Drew

I don't want better character, I want that last line of influence over other people should reasoning and political manuevering fail me. I want to beat other people in competitions. I want to be able to lend advantage to myself and people I like in those instances where violence can be effectively employed. I don't prey on the weak or anything, and I don't go looking for fights, but people don't walk over me, and never will. I have the tools to protect myself so that I can take what I want from life. When you get right down to it, there is one everlasting truth between all things living, and it is this: If they can't kill you, but you have the ability to kill them, you are in charge, you hold the reins. This is true on a microscopic to a national and world scale. Better character? Thats something family and society crafts. Thats something I craft myself. Thats not something some arbitrary calisthinics craft for me. Do you see people doing pushups all day then getting up and feeling like their character is so much better? Why not volunteer at a homeless shelter or make a hobo a sandwhich and give him a job? What is better character? Is it being able to do a kata perfectly and focus on it completely? Not by my definition. Superior character to me is realizing that you depend on everyone around you and going out of your way to help others once you've helped yourself. Kata doesn't do that. So I guess what I'm saying is martial arts to me aren't a tool for character development, they are a tool for subjecting others to my will when it is appropriate. Parents do it, police do it, the military does it and they all always have.

I think this is the question that bothers me here. I can get that Karate may not be Karate without kata. Why do we say "just kickboxing" concerning an art with no kata? What's wrong with kickboxing? What's wrong with wrestling? Or fencing? Or Aikido? Word.

I see where you are coming from. The act of beating up some muggers (if it is true) and making them pay for it isn't what I think comes off bad, it is tweeting it (or whatever) and showing it off as if he is some kind of hero that makes me cringe. Both grapplers and fighters in general already have a pretty thugish tough guy reputation to begin with, he is just perpetuating it and making the rest of us look bad.

I know that depression you are talking about. It turns out that is actually a withdraw from dopamine released when accomplishing a task or when engaged in some sort of conflict (e.i. hard sparring). Check out this article, number four was of the greatest interest but you may find the other ones to be of some use if your neck still hasn't recovered. http://www.cracked.com/article_20035_7-things-you-wont-believe-science-says-make-you-happy.html

Whether or not it is wise for an individual to kick someone in the head depends largely on practice. I have met plenty of people who are complete rubish at punching but have knocked innumerable people out in tournaments with spinning hook kicks. Some of these same people have knocked out would be thugs with the same technique. It all comes down to what you practice. Do you do five hundred head-level side kicks per foot per day? But you never practice your right cross you say? Well why don't you just take your chances with your side kick then? Bad footing comes into play outside the ring. Gravel is a bit iffy even when you practice kicking in gravel. Ice is worse, and snow, sand and tall grass all present their own unique challenges. I'm not saying it can't be done, just look at all the knock-down karate spinning hook kick knock outs. Most of those fighters end up falling down but that doesn't make their opponent any less knocked out. As an aside, when throwing kicks at someones head, be aware of the fact that even untrained opponents, maybe especially untrained opponents, will sometimes mirror your tactics. Meaning if the first high kick doesn't take them out, you can expect the next high kick you throw to be mirrored by them, and it will probably hit you in the groin.

Done.

I see, thanks.

I've been watching some knock down karate matches and I was wondering: Why, when a competitor knocks another dude down or out, do they so often do a down block? Style? Is it required? Whats the deal?

I've been kicked in the groin before, but if you don't get hit exactly at a certain angle it's no worse than any other delicate part of the body. I've really only had two super bad groin hits to be honest: once via wayward hockey puck in gym, and also once when I was a kid I fell off of a roof onto a porch railing. The hockey puck hurt like the dickens for a good long while, but the railing... good lord! ;_; I couldn't move, talk, inhale... it was unfortunate to say the least. Although I did not experience the accompanying nausea like I see many guys having, so I imagine I got off easy there. It is funny you mention nausea, I've seen guys get hit there and heave and sometimes even drop unconscious like they where hit on the chin. I myself have been wacked in the junk more than my fair share of times and have never experienced any ill effects other than those you get when nailed in the stomach. Well, until a few hours later that is. Then it is not pleasant in the least.

I'm sure that the aforementioned didn't only watch the tapes, surely they had a group of friends they scrapped with, sparring partners, what have you. I don't think its a hard hump to get over, even recreationally.

Um, I feel like I've asked this of someone before, but what does Ashihara mean? My rudimentary Japanese skills tell me foot belly? Is it just the founding fellers name? EDIT: Sorry never mind it took me all of three seconds to read the second reply again for the answer. I understand that Japanese names often don't make sense, and they balk when you ask them what their name means, never having considered it themselves.

That was one of the most disgraceful things I have ever read, I'm ashamed for him.

