tallgeese

Well said.

It's probably a combination of both. There will be that segment that doesn't care what works and what doesn't. They just want an aerobic exercise or a cultural study, ect. And quite frankly, that's fine as long as that's what an individual wants. Just because I don't have an interest in it doesn't mean that it's not a valid pursuit. The bigger problem I have is those, who you mentioned, are duped into believing that it's something it's not. That this type of training is preparing them for sd situations. That's when I have a problem with marketing.

Yes, I've sed them. They are okay and not horrible espicially if you haven't got anything else to work with. Then next better step is to go to wooden facsimilies. This way you get a litte feed back on the cuts. Another really good option is the knives with felt blades that you can use as markers with lipstick and such. This doesn't give you the "rap" feeling when you get struck it does give you a visual cue. If you've got the coin, the Shocknife system, which uses electical jolts on contact is excellet. From experience, I can say it really does feel like you're getting cut when you catch the blade. Probably the knife I use to train knife skills the most with is a metal facsimile. It looks real, and thus heightens you mental appreciation of the exercise and still gives good physical feedback on contact. Plus, they're really durable. Also, the have a pretty low cost associated with them. The cost on rubber knives is pretty cheap, but they aren't the best item to use in my mind. At least not the best in cost v. training benefit. Wood is a bit more pricy but more real. The metal and the felt bladed are the next step up in price and probibly the most efficient. I'd have to look to see what they are running. Shocknife will be the most expensive option, and will probabliy be out of range for most of us.

today- No timeto work out. Luckily it was because of a range day. Qual shoot, combat course and force on force. Always a good day and I got to work with my new Kimber. Worth every penny.

The Atama would be a good choice, and not look out of place in a karate school. It's very unadornded with logos and such. Also, OTM makes a solid base model gi in white that is really well done and wouldn't stand out in a karate school too bad. They also have the best draw strings of any of my gis.

There's not really a beter or worse. It's a matter of what your goals are. Once you do an honest assessment of that, you can find which way is the best FOR YOU. For me, I've always been about the self defense application. So, for me, that's the crucible. Nor do these have to be mutally exclusive. My base arts, all on sd. However, I've found the BJJ not only lends itself well to sd, but there's a beauty of the art in there that attracts me as much, if not more than the practical side of it. You can only get comfortable with this if each person really evaluates what they want out of the arts.

Welcome to KF!

Primarily, for sd first and foremost. Everything has to relat back to that in some way. After that, I've really gotten into the art side of BJJ just for it's sake.

sensei, that sounds about right for the Japanese based arts I come out of. Pretty similar.

Check out a site calledcrossfit.com. They have a lot of bodyweight stuff and simple to do exercises. You can certainly get good info there even if you're not going to utilize their whole program.

today- 2 mile run

today- 3 mile run back/bis abs

Ok, a couple of good points there, granted. However, this is an opinion born out of my experiance coming from mma and shoot to BJJ. I've also seen a techincal jump out of other guys in similar situations. It's not just reguritating what instructors have said, it's based on what I've seen and done. To suggest that is, quite frankly, a bit insulting. There is more of a focus on slow, deleberiate movements. That seems to be the big difference I see. No, I'm not suggesting any offense to any no gi arts. I'm talking about a focus primarily on BJJ-centric grappling.

Freestyle and Greco by and large.

I'm actually a fan of training gi, even for cross over sd purposes. First off, it makes your technical game WAY tighter. If you want to really get good lines and the intricacies of a movement, do gi. It will send your no gi game through the roof. Second off, in most parts of the country or at least my little corner, you can bet on a longsleeve shirt or jacket at least 4-5 months out of the year for general use. Not bad odds. Also, long pants will mimic the grips on the gi pant pretty effectively. So it's not as out of bounds as one would think. More importantly, however, is the technical jump.

John, I have to disagree with the idea of continuing to grind with the elbows, anywhere, in training. First up, in JJ circles, it's kind of a disrespectful thing to do. It's usually associated with a lack of experience or composure. And as some one said, pretty soon no one will want to be rolling with you. Your goal is to get better with technique, not prove who can crank harder with an elbow. And, also as stated before, if the bad guy has any esperience it will do no good.

Fri- off Sat- A few miles hiking and climbing. However, all good done by this was undone by the quantities of beer drunk at the campfire that night Sun- 1 mile run chest/tris abs

As to the PPCT GAGE program I can tell you that was less than impressed with the stuff that we got on our end. The basic movements they taught were lacking in some important information to maximize theireffetiveness. It was like someone put a program together with the gross movements but no real understanding of them. Where PPCT shines is it's weapons disarming. Not retention so much, but it too is acceptable. The baton system is fine. But, speaking as an instructor in the program for our department, I'm less than impressed with it as a whole, particularly the ground aspect.

I enjoy training knives and do like the spyderco brand. In fact, the favorite knife I ever owned was a fully serrated model just like yours. Great knives.

Very cool, glad you had a good experience. You'll find that BJJ is an easy art to fall in love with. The relaxed training, the highly technical nature and constant work against resistance will keep you excited to train. Keep us posted.

today- BJJ nite: Worked thru half butterfly to sweep to cross side, then moved to full mount and arm bar. Finished with standing work to close and clinch. 35 min free roll.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Great call bushido man. Yeah, I love this film as well. It's certainly at the top of my list.

Yeah, I'm a big fan as well. I've never really thought of it as a pure martial arts movie, but I do love it.

today- Drilled combos on the mitts. Double jabs, to kicks, to hard cross, to sprawl out of takedown effort by mitt holder. 6, 2 min rounds of free sparring. Hands/elbows only, kicks, to takedown thru rounds. Covered holding mount followed by Americana. Free roll for 25 min.