Kuma

While I can understand someone not being able to train under a qualified instructor at times (I myself still trained despite a few deployments overseas), an individual who learns only from books and DVDs is not going to be nearly as proficient as someone who has a qualified instructor. Yes, you can learn off of those medias but unless you have a solid foundation (meaning a decent grasp of the fundamentals of what you're studying), you're not going to get much out of it. I would be wary of anyone claiming to be a self-trained MAist personally.

Hang from a pull-up bar with a double overhand grip and just hang. Slightly shrug your shoulders for a 3 count as you inhale and hold, then exhale and relax to deepen the stretch. Hang for a few min and you'll see that area loosen up pretty well. Use a slightly wider than shoulder width grip.

Don't get slapped for being a masher!

Same as tallgeese, LEO. I'm a city cop in a city of about 2.5 million. I'm on the streets and enjoy it, aspiring for more things in the near future however. I'm one of those guys who hates being in a car, so I do park and walks everywhere just to get out walking around and talking to the people.

Well, he bought it with his own hard-earned cash, so if he wants to wear it and call himself a black belt in Ryuuko No Ken (Art of Fighting, which also was a cheesy old Capcom fighting game) then let him.

I can understand your viewpoints about some individuals being hesitant to move into combat range in sparring. There is also those who spar very aggressively too, however, who as soon as the session starts will constantly be on you and not give any ground. To me, a fighter like this is a blessing (of sorts) as then you learn what it's really like to take on a tough aggressive foe. In most of my experience, unless the individual is skilled and is using distance and timing to his advantage, most of those hesitant to move into combat range are those who aren't comfortable yet sparring. Take it as an opinion, but I think by not sparring you're hindering yourself. And never underestimate a good kick to the boys. I used to, until I was reading our wall of fallen officers. One of ours actually died because of a solid kick to the groin. There are situations that warrant offense in the LEO world, you are correct, but most often we tend to be reactive rather than proactive. There are times you can see a guy's getting ready to fight and you can snatch him up and cuff him with minimal fuss. There's also those attacks that come out of nowhere, especially if you don't read body language or quickly judge your opponent less harmless than they are. I've been on both sides of that particular scale.

Rather than repeat, I'll just say I'm mostly in agreement with tallgeese. Being a police officer, anything I've ever used against an aggressive suspect has been something I learned sparring against others.

No offense, JusticeZero, but when you compare your roda description to the second paragraph, they don't seem to jive much. Care to get in a more detailed explanation in another thread?

Good video, Kuma. Does the reference I underlined mean the fight can be stopped, acknowledging the winner w/o further damage to the opponent? Correct. The rules from the UK Kyokushin site give a better picture: The winner shall be determined on full point (IPPON) or at time one half point (WAZA-ARI). Two half points awarded will constitute one full point. 1, Full point win - IPPON: * With the exception of techniques which are fouls and not allowed by the contest rules, any technique that connect and instantaneously downs the opponent for longer than 3 seconds, scores a full point. * When a contestant informs the referee or judges that he is beaten as the result of techniques allowed within the contest rules, his opponent shall be awarded a full point. * A serious foul by or the disqualification of a contestant will automatically give the other contestant the win in a contest. 2. Half point win - WAZA-ARI : * Where a contestant is knocked down by a technique allowed within the contest rules and regain a standing position within 3 seconds, a half point can be awarded to his opponent. The (downed) opponent will be allowed to continue with the contest only if in opinion of the referee he is fit to do so. This will be after consultation with the doctor, at the referees discretion. * When an opponent is downed with a technique including foot sweeps and a well focused but non-contact technique is followed through, WAZA-ARI is awarded. 3. Decision win - YUSEI: When no definite IPPON or WAZA-ARI has been scored, the judges may award a win by decision on the basis of superior techniques skill and fighting spirit.

1) In Kyokushin, kumite is one of the three Ks that make up your training (the other two being kihon and kata). Kumite is very important for the Kyokushin karateka, and you need to have good kumite skills to advance in the ranking system. Kumite admittedly probably ranks higher than kihon and kata in Kyokushin. 2) They use traditional techniques but since most of it is more adapted to full contact fighting, I would say somewhat integrated but not completely. 3) Kyokushin sparring is knockdown fighting. There is no protective gear, not even gloves. Because of the lack of hand protection and laws against bare knuckle fighting, head punches are not allowed in jissen kumite (its biggest weakness). Punches to the body are, however, and knees and kicks are allowed to the legs, body, and head. A typical "round" is 2 minutes. Tournament rules say a match is won with ippon by either knocking the opponent out, unable to finish the match, or by accumulating points through knockdowns and blows that show effect. In non-tournament kumite, you essentially shake it off and keep fighting unless seriously hurt or KOed. To better explain it, here's some Kyokushin sparring knockouts and such.

