re. wheelchair self defense in this thread - http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33959&highlight=wheelchair

gotta agree with bjj and kali. a striking art for someone in a wheelchair just isnt gonna work- in a SD situation trying to hit back with any kind of force from a sitting position is basically impossible

and wing chun cant help anyone fight :stuck_out_tongue:

BJJ, in my opinion, has a very strong emphasis on full body takedowns, and much of the leverage seems to come from a strong combination of uper and lower body.

Judo, on the other hand, while it would need to be altered somewhat due to your legs being wheels, could work very well for you, as you likely aren’t going to be rushing anyone in the near future.grin

I hate to state the obvious like some sort of a forum smartass, but with all due sincerity I implore you to buy a handgun. Get a concealed carry permit. Go to the range and practice. Worry about hand to hand afterwards.

“You got pecs? I got Tec’s!”

He’s right. Plus, if you could mount it to the wheelchair directly…?

Sorry. I’ll be good.

Failing a gun, a tazer is another good choice. It’s simpler than a gun, and can be put in alot of the same places that a wallet can, making it easier to go for.

at martial arts planet they have a martial arts with disabilities forum, i’d check that out they can probably lend some advice.

uh, guys. concealed carry, while the best solution, isn’t a very good suggestion for a british subject.

BJJ, in my opinion, has a very strong emphasis on full body takedowns, and much of the leverage seems to come from a strong combination of uper and lower body.
bjj. strong emphasis on takedowns (of any sort). heheheheh

I gotta go along with him, Ching Ching Pow, beats any hand to hand system…

man people hassled you for being in a wheelchair? what the fuck? if anyone did that at my old school (i knew a couple guys in wheelchairs) they would have recieved one severe hiding from pretty much everyone else. that shit aint cool.

carry a baseball bat in your chair, if the cops ask say its for your baseball. you practice all the time you just leave it there :smiley:

as for the fighting only for SD, just look at my sig different strokes for different folks

well if im going to be honest, i carry about a pair of nunchakus , but at the end of the day if i get pushed from behind or held down or even thrown to the floor nunchakus are pointless… i tried carrying around my wooden broad sword but that didnt go down well.

Good work beating up the anti-disabled person. Try to contact your local disabilities organisation to see if anyone has experience in teaching the disabled.

nunchaku are the most fucking worthless thing you could carry. the louisville slugger has been proven effective time and time again. no contest.

The thing is with contacting the local Dissability org, you get entered into one class,which is blind,death, mently and physical dissabilitys, which just doesnt work when teaching as a group. I find ALOT in the uk, that when you talk about dissability you talk about it on a whole, but everyone is differnt, and that goes for dissabilitys too.

for example : if they teach a grapple, for somone with my sort of dissability its pretty easy due to strong upper body and pretty much a good center gravity ( good thing about chairs is there sturdy when needed, but also there move able if needs be), but if you show that to somone who doesnt have the upper body strength but good lower, it has to be changed in ways of movment.

Atm im reading through the forums and finding alot out. i tried googling and you get this SD from a wheelchair… ( if anyone has time look it up it made me laugh )

it has a picture of a wheelchair that looks like it could be blown over by somone breathing…

and it starts : all wheelchairs have , arm rests , handle bars, and footplates that stick out. use these and your sure to catch them off guard.

Fantastic advice exept these days no wheelchair has handle bars unless you have no strength , then you attach them when needed,

most wheelchair ( with exeptions) dont have arm rests as you cant move the wheels with them. there in the way so userly ( if there are needed) there placed under ur armpits 

and for the footrests im not sure as my foot rests are done under the chair so that my legs are back abit to keep the preasure off my knee’s.

i dunno it made me laugh anyway hehe =)

thanks again
L/k 104

The bjj is good advice. It should help you in avoiding being taken down,
and will definitely help after you are thrown to the ground.

The kali is also a good bet. A weapon gives you more reach, as you are
limited in mobility, it will help keep attackers at a distance. Another choice
might be kendo/kenjutsu.

There is an instructor in the states named Henry Smalls (google up his
dojo schedule, and try contacting him for advice) who has no legs, and
competes (and wins) kendo tournaments.

`~/

Just a point of clarification, what degree of mobility do your legs have? Anyway, not the most ground breaking advice, but I think in your situation you should focus on finding someone who not only will but also has the ability to train you well. I’ve met instructors who love figuring out how to adapt techniques to an individual’s situation…and others who couldn’t adapt their way out of a paper bag. Now that you’ve got some arts to start with, make some calls and start going to schools…and keep us posted. Good luck.