joesteph

When I studied Taiji in the past, we did a movement called Single Whip. The hand formed with the fingertips together, and the hard area of wrist-forearm connection could be used as a block, which is what I felt I essentially saw in the movie. (Technically, it's hard enough to give someone a good jolt if it's whacked against the temple in a sideways strike motion.) I remember discovering that some individuals lift the hand with the fingertips together and rapidly "peck" at the eye; I tried it against coins I used to tape on the wall for spearhand practice and it does work. All Taiji instructors don't teach alike, of course, but a friend of mine who was studying Taiji in the past would say, when performing Single Whip, that he was "grasping the bird seed" (as his instructor would say) and then raise his arm out in that hooked hand form. Maybe a Taiji person in the forum could give more explanation.

I remember when I was a child and you could still buy sarsaparilla (pronounced SASS-pah-rilla) at the grocery store. I think it's one of the oldest soda flavors, and it disappeared from the shelves in the NY metropolitan area. On a vacation to New England in the 1990s, I found it being sold in a small restaurant, not as a fountain drink, but in a one-serving bottle. When I asked about it, I was told that there was a family that owned a soda-making company and sold it in the general area. I kept one bottle of Hansen's Signature All Natural Sarsaparilla Soda, and it says right on the label that it was started by Hubert Hansen in 1935. One hundred flavors? I hope they have sarsaparilla.

Dangerous, how? In what ways do you mean? Just curious. I think tori is saying it because the untrained fighter would be unpredictable?? I think... There's an old video I remember by Peyton Quinn, called "Self-Defense Against the Sucker Puncher." In this video, he considers the sucker puncher to be extremely confident, that he's punched out someone's lights before, and he has no reservation in him about doing it again--to you. He's called a sucker puncher because his attack is unexpected; you could be minding your own business and not even have made eye contact with him, then Wham!--from out of nowhere he's thrown his strongest shot at you. He doesn't think about getting into trouble with the law, he's been there before; he doesn't hold back, he's conditioned himself (untrained as self-trained, self-disciplined?) to fire that first shot full blast; he has no thought of career, relatives, or standing in the community to make him realize that a fight shouldn't even happen or, if it does, go so far and no more. Quinn does point out weaknesses, such as that the primary attack is the same, that "haymaker" (is that word still used?) that throws all his force into one opening shot. He will also likely have telegraphed his move by his windup, and if you're quick, you're ready for him. Predictable and unpredicable together.

Just like on the catalog cover; a strike you can practice full-force on a humanlike target's "throat" without causing a fatal blow. So one application might be a quick stunning blow to the temple, a seize, and then the knee comes right up to strike the solar plexus (perhaps the head?). Slick move.

How did it happen while sparring, Jorowi? Was it a block, or perhaps your kick just hit the point of the elbow? (That's a very sharp bone!)

Only on odd occasion will I make popcorn, as neither my children nor I seem to go for it at home. When I bring them to the movies, and I try to catch all the "G" (for General Audiences in the US) movies I can, I ask them the question that I know the answer to already: Should I get us some popcorn? They'll want a soda, too, and will often ask for another snack along with their popcorn, like M&M's, but there's still that time-honored movie snack that is sold by the bag or even the bucket at the concessions stand. Incidentally, I thought the comments at the end were interesting. What I gathered from them was that popcorn doesn't rustle or talk during the movie. I'd like to add that it politely keeps its cell phone off.

I don't know how many kinds of hand strikes there are, but I'm certain that some are used more--and others much less--than others. I'm asking about the ridge hand strike, because I've never thought of it as an especially strong one, although it was taught to me in the past as a fast way to strike the temple. In doing a certain self-defense exercise, the first two hand strikes, a backfist to the nose and a hammerfist to the groin, speak for themselves in terms of impact on the target. But the third and final strike is a ridge hand, performed in such a manner that there's an arc as the blow strikes the side of the neck. If I were to the side of the opponent, and the ridge hand went to the front of the neck, I can see it being used to damage the throat but, as I said, it's to the side. I just received the Fall Catalog from Century, and there on the cover is a martial artist striking the new BOB--with a ridge hand, this one performed with the palm up. He's at the side of BOB, so it is a throat strike, but I focused on that it was a ridge hand one. How do you feel about using the ridge hand? Do you believe it to be genuinely effective? Do you actually use it, or is it something that's traditionally taught, but not expected to be used?

