jaypo

1. Confidence. Loved JCVD- Bloodsport put me over the top. 2. Shotokan. 3. Only style that had classes in my area that didn't interfere with my other sports. 4. I hold a Sandan (3rd degree) in Okinawan Karate. However, due to various injuries, I'd put my skill level at average now. 5. Weight lifting. Deer hunting. Shooting. And of course, family! 6. Century, Pro Force, Tapout 7. Price- because I'm not rich. Quality. Presentation. 8. Once every 3 months. 9. AWMA. Blackbeltshop.

Batman would win (as he did in the comics) by taking advantage of the fact that Superman will not kill. I love the part in the trailer when Supes says to Batman "Stay down. If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!" That says it all. He could end Batman easily. But he wouldn't. That's what makes him Superman! Batman's advantage is his intelligence and his willingness to push the envelope of justice. However, they both realize that they're on the same side eventually. Oh, and Wonder Woman is pretty awesome!

You have to provide a quality product and market it as such, as is the deal with anything you're trying to sell. You could always do what some McDojo's do and post "Insert art here" on the sign, and people interested in that art will attend. For example, a TKD school around here had a large sign on the window for years that read "Karate". Or, you could open up in an area with a built in clientele. Health club, Boys and Girls club, etc. Build the membership that way. Or simply put a generic "Martial Arts" tagline in your signage/advertising. Example- "ABC Martial Arts Studio". That way, you may attract people interested in various forms, and you won't anger the TKD, Karate, or BJJ purists that may visit your school by advertising "their" art if it's not what you're providing.

Working a lot on Naihanchi right now. My knees have been giving me trouble, so I am focusing on less kicking and more inside striking and grappling from that kata. I've also been practicing a Muay Thai based kata that we do. I've been watching the Ong Bak series, and Tony Jaa amazes me. I've been incorporating a lot of knees and elbows in my training.

Man, I'd be honored to meet even 1 of those!! I've spent hours watching Kanazawa Sensei's videos to work on my Katas. I just finished watching The Real Miyagi about Demura Sensei. I used to watch Benny the Jet's matches. Judo Gene Lebell trained with Bruce. Man! That list is impressive!

I have a friend that was able to spar with Chuck Norris at an event in Lafayette years ago. He said "you know all those things they say about Chuck Norris?" I replied, "you mean, like Chuck Norris's parachute failed to open. So he brought it back the next day for a refund?" He said "They're all true!!!"

In reality, he could just stay away from "Kryptonite" range and melt Batman with his heat vision. However, since Batman is the best Detective on the planet, I'd assume he would be 1 step ahead of Supes. Either way, I'll be the first one at the theater Thursday sporting my Under Armour Superman shirt!!!

I have only met MMA stars. Met Din Thomas at a local Gym. Met "Crazy" Tim Credeur, TUF and UFC vet, and took a selfie with Royce Gracie, UFC legend.

I watched The Real Miyagi Saturday night. Excellent documentary. I did not realize the impact this man had on Karate over the years. That was time well spent.

I deer hunt and lift weights. I like to think I'm pretty good at both!

Would that be Master Okazaki from Philadelphia? If it is, that's who my CI received his first black belt from! He has a direct lineage from Gichin Funakoshi.

Yeah, that's a HUGE red flag. I understand the need for uniformity in things like gis, and sparring gear and other safety equipment, but Accessories like weapons? I mean, is it cheaper in comparison to Century or something? From what I've heard from the parents, it's way more expensive!

We do a formal testing, and when it's complete, our CI calls the student up, gives a talk, awards the belt and trophy, and they get their certificate on the way out. He too says that they're being tested in every class, but he likes to do the formal testing as a way to have them "show off" to their parents. He knows they're ready, but he gives them a chance to shine in front of their family. Black Belts go thru the entire kyu testing cycle, then start the BB portion. It usually consists of more kihon, more katas, and kumite with all BB's and multiple BB's at a time (I had to spar 1 on 1, 2 on 1, and 4 on 1 for my Sandan test- only way to finish was to dispatch each one)

To be able to make it through the year with this knee injury!!

Wow. I have a 12 year old daughter, and if I did this, she'd never be able to leave the house! I need to work with her..

For your kicking issue, try to imagine kicking in a room with a low ceiling. Try to keep your head at the same level. Let your hips push forward and your leg follow. Let your knee point the way and make your lower leg and foot follow the knee. Practice the front kick painfully slowly to get the mechanics, and then work on the speed.