Bas Rutten had was an excellent kickboxer but had next to no ground game when he went pro. He watched other fighters do submissions on tv, and dreamed of stuff, woke up, and tried them on his wife. By the end of his career, unless I'm sorely mistaken, he had more wins by submission than by KO. Evan Tanner, with only a high school wrestling background, learned from those Gracie instructional tapes. Jon Jones, also with a high school wrestling background, just started copying things he saw on youtube videos and look where he is at now. Champ and a testament to all of the "low percentage" strikes he can get his hands on. I realize that all of these people have had formal training of some kind, but my point is you will never get anywhere if you don't try, and you stand to gain a butt ton of skill even with flawed learning methods.

Well, so long as we are on female anatomy as it relates to martial arts, what is it like to get kicked in the groin, as a woman? I'm sure you ladies don't appreciate being hit there but have you ever been dropped by a kick to the groin?

I don't believe it can be put better than that, well done.

Just before hopping on here my partner figured out meeting the strikes on his own. I had been doing it naturally but didn't know to tell him, and didn't realize he wasn't doing it. Thanks for the help, the problem is all cleared up now

Hmm, thanks fellas. My holder is, well, holding them right, acording to a variety of youtube videos. The thing is, I don't have this problem when I hold for them, just when they for me. I have seen plenty of little Thai fellows holding for big guys as well, I wonder if they don't just suck it up. Not that I am particularly large. Or at all, really.

So here is the problem: I came across some Everlast Thai pads at half the price they normally are, so I bought them. Prior to this I have never had anyone holding pads or mitts or anything for me, just bag work. My friend who holds the pads for me is constantly wearing out or in pain two minutes in because of the shock of my punches, round kicks are way worse on him. I thought that maybe I just needed a bigger dude to hold my pads, but my dad, who is almost twice my size, seems to have the same problem as my friend. So I must pose several questions. 1) Do these pads just suck? 2) Is there some magical trick to not feeling the shock of a blow? Teh internets is failing me on this one. 3) Can you recommend any better Thai pads? 4) Does anyone have this same problem, whether from pads or boxing mitts?

Thanks for the info everyone, I hadn't realized there were any new posts on this topic, my email doesn't seem to be working Thanks for bringing up the legality issue, I hadn't considered that.

Thats sounds like it was a great experience, nothing like some healthy competition! By the way, I got the sense from your whole narrative that you weren't being very aggressive in your matches, is that right? Perhaps more aggression would be to your benefit?

That's so funny, me and my buddy were talking about this yesterday. We thought that equestrian plus judo would be a riot.

So someone gave me a pair of steel toed shoes the other day. They hurt my feet, so I can't wear them, but I was playing around with some toe kicks while wearing them, something that isn't safe in any of my other shoes. Just the fact that the shoe made toe kicks practical, combined with the extra weight added to any kick makes me want to get a decent pair. My questions are: 1)Do any of you wear steel toed shoes/boots? 2) Do you do it for self defense purposes or work related purposes? 3) My favorite kick with them on is a leading leg front snap kick to the shin, do you have any favorites? 4) Could any of you recommend any comfortable steel toed foot wear?

When I was ten, I was trying to break open a walnut with a rock. I hit my index finger and broke it clean. I ran in circles a while which was then my custom when receiving a painful injury, and afterwards my finger was so stiff and swollen I couldn't bend it at all. Ten years later, that finger still hurts if you rub it the wrong way. Personally, I would give up if someone broke my finger like it had been broke then, unless I was hellbent on fighting them. That being said, my father can get a hold of fingers and do the most terrifying things with them. I wouldn't bet on anybody to shake off some of the major finger and hand injuries he could deal. One such terrifying technique is to grab the ring and pinky fingers with one hand, then the index and middle fingers with the other. Then you pull apart. I have seen this move in football, and it can permanently damage a hand.

Try doing it on a trampoline. My sisters and I used to do that move all the time when we were kids. I think we all got to the point where we could do it on solid land as well, but that was just an afterthought. If you don't have a trampoline, maybe jumping off a dock into the water while doing it? Or you could even find a gymnastics place and use their foam pit.

It takes a lot of training to get most techniques to this level, but I prefer to strike with impact. A strike that not only penetrates, like a spear hand to the throat, or a snappy side kick to the ribs, but also shocks their whole body and picks them up off their feet only to deposit them unceremoniously on the ground. I've found round kicks the easiest to get to this level, followed by side kicks and then front. Shovel hooks are the only punch I've managed to get a really good impact out of. There is a time and place for pushing, penetrating, and impacting though. Often I have used an actual push or slow technique to get them away, in order to create space. When the window of opportunity is small, as it usually is against a good fighter, I'll use quick, snappy, penetrating strikes. When the window of opportunity is large, as when they have missed a strike, been stunned by a penetrating shot or pushed of balance, it is time for impact. Does anyone else make this distinction?