joesteph

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, my Soo Bahk Do dojang becomes a dojo for Judo, starting after the regular time karate classes end. The Sensei gets there a bit early, and I have my adult classes on Thursdays and Fridays, so we cross paths one day of the week. He happened to have gotten there earlier than usual, so he watched much more of our class than he normally would have. At the end of class, I said hello to one of his Judo students that I know, and she introduced me to him. He complemented me on my "kiai," saying he enjoyed hearing a good one. He's apparently done different martial arts, and noted that the majority of students don't really bellow it out; they're heard, but he loves a good loud one.

I happened across this topic as I was looking through the Chinese arts, and since I'd studied Taiji some time ago, and knew of its widespread popularity in China, I spoke with one of the teachers in my school, who had been born and raised there. It is true that Taiji is practiced in the parks, and even that music one would associate with the art is played publicly, but there's no curriculum requirement that it be studied, as JiuJitsu (or is it JiuJutsu?) is required for boys in Japan. My teacher-friend had to take phys ed, and sports were emphasized, but not Taiji. It has widespread popularity, but it's by the people themselves, not by government mandate of any kind. I do know that there is an agency in (or regulated by) the Chinese government that came out with an approved simplified form at some point, but people in China feel free to practice different forms/styles.

The first photo was the most beautiful to me. The second and eighth ones were each unique, but total opposites.

An excellent video; a true variety presented. It dispells what many who aren't really familiar with Judo think it is, that you throw someone over your shoulder or over your hip and that's that. Throwing and landing on top of your opponent; landing so that you can perform a joint lock; using clothing to control your opponent; even showing that sometimes you've got to struggle to get your foot, say, behind his knee to make the throw . . . Really a good one.

To obtain a copy of it online and free, Ed, go to the Scribd web site at: http://www.scribd.com Under Search (at the bottom of the page), put in Jack Dempsey. His book will come up for reading or downloading.

Black belt! A new dan member! Congratulations, Fish!

Shredder, your observation made me think of a real-life event. You're in high school and the fire alarm goes off; just another fire drill which will get you out of class for a few minutes. No panic, just go the designated route "in case" there's a fire, and we know there never is one. Sometimes the firefighters block an exit path to make the students remember that there can be a real fire, and that they have to use an alternate route. Ho-hum. But one day you're outside where the fire drill puts you, and it's taking forever before you're let back in the building; unknown to you, there was an actual fire in the school building, in the kitchen in the cafeteria. Conditioning regarding fires can save lives. Conditioning regarding martial arts might mean you're unafraid of an adversary, are in fighting stance, kiai or ki-hap as fist, foot, or both make contact, and either you drive your assailant away, or you secure an escape. After it's over, then you realize your heart's racing and your breathing is heavy; it's then you think . . .

What you've mentioned in the book I've found to be a tough thing to do, Shredder, though it's the right thing to do in the new martial art. It's funny how something from twenty years ago can pop right back into play. In psychology, a main point of study is conditioning, and how it's important to elicit a certain response. We assume that if something is no longer called for, the response eventually goes "extinct" in the person. But does it? For example: It can be years later, you've decided to try martial arts again, and you're taught that you're to turn your hand horizontally with each punch, as is your art (mine is Soo Bahk Do), which you do correctly when going slow and starting out, and then when the pace picks up, especially in sparring, you find yourself reverting to an Isshinryu vertical fist, punch-after-punch, which you studied decades ago; it came right back. I've got myself down to a 45 degrees fist when extended, even though in the hyungs the punches I do are full turn. This is why my instructor is so concerned about establishing good habits now, before they become ingrained and you're a higher belt who now has to deal with an inner demon--you're sloppy, it's a bad habit, and it's a struggle to undo. It's challenging (school teachers use that term for the tests they give, avoiding admitting the test is hard ) to replace old with new; you really have to "empty your cup" to do that.

Here's a "bonus" one: JKD for Jeet Kune Do, the art Bruce Lee developed. Glad to have been of help.

