rmurray

The jury is not out. Ask any board certified physician whether or not they recommend you use headgear while sparring. Headgear is even more effective in other martial arts than it is in boxing because you expect a blow to the head from a variety of hard surfaces (elbow, forearm, foot, shin, etc.). The world wide web can support literally any position on anything so let's spare eachother the links. First; The distributors of headgear routinely play down the effectiveness of their products on labels and advertisements to reduce their liability and not imply any warranty against concussion. This prevents lawsuits. Second; There is an agenda behind removing headgear from amateur boxing. The motivation is to increase the popularity of boxing which has been on a severe decline for 15 years. Removing headgear increases KO's and creates excitement and might make boxing more popular again. Boxing promoters can't come out and say they want to sacrifice the athletes health to renew interest in their sport so they take a back door approach and attack the effectiveness of this valuable safety equipment. Fortunately USA Boxing (Governing body of ameteur boxing in the US) and the International Olympic Committee rely more on science and their accredited doctors and don't buy the hype. But regular people like you read it, they beleive it's true then they post it here, and other people read it and they beleive it's true. People begin incurring unnecessary injuries because they aren't using adquate gear because they don't beleive in it.

I get your point Dave but I don't think you should say "that's not true at all". It's not a stretch to think that the elements that make up a guy before he becomes a great Muay Thai practitioner might also make the same guy a great TKD artist.

I'm so glad I have all of the "cold hard facts now". A lot of young men get really enthusiastic about their training and tend to think that what they are doing is "best" and nothing else compares. It is common for teenagers and guys in there twenties to think they have it all figured out. I think you need to be on the planet for at least 30-40 years and if you are wise at all; you will realize how little you know, and how much you have to learn. That's why older guys make less powerful assertions. We're aware that we could be wrong so we hedge our bets a little bit. The "style" you train in is way down on the list of factors that will determine the winner of a no holds barred fight. athleticism, strength, mental fitness, timing, confidence, speed, chin, heart, determination, flexibility, any number of God given talents, a little luck, etc., etc. The man wins the fight not the style. Every art produces some dangerous fighters. But those guys would have been dangerous no matter what style they learned.

If you have multiple attackers who wont allow your retreat than a blade might be you best friend. That's a pretty big mental hump to get over before you start sticking bellies and slashing throats, but two or three guys can cause you irreversible harm pretty quickly. I'm glad I've never had to go there. I'd say once you committed though; go nuts and spread the love. There's no benefit to holding back. If you pull a blade and still don't win; you can bet you wont be walking out of there when it's over.

I think the biggest advantages are the mental preparedness and repetitive practice of proper techniques. People really overestimate the competition out there. An average untrained fighter is totally one dimensional. They're wading in, leaning forward, cocking their fists back, rolling their shoulders forward or throwing hooks at your head. They don't have the balance to do anything else, it takes practice. If a regular guy is ready to fight you, chances are he's 1. scared to death, 2. mad as heck, 3. Impaired. Or any combination of the three. If a trained martial artist can remain calm enough, most fights are easily won with one or two techniques. The hard part is staying calm and being confident in your training. The truth is: Martial artists make short work of untrained street punks with frequency. This is universal. Don't pay attention to martial artists who can't overcome their fear and insecurities and try to give you doubt about your abilities or training.

This might be a longshot and I certainly don't know your whole situation, but have you considered moving to a bigger town? You're an adult now, it sounds like you're struggling, maybe you could use a new start. You could definetely make more money in a bigger city. We have so many dojos in Portland; senseis compete to keep good students so there classes don't get too small. Lots of the schools are not for profit. There are a lot of good schools where you can train for $20-$40 a month. Go west Young Man.

This is completely untrue. Headgear very much protects the brain from trauma. That is a fact and should not be marginalized. Adults may elect to spar without headgear, but should know that wearing it significantly reduces the risk of brain injury. Do you think football players wear helmets because they are worried about cuts? Do you think motorcycle helmet laws exist only to prevent cuts? Headgear is a wonderful, effective sparring tool. Children should not be allowed to spar without it.

I think most Karateka agree 100% cotton is the way to go. I don't know how important brand really is. People prefer different weight gis for different reasons. Make sure you are hanging your gi to dry and not putting it in the clothes dryer. If you wash in cold and air dry, your cotton gi will stay pretty much the same size.

I think it's awesome that good solid Karate techniques are winning big stage fights. GSP and Machida both holding belts in two weight classes was pretty cool. I respect all martial arts, but admittedly was getting pretty tired of hearing all these guys that train in a BJJ/Muay Thai gym for a few months acting like Karate is a complete waste of time. All martial arts deserve respect. If Karate has to flex a little in the octagon to get that respect, that's fine; I'll be enjoying the show.

We were just practicing bear hugs and discussing the bunkai of the first techniques in Naihanchi Nidan last night. This is a defense against a bear hug but seems far from perfect. Proper form is bending at the knees and dropping your weight down and raising your elbows only as high as your shoulders. This frees up your arms and hands but realistically in practice it left the attackers clasped arms around your head or neck. I think in theory the kata supposes you are superior to your opponent and you'll be in the clear if you're able to mobilize your hands and start the next technique. Or maybe the theory is your attacker will give up his grip once you start to give him the slip. I think in a real mismatch with a large attacker you might be making your situation worse. Being in a bear hug is bad and can lead down an ugly path, but it is still safer than being in a rear choke and possibly going to sleep. I think maybe the only real defense a small woman has against a bear hug from a large male is never letting it begin. Manage your personal space and run away when you need to.

"Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand." I know I wont have any trouble seeing a westerner demonized.

