crash

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?

no serious injuries in training. took a few good shots while sparring, breath knocked out and a bruise or two here and there a few times. tournaments were a little different, almost knocked out once, would've/could've been considered a TKO, had it not been just before the timer to end the match. that guy had to have three legs though... i never saw it coming and still, 45 years later, dont know where or what kind of kick that was...all i know was my brain was saying stay up and move and my legs were like "nope were done"....lol...and quite a few other dents and dings along the way on the tournament side.

Wow, that brings back memories.... not only as you stated with nerves, excitement and being overwhelmed. but of the later tournaments and the experiences gained and memories made of traveling the southeast circuit for the following coupleyears... that first tournament was the battle of atlanta in 1981, i was a blue belt and did manage to win a couple of point fights. so not too bad considering.....lol.......then a few local smaller tournaments , and then traveling with the group all over....those were fun, not just the events but the comradery and time spent on the beaches or in the cities afterwards or before the tournament itself....fun times indeed...... i made sure to make my last tournament before leaving for the military to be our studios / instructors yearly tournament, the Vitali Goldstar....that was the mid 80's and since returning from the military in the 90's i have probably only participated in a couple tournaments with another dojo/style since then... but those days with my first style will always be what i remember most fondly....

lol. yeah, probably a little..... what got me thinking of this topic as a whole, is recently on our little main street another personal training gym has opened up. not a mile from one that opened in 2019. both are along the lines of cross fit or other HIIT type gyms. so that, along with a workout anytime or planet fitness in every shopping center in the county. and they all stay pretty much packed out, we are in a fitness revolution of sorts, people are far more fitness conscience now than even 15 or so years ago, and i know that martial arts are a specific interest. but a lot of people do expect a level of fitness to be gotten from their participation. and with the multitudes of people going for the gyms there has to be a way to attract some of those to our sector... interesting comments/views so far. i know many of you come from a traditional background where as my core training was more sport oriented. so there is a difference as well as the differences in how each dojo or style is ran, a lot of variables at play. just wondering others thoughts or what they may or may not do that is different from the standard martial arts type everyday type runnings.... i attended an aikido dojo back in the early 2000's for a year or so and they always had a very large attendance / members. they didnt teach children below 16 and the classes were 2 hours each day. only two belts, white and black, (they had testing of course, just no colored belts) though you were allowed to wear the hakama after you were past the halfway point..... cool place, and they "broke" the rules of how most dojos run but still maintained a large membership....

and that is the problem with adult retention. one of the big puzzles we try to figure out is how to retain adults long term. if you ask most people why they want to learn "karate" the answer will be self defense and to get in shape, by teaching "karate" only, you are only giving them half of what they are looking for, and i guarantee they will leave for a gym within 2 or so years. compare your memberships with ANY gym in the area. you are lucky to have half the numbers of the worst gym. gyms are everywhere and on average are 50 bucks a month, la fitness (and many others, depending on location) you can get for 50-60 a month, bring a friend every visit, have a pool, gym, and classes of every kind, even a box it out class at most. this is the competition we face. we have to change what we offer to stay afloat. the thread "is martial arts dying?" is a good example, and the answer, honestly is "Yes".... karate has become a kindergarden or babysitting service in most peoples eyes. an afterschool activity for the kids. in that thread, and others, posters mention the poor teaching and lack of actual skills. that is the dying last breath of the martial arts. we are in the death throes and must admit there is a problem in order to fix it..... instead of changing to fit the times the martial arts instead became belt factories and soft. thinking to get or keep people they had to offer easy ways to the top..... and this is now the result. not trying to be harsh, just pointing out that for 100 bucks a month people would choose a crossfit or P.T gym over what we do. they dont want easy, they want results........ and we can give those results, we just have to see and make the changes necessary.... its not hard to incorporate a routine into the training and still stay martial arts based and focused.

i agree that class time, or the majority of time spent at the dojo is martial arts training, that is what its all about, after all. but i have found that adults do like the cardio and strength portions also. gives them some "gym time", so to speak. ive been in dojos that for the entire month before testing they will only focus on forms for the entire month. well, two steps, forms, testing agenda, etc.... so for those not testing its rather boring or not "fullfilling" to a degree. (though i dont think most are like that or to that degree, but if testing every three months like some do, that eats a lot of time away from class in the long haul).. this is OK for beginners classes but for advanced classes i would rather have them work on forms/kata in their own time, (of course there is help if needed) and have a HIIT type routine of some type twice a month. along with a sparring class once per week.. , Thanks for the reply.

Do you or your dojo, class etc... incorporate or use heavy bags,(not B.O.B or standing type but hanging heavy bags for timed drills), speed bags, dumb bells, or other non-martial arts type equipment in training. does your class veer away from just the M.A type subject and do a class of pure cardio or or perhaps "station" type training? if so, what type and how often, once a week? once a month? just occasionally?...... just wondering others thoughts.

if you have a commercial spot and dont wish to train under 16 or so, with the right space and set up, you could make up the difference by offering yoga, spin, aerobics or other classes. find someone who can teach those, or offer a "9 rounds" type program for those wanting a quick workout only.

cool, the only reason i mentioned this was you said this was a fairly recent occurrence. so just better to be on the safe side and rule out any health issues.