crash

man, so many variables come into play here. ( do you know the person or is it a stranger?..etc....)... but to just keep it simple, assuming a stranger,..if he is verbally threatening, physically threatening, and getting in your personal space he should never be allowed to lift his hands. as far as the level, it would again depend on the situation. the reason for the aggressive behavior, etc..... if you dont know the reason then the soft approach of trying to "hold" or "lock" him up is not my first choice. (if a stanger he may have friends watching you arent aware of, and if they see him "losing" may just try to help)..ending the conflict fast and hard would be best. not letting someone get close enough is key in any situation. always being aware of your surroundings and alert to those nearby. verbally threatening along with any contact or aggressive movements can justify self protection. but as stated many variables to consider and each situation can be drastically different from the next.....

Congrats..

i found the movements of aikido to fit very well with my core style. the couple years i studied, i loved the circular style of movement and found it could be easily incorporated or intertwined with my core training. very multi-directional, almost to the point of directional change without seeing it beforehand.... if that makes sense...lol

agreed, i know many people who , out of choice, never tested beyond 1st degree, but have many years experience..i myself never tested beyond 2nd degree. yet have over 40 years in the martial arts.just saw no need to for myself. did i miss out on any training by not testing, no, not at all. testing for the most part is a visual sign of experience for lower belts. but not always an actual level of capability afterwards....

we really only had right or left front fighting stances and side stance.... we did other stances for forms but not at the level in common training as most styles rely on. our instructor had a saying that when fighting, standing still was certain defeat. always be moving, we had constant drills of transitioning from one position to the next, forward, backwards, side to side, circular, left and right foot forward, etc.... never sink into a still stance once the fight begins.

we had / did similar drills at the lower / intermediate belts. we called it one step sparring drills. another is having one person stand static in the fighting position, either foot forward and circling them while throwing kicks or punches to open areas, good practice for beginners to ease into sparring. as one progresses movement can be added to the static side from just back and forth "bouncing" or "weight shifting" to more in-depth movement. it is a usual practice for more sport based systems but is actually good for everyone, to learn coordination. control, aim, and footwork. we didnt start sparring until green belt (4th belt in our style), and these were some of the exercises that would ease each level up to the point of full on sparring. but are still fun and useful even after getting into the full sparring stage. or for those with injuries or just no desire to full on spar. thanks, i like hearing others training methods also

i think a lot of them started as children and stuck with it to the point of making it a career. i started Martial arts at 15, after wrestling in school for a couple years. some do "karate" as a workout, or hobby and it goes no further, for others it becomes a lifestyle and they work their lives around that, same as gym owners or body builders... it becomes who you are more than a hobby you do in your spare time. ive taught at a few places and ran my own program for a while, while working a regular job. moving around hindered it actually becoming my full time career. Edited to add: while its easy to say life gets in the way at times, that is only because of the life we have chosen. had i chosen to try to run a full time dojo instead of part time, life would have been different and a way would have been found. its all in how much we want something and how dedicated we are at achieving that goal.... its never too late to make the necessary changes, we do it all the time for most goals or pursuits.

i think EVERY MMA fighter will disagree with this. the truth of the matter is that it would be highly accurate to bet every real fight will go to the ground...... knock outs arent as easy as most people think and fighting even an unexperienced fighter or someone trying to actually harm you isnt as technical or easy as just hitting them in the right spot. people move and turn, makes it a little different than hitting a bag or practicing partner..... just have someone blind rush you, and go low as in a tackle and evaluate from there......full speed and with intent is a game changer

i started in 1980 as well. trained 5 days a week 2 hours per day, and sometimes on saturday as well... did that for the first 5 years before joining the military after highschool... then started with a new dojo after returning. been to many dojos and styles since then over the last 40 someodd years. as ive gotten older the spiritual side and philosphy has become more focused than it ever was in the early years. growth is beautiful in that way. as i get closer to retirement training becomes more centerstage once again....i understand what your saying here.

i will somewhat agree with you here. but this is also dependent on many other factors that come into play one of the biggest factors would be experience of your opponent. one thing MMA has taught is that pressure points arent going to instantly take out an opponent, neither are other flashy tricks or complicated techniques, or other such practices once used to promote martial arts. (and still are for a lot).. someone with even a tiny bit of training can be difficult to beat even for a more experienced practitioner. while a lot of things are fun to train, when it comes down to an actual real fight. its best to stick with the basics and end it as soon as possible. NEVER underestimate or play with your opponent when its real..

understandable, and agreeable to an extent. but its more conditioning and fitness than targeted "strength" training. theres room for improvement or "steps" if you will, in any art. when training do you want just technique, or are speed drills also taught?. (or other coordination or such drills / practices)... as ryanryu stated above, a full time dojo owner really has no reason to not have a certification. i first, naturally, got my CPR cert. (should be a requirement), and then a personal trainer certification, followed by a senior P.T certification. a dojo i taught at for a while had quite a few high school wrestlers, cheerleaders, even a few ballroom dance instructors, even had the kicker for the local pro football team. so i wanted to know as much as possible that would benefit / interest everyone who participated.... i understand, especially with more traditional styles the desire to stay to the roots. as ive stated before, i came from a more sport oriented background. just throwing ideas out there to see what others think.

just teach, Honor, pretty much covers everything...............

i usually followed a set class pattern. time is also an issue with how classes are ran as much as style itself. i ran 2 hour classes, or 2 one hour classes actually. usually on wednesdays the second hour was sparring. the other four days was a 2 hour standard class. that was for advanced, green belt and above. and a one hour class for beginners. we did a lot similar to what you describe with dumbells.......i know a lot of places it is common to have 1 hour classes only and given the warm-ups and stretching leaves little time for anything extra...

its more like a boxing gyms stations, heavy bag, speed bad, push-ups, sit-ups, mt climbers, etc.... follows a 9-rounds type workout..... a mix of strength and cardio in a HIIT type format, two minutes each station, etc... not really anything new to the M.A's. back in the 80's it was common in sport karate training, heck, tai-bo was even a martial arts workout in its basic form, before it was watered down, given a name and fed to the public as a stand alone workout....lol.....

as stated earlier. just learning to fight (with fists) is already available at any boxing gym in any city USA. you learn and condition and when ready step into the ring to spar, just shy of full contact, sure headgear may be warn, and gloves, but the safety equipment, conditioning / learning along with a waiver is paramount for insurance purposes, and safety reasons in general. as far as incorporating martial arts into the mix, thats been around since the 80's at least, with kickboxing. most trained in a boxing gym. the only addition to boxing was the mandatory 8 kick per round rule.... you cant just tell people to get in a ring and beat each other to the body, (or anywhere else) without some sort of training and conditioning to work up to that point, regardless of the type of fighting....that is where insurance and medical bills would end the business/gym pretty quickly...what youve described so far sounds more like an underground fight club more than an actual training type club of any sort. not meaning to sound harsh or negative, its just the way it comes across from the description so far.