I've heard it said that you learn more from the losses. I tend to beleive that. Better luck next time.

I've only seen the first one and I loved it. I'll see if the other ones are on Netflix. I've had trouble taking reviews from here seriously because everyone loves "Best of the Best" hahaha.

I have what you describe as warriors hands. I think I got a headstart because my knuckles are naturally large and well defined. A decade of hard boozing and smashing them into all kinds of things enhanced them even more and scarred them up. Those days have passed, but now I do pushups on them and they get plenty beat up doing farm work. I'm pretty fond of my hands. They look like dangerous weapons. I wouldn't want to see a lady with hands like mine though.

It suits heavyweights well because the higher stance is alot easier on the knees than shotokan and other styles that require you to get lower. I'm pretty sure I wrote "not exclusively" somewhere in my post just to avoid this argument though. Any fighting style is reliant on power, weight and reach. People have to make do with what they have, but you can't reinvent the wheel. If two people with identical training and experience clash, the bigger, stronger fighter will almost always win.

No divisions? I've never seen that. That sounds kind of dangerous. Even small tournaments will usually have two. Where are you fighting at, the thunderdome? JK. Good luck. Hopefully you'll draw a good opponent for you. I'd hate to be a beginner walking into that battle.

I think I didn't understand Jim's point but I also agree that if you can't fight you shouldn't get your blackbelt. But I think everyone would agree with that. Heck, I think if you can't fight you really haven't earned your greenbelt. Certainly not your brownbelt.

What are you saying you would like to see happen Jim? I don't know what your endgame is. I'm glad you are pleased with your current training, and I'm sorry you feel like all of your other training was garbage. Alot of martial artists live well rounded lives. Not everyone can commit their lives to being an elite fighter. I for one, don't have any interest in fighting professionally. I train at a traditional karate dojo twice a week and work out at home 1-2 days a week. On a good week I probably get 10 hours of martial arts practice. This doesn't put me in line for a UFC belt but I'm tougher than any of my friends that don't train. I'm pretty confident that if you rounded up 10 random guys at a supermarket, I could run through most of them in a 1-1 fight. That's good enough for me. I own a small business that needs me, I live on 20 acres that takes a lot of work to maintain, my farm equipment needs maintanence, I have a wife who requires my attention, animals to feed, I serve on the ministry at church, etc. etc. So basically martial arts and fighting are just one aspect of my life. I know I couldn't win a match against the elite fighters in my area. I'm OK with that. I'm pleased with my dojo and my martial arts training. I get what I want out of it and in time I'll have my blackbelt. How does that have any affect on you? If Shane Carwin jumps me in a parking lot; I guess I'm out of luck. Unless someone gets it on video. Then I'll be doing OK.

I've always trained pretty much at the same dojo. Our sessions are between 1.5-2 hours long. Some days the workouts are fairly lax and other days they are quite vigorous. Last night for example we did 200 kicks with each leg in addition to warm ups, ippons, heavy bag and kata. We NEVER; regardless of the length of workout or intensity, take a break to drink some water. I've worked out a little bit with my dad and his club and it's the same thing. No water breaks. I've played other sports at different levels and the need to hydrate seems to be widely accepted from little league to college ball. I see the pros on tv: baseball, basketball, hockey, footbal etc. drinking during their games (I assume they drink at practice) From what I understand about sports science and nutrition, some water would be beneficial to reduce fatigue and get the most out of a vigorous workout. So how about it guys? Do you take 5 for some h2o when you're at the dojo? Is this phenomenon unique to where I workout (an oversight by sensei?) or is there possibly some karate tradition that prohibits taking a water break. I don't want to ask my sensei because it will sound like complaining. I can survive without it. It's just kind of a mystery to me.

The USA-NKF rules allow you to tape your hands and feet but you're only allowed to use one layer of tape.

I just meant beginner/novice would be your division, but if your 2kyu then you will be in the intermediate/advanced division. The jab reverse will still be a good combo but you'll need to do more than that. I'm sure you have some good techniques from your years of training. Getting the correct mindset will help more than anything. BE COURAGEOUS and keep your offense coming. If you're good at sweeps, that's a good way to rack up some points. Just execute quickly when they go down.

No you're posts are not in the 18%.

Conrad if you are sparring at the begginer/novice level you are likely going to see the jab/reverse combo over and over again. It's not easy to block them both. Your best defense really is a good offence. think of it like jousting. You both jump in with your jab/reverse and jump out. One of you may score maybe not. Be sure to exagerate your "karate" technique or they wont score your strikes. Also yelling at the moment you make contact can sometimes wake up the four blind mice and get you a point. You have to get over your fear of approaching. Absorbing shots is part of the game. Typically your opponent is going to be a good sportsman. He isn't trying to harm you. The more you practice sparring the sooner that fear will go away. Be glad for the hits you take in a controlled setting. They are better preparing you for real conflict. Good luck in your tournament, let us know how you did.

When sparring I like a front leg front kick aimed near the belly button. That is how I control distance. (USA-NKF doesn't allow leg kicks) I do this when my opponent is closing distance but I'm just outside of his punch range. Mostly I just do it to lower his hands more than anything but if it goes unchecked you can fold a guy. Also the front leg front kick is easy to get back quickly so your foot doesn't get caught. The rear leg can go alot farther and it's certainly more powerful. I practice it alot in training but never seem to throw it in a match. I think it would be best used at the end of a punch combination. I agree don't lead with a rear leg kick.

It's true. Netflix has every episode. I loved it. Lots of good information about the history and technique from various styles. Very educational.