Kuma

Dang shame too, I like training with the tonfa. ASPs and Monadnocks are the in-thing now.

http://www.hojutsu.com/ The martial art of shooting, for those who might be interested. I know I would be keen to check out a seminar or two.

Speaking from my own law enforcement background (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania), I'd say this is the best bet. On average, I rarely go into the trunk of anyone's vehicle during a traffic stop. If you don't have a trunk (i.e. SUV-type vehicle), just keep them in a bag.

Here's one actually, though it's tough to see if it was just the single strike that got him: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news?articleid=2959858

I've been considering buying a BOB XL for some time. Anyone have any experience with one and, if so, is it worth the money?

Actually, in some instances raising the kick chamber higher then bringing the kick down can increase power from my own observations. Take gedan mawashi geri for example. By raising it more towards chudan level, with a twist of the hips it can come crashing down on the outer thigh at a 45 degree angle, significantly more punishing than just a straight in gedan mawashi geri. The super flexible can do the same for even jodan mawashi geris (the infamous "Brazilian kick").

A good yoga DVD can do wonders for you. Ride your bike and do the yoga workout one day (usually no more than 20-30 min), the next day ride the bike and do bodyweight stuff like pushups, situps, squats, etc. Take one day off a week. Should cover pretty much everything you need right there.

I had the same problem. I got good results with doing VERY slow front kicks for conditioning purposes. I also would execute the kick and hold it out at maximum extension as high as I could off the ground for a count of 5-10 then bring it back and repeat for reps.

I prefer the normal seiken (palm down), but a tate tsuki (vertical fist) is good for getting through someone's guard who keeps it tight. Other than that though, seikens for me.

There's a Kyokushin dojo around there, Ligo Dojo I think it's called.

Covers a lot of points I believe in as well. The biggest downside of my department is there's a lot that's mandatory for duty belts and the only way I can carry my Taser is in a drop-leg which can get in the way from time to time. We also stick with the basketweave leather and everyone needs to buy a different radio holder as soon as you can because in your first scuffle you'll see the thing falls right off all the time. It looks good, but it's a piece of junk.

Thanks Patrick and KarateEd.

Definitely Judo would be my first pick, though Escrima would be my second.

This is a fun idea. Figure I'll post the occasional workout. Aside from my daily warm-up and Sanchin kata, today was a kihon day. Worked on stances, footwork, and hand strikes primarily (stationary and moving). Did some work with Ten no kata, a few other kata, and some makiwara work. Hit up the gym and did some heavy power cleans, push presses, squats, dips, and gripwork. Finished it off with some intense cardio for about 10-15 minutes and going to do some stretching and Sanchin before bed.

Thanks everyone! beast and white owl - I'm near Pittsburgh myself. My dojo is actually in the Penn Hills/Verona area.

Thanks bushido_man and DWx!

OSU! Glad to have you here, though I'm still a bit new myself so take it for what it's worth.

Thanks tallgeese.

Hello all, the name's Kuma. Got the nickname from an Okinawan friend of mine, no significant reason other than I really like bears. Used to be a boxer then got stationed on Okinawa when I was in the Marine Corps. Started training in Goju Ryu Karate in 2000 for a while then, after a brief respite and some sampling around, began training in Kyokushin in 2005. Mostly a karateka with a beginner jujutsu background, that's about the depth of my experience. Seems to be a good forum, look forward to learning all I can. OSU!

This is an interesting post, as when I first became a police officer this was on my mind. It's a lot different doing techniques in a gi barefoot than wearing a uniform, duty belt, vest, and boots. Something you can try that I did is save an old pair of what you often wear, then once in a while throw it on and do a home training session wearing them. Hit the bag, spar with a friend, do your kata, etc. I learned which techniques were better to rely on this way and I feel more comfortable wearing it if I'm anticipating a problem.

As have I. Still a ways to go before I can instruct any kind of class, but that one will definitely be included in my curriculum. I have the majority of his books and each one is fantastic.

Exactly, bushido-man. I apologize if it offended, I did not mean for it to. I meant to imply the celebrations you sometimes see during that kind of sparring. I noticed it fairly often during the Olympics this year watching the TKD fighters.

Ashihara and Enshin are very interesting in my eyes. I truly enjoyed Ninomiya's Sabaki Method. Wish I could train it more other than just once in a while with an interested partner.

Since I've already shared my views on kata, I wanted to say my piece on the MMA info that was just posted. Sport fighting is a fantastic way to learn how to apply much of what you learn. It teaches distance, timing, endurance, hitting and getting it, footwork, offense, defense, etc. It is invaluable. You don't necessarily need to compete, even sparring will get you the previous skills, but you do need to learn how to fight against a resisting opponent who is doing his best to get you back. However, it's not the only thing you need for self protection. Some of them can teach you habits which, though they work wonderfully in the ring (i.e. weaving in boxing), they leave you quite vulnerable outside of it (i.e. weaving brings your head down, making you easier to either take down to the ground, knee strike, kick, etc.). When I was in the Marine Corps and we tested in MCMAP, you would sometimes grapple with an opponent who, as soon as you took the upper hand, all of a sudden produces a weapon that gives him the upper advantage. This taught us to save grappling as one of our last resorts, not the initial attack as many grappling-oriented fighters would think. There has been some point fighters who struck a blow in an altercation and actually turned around to celebrate the point, much like they did in tournaments. Once they realized what they did, by that time they had lost any advantage they originally had. Even in Kyokushin, my own style, the lack of head punching in jissen kumite can be considered a weakness. You also need to recall that weapons are a huge part of our culture nowadays. Being a police officer (albeit still somewhat of a rookie), I've seen many of the disputes during my time involve a weapon of some kind. From a simple dinner fork to a sawed-off baseball bat, from a simple Swiss Army knife to an AR-15. I had to do training outside of what I was learning in MA classes to really address these issues. So, in summary: I think realistic sparring and sports competitions are great for martial artists. We all should be doing it to some degree. However, never forget that sport fighting can teach you bad habits.

As I said before, I don't necessarily think one needs to practice kata to be able to fight. I used to box growing up and there was plenty of guys in my community gym who could fight well and wouldn't know the first thing about kata. However, much like a lot of things, boxing took out the old rules they used to have and once it was no longer considered useful in a sporting environment, those techniques fell to the wayside. In much the same way that can happen to any martial art. It's through kata we keep the spirit of the art alive. That's why the Kodokan has atemi-waza that their students learn. You can't use it in randori, but it's a part of Judo and to truly master Judo you need to know every aspect of it. Perhaps I'm the odd man out, being a knockdown fighter who enjoys practicing kata. I think it helps me, so you won't see me stopping anytime soon.