cross

Some sites i found, cant tell you weather they are combat effective or not: https://www.dutchkyokushin.nl/ https://www.karatebond.nl/ https://www.kenpokarate.nl/ https://www.gojukai.nl/ That should provide you with a good mix of styles to read up on if you feel the need.

That all sounds solid. However, in reality some techniques are simply more useful than others. So if you learn a technique that doesnt equate to a natural body movement, doesnt have a high chance of working during resistance from an attacker or is 2 complicated to execute under pressure, then i think it definetly matters what moves you learn and how you learn to do them.

I agree that you will never know what will happen and that its best to avoid a fight. But avoiding isnt possible, standing your ground wont do you any favours, it just gives the attacker more time to impose his/her will on you.

Like others have said, your ab muscles may be quiet strong, but if there is still that layer of fat over the top you wont see any of the definition.

Self defence situations are all about control and survival. The attacker is agressive and trying to control you to get what they want. This alone already puts you at a disadvantage. IF you wait for them to strike and try to block then counter, or when they strike you try to strike faster, your just putting yourself at more of a disadvantage and giving the other person/people more control over you. Being pre-emptive is certainly not the only way to deal with a situation, but it gives you the best chance of survival. If all other options have failed, then the safest option is to strike first and strike hard with a well practiced technique. Then run, if you cant run keep hitting until you can. One person said "if its one on one i will wait for them to attack." Why? Getting attacked is getting attacked, no matter how many people are doing it to you. Sure, you may feel that you can control a situation with one person easily, but what happens if they are better than you? If you wait around and engage in a "fight" and they are more skilled, its 2 late. Being pre-emptive ends the fight before it starts. Others mentioned the legal implications of hitting first. And i agree that these need to be taken into consideration.... long before the situation ever occurs, read up on the laws of your area and know exactly what you can and cant do. Waiting around to get hit may be legally more 'correct'. But logically, it makes no sense. Before you worry about the legal problems that might arise AFTER a situation, you need to survive whats happening right infront of you. In regards to the "honor and respect" of not hitting first and only using your training if needed.. If someone wants to attack me, for whatever reason and is becoming aggressive, they are in no way showing me respect. If they act like an adult and want to discuss the problem with me, then i will respect that and talk it through, but if they make the choice to cause me physical harm, they will get no respect from me. Being pre-emptive is your best chance to regain control of a situation that if you dont act quickly in, is going to spiral far beyond your control.

What seems like a disadvantage is actually one of the main things (along side training methods) that makes it so effective. Having a "limited" arsenal doesnt always equal a less effective system. The less techniques you have to choose from, the better, in a confrontation. Knowing a few well drilled techniques that you can execute without indecision is always better than knowing loads of techniques and freezing up because you dont know which one to do. Id say the best of both is exactly that.....both. Rarely would you find a style that is one without at least some of the other. So that means its a good idea to train a nice mix of both and see the techniques for what they are, just tools. Select the right one for the right job.

This is very solid advice, not only for this topic but for self defence in general.

Why's that?

I Agree with what others have said. Stay mobile and dont focus to much attention on one person. Out of interest, do you do this kind of training regularly in class or is it a one off for your test?

No worries, just thought id mention them incase you hadnt seen them before.

Excillent idea, thanks. I have no plans of doing it yet, im only a young pup. But was just thinking about what the future of training holds for people.

Agreed, perhaps the linear techniques can be performed in a more circular relaxed motion to combat this. Thats not really what i intended either. And i agree, not my idea of relaxation. Thanks for your comments.

Thanks for the info patusai, makes good sense.

Thanks for the link baronbvp. Agreed, kettlebells are not something high on my "To Buy" list.

Ofcourse, i was just interested to what benifits YOU find personally?

Hey everyone, Often people will suggest a style like tai chi for older people interested in training due to its slow, gentle movements. So ive been thinking and am toying with the idea of performing kickboxing, boxing and mma type techniques in a similar fashion to shadowboxing (or it could be a set of combinations) more slowely and relaxed like in tai chi, so that you could gain similar benifits if you prefer that kind of training. Whats everyones thoughts, any additions to the idea, and possible problems you might run into etc..? Thanks, Cross.

Haha, thats true. But i think im going to have to dust off the old dart board and give it a go anyway.

I was just thinking of another possible option, if you like darts and have a dart board handy, perhaps you could give certain numbers a exercise, another simple example: pushups could be odd numbers and situps could be even numbers. Then if you hit doubles or triples you do the amount it adds upto. That would be a little more challenging.

I completely agree. There is alot of benifits that come with not only martial arts training, but any physical activity. Especially with younger kids who are growing and still learning how there body moves and works. If it gets them thinking and off the couch then im all for it.

Hey holytriforce, I see you are listing "boxing" has your style now. Does that mean youve made up your mind?

I dont particularly mind either way. There is good and bad in everything. Its usually fairly easy to recognise which is which. And i agree that your friend did the right thing, she felt that she would be better suited to the black belt category and her results showed that she was right. Out of interest bbk2132, are you required to sit another "full" shodan grading once you reach adult age?

No problems. Couldn't find a link for the exact ones i have, but they are very similar to these ones: http://www.black-eagle.co.uk/sport-glove-inners-p-191.html

Haha, those are great ideas. Excillent for a classroom environment.

Now your thinking.

Yes, i agree about the wrist support being the main thing. After all, the gloves are their to protect the knuckles. I have a pair, not those kind, a simpler version i suppose(ill try and find a link). I use them all the time now. They support the wrist very well, ive never had problems with them.