Freestyler

http://www.fightergirls.com Good luck! I'm not a girl, but I'm interested..

Even if you only learn one thing, consider it money well spent.

Ahh, thanks! Makes sense. I just don't remember anything like that in his book, maybe I should read it again.

kchenault, hmm, interesting. You don't have a link for the article?

From the little research I've been doing lately, I think you should be doing compound exercises, bench press, squat, military press, deadlifts. Building up your biceps won't add as much mass and building your legs up.. But, most compound exercises seem to work minor muscles as well as major muscles.

kchenault, while what you said is true, you're going for the wrong kind of flexibility. You need dynamic flexibility for kicks, baby! Isometric stretching carries over to your dynamic flexibility a little bit, but even when you do the splits, it doesn't mean you can kick head height, let alone with ease! I could do the front splits, could kick head height as well (but, not without a warm up, one of the benefits of dynamic stretches). Couldn't do a roundhouse or side kick to head height though and I was really close to the ground in the box splits, maybe about 5cm away. I made the biggest gains in the box split by getting a bag on either side and having people move the bags out from underneath me slowly.. The more flexible you get, the more bags you stack up.

Yeah, I have considered quitting MA, generally it's when I throw up doing some form of training, whether it's having a roll, or doing cardio. Throwing up is one of the worst feelings for me. But, after I've finished and I feel normal again, I'm straight back on the mat or in the pool again without a second thought! It's just a temporary thought to try and make my pain go away, I'd never quite martial arts because it was too hard, that's why I love it!

Are you serious? I have given some pretty devestating thigh kicks using the top of my foot, and I've taken to using my shins to get more mass into the kick, resulting in a greater force, but spread out over a greater area... I definitely have to master this kick!

I don't know much about aikido, from my limited exposure to it (probably from an unqualified teacher as well), but it does seem to take a long time to grasp and be able to apply effectively. You should talk to Kensai and yoriki816, they both seem quite knowledeable on the subject. Aikido is almost as far away from 'hardcore' as you get. It doesn't tie in with my personality, or aggression, which is why I've never considered it. However, I think it would be an excellent art to help you with your every day life, giving you a sense of tranquility and harmony.. Yet, I have become much less aggressive through my training in BJJ as a person in general, but that'd aggression would kick in, in a real fight.

Hmm, I'll write this dojang off as a McDojo! The style of karate is Go Kan Ryu (GKR), after watching the sparring, especially by the head founder (Robert Sullivan), I was appalled and couldn't wait to get away from it.

I highly favour something like muay thai for kicks, because most of the kicks are simple, yet powerful! As well as that, muay thai utilises knees & elbows. The constant drilling and repititions performed will allow you to execute these quite easily and instictively in a fight I imagine. My favourite kick is a thigh kick, ended quite a few fights with it and it puts you at virtually no risk of being knocked flat on your back. Okay, now that I've had my ramble.. Have you looked into krav maga? It's a self defense system taught to the Isralei army, which includes kicking, punching, elbows, knees, weapon defenses against guns and knives, defenses to common grabs such as bear hugs, as well some some ground work. It seems to have everything you want, but I'm not sure about the emphasis placed on kicks. As for counters to basic take downs, I think the only way you're gonna learn that is if you do a grappling art and learn the most common take downs.

Ah, very nice article, thanks KickChick! I think that was my problem, I've only ever seen the kick done and tried to mimick it, I haven't had an explanation, and I was attempting a roundhouse kick like the second one, only with the ball of my foot, which probably explains why I find it more awkward than I should. However, I'll give it another go! Surprisingly, I think I damaged my left foot when I kicked a pole as hard I could - I could never kick without pain after that.

Regarding '90% of fights go to the ground', the statistics were taken from arrests made by police officers. I think it is very misleading, but an effective marketing slogan. I do believe however, that affter the pre-fight stage and the first strike has been thrown, the fight is likely to go to the ground. Naturally, I'm biased and would like to think that I'm not wasting my time training in grappling. You NEVER want to go to the ground if you can avoid it, but grappling will serve you well in preventing a fight going to the ground, or if it does, you'll know how to reverse a position and get back onto your feet quickly.

The students are generally a reflection of the teacher. Look at the students, especially the higher ranked students to see what they're like. If they're sloppy, with poor technique and have no respect for the teacher (although I find that's unlikely if they've been with him/her for a while) it's probably a poorly ran dojang. If there are no higher belts/advanced kickboxers there, there's most likely something up as well. Make a check list of the things you want: High intensity training - a good indication is if the students are dripping with sweat at the end of their workout. Realistic sparring (if they do point sparring, or 'non contact' sparring, get the hell away!) - medium to full contact sparring, but in a controlled environment. By the same token, if they spar like a full on street brawl, you won't learn how to fight either. An instructor you feel comfortable with and get along with Lots of students or few students? I find with few students, you get much more personal attention from the instructor. However, with lots of students, you get to fight all different types of people and there's usually a student who can help you. Good luck! The first few months will be the hardest, but after that it becomes much more enjoyable. I think your flexibility and fitness will be greatly helped if you can work on them at home as well. For flexibility, you will want to look into 'dynamic' stretches, as this is the kind of flexbility your kicks will require. Doing the splits doesn't logically mean you can kick head height. Post anymore questions you have and make sure you let us know how you get on!

That's a good point about the wrestling. I've grappled with wrestlers, while they have excellent take down skills and good positional control, they don't know very many submissions, but what's to stop them from pounding the crap out of you from the mount?