Yo-yo requires a certain discapline and drive that is found commonly in career martial artists. I myself am a Kempo karate instructor for two different dojos. So my question to you is; (if you study any martial art) What discaplines have you trained in and what rank (if applicable) have you attained?
I have my second degree black belt in Ashite-do Kempo (dav-ryu) and have studied Aikido, Shaolin Kempo, Iaido, Wing Chun, Judo, Jujitsu, Escrima, Chin-na, and Tai-chi outside my main system.
I throw a YYJ Dark Magic, a Yomega Maverick, and a Pocket Pro Zombie mainly. I want a YYJ SR-71 in the worst way though. so what about you?
definitely agree with the sentiment that yo-yoing and martial arts can rely upon/develop similar kinds of internal focus. i mainly practice aikido (nidan), as well as muso-shinden ryu iaido and shindo-muso ryu jodo. i studied tae kwon do and tai chāi chāuan in my youth.
I quit, but I used to be a 1st degree brown belt in ISKF Shotokan Karate. ISKF- International Shotokan Karate Federation. Also, there are 3 degrees of brown before 1st degree black. I have down some basic Tae Kwon Do at some classes also. Nothing much past this though. I have always been interested in other martial arts, mainly Kempo and Tai-chi. As for my disciplines I would go to class twice a week for an hour and a half to two hours. I was quite fortunate because I had the privilege of having 2 sometimes 3 black belts train me at the same time. And every 3 months go to a clinic and usually test. As for my main throws, (seeing as how you have posted yours) are my DM, New Breed, Protostar, and Zombie at the moment.
I take judo lessons from tim schwab, really a great teacher. Iām not if itās helped me with yoyoing a whole lot, but itās at least kept me in shape.
In my youth I achieved the title of 3rd Degree Red Belt in Shaolin Kenpo (which at my particular school was one under a 1st Degree Black Belt. Also in the Marine Corps. I achieved Green Belt which is 2 under Black. My favorite throws currently are the YYF Frantic, YYJ Lyn Fury, MMZ (MinusMike FHZ), and Barco Energy.
Pretty interesting you should ask. I just participated in a martial arts demo today! I am a first degree brown belt. My teacher teaches many styles, so we learn how to spar, grapple, use weapons, and perform different styles of forms.
As for yoyos, I mostly use my hitman if I go out somewhere, but at home I might use my Senza Nome, Dv888, or Bully. I also have an atmosphere set up for 5a.
Iām certainly not an expert about martial arts in any way, but thinking about it, I think yoyo would be more suited for chinese martial arts rather than japanese ones
canāt find the proper words to explain why tho, it has to do with flow and smoothness of movements in general, I find Karate maybe too āhardā and not āflowingā enough.
now I can be totally wrong, donāt quote me on this ???
Im currently take Vovinam (Vietnamese Martial Arts). Its more of a flowing art, but i also incorporate Muay Thai into it too. I currently throw SCLBs and Protostars.
wing chun would be nice with responsive/short strings yoyos IMO, 2A that is or maybe 5a as well, I donāt know
as advanced wing chun has techniques to use with a staff (5A ?) or dual knives (2A ?)
it would definately work with capoeira (spelling?)
on a slightly different note, what about yo yo and dancing (regular dancing, hip hop dancing) Some performances already are pretty close to it
I studied some Wing Chun but I donāt really have a rank. Iām hopeān to train again in the future but who knows. Iām looking to get my oldest in Pai Lum soon.
For 2A you would need real short strings and 5A would have to be 9 1/2 feet to match the size of the staff, no sure how that would work out
Lets figure this out! It sounds like a fun challenge to mix Martial Arts with Yo-yo - lets makes videos combining the two Somehow ā¦ post 'em and be awesome like we are! Any of you guys in MA or NH for a collaboration?
I was more focused on the yo-yo, but one can see the martial arts creeping in.
Iām in the middle of the U.S. It would be GREAT to meet more people, but I would have to do a lot of planning and spend some money I donāt quite have.
Sensei Dave, if you would like to keep an eye out for contests in your region (east coast~ish is pretty active), and contacted all of us again, and then hyped it once the date got close, I bet you could get a good turnout with other martial artists and yo-yoers.
yes I mentionned the short strings, and I agree with staffās length but it doesnāt mean itās not adaptable āas isā, but Iāve never been that far in WC so I canāt tell, Iāll go back to training next year, maybe Iāll try to figure out something
the point where I donāt see WC fit is that itās a martial art that is not really āartisticā while yo yoing purpose is at least remotely artistic
but I could imagine a punch combo with 2 yo yos spinning and probably some other techniques too, but any of em would require a total revamp including the yo yo moves instead of fists and also making sure the strings wouldnāt cross in any way, but a basic WC punch combo would definately work IMO, itās probably worth trying but I donāt know any 2A
What about using Taiji (Tai Chi ) poses as the final beats of each trick? Say for example landing a modified trapeze on āwild horse parts its maneā? Maybe with any form or kata? A nunchaku form for 5a? I may try the Taiji thing but my 5a is lacking for such an endeavour. :
to me, the idea of adding material thatās ānon-functionalā to martial arts forms is frivolous and devoid of use. iāve never understood the appeal of flowery martial arts ādemosā or techniques/forms that are so diluted by flashy performance that their connection with any martial efficacy has withered. i think that there are many similarities between yo-yoing and the martial arts in terms of how the brain approaches them and in terms of how material is disseminated/taught (just as said similarities are there in painting or sculpture or almost any pursuit that may inform our āway of lifeā). however, while both may inform each other, i donāt see any use in trying to artificially apply yo-yoing directly to the martial arts or vice versa.
you need to get a hold of the whole form>function side of things ^^
and also dream a little, the manās greatest achievements were done after some peopleās craziest dreams
at one point we thought traveling past 100km/h would dislocate the human body, we walked on the moon, heck, youāre on the other side of the world and weāre discussing
I say dream on dreamer
pragmatism isnāt making anyoneās life fun
then one day weāll see a crazy vid mixing martial arts and yo yo and then people will just follow as usual.
Be positive man, mixing yo yo with martial arts might be pointless but itāll definately look good enough to worth trying
no. while i appreciate the dismissive condescension, what you just posted represents everything that i detest about modern āshowā martial arts.
i prefaced the entire point by saying āfor meā. it doesnāt matter to me how you interpret their application, but āfor meā, the martial arts are not something i do āfor funā. likewise, i donāt practice them to ālook goodā. not everything that makes you a better, more complete person needs to be about fun or looking good. (thatās not to say i donāt HAVE fun practicing martial arts - i do. i just donāt allow fun to guide my practice/study). i have plenty of aspects of my life that are all about fun (hi, yo-yoing).
and itās not a matter of unwillingness to dream. iāve seen a hundred martial arts demos that are āall flash, no smashā. iām not impressed by someone in a sequin outfit doing some kind of artificial, 540-degree jump-spinning-hook-kick and iād be even less impressed if they were doing 2a at the same time. itās not that i believe itās impossible. itās that i believe that it represents the dilution of traditional martial principles; lessons that i think were useful and relevant and which our society is neglecting/forgetting. budo is about BU (protection/defense). occasionally, your practice will be fun and occasionally it might even look cool. but if youāre letting ANYTHING besides āBUā dictate the terms of your studyā¦ then i think your time would be better spent doing other things.
yo-yoās are for play. yo-yoās are for fun. the martial arts i study are decidedly not. it doesnāt make them less valuable.
As for my main throws, (seeing as how you have posted yours) are my DM, New Breed, Protostar, and Zombie at the moment. 
