Iron Arahat

Don't just go for a black belt just for your resume. There are other things that you can do to in order to focus towards a security or law enforcement career. If you enjoy the BJJ do that train hard, and use your instructor as a reference, it is just as good. In fact the BJJ may be better suited towards a standard "use of force" continium, than most striking arts...

Three years to black is so fast, especially if classes are twice a week. The question might be are you allowed to promote three times a year regardless? An example of how things are in Judo are as follows (time represents MINIMUM time in rank before Promotion) White....... 4 months Yellow...... 6 months Green...... 9 months Blue......... 1 year Brown...... 2 years I agree that belts may be good to motivate individuals, but shouldn't progressing to something new be enough? iamrushman...don't you think that there is a choice for kickboxers to be competative or non-competative? The Kokkikwon requires all blackbelts in TKD be registered and pay the appropriate fees, there is no choice. Again the devils advocate.....

That honestly depends on the situation. I have ko'd a guy with the high round...shin to the neck. The low cut I use to set up punches or alternate low cut. An the push is strictly defensive...to get some space.

I disagree in a real fight people do feel pain. Pressure points are a very effective means of dealing with a confrontation. Pressure point tactics if used properly can make a big difference. In the real world I don't want to stand toe-to-toe and exchange blows. If pressure point tactics were not effective, they wouldn't be taught to law enforcement personnel, as an effective means of control.

To a degree true...but any competition short of professional costs. Any Karate, TKD, Kung-Fu, and everyone I missed has entry fees, travel costs, etc.... Almost everyone hear will pay training fees in some form or another. The big shiny belts are often overrated as well. How many "sanctioning" bodies are there? Boxing is the same way. How much does a TKD practitioner pay to the Kukkikwon in Korea for his black belt certificate? Is his skill any less valuable if he/she were not to pay these fees? I am merely playing devils advocate here in the sense I know that a certain amount of money is required for anyone to operate; however, when it becomes commercialized then the problems start. Greed, not a love for what we do too often taints the arts that we a love to practice. Belt test fees in many cases are just a money grab. For example Chinese Martial Arts traditionally have no belt (or sash) system. Today you can find hundreds of "black belts" in chinese systems. Why. Money.

You can develop a fast, powerful lead leg kick. Defensively I'll use it to create distance with a push kick, against an aggressive opponent. Offensively I will either as high round house or a low inside cut kick. If you can get the flexibilty and the power it can be a very effective weapon,as it will often surprise your opponent.

Mike Miles is training some good guys, but you have to remeber that Miles is also promoting the fights. Miles is also the WKA representative for Canada. He has alot invested in the fights that take place in Calgary. There are alot of sanctioning bodies, as well as title belts flying around out there. Trevor Smandych also lost his only fight in the IMATF Championships to Ridouan. This we seldom hear about. It's just good promotion. Most guys in North America still are not the calibre of the Thai athletes. Miles guys are human...nobody is untouchable.

Belts mean nothing really...I mean you see some of these 8 to 10 year olds with black belts, but can they take care of themselves. Often belts are too commercial, I have seen black belt grading fees in excess of $500 (pass or fail). The question is do you need a belt to tell you if you are good or not...and even then are you instilling a sense of false security in your abilities. Too many times I've seen an heard the "now I'm a black belt, I know it all song". I have personally been training for over 15 years and am still learning. What is important is your standard. You know where you are at, and if you honestly put forward the work. My advice for new students is buyer beware - training 2 times a week to get a black belt in 3 years or less should sound alarm bells. When people ask if I have a black belt I usually respond in two ways: 1) "Tell me what your defenition of black belt is..." 2) "Sure I have a black belt. It holds up my pants and cost me $14.99 at Walmart".