You'll see a lot of this in Japanese martial arts, where certain positions and movements see widespread usage or modified versions amongst various martial arts forms as various forms have split off, modified, or combined with each other over the years. I've seen Aikido stuff end up in Yoshukai, some Judo forms in Taijutsu, and various elements of karate styles like Shotokan end up in things like Ishinryu.jfrost wrote:I thought the original jujutsu had branched into other kinds of martial arts.
As for picking one you'd like to study, I can tell you right now based on the things you've said that you're not looking for your run-of-the-mill Karate or Taekwando place. Those guys will likely focus on tournaments and point fighting, which you don't want. Now that doesn't mean they all will, but it's sometimes a bit difficult to get the good stuff from the chaff.
If you're looking for something that's updated itself to serve in modern times and works quite well, Krav Maga is probably a good choice. The Ishinryu guys I know seem to absolutely love their art and definitely don't go for point fighting, and Jeet Kune Do would probably interest you. I've seen guys doing Kung Fu, but every school I've seen of it down here has been a little strange in how they handled things. Things might be different in your area though.
If you are interested in more wrestling-style moves, Sambo might be your thing, but you're going to want to focus on either Combat Sambo or Freestyle Sambo, not the sport version. You'll also need to go to Russia for the best training (like most of these martial arts, you have to go to the motherland for the best stuff). You might take an interest in Sanshou, but it's become more sportlike as time goes by.
And then there's stuff like Muay Thai, if you don't mind having connotations with boxing. It's disgustingly brutal in its pure form, but even the sports version isn't pleasant.
And then there's what I studied for a while, Taijutsu under the Bujinkan, though Taijutstu is a bit of a throwaway term for the variety of stuff they do. Taijutsu is a very ugly art, but it works quite well from what I've found, and the Bujinkan guys generally aren't afraid of modification and modernization: I've seen jewel cases used for shuriken, had extensive conversations on firearms use (haven't made it to any of those seminars unfortunately), and been forced to drop guys and then drag them 20 feet to the nearest cell phone (hair pulling worked quite well, as did barring finger joints and skin grabs). I've not been able to attend classes in a long time, but I really want to get back to it. If you want something that understands how brutal fights get, it's not a bad place to look: conversations have ranged from sentry avoidance to spitting, biting, hogtying, weapons concealment, joint breaking, submission, and how to end a fight, which is something the other places I've been usually neglect. Hell, the psychology and timing of tapping out made for a great discussion.
Yeah, I'm a bit biased, as I've enjoyed the Bujinkan, even if it is quite painful. It's not everybody's cup of tea, however, as it will touch on a more emotional and spiritual side of the discussion which some folks aren't comfortable with. We're not discussing shooting lighting from our fingertips or anything, though discussions on intent do come up a lot.
