Kirves

I wouldn't even classify it as kiai. Kiai is a breathing method from kiai-jutsu, and it involves a sort of explosiveness that is missing from the "meoww" that Bruce used. I think he was just mind f*cking the opponents and using the mysticality of the oriental martial arts in the minds of general public to his advantage in making dramatic movie scenes.

Er... I explained badly. When you get addicted to a substance, you have to have it, you crave for it. When you miss a day in class or gym, you get jumpy and sweaty and feel like you simplu MUST do something, and off you go running or something. When you get your body conditioned to it's daily endorphine fix, it will kick you up your rear end to get the fix everyday.

Check this out: http://www.kyokushinkata.com/

I think there's an edit option somewhere when you look at the poll thread (it's only visible to the person who started the poll). Okay, my take: I have seen chishi in a local Goju-ryu dojo as they are regularly used in Okinawan Goju-ryu. But I have not used them.

Why do you think there is a sense in having a rank in karate but not in krav maga? The rank is just a pointer to what you have learned and what should be taught next. And if there's a visible sign for your level (a colored belt (as in karate), a colored shirt (as in Ting Wing Tsun), a colored triangle (as in BIFF Escrima) and so on) it is there for your instructor to see so he instantly knows where you fit in, and he can teach you according to your level. I still think rank is just a tool for structuring the curriculum and aiding the teacher in class. It ain't something special.

Sure, if you're sick, get well first or you may get seriously ill!

Exactly. Many people seem to think that "I'd know if they were bad, but all the students are skilled", but how can an unskilled person judge the other guys skill level? No way. Only someone who knows how to do it, can see how wrong the other guys are doing it.

Nah, he's just trying to gain the next belt rank a bit faster. Some people call it post-wh*ring...

As I just switched to Kyokushinkai, I wear a white belt.

Endorphines are morphine-related substances that alleviate pain and make you feel goooooooodddd. When you exhaust yourself with exercise (not pain but exhaustion!) your body releases endorphines to ease the pain and lousy feeling. When you do it everyday, your body can get addicted and slouching on the couch makes you feel restless. That is a well known phenomenon. It is good for the athlete, as when you condition your body so it is used to daily exercise, it is harder to skip class than not to!

Belts in any martial art are senseless as any rank system would do just fine. The organization of a particular art is free to choose it's own ranking system.

There are several KM organizations so their systems may vary. The one prevalent here in Finland has no belts, but they have "levels" from 1 to 10. It just means that when you pass one level, you are required to have learned the techniques up to that level, and are entitled for learning the more advanced techniques and tactics designed for the next level. Basically, the reason, as in any ranking system (belt or no belt), it to structure the training into logical stages from simple and easy basic techniques to more advanced techniques and combinations. A ranking system is essentially a teacher's aid in structuring the class and determining what to teach and to whom?

Actually, that is true. Body likes the endorphines, and when you are used to hard daily exercise, you will start feeling restless if you start skipping days or weeks. That is nothing less than the body saying "I want more stuff!".

Yeah. Matt Furey's 'Combat Conditioning' rules!

And persevering when you don't feel like it, is right there at the essence of budo.

Okay. I guessed that much. Then, how do you train these techniques you listed so that you have them "wired in" and they work in real situations, if you don't apply them while sparring?

Yes. It is exactly that. People have one-step-kumite, two-step-kumite, three-step-kumite, I've even seen five-step-kumite used. Usually they are used prior to jyu-kumite (free sparring) as a stepping stone. An example of Ippon-kumite (one-step-sparring) is here: A attacks with a lunge punch to head (jodan oi-tsuki). B defends with a high block and counters with a reverse punch to solar plexus (jodan uke, chudan gyaku-tsuki). An example of Sambon-kumite (three-step-sparring) is here: A attacks with lunge punch to head. B defends with high block. A attacks with reverse punch to head. B defends with high block. A attacks with groin front kick. B defends with low block and counters with reverse punch.

How come there's no option for "have heard of them, but don't use them"? I find this poll quite badly designed...

My training went well yesterday. I came home to a smiling girlfriend and a happy spirited half year old son. We went out and had fun in the sun. It was a happy day that I'd like to repeat. Hey, even my sensei said my technique was excellent - I wonder what medication he was on...

Not trying to be disrespectful, but how come I never see these in any TKD tournament, sparring or any other video that I watch? Am I just so darn unlucky in choosing TKD videos or what? I mean, yes they seem to be in the basic techniques, but never in the actual fighting, why is that?

Were they in any way affiliated with the Dog Brothers? They are awesome. Kali is awesome. Full contact rules. I guess there's no point in my post either, but I just wanted to say I understand you!

BJJ is good for one-on-one fighting. Very good. But multiple opponents... you are easily in trouble if you're alone. But that's fighting reality. You need to be incredibly good expert at fighting until you can beat numbers. One on one is easy with a bit of good training, but one on two is tough. One on three is very difficult and one on many is downright insane. No matter what you have studied and how long. Your best bet is to either avoid, or run from these situations. Run like Forrest Gump!

Actually Okinawa-te was the art originally found on Okinawa, while the Chinese arts were called To-te, Tang-te or Kara-te (all meaning the same thing: "Chinese fist"). When Okinawans started training in Chinese arts, they mixed their own art (Okinawa-te) with it and now they are totally mixed in karate and you can't separate what is from which art anymore. Karate wasn't adopted in 1936, but a new spelling for it was, while previously it was kara (same as "to" and same as "tang") + te which meant "Chinese fist" or "Tang dynasty fist", now it was changed to kara + te where kara was still pronounced kara but written differently and it meant empty. So kara-te now meant "empty hand". This was done because anything "Chinese" was looked down on at that time in Japan and it was better for marketing to say it was "empty hand" than "Chinese fist".

Bunkai is Japanese for ti-chi-ki in Okinawan language, which means the applications of the moves in the kata. For example, the kata may have a shoto-uke "block", followed by jodan tsuki and a gedan barai. In kihon level this would mean "block a punch", "punch to face", "sweeping block downstairs". But when you study the fighting combo of it, what the kata designer meant when he taught it as a self defence move, it may mean that the opponent grabbed and pulled your arm and you used the "shoto-uke" move to take an elbow lock on him (or even just break his elbow altogether), then with the lock on, you turn him so you can punch his neck from the side or from behind, then you use the "gedan barai" as a neck-breaking finish. So all moves in karate have their "kihon" basic meaning, and their self defence "kata bunkai" meaning and then they even have "oyo bunkai" meaning, which means that when you are a fighting expert you know how to invent new applications that weren't originally taught in the bunkai of the kata but are usable still. Hope this helps.

Well... trying to help out with your incredible demands: - Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (these people do practice defending against multiple assailants and cover all ranges of fighting) - Wing Tsun (spelled like this, not Wing Chun et.al., advertises that they have specific drills for up to three opponent situations) - Jeet Kune Do Unlimited (IMHO the best JKD style, JKD is usually, if taught properly, about realistic street fighting) - Krav Maga (another art that contains drills for multiple opponent situations) - Systema (another one with specific drills for multiple opponent situations)