Bluedot

Hi I am really interested in the iron body training taken by many kung fu practitioners and my Hapkido school does not do any such training. If I want to do it by myself at home, is there any way I can start? P.S. I already do yoga every morning.

My present instructor had trained in Burmese Boxing in his early life. And then he moved on to Shinson I think.

I was Kyokushin. Actually, the place where I live in, every other layman uses the word "karate" to describe every martial style out there. It's very popular. Some people are taking advantage of this and thus all the karate dojos in the city have become something similar to the Mc.Dojo concept in US. I have left the dojo I belonged to and started Hapkido in my current dojang. It is true.. my dojang forbids me to belong to any other school. I am not saying the techniques taught in my school are useless.. in fact, their grappling techniques and throws are practiced with resisting opponents which is not something commonly seen in most Hapkido schools. I just want to know more about the original style from which Indo-Hapkido is clearly derived, i.e. Shinson Hapkido. I have seen the website, but it provided me with little history as to where this style came from and its general history.. and its features comparitive to other styles of Hapkido.

In the school I currently train in, the master gives commands which are not related to Korean Hapkido, in particular, he calls the stances "Jahse". Now I think that's a German word, although I'm not sure. Some korean terminology are also used, especially for the kicking drills (ap chagi, dollyo chagi, etc.). Now it happens that this man has trained Hapkido in Germany in his youth and after a little research, I've found that my style of Hapkido is VERY closely related to that of a Shinson Hapkido which appears to be a Europe based style (including the gorgeous black uniform). I'm just curious about this Shinson Hapkido. It's not that my school is a scam, clearly the master is trying to teach a little modified version of his style of Hapkido to us (it's called Indo-Hapkido by the way, since I'm from India) and the techniques they are teaching are powerful (especially the grappling and the throws). I am a little confused about the origins of this style.. and of Shinson..

Okay... I've recently changed my style from Kyokushin Karate to Hapkido because the dojang has a very good teacher and I liked the style. And, as stated in one of my previous posts, my Karate club did not do any sparring and the dojo had turned into something like the Mc. Dojo (you get the picture). This hapkido club is a bit far off, but I train there two days a week, i.e. friday and saturday evening. For the last three months I haven't been able to do any martial arts due to my sprained ankle and I have grown overweight and fat. So my question is, is this training enough to get me back into shape and reduce my weight or do I have to do anything else?

OSU There is a difference between a martial artist and a goon. The first category are known to be able to control their instincts and be calm in the face of danger and respond with controlled violence as and when is absolutely necessary. I am glad to hear that this issue is settled and the perfect and just way that you handled it. Always remember, fighting is not good. Somebody always gets hurt.

I am considering taking Aikido classes twice a week in a (the only) school in the city which teaches in the above style. The school is directly connected with Andre Cognard Shihan. I've heard many stories about how Tokyo riot police are trained in Aikido and others, but what I'm asking is, how effective is this particular style of Aikido on the streets? And from all the research I've done so far, I did not see a single kick in Aikido, nor some technique to defend against a kick. And street fights involve kicking and weapons. And about the philosophy and spirituality part of the style, I'm a non-believer hardcore Atheist. Hence I hope there's nothing religious in this part other than the fact that Aikido itself is the religion. If there is meditation or yoga involved, I don't have a problem because controlling and focusing my mind is essential in my career. Thirdly, this is just a random thought, that do I have to give up my social life and every other passion to gain "spiritual enlightenment" like Buddha? Because if that is the case, I'm more comfortable being an inferior human being and enjoying the little delicacies life has to offer. I'm not criticizing anything and I find Aikido beautiful. I'm just being curious. I currently train in Kyokushin Karate and I'm finding that this style adds to my already aggressive nature, and I'm unable to focus in my career and studies. Need opinions from experts.

OSU The thing that has recently come to my attention while surfing through the forum is that there exists a style known as Combat Hapkido. Curious, I researched a bit on the web and am left with several questions: 1. Is combat hapkido similar to krav maga? 2. What are the differences between the styles, if any? 3. There's a style called commando krav maga: where does it stand compared to both the previously stated styles? I know all three styles can be deadly as hell if used by some skilled martial artist and no style is better or more realistic than the other. I just want to know the subtle differences and similarities between them.

OSU Thank you for all the advice. As for the Tabata style, I'm considering introducing Tabata into the punch bag training as advised since the internet says that any exercise in Tabata style works wonders. As for sparring, as suggested by Kuma, I don't have much practice since my club does not allow sparring except in tournaments or exams (there are no good clubs nearby, even in any other style). Fortunately I have a friend who is a brown belt in Kyokushin and he comes over once a week and I do kata training and sparring with him.

OSU I need some guidance. I practice Kyokushin karate 3 days a week of 1 hour sessions each. I am training in this art for the last one year and this is my first martial art style. So now you know I'm a beginner. I gave the test for Blue Belt last week (results are yet to be published) and while sparring realized that I need more power in my punches and kicks, flexibility and overall body strength. Additionally, I need to condition my shins and forearms to deliver effective blows and blocks. So my question is, do I have to do any supplementary training like weight/strength training, yoga or some other activity or is it enough to practice karate 3 days a week? Also, please help me on the conditioning part, I really need to perform better in my next exam. P.S. I'm 20 and weigh around 155 lbs