My friends think i need to be more relaxed but i always like hold what do ya think?

relax its better, u look more pro and relax joints are harder to break

hey thnx i didnt know that relaxed joints are harder to break

Relax allows for fluidity of motion, and buildup of momentum. You cannot achieve the momentum of a properly executed relax move with a similar hold move. Also, hold moves tend to be more symmetrical and predictable, whereas with relax moves you can make sudden changes in motion and be harder to hit.

There is no "better". Two joint states serve completely different functions.

Hold is needed to preserve the shape of your limbs and body so they won't give under stress. This is useful for blocking, balancing, and dishing damage. Relaxed joints are used when you want certain limbs to naturally bend under gravity or use a flailing strike. They also come in handy when you are trying to land from a high altitude, because relaxed body will absorb stress from the landing more evenly, you just got to make sure you don't dq.

I like to think of held joints as tightly inflated soccer balls which don't give in and thus channel energy very well; exactly opposite of relaxed joints.

PS: the whole "more relaxed means more pro" thing is 100% not true. While most new players start off very stiff, it is simply due to the fact that they can't balance too well and thus don't risk relaxing too much.

Relax for Wushu

Hold for Judo

They are both equal

Odlov is right it doesn`t matter its just use relax when you start off your move then just hold your joints so you won`t get dqed or if you just need to pull something off.

It depends. I usually do things relaxed, but you should know that holding or relaxing a joint can hold many possibilities, these options are equal to moving the joint into a direction. You just got to feel when to use what.

if you want to move around, I say relax.

but generally, hold is for balance and sometimes blocking.

Also, things are easier to break when relaxed, not harder.

Moved this to beginner sanct. Not really a discussion board discussion... if that makes any sense.

In any case, odlov is 100% right. Hold and relaxed are used for different purposes, and one isnt better than the other. It's a total misconception that pros use relax only. That isnt true. They may be able to use it more without losing just because they understand the physics and stuff of the game better, but relaxed is also really risky, especially in long turnframe modes.

Also a lot of the people who think they know how to use relaxed style really just look like badly flailing dolls. It's uglier than hold all.