I did weight-training exercises for twenty years, and I found dumbells to be far more versatile than the barbell. The top weight of each you're referring to gives a good range for arms (different curls), shoulders (presses or lateral raises), and back (rowing); if you have an exercise bench, or something comparable to lie on, you can perform presses and flyes. Leg work can be enhanced by holding dumbbells in the down position while doing squats, and calf raises can be added to by doing one leg at a time, the arm on that side holding the dumbbell. Give it a try and enjoy your newfound strength.

I was, at first, confused by the videos under "shuriken86" and the reference to "age 22"; then I saw that in both the YouTube personal statement and in the thread, above, that you're sixteen, Tai, not twenty-two. I enjoyed the videos, seeing that you held your own rather well. Your present belt rank is blue, but I don't know your art well enough to determine where that is on the ranking scale. In Soo Bahk Do, blue is used instead of black for dan ranking; perhaps in your art, Moo Yea Do, blue isn't the same, so I wondered where that places you. Another forum member who might be your age had a video of his first tournament, and explained where he was in rank. Have you been in a number of tournaments? If you're wondering why I'm emphasizing age and rank, it has to do with a posting you have in another place, about switching to Muay Thai, and yet you haven't completed dan ranking in Moo Yea Do. Also, if you go by the tournament videos, we're seeing a talented sixteen-year-old learning the ropes. You're still in high school, aren't you, Tai? There was an interview with a martial artist (I imagine in the UFC) whose martial arts training went right through his college years and into the world of work; he was a math teacher for a few years, fought when he could, and then became an MMA pro. If you continue both your academic education as well as your martial arts one, and if you especially remain close to your instructor (with whom I'm assuming you reviewed your videos) and heed his advice, then when you're on your own in the future as an adult, you'll be able to determine that answer for yourself. It's great to have dreams, Tai, in your case to be an MMA pro, but it's hard to tell if at age sixteen you should make this your life's goal. By all means, stay with it; learn your own art first and others as well; get an education so as to have a livelihood while you're an adult in martial arts training. I think that when you've had more tournaments and earn that dan ranking, you'll know your stengths and weaknesses, and will be better able to decide if you want to focus first on where your education brought you, and make martial arts a close second, or if the MMA pro road is the right one for you.

Newer members might not be aware of the Photo Album section of KarateForm.com. If you look at the top of the web page, you'll see a red line with the categories Articles, Photo Album, Fun Stuff, and About KF to click on. Personally, I'm very happy that I posted the photo I did. Why not browse and decide if you'd like to post in the Photo Album? There are several categories, so you're bound to find the right spot for your favorite snapshot. Besides, a picture's worth a thousand words--of text.

My boys were with their mother for most of the day, so I had the chance to do a workout before they were dropped off and I could bring them to their Little Tigers class. Stretching, concentrating on the legs. Thirty-five pushups using pushup extension bars. Eighty leg raises. Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu Ki Cho Hyung E Bu Ki Cho Hyung Sam Bu Pyong Ahn Cho Dan Class at night with my six-year-olds, David and Patrick. As a parent, I'm allowed to join in to assist the instructor, and part of the job is to set a good example of cooperation with her.

