jaypo

I would think Rousey. Gina is one hell of a fighter, but she's been semi retired for literally 6 years doing movies. And Ronda has been training and fighting nonstop. I think Gina did a lot to bring WMMA to the forefront, but I really believe that her beauty (and I do think Gina is beautiful) had a lot to do with her popularity. The first real threat she faced (Cyborg) absolutely destroyed her (literally). Gina was a great fighter and a pioneer in her sport. I just think that had she not been as attractive as she was, the organization would not have hitched their wagon to her like they actually did.

Yeah, but the UFC has done everything they can to avoid having Rousey, the attractive (although, I don't think so) champion fight the person that most think would crush her, and that is Cyborg. That woman is a killer. Dana White keeps bringing up her failed PED test (years ago), yet, he has had people like Josh Barnett and Vitor Belfort fighting consistently. Dana is a promoter, and he knows that Cyborg would have the best chance at dethroning Rousey. He's doing everything he can to avoid that fight. Hell, Rousey has been avoiding that fight for years! And now that she and Dana are tight, I doubt that fight will ever happen. So to keep the Rousey hype train rolling, they're going to pull Gina Carano out of a 6 year retirement to fight her. I remember Gina getting crushed by Cyborg when Gina was in her prime! I think it would be poetic justice if Gina somehow came in and took the title. I would literally dance an Irish jig! What bothers me about Rousey is that she is an olympic level champion in an ART that was founded on respect, yet she is the most disrespectful person (next to the Diaz brothers, who she is tight with) to fight in the UFC. And her mother is no better. I'd prefer a champ like Lyoto that holds the principals of his art close and outwardly shows respect for his art, the sport, and his opponent. And on that note, I hop off of my soapbox!

I had the same issue when I started with my current club. I learned strict JKA Shotokan basics, and I had to transition to a more Shorin Ryu based open system with different stances and a lot of front leg kicks. I had very good "JKA" basics, but being 36 yrs old vs. a teenager when I started, a lot of the old basics were uncomfortable. I had to lean on all of my classmates and Sensei to bring it all together. All of them have different styles and different teaching styles. You have to find what works better for you. But the best advice would be to find out what your Sensei thinks is the best route. He's the one that will be making the final decisions.

I would hope it plays out like in The Last Samurai- the confrontation ends with Tom Cruise replaying it over in his mind after it happens. I'd say that I would hope my techniques wind up being effective- a perfect combination of speed and power. I would use my speed to set up my power. But I would use what I've been taught. My first instinct if I had to attack while prepared would be a leg kick. Not many people on the street are equipped to handle a muay thai type leg kick without it affecting their ability to defend themselves. If I'm a victim of some kind of sucker punch, I'd probably use an evading technique and use my training to close the distance and cause as much damage as fast as I can. When the threat is averted, I'd halt my attack. Basically, I'd do as much damage as possible in the least amount of time. Speed would be used to set up power. Unless I have the time to think about it. Then I'd get creative!

I was originally taught in Shotokan that every block is a strike, and every strike is a block. Sometimes for fun in my new system, we practice the bunkai of a kata in an all offensive context. So the first gedan barai in heian shodan would be a low level hammerfist to the groin, then a punch. In my current system, we work a lot on getting off the line of attack, so our blocks are still powerful, but more often than not, I find myself doing more deflecting than breaking with my blocks. Also, I focus more on snagging an arm when I block rather than pounding it with my block. It has become a habit to catch onto whatever is coming at me now! That gives me that much more to break on my attacker!

I agree, Archimoto. A friend of mine did that, and he was surprised at things that he's eaten constantly while being allergic to them. He also made a good statement recently- he said that it's amazing the difference from when you start treating your eating like fuel for your body rather than indulgences!

Way to go!

Feet should move in a semicircular pattern. Bring your rear foot to the center in a semicircle and then to the front in a semicircle. That should solve the "tightrope" problem, as I like to call it. The other thing is to overexagerrate the step out- it may feel like you're stepping too far, but you'll probably end up in the right stance. I have a cousin that's 50 yrs old and just started training. That's the advice I gave him, and even though it took him a while, it eventually started working for him!

Listening to my Sensei's speech while presenting me with my Shodan black belt. I still watch it some times and still get chills when I hear it!

I think you hit the nail on the head- "the MMA gym down the street". I've never heard of the top MMA type schools being listed as "MMA" schools. American Kickboxing Academy. American Top Team. Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Militich Fighting Systems. Blackzillions. Etc. To the true fan of MMA or TMA, they know the difference. Casual fans are the ones that will get duped.

We also have a code of conduct, and it states that once the student enters the dojo on testing day, they are only allowed to interact with the Sensei and other students. Usually, all of the club's black belts are present, so if help is needed, the student may get it from the other black belts (or senior students). The parents are allowed to watch from the outside (we train in an old racquetball court, so the wall is clear and parents are able to watch without being in the room.) During "recess", if there is one, the students may speak with their parents, but once they get back on the floor, they belong to the sensei! I've found this to be the most effective way. One girl, in particular, is the daughter of an old TKD student, and her brother is an amateur boxer/TKD student. They work with her a lot, but a lot of their techniques are not the same as our Shorin Ryu based techniques, so it does take away from her training a little. But she's good enough to overcome the slight differences. We asked the dad and brother to "allow us to teach the student", and they're pretty cool with that.

Congrats! Now the fun starts!

