mortalflesh

I have taken all through at various points through time and if it's getting into shape and learning to fight are what you're looking for then MT is the best bet. Oddly enough though, the other two help in other ways as way. Aikido helped me respond better to attacks, primarily by learning to get out of the way and move my feet. Tai Chi helped in overall body flexibility and moving parts of my body I didn't even know I had. I found the two really rounded things out with me.

Interesting you should ask this...this nearly same thing happened to me during a little rough housing with a grappler friend once. His hand wasn't on the throat...it was high on the chest if I recall but very simular. I don't remember how he was sitting on me but the only thing I could really see was his groin...he was sitting on my stomach/lower chest area I seem to recall. Anyway...with a clear sight at the groin and one free arm, I took a little swing. It didn't land hard simply because of the situation, but we all know it doesn't have to now does it? Needless to say he wasn't long rolling off and groaning after that. Not sure if this would work all the time but in this particular spot at this particular moment...it worked just fine.

My club has what we call a "fight night", basically for green belts and up with medium to full contact depending on who's sparing and their comfort level. I tend to disagree on the Green belt and up thing but the argument is that the lower belts don't know enough not to get themselves or someone else hurt...makes sense I guess. In the very first club I was in many moons ago, it was light contact for lower belt, medium contact for middle levels (green, blue) and heavy contact for higher belts...worked great and was lots of fun.

I have the same issues...have had it for some time. Mine are due to high blood pressure aggrevated by the stress of working out. It may be different for you so, yes, get a doctors advise.

As a side thought...how is this persons skill level? Personally, I think too many clubs put too much weight on the number of classes guideline...and that's just what it should be, a guideline. If her skill is up to snuff then who cares how many classes she has? It's the instructors call ultimately but he should keep in mind the club image when making these calls.

Haha "You should never hit a black blelt"...that's priceless! That's like saying a soldier shouldn't have to go to war or a cop should never have to arrest people or a firefighter shouldn't have to put out fires. I can kind of see her point though...it's not like a 3rd degree BB would ever be equiped with training and experience to handle a punch to the head...oh..wait... Yeh, ditch the McDojo and find another spot. haha...i'll be laughing over this one all day.

After studying Aikido for a couple of years, I've learned that slipping and moving to avoid an attack is by far the prefered method. Its not always practical to say that you can always move to avoid a strike, in that case I actually use an open palm to deflect the strike away as I move to further avoid the strike. I wouldn't recommend the open palm to everyone as it can lead to fingers getting jammed/bent/broken but I've been doing it for years and it's as natural to me as breathing so I can't stop. Drives other people crazy. As for using the muscle to block strikes?...ummm...no. Muscles have a nasty habit of going into spasm when struck hard thus making the harm useless. The bone isn't bad...still hurts but aleast there is no major muscle group there to cause serious damage. I wouldn't imagine there is anyway to condition your muscles to not do what biologically will happen when they get struck...doesn't seem possible.

It seems fine to me as well. 25yrs old does seem a little young to be running what seems to be a "for profit" dojo. The price seems a little high to me, although I pay $40 a month for my Shotokan training...which is about standard around here, but then again our dojo isn't in a shopping centre. Regarless of what others may think, if you feel good about your art then stick with it. It sounds good to me. Someone else mentioned that the word "McDojo" is thrown around way too much and I agree. There is one popular MMA forum that seems to throw that around to define any traditional form of martial art. So take it with a grain of salt.

Definately the front and roundhouse...low kicks with lots of power. I'm not a big fan of the side kick. I'm with you Tallgeese...the knee is a very important kick often overlooked by those without Mauy Thai or MMA training. It really should be stressed more, in my opinion, as street fights usually end up very close range. Often in these situations, the knees and elbows are often the best choices.

I seem to remember a lot of reasons. Mainly because of Bruce Lee movies I think...I was a big fan. A club opened up not far from me and being interested, I thought that would be the thing to do. I was in my early teens and felt the whole awkeward thing and was really looking to belong to something I guess. So, a whole mix of things. Best choice I ever made.

I just have to put in my two cents on this topic...my first post and I get to talk about my first instructor, seems to fit. Anyway, his name is Rob Doley and I started training with him in about 1984. Back then, he taught a really neat mix of traditional Karate mixed with kickboxing...may sound odd but it was very good and very effective. To me, Rob was and still is, the quintessential instructor. He was firm but friendly. He taught discipline while having fun. The class was awesome with focus on technique and practicle applications. The was lots of sparring at varying degrees of speed and strength, depending on your level. The class was always lots of fun and a really great work out. I've had a few instructors since then, my current instructor is great too. I'm just getting back into training again after being out for several years due to back problems and he's been fantastic for me. My son is almost nine also goes to him and I can see him start to see in Sensai Dick what I seen in Rob. It's really good to see. Regardless of how many instructors someone has, I think the first one is always the biggest impact on you and stays with you forever. Just my thought.