Josh is making a good point here, MooYeaDoKID. Rather than float from art to art, dabbling rather than learning, and perhaps being a "jack of all trades and master of none," concentrate on Moo Yea Do. This doesn't mean not to learn from other arts (how many martial artists watch UFC but don't train that way?), but not to overemphasize them in your training as a martial artist. Personally, I think the Muay Thai roundhouse kick against the opponent's legs and ribs is a super shot. I've practiced that kick against the training bag, and I can see how it gets in under the elbow of the opponent to slam away at the body, but I haven't given up my Korean art, Soo Bahk Do, or abandoned the roundhouse kick that I've been taught. You might even like practicing the Superman punch; I know I do, if only for the simple enjoyment of it, a diversion from the training I usually do. This goes right into learning from other styles while still focusing on your own. There are many martial artists who concentrate on one art until at least reaching dan level before making a commitment to another art, and yet they may have taken from different arts while climbing the ladder to that dan level. In my book, concentrating on one while enjoying both is the way to go, and I'd suggest that the "one" remain Moo Yea Do.

You list yourself as a student, Truestar, so I'm wondering about your age. Perhaps still in your twenties? I find younger people more prone to embarrassment about social situations/happenings like this than persons in middle age. (I'm 56.) Lots of people talk with their hands, and I've found that women tend to do so more than men do, not simply to emphasize what they're saying, but to help them express themselves. She was excited about how well things were going with the Little Ninjas, and she was very comfortable talking with you. The "handshake" you consider awkward is actually something she probably told someone about later on, and I'll bet they had a good laugh. You didn't offend her and, rather than be embarrassed, try to laugh about it. The next time you see her, don't act any differently; just be your usual, charming self.

I studied Taiji for a while in the past, but a friend of mine studied it at a different school, with much more of his time invested into it. He not only attended classes, he went to workshops. I was never really into push hands; I have a tendency to be tightened up, and I'm still reminded by my Soo Bahk Do instructor that even in karate there must be relaxation. Well, my friend weighed an in-shape 185 lbs, and was very strong due to his weight-training and job in construction. In doing push hands with a woman, both using the proper form, he found--not all at once but bit by bit--himself yielding more to her movement than his, her deflection of his push edging him out, her forward push gaining the advantage, and he wound up going backwards. He thought it was the funniest thing, that he was so strong, and there was this woman who he likely outweighed by fifty or sixty pounds making use of his tension to knock him over. Incidentally, what I enjoyed with him was learning a two-man Taiji form from Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming which, when properly "orchestrated," was quite an achievement for two guys doing this on their own in the living rooms of one another's homes. Ah, the good old days when life was less compicated . . .

I'm going to steer clear of saying "more martial arts in it" out of respect for our martial arts friends who practice or incorporate grappling and joint locks as the main focus of their art, MooYeaDo. What I will say is that you saw, with regularity, roundhouses, side kicks, spinning back kicks, you name it, when there were a limited number of rounds, since hurling kicks along with throwing punches takes its toll on the endurance of the fighters in that ring. I remember five rounds of two minutes each at the start of watching full-contact karate on TV, and I thought it was great, even though far more fights were won by decision than by a KO or TKO. Perhaps the thought was that, if some is good, then more is better, and that meant an ever-increasing number of rounds, although I don't remember if the rounds were longer. I do remember matches going up to twelve rounds. I believe that when you have to put in an eight kick rule to "make" it a karate match, there's got to be a bona-fide reason, and it was evident to the "powers that be" that the fighters were conserving energy by relying on boxing skills while sacrificing kicking techniques. Fatigue can be a killer in the ring. Fighters themselves explained in interviews how much more boxing they were putting into their training time, not as a complaint, but talking about their fight preparations, and time is a finite thing. Something had to be lesser-emphasized in training, and it was showing in the ring that it was kicking techniques. I like what the WCL is offering, if only to see a good energetic fight.

Chikara's making a good point here that the individual strike we discuss has to take in our own limitations as well as the adversary's capabilities. When in a self-defense situation in which the opponent is far larger, we would find it best to quickly search for the weakest spot within range as our target. Once striking, someone such as she describes flees. In considering going for the most disabling target, thinking in terms of that first power strike and keeping the action going, which I believe is what the original question asked, I'm a "go for the throat" man, myself. He needs air, and a reaction of the throat to an impact is to tighten up on its own, meaning his own body has turned against him by a reflex action. The throat doesn't need to be struck repeatedly, especially if you know how to apply a control technique, such as a joint lock, as a follow-up to your "favorite" really-let-him-have-it strike.

