tallgeese

We keep a pretty standard kit floating around that seems to always be empty of tape, Band-Aids, and Advil. Interestingly, it's the same at work. We spend so much time focusing on critical trauma care I can pretty much stop a major bleed, plug a chest wound, or shock someone's heart with what is at the range. Now, look for a Band-Aid to deal with slide bite and it's impossible.

29 this year. The only think I really know after all of that is how little I really know. That and just how unpredictable actual violent encounters can be and how difficult it can be to prepare for them despite all those years.

Congrats!

Welcome to KF!

Yeah, so we're pretty laid back. Heck, even my karate days were on the relaxed end of the spectrum. As previously stated, in BJJ we are just by nature less formal. We don't even do a bow in/ out at our place and no one thinks about it crossing the mat. On Saturdays I'm liable to do it with coffee in hand. This is all fine and good for people who like that atmosphere. Some people just don't. And that's fine. Now, our challenge comes when we have the head of our organization in for a seminar (like the coming weekend ) who does bow on and off, does the by rank line up, and bows to start and finish class. We always scramble to try and figure it out. Usually failing.

It's a bit worse than that in my case unfortunately, as if worn cartilage is not bad enough. I had an accident and few years ago. Unfortunately the x ray technician failed to spot the damage. The conclusion in a very busy A and E department was that nothing was broken, just badly bruised, and a few weeks of rest to light activity would fix it. It was about 2 years later when the problems persisted that an MRI and further xray analysis revealed that in fact the two joint surfaces had actually caved in. Fragments of broken bone from the smashed joint surfaces had moved and reset in the wrong position. If we'd realised this at the time, there's a chance that key hole surgery could have saved the joint. As it's all now well and truly set in the wrong place, it's a case of management until it either fuses or possibly a joint replacement. As grim as all that sounds though, in about 50% of similar cases, joint degradation stops, and it gets no worse for years. Wow! Yup. I'd defiantly move to an art with less trauma on the feet.

Great question! Does my gym make profit? Yes. Could I live off it if I didn't have a day job? No. That's the reality of it. Now, this works out fine since it's not a primary income stream. There's also the fact I'm not paying tuition and the gym picks up my continuing education such as seminars etc.

There's a time for "suck it up" and a time to re-evaluate priorities. We're talking about a joint condition where there is permanent changes to your anatomy. That's not going to condition away. You're not going to develop a mental callous around it. There is literally cartilage failing to buffer the joints in your foot. The only way to keep this from being chronically painful AND exacerbating the condition for activities of daily living is to stop doing what's causing it. Kicking things is one of those things that will a) force you into pain every single day, and 2) make it worse with continued degradation of the body. Given this, there is exactly zero shame in choosing to modify what you do. The fact you're looking at arts that will allow you to keep training without making your condition worse vs. leaving altogether is a testament to how much you like to train. Look at any hands heavy art. Even consider boxing that 100 percent removes kicking. Maybe a FMA that focuses on weapons. Even grappling that is less ballistic on the feet. All are solid options that will continue to let you train. Keep us posted.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Quality is important. But why are you in a class if it's not quality already? That should be one of the criteria for even putting your name on the line. After that, hours of training matter. Assuming that quality is a forgone conclusion if you're at a good guy (everyone needs to do their homework on this) then more of it will be better. Yes, training out of class is important, but this will be different for different practitioners. I generally look these days at out side of class training to be conditioning, strength training, etc. (I hate it when classes spend half their time on this) because you'll get way more out of supervised training than working on your own. This may be different for highly trained individuals, but even they will benefit from a partner to work against.

Johnny was just a perfectly ordinary hormonal young man. Daniel was the bully. There was an older one that didn't go viral which was a three parter called "crimes of Daniel larusso" But good to know cobra kai supporters are here! Assaaaaa! Cobra kai.... Say it. Cobra kai, never dies! That's right! Yeah, I even like the cheesy third one.

Congrats on the promotion! As to the hardest, it has to be my shodan test. For the karate organization I came out of this is the watershed test. It's long (about 3 hours total), technical, and culminates with an hour of sparring. Exhausting. Mentally and physically.

Happy Birthday JR!

Welcome aboard! Look forward to hearing your perspective!

Honestly, this is pretty common. Regardless of style and emphasis the hands just get hurt in MAs. If you think about it, it makes sense we're hitting, palming, grapping, etc all with the hands. They are just at risk more due to what we're constantly doing with them. Add in their rather delicate structure and it's a recipe for just what you're talking about.

So I'm going back a bit here on the kata front, it's just not part of jiu jitsu. Interestingly enough, it is in the kali art I dabble in and it's this that has given me a fresh perceptive on it. First up, it can't be disconnected. My first MA instructor did a great job of this. You didn't just do kata, there was a reason. Generally, this led to drilling a particular tactic or sequence in partner drills that came from the kata afterward and using this to build into one or three step sparring with a focus on integrating into spontaneous drills or sparring. It's a part of something larger and should be treated as such. As part of this, he'd be very specific as to what motions we were pulling out for what situations. Adult learning theory has subsequently confirmed that this is the best way to teach grown ups. The WHY is important to us and the more useful a tool the more we'll embrace it and replicate it. It anchors learning if we understand the NEED. Unknowingly, my first coach hit the nail on the head teaching in this fashion. Let's be clear. It was still my least favorite part. Fast forward to PTK and you'll see those forms directly translate to combat. This is why I think the construction is better on these. There is no supposition or "finding" the bunkai. Your coach can tell you exactly what each cut is for. This is very difficult to find with authenticity in some arts.

I'd happily open Alpha for a weekend for a meet up, Chicago is a cool city to visit in conjunction but it's also on the pricy side to fly into. Likewise, I'd happily travel if it fit with my responsibilities here.

Congrats! Doubts happen, good on you for keeping going.

Pictures!!!! While I can't make Okinawa, I do think a KF meet up and training session would be fun.

Shin is my preferred. It's nature's little baseball bat and far more likely to survive full contact than the instep. Look at the anatomy of the foot. You've got several small bones connected longitudinally to a stack of other small bones. This lends it to injury. The whole thing is supported by ligaments that are small in comparison to the muscles in the leg. Now it's possible to hurt not just the bone but also the soft tissue with contact. Consider also that you're not always going to hit your target. People move, they block, or you just target wrong. That instep in an elbow is going to leave a mark. The shin will hurt, but you'll likely be up and fighting still.

Most BJJ places will accommodate very well. You'll enjoy it. You'll get those benefits you're talking about without getting hurt. It's a very enjoyable experience and it sounds like it'd be good for you. That said, your schedule will be the deciding factor. Give it a trial and see how it goes. Based on your goals there's every likelihood you'll end up favoring it while keep in a foot in the door in TSD rather than the other way around. Let us know how it goes when you take a look.

This. Wrestling shoes are my go to outdoors for doing any sort of sparring. They won't protect your foot, but like you said, neither do those ridiculous foam things really. Wresting shoes will protect the soles of your feet. Just don't turn around and wear them on the mat!

Congrats! Nice work!

It depends on what you're doing martial arts for. This is what determines if something is superior or not. How does that art function in a given environment? So, the ruleset that has developed in MMA leads one on a path of MT, wrestling, and grappling as a general rule. Those arts in conjunction are superior for that environment. A RBSD system such as Blauers may be superior for a single mom worried about getting from work to her car. If you're wanting general fitness and flexibility and could care less about combat application Tai Chi may be superior to everything mentioned to date. Superiority is defined by function per the individuals needs.

Welcome to KF!