I'm not one to try to belittle another style, slo I'll just report what I've seen. I've sen some of the testing cycles for the local Tiger Rock school, and for 2nd dan, the students had to perform a whopping 15 minutes of techniques. One of their 2nd degree BB's came to train with us one day when I was a Shodan. He was about 20 years younger than I am. We did a lot of basics and bunkai for the first half of class, and then we did kumite. He seemed lost. This guy had beautiful kicks, and being half my age, quicker, and more flexible, I figured I would be at a disadvantage. However, I found it very easy to dispatch him, and I did not need to use a fraction of what I'm capable of. It was the typical "get in a side horse stance and shoot side kicks and spin kicks to see what would land" sparring session. I just kept jamming the kick and taking him down. To each his own, I guess. I know the instructor has been teaching TKD for a while and is well respected. A lot of T.R. students have migrated to our school recently, and when they explain why, it's fascinating. You have to have Tiger Rock gis, tiger rock pads, tiger rock weapons, etc. Everything has to be purchased straight from them with their insignia on them. It literally costs a student a couple thousand dollars for 1 year of training. Their monthly fees are 4 times what we charge, and in my biased opinion, I believe our system is a more effective MARTIAL ARTS system, although we'll never get rich running our school. They recently advertised a "tournament" in our area, but to enter, you had to have all of the previously mentioned items to compete. So for me, I would have had to pay to enter AND purchase all of their gear.

I almost put Die Hard, but I don't usually catch it during the season! Glad to see someone else considers it a Christmas movie!

The first one is a must, and has been a tradition for as long as I can remember: Charlie Brown Christmas A Christmas Story Christmas Vacation Jingle all the Way A Christmas Carol I have to watch all of those at least once or I don't consider it Christmas!!

I've disliked Rousey from day 1. A woman that has spent her life mastering a respectful art like Judo is constantly degrading, verbally abusing, and "bullying" people. What I found to be poetic justice is that the first opponent that refused to be bullied is the one that almost took her head off! If you watched her disrespectful actions at the weigh ins where she tried to intimidate Holm and pulled her fist into her own face, then tried to play the victim, that was the kind of classless stuff that Ronda has been doing since day 1. Then she goes on a verbal tirade about Holm being "fake" and hurled insults at her. When I saw Holly's face and that she was stone faced after Rousey's attempt to get in her head, I knew Holly was going to win. She was the first opponent that wasn't beaten before stepping the cage with Rousey. Rousey has only fought people that were much smaller than her. She fought previously at 145lbs, but dropped to 135 to, IMHO, avoid having to fight Cyborg. Now, she criticizes Cyborg's appearance constantly and insists that Cyborg, who fights in the same weight class Rousey used to fight in, move down in weight to fight her. I think Rousey, more than ever now, realizes that she'd get destroyed by Cyborg the way she got destroyed by Holm. Her striking game is putrid, and it's now evident that if she can't bully and overpower her opponent, she will gas and lose. And I love every minute of it!

Something that has helped me is to think of my arms and legs as chains with an iron ball on the end of them. Instead of striking like an iron pipe, strike as a mace!

Nice!! We drilled that "S Position" wrist lock last night from a bunch of different grabs (in Hapkido). Now, I can apply it in my Shorin Ryu kata! Thanks.

My favorite "ideal" from my training is to put your opponent on defense ASAP! My personal mantra is that I'm going to destroy whatever my opponent gives to me! Whether that be his head or an arm. I don't train with blocks. I train to strike strikes and to eliminate each weapon that he throws at me. Sounds corny, but that's how I approach my training.

Mine would be disrespect of any kind. I have seen a few times where students just ignore the instructor or play wayyyy too much on the line. I also don't like when someone tries to act like they know it all while the instructor is teaching.

If there are only high ranking belts, it seems like he's either promoting too fast or not keeping the attention of lower ranking belts. About discipline, well, there are issues I have with my current school as well. I come from a Shotokan background which was VERY strict. The club I'm in now is run by an ex Marine that lived in Okinawa and trained with multiple Okinawan masters. He obtained his first black belt (in Shotokan) from Master Okazaki, a direct student of Funikoshi. But he was turned off by the lack of flexibility in the Governing Organizations, so he started teaching on his own. Our classes are very loose, but we do get down to business. I'm a huge Jeet Kun Do fan, so I believe that while it is important to have discipline, flexibility is equally as important. And if a class has 25 people in it, there are 25 different personality types to cater to. That can be difficult!