Kante, unless the video has been changed since your initial posting, what I saw in the beginning was a man tearing sections off a tree with his bare hands, and then it went into breaking cement slabs. Calling something Hard Body Training sounds more like a sales pitch for a body like a suit of armor than what you're actually asking about, which is powerful breaking--without breaking your own hand, elbow, etc.--as shown in the video. Have you spoken with your instructor about breaking? Have you scouted around for DVDs on the subject? It's really a science more than primitive brute stength. Other than my suggestions, members of this forum who have more experience than I have might be able to steer you in the right direction with a posting that is more on target as to what you're asking.

The average male tends to gain weight in the midsection, while the average female tends to gain it in the hips and thighs. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it fits the majority of the two sexes. There's really no such thing as spot reduction by exercise and diet. Fat is lost all over the body evenly, so a person might lose pounds, but the inches lost are distributed over the entire body. This doesn't mean that exercise and diet don't work; on the contrary, they do, but focusing on one area isn't nature's way. One way to help reduce, though, seems to be by proper hydration. I spoke with a health food store owner only recently, and she maintains that the particular areas men and women complain about gaining the most weight can be boosted to hold onto that extra weight by a lack of fluids. Fluids flush the system is the way she sees it. Obviously, she is very big on drinking water over any other liquid. No, she's not a doctor, but she's in middle age, as I am, and looks good. It wouldn't hurt to up your fluid intake, particularly water, Christina, if you want to give it an extra go beyond the exercise and diet you're doing already.

I had written earlier, Eric, that when I want to do spinning back kicks, say for practice so that I'll be doing a number of them, that I've found that if I spin on the balls of both feet at the same time, it's easier for me to turn my head and execute the kick with reasonable accuracy and without dizziness. Recently, I've been experimenting with a lead foot movement to do this kick, coming from fighter Chuck Liddell's video on the spinning back kick, and Mike Mallon's (Kung Fu expert) spinning side kick, as he calls it. Their URLs are below, and what they have in common is not only the movement of the lead foot, but cautioning spinning the body itself beyond where the target is. Chuck Liddell: Mike Mallon: http://www.expertvillage.com/video/135141_kickboxing-techniques-spin-side-kick.htm In a sparring situation, so as not to telegraph, one kind of kick can be thrown, then, when the foot lands, it can be in the lead foot position for one of these spinning kicks.

The way I see it, Truestar, you've got the wrong title for this topic. It's your friend's title, not your own, and it reflects his way of thinking, not yours at all. It isn't "vs" other arts; it's in comparison with other arts. From the different posts I've read, TKD isn't kicking with some punches thrown in, but also takedowns and joint locks, which is up to the instructor to teach. Mastering any individual art is dependent upon the commitment of the student and the dedication of the instructor. Many posts in this forum have referred to knowledge from more than one art, as many members of this forum have studied more than one. Your friend does not sound like a true martial artist to me; a true martial artist is, to me, open-minded and well-rounded, seeing the good in the different arts and incorporating what is useful into his own body of knowledge. I think that every martial art has its strengths and weaknesses, but also that certain arts work better for some individuals than others, just as certain techniques within an art work better for some practitioners of that art than others. It's hard, but keep your perspective as a serious practitioner when someone like this rains on your parade. The way I see it, you're the one with the healthy attitude.