I don't know if "opponent" would be the right word for what I'm thinking, Kajukenbopr, but there are some things that were referred to by my Street Survival instructor, a police officer, when I took that course in the past. I live in a mid-sized city, meaning lots of side streets. For a woman who's walking with someone she's uncomfortable about behind her, that he seems to be following her, the instructor suggested that she turn her head, as though looking up to a higher floor than street level, smile and wave, then just continue along. It's a ruse that someone's looking, which would only affect a man actually following her and, if he is, he'll likely want no witnesses. (I ran this by my students [i teach in an all-girls high school], and they thought it was a good idea when I mentioned it.) He also suggested that, at night, a woman walking the side street might feel safer walking in the street itself. The streets are well-lit; she'll see a car coming to step to the side while it passes, and then continue. No one in an alley, there to ambush, will be able to surprise her if she's so far away. (When I mentioned this to my students, some told me they'd heard of this and sometimes did this at night.) If there are, say two, men ahead of you (whether you be male or female), and you don't feel comfortable about them, he suggested you don't try to get away from them by trying to walk past them. Slow down; don't let them get behind you. An opportunity to get away from them will come up--even it's as simple as a good spot to cross the side street to the other side. (A male friend of mine used this slowing down when in another city, and discovered the men ahead were also slowing down, till they were walking at a snail's pace. They gave him a glance; he looked right back; they then picked up to a normal pace and he walked away from them at the corner in a direction he hadn't intended, but would separate them from him.) It happened some years ago, maybe ten, that one of our students was walking to school along an avenue that she'd never had a problem with. A man perhaps in his thirties began talking to her, and when she didn't respond, he began to speak in an angry tone and insisted on her responding. She then said a few words as she continued to walk forward, and since it was an avenue, sure enough there was a deli that she could--and did--rush into. They called the police; she rode around the area in a police car and identified the man; he was stopped and found to have had a knife on him. This wasn't something I remember mentioned in my Street Survival course, but it's something to think about; keep your wits about you, duck into a store, and have them call the police.

Cross gave a good answer to your concerns, U78LK9, especially when he observed: I liked seeing you refer to defending yourself, rather than saying you want to be able to pulverize somebody. In real-life situations, defending yourself often means handling a physical altercation; controlling it well enough so that you exit as unharmed as possible. The kind of individual who comes after you is likely to be larger, stronger than you are. This can mean being up against someone 30lbs heavier than you are, taking the steam out of his attack, and then taking off--no need to "fight" him. An example of self-defense would be that if a shot to the throat and/or knee frees you to escape, you go for it; then call the police and let them do their job. When you study a martial art, whether one based on striking or grappling, you'll find much given to you for training in the dojo/dojang, but certain techniques that you'd actually utilize in a real-life situation. There's a great deal of "art" in a martial art; certain aspects of it, though, will be pointed out to you by your instructor, or just realized by you as you practice them, as best for self-defense.

Wow, Cross. That is some wicked article. I'm obligated to perform the head butt in the self-defense technique against "air," as it's a training drill, but that's as far as I'll go with this one unless it's life-and-death.

Hi Simi, TSD is short for Tang Soo Do, and TKD for Tae Kwon Do. The "T" in Tang Soo Do is for the T'ang dynasty of China, so though it's a Korean art, it gives credit to Chinese influence. It's like saying "The Way of the China Hand" or "The Way of the Chinese Hand." Tae Kwon Do is another Korean art, usually translated as "The Way of Foot and Fist." My own art is Soo Bahk Do, which has often been shorted to SBD when writing it. A Korean art, it means "The Way of the Striking Hand." Sometimes you'll see MDK, standing for Moo Duk Kwan, the Korean organization that is more the "style" (I think of it as philosophy) than the "art." It's translated into English as "The Institute of Martial Virtue." Soo Bahk Do is often combined with Moo Duk Kwan, as in the USSBDMDK Federation, meaning the United States Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation. If you see BJJ, it's for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which was developed by the Gracie family, and JJ is for Jujitsu or Jujutsu (there's a difference, but I'm not familiar with it). There's also MT for Muay Thai. You'll also see UFC for Ultimate Fighting Championship, WCL for World Combat League, and IFL for International Fight League. Whenever we say MA, we mean martial art(s), but MMA means Mixed Martial Arts, and XMA means Extreme Martial Arts. And, most importantly to my children, TMNT stands for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a DVD they've enjoyed playing repeatedly.

Leg stretches Kicking exercises: - Front leg swing kicks - Front snap kicks, lead leg and rear leg - Inside-Outside crescents against a bag clapper - Outside-Inside crescents against a bag clapper - Roundhouses with instep, with and without step - Roundhouses with shin - Side kicks, with and without step - Back kicks (donkey kind, not spinning) One-step sparring techniques (1-6) against the WaveMaster, and using the bag clapper Several practice runs of the first third of the new hyung, Chil Sung E Ro (introduced to it this past week)

It is a very good video, Truestar, from "military type" demonstrations (I saw two of them in there, everyone moving as one with perfect precision) to the multiple attackers (wearing/needing protective vests) against the woman defender. At the very end, what was that last individual breaking, shattering into many pieces? I know it wasn't wood, but the objects looked stone-like in appearance to me.