Go unaware. I'm sure they won't be crushing you physically at first.

No need to do that. You'll be a beginner in there just like everyone else. They're not going to throw you in a meat grinder, they're going to work with you on your own level. You'll no doubt progress quickly due to your previous training, but I wouldn't worry about you facing down the instructors or best students one-on-one right off the bat.

I hope you find some interest in it. Enshin is essentially a full contact karate style with sweeps and throws, focusing on sabaki. I know many people who would jump at the chance to attend a class.

Still, using the reasonable man standard (what would a normal person do in that situation), the courts are going to look at it and say hey, the aggressor was unarmed and swinging but not to the point where it would warrant force of that caliber (as deadly force can be considered not only that which kills but also causes serious injury). You'd be looking at a hefty lawsuit and, depending on the totality of circumstances, you yourself might be legally responsible since you acted outside of what was needed. There's also another problem to face: not everyone who gets jabbed in the eyes is going to immediately stop fighting. Sugar Ray Leonard fought 12 rounds with a detached retina in his eye and still won his fight against Thomas Hearns. Especially in this day and age, you can't be snapping a shuto into windpipe of every guy that mouths off to you at the Quik-E Mart or break the kneecap of the sloppy drunk who tries to push you in a bar. Using any kind of MA technique is risky enough (for example, you could give the guy a nice punch and then he falls, cracking his head open), but using ones deliberately designed to cause serious injury in a relatively non-life-threatening situation is just asking for major trouble.

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/forums/usa/6072-enshin-detroit.html It looks like Enshin Karate is available in Detroit, which is fantastic.

In jissen kumite, aside from mouthguards and groin protectors we don't wear any other padding. We will adjust the levels of contact though, so one day might be light to moderate, another hard.

Like mostly everyone else's, it depends on what rank you're going for. My most "recent" (since I rarely get to do any kind of testing since they only do it 2-3x a year and out of state) promotion lasted a bit over 2 hours: kihon, kata, self-defense drills, tameshiwara, and 20 minutes of jissen kumite against 10 different opponents (1 every 2 min essentially, so you're constantly fighting a fresh opponent while you just get more and more tired). My sensei's was much much longer when he got his newest dan, as his kumite alone was 60 minutes. I had other things to worry about that day, I didn't pay too much attention to what he was doing

Maiming a guy's eyes just for trying to punch you won't go over too well in the court system.

Aside from blocking it with sune uke (shin block), I think one of my favorites is (if from a left lead stance) to step out with the right foot, bring the left foot around, and then counter with my own roundhouse with the right leg. It's essentially a moon type motion, say 6 to 3 if facing forward is 12 o'clock.

I use hiza geris (knee strikes) frequently in Kyokushin kumite as I tend to be a close-range striker. Knees to the legs, torso, and head are all allowed and encouraged. So yes, we learn how to use and defend against them.

Been training in some kind of MA over the past eight years now, but I'm currently a 7th kyu in Kyokushin Karate. Started off in karate and diverted for a while, but came back to it as my main focus finally.

Yes, mawashi geri is a roundhouse. Just saying that sometimes a high chamber can benefit you. And it's because the Brazilians in Kyokushin tournaments pretty much introduced it to the tournament circuit.

Six pack!

If you're a Thaiboxer, you'd be better off with the 14oz gloves, maybe even 16oz if you want more conditioning. Not sure what their regulation weight is, but I know when I was boxing we would typically train with 14-16oz gloves but fight with 10oz gloves.

The vertical fist and the vertical spear hand are similar in doing this. I remember accidentally (I was being too aggressive) getting a spear hand through a sparring partner's guard position. We weren't supposed to use finger techniques, and for good reason; I accidentally touched his eye. He was disoriented for a couple of minutes, but fortunately turned out to be okay. It's a good point, though, about the vertical fist having a better chance at getting through, Kuma. Ouch! Glad to hear he's okay. I know if I was a new student coming to a dojo, I'd be a bit intimidated if some of the students were wearing eye patches