StrangeBacon

Was having a read through my copy of Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and i came across the age old quote; "Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality." Now as profound as this statement is, im interested to see what it means to each of you and how you would interpret it in the martial arts as well as your lives in general. And perhaps throw in a few of your favourite quotes and statements and what they mean to you and how they've possibly helped you keep on the straight and narrow as it were. Discuss

Dont stretch through pain, thats a massive no-no it'll actually make your gains go backwards and you'll be way more likely to injure yourself. As regards his age, 33, unless he's physically debilitated in some way then theres nothing stopping him from reaching his genetic potential in flexibility, it only takes a few months if you do it right. As i said in my last post, i reference a book and a brilliant site, i suggest you check them out as they helped me and many others out greatly. Hope this helped.

He's quite correct Splits and high kicks use two different types of flexibility, kicks use dynamic flexibility, this is developed by doing leg raises to the front, side and back twice a day. Examples of upper body dynamics are arm swings and trunk rotations ect. The splits has very little to do with kicking high as this is known as static flexibility, being able to do the splits will allow you to strike some cool poses and give you the flexibility to do scorpion kicks (along with a great deal of leg strength ) but as far as usefulness goes, its not a requirement to be a great kicker. Statics are indeed best to do at the end of the workout, the effect it has on the muscles actually increases the risk of injury for the first 5 mins or so until your body warms into your session. They also increase serotonin flow and make you relaxed and ready for sleep, not a good state for a workout. If, however, you do want to develop the splits the best method is isometric/PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretching, as DWx mentioned. Theres a plethora of videos about this on youtube, but i recommend Jujimufu's TricksTutorials.com and Tom Kurz's book Stretching Scientifically. Hope this cleared it up a little.

I know we do, its a form of karate. Muay Thai seems a logical choice too although i dont have too much experience with it.

I can see where your mum is coming from, but by the same token martial arts are just that, nothing more nothing less, and in a competition everyones mind is going to be on one thing, winning. Being female in a grappling art like BJJ is going to attract attention from people who dont do martial arts for sure, but dont let that stop you, if anything, use peoples perceptions to prove them wrong! A certain element of it is going to be down to different generation and times, years ago they would have seperated the females/males, but times are different now and that can only be a sign of a more accepting, open society, a definate plus. Maybe show her how much you've been practicing and how much this competition means to you, that could sway her. Good luck!

Hey there guys, I was thinking it would be interesting to know a bit about each of your individual MA historys such as what got you into the MA, when you started and how long before you fell in love with it and got seriously into training. Whether its been started before or not i thought it would be a fun idea and let some of the newer members get to know the older ones and vice versa. I'll start.....My training began in Kickboxing about 15 years ago in a small outbuilding converted into a gym, we had about 12 guys in there so it was quite a squeeze! I ended up getting my black belt 3 years later and stopped for a while due to exams and work, keeping up my training on my own so i didnt go rusty. A few years later i got into Karate, the Bushido Academy of Martial Arts to be specific, but due to reasons that are to be discussed at another time (keeping this positive ) my sensei left the organisation. Due to the mark he had left on us all we followed and he went on to form Shinkido Martial Arts a style based upon his vast experience in karate and aikido with a focus on modern day street style combat. Katas are still performed and all of the "arts" are present and correct, we even teach sword, sai and bo with a seperate gradings system and have bookable weekend courses in a seperate location in the hills to get away from all the hustle and bustle of modern day life. We're still a small organisation with 3 dojos and a small number of students, but we're growing steadily Quality over quantity has always been important to me. And thats my journey so far! I look forward to reading about everyone else!

Welcome to KF, Paul

Pretty sure theres another thread discussing this somewhere, i remember it being a few months ago, the term junior black belts being thrown around. As for elaborating on the "emotional responsibilities" i personally dont beleive a black belt symbolises just expertise in a martial art, but rather a certain maturity that a child cannot obtain. I think it should come with life experience, afterall, martial arts is a long arduous journey, whats the point of rushing it for the sake of a belt?

Glad you got it sorted in the end, sounds like quite an ordeal!

In dojo kumite i'll usually use odd footwork from training other styles here and there, it really throws off alot of karateka as they dont expect it. In terms of techniques i like to do a little variation on the roundhouse in that ill use the ball of my foot and pop it into my opponants inner thigh, its not stretched out like a kick to the head but the legs bent and its fired in punching range kind of like a jab with the leg, generally used whenever they start to move in on me. As for other favourites i tend to favour a mawashi geri - yoko geri - mawashi geri fast combination as its quite disorientating blocking side - centre - side in quick succession. I'd assume you would just follow the path of the ashi barai, chamber the leg and deliver the ura mawashi geri from there, but if the AB did its job then you wouldnt hit someone with the ura mawashi anyway. I'm sure you'd find some vids on youtube.

Great post, love it!

Thanks guys, its an honor

Have to agree with this. We dont compete however so low kicks are the norm since you just dont see them coming after a good snap punch. Worry the legs i say

Great intro and sorry to hear about your arm, welcome to KF

Just because it works in MMA doesnt mean it'll work in a real fight, a real fight has too many factors. For a start the person demonstrating is stood straight on i.e massive target, and as he moves into the strikes he overextends his body and leaves his legs behind, the actual strike he's doing isnt too far removed from a Ura Tate Zuki, the main thing thats missing is the covering hand, again another problem as he's not paying any attention to whats happening to his face while he's striking. An experienced fighter would have very little problem countering a wild barrage of punches either. Just my opinion however take it how you will, like i said theres many factors to a fight.