A 1950 book by the great Jack Dempsey, Championship Fighting, has as its last chapter "How to Watch a Fight." I believe that what he observes in his book written decades ago can apply to a martial arts bout today. He says: Note immediately their fighting styles. Are their styles similar or do they contrast sharply? . . . Which one is pressing forward-forcing the fight? That's important; for in a close contest the aggressor usually is the winner. . . . If neither principal is a knockout specialist, the one who is more effective with [strikes] probably will win. Has each enough confidence in his own . . . ability and ruggedness to engage the other in toe-to-toe exchanges? Or, does the lighter [fighter] shrewdly avoid exchanges . . . If both scrappers are willing to fight it out in exchanges, the bout should be thrilling. Watch the early exchanges closely; for what happens in them may indicate the ultimate winner. . . . Does one appear to be hitting with more speed, accuracy and power in the exchanges than the other? Is he "rocking" his opponent, knocking him sideways or back onto his heels? Is he hurting his opponent not only "upstairs" but also in the body? Note carefully when either man is hit hard enough to be staggered. There's a big difference between being "rocked" and being "staggered." When a fighter is rocked, he is knocked violently off balance-backward or sideways; but he still has complete mental and physical control when he recovers his balance. When he's staggered, he loses temporary mental and physical control-in varying degrees. . . . If a staggered and helpless fighter is being battered mercilessly by his opponent, the referee has complete authority to intervene and stop the bout . . . That last sentence is sometimes the contentious one, with an MMA fighter protesting that s/he could have carried on, but that's one of the jobs of a referee, and I'll bet it's tough to have to decide instantly if a fighter is capable of carrying on, or nothing but injury will occur. The video replays at the end of such a bout are good indicators of what the referee saw, especially when different camera angles are used.

I purchased a Bag Paddle from AWMA, the clapping device now strapped around the top of my WaveMaster. I've noticed a greater emphasis on certain kicks, particularly the inside-outside as well as outside-inside crescents, in the kicking drills of my dojang. I've also used it for hand drills, such as repeated knife hand blocks while I move to one side, and I'm working on what else can be done with it. Does anyone else use a Bag Paddle, either at the dojo/dojang or at home? Are you pleased with it? How have you used it?

I use the new BOB (costing far less than the original) and the Powerline version of the WaveMaster, as it has more padding. I tend to use BOB for hand strikes, especially practicing boxing punches that aren't emphasized in the dojang, and use the WaveMaster for kicks. You don't have to hit them full blast to find them useful; moderate is fine. If you go full power, they'll tip back too much; I think full power is for the really heavy bag that's a suspended target. My children first practiced their strikes against the WaveMaster; when I got BOB, they weren't put off by his lack of good looks, as there's one in the dojang that they practice with. At home, even though they sometimes give him a good thrashing, he's their buddy. It's visitors who get taken aback by him.

When my sons were battling together against the WaveMaster we have at home, they were doing a great job of punches and kicks. Unfortunately, they got too close to one another, and their heads collided. David had been struck at the outer end of one eyebrow; Patrick did apologize, and when I saw he wasn't hurt, I had him show me where it was on his own head that he'd accidentally head-butted David. It was the corner of the forehead. Granted, no head-butting allowed when my boys want to spar, but it brought up the head butt to me as a question to ask about. In one of the self-defense techniques in Soo Bahk Do, we're to give a head butt as the last strike. I'm not thrilled about using my head as a weapon, and though you can aim for your adversary's nose, I don't think it's always that neatly done. If I practice it against a WaveMaster, there's still a part of me that holds back, even if it's the thicker part of the forehead (that "rim" area) that strikes. I'm sure others have been introduced to using the head butt. Have you used it other than to strike "air" or a "safe" object, such as a WaveMaster? Do you believe it's something that ought to be avoided (so you don't harm or stun yourself), or is it just another weapon in the martial arts arsenal?

How about a fighter who doesn't know when to stop? I remember a boxing match in which one fighter had another against the ropes, and as he pounded away, his opponent just slid right down to the canvas, winding up in a seated position. The standing fighter leaned over and gave a strong punch to the head of the downed man; the referee disqualified the standing fighter, whose people protested that he was just continuing the punching as the man fell. The referee insisted he knew what he saw; the video replay showed it was exactly as the referee had called it; the "winning" standing fighter had just not controlled himself and threw victory away.

I've noticed this too, Moriniuk. There's a fairly common use of a front kick that's really a push kick, strong enough to shove the incoming opponent back, or kill some of his steam. When it's done, the Muay Thai kickers seem to lean into the kick, to make sure it's a shove, not quite the same as a thrust kick that leans back to put your pelvis into it and give it more power than a snap kick.

Welcome to the forum, Mike!

Congratulations, Shredder . . . and watch out, because that six months is going to come up fast! BTW, your profile doesn't list your martial art. What art is it?

Class tonight: Concentration on kicking practice, including introduction to jumping inside-outside kick, but I was permitted to do a hopping forward one, as was my kicking practice partner. Expansion of steps for new hyung, Chil Sung E Ro.

You're in law enforcement, aren't you, Tallgeese? Do you have a schedule that is flexible for a split training (as in twice-a-day) routine, or is it that you just get up early to get it in? There was a bodybuilding routine that was popular back in the 1960s, to work certain muscles in the morning, then others in the late afternoon. It was for professionals, of course, who could afford to have a schedule that permitted sufficient recuperation time. I wonder if this works in the martial arts--or would it be overtraining if you're not a pro?