crash

honestly, i have never been to a dojo that teaches kata with music. interesting concept... and my base style was heavy on the sport side, with a heavy push towards the tournament side.. though the core teaching was still more traditional.... once we were at black belt we made forms for competition on our own as a team or individually, but the music and timing was all figured out by those involved in performing the kata's, not something to be taught as curriculum. so not much i can chime in on, but am interested in hearing others experience's with how or even whether this is something taught as part of class...(especially to lower belt rankings, once you reach an advanced level, B.B,,,, ones timing and movements should be smooth and flowing, so adding music isnt that hard)...

congrats, I joined way back in 2003, have been active/vocal for some of that time. drifted away for spells and then just "lurked" from time to time. but was always happy to see the forum was still around. i always knew that if a question arises that i do not know the answer, or would like to see others views on certain M.A related topics the answers can be found here by either searching or just asking. there is a massive wealth of knowledge to be gained from those of you here and on these pages that have accumulated over the years. Thanks to all of you for making this possible and continuing to do so.

I think these two quotes fit together very well. when teaching defense, especially for women, one of the first things to teach is situational awareness. being aware of your surroundings at all times. when driving through a parking lot to getting out and walking to the destination. awareness of who is around you at all times while out alone or in public in general. someone who looks clueless or occupied with no regards to their environment are far more likely to be picked out and targeted...teach confidence, awareness, and to walk tall and with purpose while also teaching the self defense aspect of techniques and fighting. just being aware can prevent someone from entering your space to the point of the original posts scenario and prevent having to face the "what-ifs" put forth thus far....

that is great news, prayers for you to keep seeing a rapid and complete full recovery

he is a stranger, has clearly and extremely invaded your space in a threatening manner. verbally assaulting you, escape is impossible, a clear and present danger. this is a situation when a first strike is better than letting him make first contact. and knowing nothing of him or his background it should be hard and fast. not gently as in a hold.... is a strike more ethical than a kick or throw??? no, a kick is just as strong as a strike and a properly executed throw can be even more devastating. in a close quarters situation as this you use what is available.

i agree on not moving backwards as in actually moving more than one step, maybe two at most. but in this case or similar, taking the one step back (just getting into a solid "ready" position) does one thing that is vital, it makes the attacker/aggressor change position, even if unnoticeable. it makes him think on a subconscious level that slows the thought process. same with the "stop" command. its all a mental game at this point. fighting is about control. once you have that control you lead the direction of the outcome. ever sparred with someone who seemed to know your every move? if analyzed it is almost a certainty that they at some point early on took that control and led the match. its not that they knew your every move its more they led you to where they wanted you every time. even if you didnt see it, you were playing catch up and led to defeat. that is one part of sparring that is often overlooked, especially with the lower belts who are more focused on technique and what may or may not work in a real life engagement. but the "slight of hand" leading where to go is just as important. its like, why do we train to fight either right or left? so much so that either is comfortable and second nature... just changing this simple position can throw many people off their game. most people arent trained or practice this enough so the average person is at a disadvantage when you change to lefty instead of what they are used to.... the subtleties can be a game changer, especially early on, and can position for a first strike if necessary....most people only think of "controlling the opponent" with actual contact,or only after hands have been engaged, but the act of control starts as soon as a threat is percieved... i will try to find the article you wrote. would be very interesting i think to read.

take one step back, not only to distance yourself just out of reach but to also plant the rear foot into a forward fighting stance, while not being too obvious. at the same time reach up to just above waist level and loudly demand "stop" . this gets your hands up but looks like a separate gesture. loudly demanding a "stop" gives an opportunity to take control of the situation. if he is verbally threatening, he is also probably stating a reason for his anger. if its a misunderstanding or misidentification you now have a chance to change the "conversation" or convince him otherwise. from here, maintain control of the direction of future events. command he back off. tell him to keep his hands visible, no sudden reaches for his pockets, etc.... take and maintain control.... regardless though, if he takes another step you are now in a position to strike first. and justifiable.

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.

i think what you are proposing is pretty much already covered in every boxing gym across the country. like sensei8 stated above, to go full on contact your insurance would be astronomical, not to mention student retention would probably be almost impossible, no one wants to (or could) go all out on a daily/weekly basis....as far as integrating it into other styles, its already there... every style covers body work / body punches from the beginning. from how to make a fist to "middle punches"...heavy bag work simulates a body and develops strength without the risk of undo injury. what you envision is bare knuckle boxing without head strikes, i really dont see a purpose for this. i could be wrong but for myself there are just more alternatives and styles that would cover more and be more practical.

Thank you sensei8, i too, always found a way to train. but i also see those times of training alone, without a style or dojo, as lapses... and then there were the actual lapses of not training at all. though those of no training at all were few and far between... ive almost always had at least a gym membership of some type, even if it was just a community gym with the basics...and even there i would incorporate martial arts to the training routine....life can and will get in the way, but that in itself is a lesson, and shows how strong our roots are. part of the training is how we overcome obstacles and how we maintain composure. it forms who we become as adults...... i moved and traveled around a lot after adulthood with career. but found a way to still run and teach at a couple dojos, and even now have made a way to still train.... life is an adventure. but a way can be found.... i see real life not as getting in the way but as being part of the overall lesson. not insensitive at all. we all have to make those choices of where life leads us. but we can also make the choices of how we react and who we become along the path we choose. and if wanted strongly enough we can find a way. it becomes a lifestyle. no matter where we train..... and our knowledge can always be passed on to the next generations or whomever may want to learn........ Thank you for your reply.

most here seem to have a few years in the game. i myself began this journey, life, back in 1980. trained 5 or 6 days a week 2 hours per day on three of those days of the week. did so for the first 6 years before joining the military. while some buddies and i would train in the PT sawdust pits, trading ideas and techniques, that was the first of my lapses in actual training at a dojo or a particular style... i did resume training after leaving the service for a few years in a different style. then came the second drifting away, after getting married and starting a career that required travel. once we got settled in halfway across the country i found and started training again. but this was only for a year before another move, again across country, took place. this was followed by a lapse of 5 years or so. afterwards i did start teaching for a few years for a local dojo, settled in and dove deeper into the philosophical side of life. looking back its cool to see the changes we go through and how we have matured or the directions taken. these humps, obstacles and lapses come and go, but the life always calls one back..... that last dojo went out due to the owners age/health and the timing of the pandemic.... but even before then i had built my own training area in the back yard, a full outdoor workout area with gym machines, free weights and multiple benches. and a full indoor dojo. just for myself and a few students i will occasionally take on......so, from an activity/sport in 1980 to a lifestyle today, interesting journey, is this just another lapse, so to speak, or is this finding the meaning of sorts. a coming to a new chapter or realization....... what are some of your stories? any lapses or times of drifting away?.....lessons in themselves of who you are?