As a huge fan of "cage fighting" (I watched the first UFC and follow it now) and as a traditional martial artist, the term MMA to me means a style that takes principals from different arts and combines them into their training system. Jeet Kun Do is a MMA. Aikido is an MMA. Hell, Shotokan is an MMA. The problem is that casual fans associate MMA with cagefighting. UFC started out as a real Bloodsport. Style vs. style. And when Royce beat everybody using his family's are (which actually evolved from Japanese Ju Jutsu), people realized that even though they may be a master of a certain art, they needed to train in BJJ (or some equivalent grappling art) to beat the BJJ master. Those that had grappling AND striking skills excelled (the Shamrock boyz, for example). I think any martial art is based on self defense. Therefore, mixing these arts should produce an effective self defense system which should include lethal techniques. I've never seen an "MMA event" in a cage that allows spearhands to the throat, punches to the throat, eye gouges, etc. Therefore, cagefighting to me is not "MMA". It's, for lack of a better term, "MCC"- mixed competition combat.

Abs are made in the kitchen! You can do as many crunches as you like, but if you don't control the diet, the crunches won't make the difference that you're looking for. I have the same problem- the only bit of fat I have is in the same area. You have to keep burning calories and eat a diet low in fat.

1/10th of my life in actual time in the dojo. Not nearly enough!!

My sensei trained in Okinawa as a Marine in Shorin Ryu, Goju Ryu, and some Kung Fu. When he moved back to the US, he trained in Shotokan with master Okazaki. He started teaching a combination of those arts by starting a self defense school, and it evolved into his own system based on all of those arts. He is able to teach different students based on their physical attributes. When I started training with him, I had a couple of years of Shotokan training. So he focused on bringing me back to those roots. When I was back on my feet, he began introducing me to the other styles. Thankfully, most styles were similar. Most of the katas I had to learn had a lot of the same movements with slight variations. When I went to test for Shodan, he gave me a choice- I could either test for Shodan in Shotakan, Shodan in Shorin Ryu, or Shodan in Sen Sha Do Karate Do- which by virtue is a Shodan in both systems. I had to perform all katas that a Shodan would perform in each system plus 5 katas specific to his own style.

After feeling too far out of shape to reach my martial arts goals, I began dieting and cut about 18 pounds. It has helped a lot. I've been weight training for years (mostly strength training with heavy weights), but my elbows and shoulders are starting to revolt! So I purchased a set of olympic rings to try and improve my core strength. I did my first workout for back and biceps today, and I can feel the difference from my regular training. I can also feel a difference in my heart rate. It seems to be a lot higher doing ring exercises than regular resistance training.

I'm okay as long as there are no zombies in the room. Those things scare the heck out of me! In all seriosness, not many critters scare me, but I absolutely hate cockroaches. I don't mind them if I can see them and keep them at a distance, but I can't stand if one touches me. Snakes- no problem. Mice- no problem. Cockroaches- I can't tolerate!

The only sound I hear when I run a distance is my heavy breathing! I've never been a good distance runner. My cardio consists of about 4.5 hours of Karate a week and about 3 hours of strength/weight training a week. I can't run much anymore because of my knees. After my weight routines, I usually spend another 20 minutes doing katas at a fast pace. That helps me burn a lot of calories!

A common reason for students to get discouraged is when they can't seem to remember a kata. And I remind them that in old Japan, a student wasn't allowed to start on a new kata until he had practiced one for 3 years. Usually, that puts it in perspective for them!

I think it's the ISKF rules we go by, but we also train on hardwood, so we don't do throws and takedowns while sparring. In SD situations, we don't free spar. It's usually done as 1 step or very controlled kumite. For kumite for tests, it's free sparring.

In our system, we have meetings almost daily about association issues. We do have disagreements, but we resolve them diplomatically. I personally believe that letting things fester, for lack of a better term, cause more harm than confronting them. If the situation is approached the right way, it can be resolved. Maybe the sensei has no idea that it is causing issues. If he did, it may sway him to take another course of action. And if it's done respectfully, it may not negatively affect anyone. You said that the instructor did not want the advancement, so maybe he wouldn't be upset if he wasn't promoted. It all depends on how it's handled by all parties. If I were in that situation (and I have been in a similar situation), I would bring my concerns to my Sensei, not in a negative manner, but to let him know that I have concerns with how his decision may affect the overall good of the association. If the end result is that he decides to do it anyway, if I trust him, I have to trust his decision.

Kensei- my Sensei also trained with Okazaki in Philadelphia. It must have been an honor to train with a direct student of Master Funakoshi!

I actually enjoy working with the beginners because it is such a huge compliment to watch someone you teach grow. Like raising your children! It makes you proud when they accomplish something as a result of the way you raise them. Same with students. The TRUE martial artist is humble and realizes that he is a student as well. No matter what rank he is. And he also realizes that he was once in the same spot as the beginner. I've been confronted by those that hold rank and let it go to their heads. And I couldn't help but feel pity for them. Personally, I am very proud of my achievements. But it's not because I can brag about being a Nidan to everybody. It's because I set a goal for myself, and I'm very proud of the work and dedication that I've put in that has lead me to my goal. A true MA'st doesn't need to use his rank to make himself look superior. He knows that he will always be a student, and he knows that he can learn as much from a beginner as a beginner can learn from him.

Actually, that spearhand comes after a block. You're pushing down an attack with your left hand and thrusting a spearhand to a soft spot (either the throat or solar plexus). That's why your spear hand is resting on top of your left hand. That left hand has just pushed down the opponent's attacking hand or foot. (Think of "catching" an opponent's punch towards your chest with your left hand.) As my Sensei always tells us, the kata is the alphabet. You have to put the letters together to make the words. The kata may look a certain way, but the application may be different. Naihanchis (or Tekkis) are all done in a straight line left to right, but all of the techniques can be applied forwards and backwards as well. We always do the bunkai for Nidan left and right with the attack on the inside and outside. So it can be used on either side. In the kata, it's probably only applied with 1 hand to allow the kata to flow more easily. Not every movement has a mirror. But most movements can be applied with either side.