I watched a number of videos and can honestly say I really enjoyed them. As for the rules I wondered about, I found them at the following: http://www.worldcombatleague.com/rules.html But under the techniques allowed/not allowed, while striking with the knees is mentioned (yes, above the waist), elbows aren't at all. I wonder if it's meant to be an obvious "No!" like striking the groin. I couldn't tell from the videos if the elbows were being used. I definitely didn't see them used against the face/head, although when the fighters collided and a flurry resulted, who knew what went on with the elbows, intentional or not, against the body.

yes i think the striking part is more exciting because of the diversity of technique in it, unlike UFC they actually use more martial stuff, although it is always more fun to see a LANDED spinning back kick in UFC seeing how rare it is! Cung Le's awesome When I saw this link, I decided to visit, and I was so interested in what I saw, I went to the official web site. There are a number of videos there that made me bookmark it for future visits. I went through the thread and found there are a number of rules that I'll have to learn to understand better, and I realize everyone isn't in agreement about what rules should or shouldn't be there, but if this organization is no different from any other, then there's nothing special to offer. I think that the comment made about more "martial" may simply mean non-grappling, and no criticism was intended. Personally, I prefer the "slug it out" with foot and fist over grappling, but those in the grappling arts, or who incorporate grappling into their art, are looking for how their techniques could be applied effectively, and so may not be as interested. Well, that's diversity of appeal for you; we don't all think and feel alike. One or two of the postings in the thread referred to past times. I remember when full-contact karate with the minimum of protective gear was first presented on the air, and it was limited in the number of rounds the fighters would go. They would hurl themselves at one another, hammering away, really putting on a good fight show. As more and more rounds were added in, the fighters realized they had to pace themselves for longer bouts, and one after the other spoke of honing his "boxing skills." I remember the eight kick rule being needed, as the fighters were doing what I recall was becoming referred to as "bad boxing," the kicks taking too much energy from the fighters. Frankly, that's when I lost interest. This is a welcome comeback for me. I think it's great to have different organizations with rules that distinguish themselves from one another. One organization might appeal to those who are adherents of a certain kind of fighting, another organization might appeal to those who adhere to a different kind, and there are always the martial arts fans who want a choice of everything, from boxing bouts to WCF ones, to UFC.

We can all agree it isn't always easy to know what to do--but does that apply in this case, Killuminati? Sometimes we don't like the way our lives are going, but to make a change is self-presented as daunting, so we become negative about it and take "the path of least resistance"; we continue with what we know we don't want, anyway. Yes, this is a commitment, especially with your parents not forcing you along, but being on your side, and helping you through "tough love" (if you quit, you are responsible for the payments) to make a commitment they--and you--know to be the right one. No one ever said this commitment is a piece of cake, and there will be highs and lows, but so many of us have ourselves looked back at the commitments we've made, in martial arts and in life in general, and have been so glad we went through with them. Take this step, Killuminati. It's the right one.

When I teach history and the topic is the Renaissance, I point out to my students how artists, whether painters or sculptors, realized the importance of knowing human anatomy for realistic artwork. This thread on the throat, just one area, shows how martial artists definitely need to know human anatomy as well.

I'm glad you're concerned with how much force to use for self-defense as you are in defending yourself. Personally, Ghostfighter, I wouldn't want to kill someone if I can control or injure him instead, and preferably have him land in prison himself. The shot to the throat is, to me, the best immediate self-defense, and can be controlled. The following link is a good one to Kelly McCann demonstrating using the jugular notch, which is at the base of the throat: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/kelly_mccann_jugular_notch_control_technique/videos/139 The first portion of the video starts with how he checks for weapons while having his hands up in a space-defining manner; then he goes into the strike to the jugular notch. I like his explanation, in that he explains how to prevent the technique from becoming ineffective though it's a throat strike, and how to control the adversary without smashing the thorax. Mallory Senne has a video series on women's self-defense that I've found has principles of self-defense that both men and women should realize. Here's the link to her video on striking the throat: http://www.expertvillage.com/video/120270_self-defense-throat-strikes.htm She will point out how the throat can be struck to cause discomfort, but not be effective. She then explains and demonstrates how a strike can be more effective. She does make you think about the anatomy involved. It's up to you how much force you think you should be using in a given situation, but both martial artists, Kelly McCann and Mallory Senne, do show that you can strike to the throat effectively without it being fatal.