Hawkmoon

.. it can't hurt (metaphorically speaking) to broaden the horizon of what is MA! I was at a sport content this weekend with my youngest, points and continuous bouts, he did better in the sport competition than continuous (he prefers continuous), but come the end of the day he was happy! we were all shouting encouragement one supporter, his mum, (aka the wife) was putting some serious volume into his fights really feeling every step, strike, kick, she loved it! I offered that she come to the my next competition ... she declined. (can't think why lol!) so I say to you go along get a nice comfy chair and enjoy the contest and be prepared, it is a VERY different world!

mazzybear, all, Thought you might be interested to see, watch another event from a different system ! Just found out the dates for this. 2015 Scottish Open Knockdown, Saturday February 21st, in Glasgow.

I love this kick, I truly do, and my age it worries the others to see me practice it when we fight! They simply do not expect it form me of all people lol! The kick I think depends on the kick you want, and then what leg you launch it. (sounds mad I get that, hear me out) Spinning hook kick, Ushiro-mawashigeri is a back leg kick, hence 'spinning', but if you were to launch the kick form the front leg the spin changes from a full body spin to something more like a body twist, not a spin at all, but, and hence I say what leg, what it lacks in power it makes up for in speed. The Ushiro-mawashigeri (Spinning kick) it is worth the practice and effort, and does tend to be a 'stiff' leg affair, the hook aspect tends to be the result of a fighters desire to face his opponent if it fails and push forward and fight on! So why do that at all if its such a great kick? In this video there are a few kicks where the hook is clearly the point and it does work for the fighter. The video (to my mind and based on what I have seen in tournaments) does not reflect the reality of the kick and its use in the real world ... The kick when done looks amazing... the kick when it lands is devastating ... the kick is a one hit wonder ... ... when it lands ... ... and thats the point the fact and so risk of the kick, and where the hook comes from. ... for each kick that does the job, there were 3-4 attempts that failed,mainly because the kick was spotted and he kick and simply evaded. maybe consider a lower target..... Watch the video at the end (last minute or so) note the mid section kicks (the ribs), they all work, they tend to hit 100% of the time and are just as devastating.

Osu! The kick is comes from the knee ... (Didn't expect that did you!) Its worthless without proper foot placement and hip rotation! Get the back foot the one connecting you to the floor correct, this is critical, and then you can drive the kick through the Hip, and focus all that effort through the knee! Now consider this ... put your back foot on the floor and point it at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Rubbish wasn't it! Now place the foot at 45 degrees on the floor and point it at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Better right! Now place the foot at 45 degrees on the floor and allow your self to rotate on the ball of your foot (to spin) at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Better again, right! maybe a little more power, but certainly felt easier correct! Now consider your knee. Repeat the above and focus on 'pointing' your knee at the target. So why do I say knee at all? point the knee at the floor, and kick the ribs ... you can't Do the same for the ribs, but kick at the head ... you can't The knee is the critical bit, get that wrong and all the spinning and power in the world will not help you. So return to the kick in general. Rotate the hip, and now you aim (the angle of the knee) and foot placement come into play, (the above mentioned domino effect) not only can you now hit what you aimed at you do so with power. More than you realized as well I promise you!

20/9 45 mins Bag work 2k run 24/9 1 1/2hr bag work 30 mins half power fights

15/9 Mixed fights all night v.light contact, shadow fights, (clicker like fighting for speed) 18/9 30 mins - kata warm up - left and right 1 hour - light bouts last 30 min knockdown under half power.

(Bit of an essay ... sorry!) hmm... if I may, the mind, the idea, the way this is looked at, the mind set is wrong and should be changed as a priority! In my best Mr Miyagi voice: The post title says: Karate defense against aggressive? Can I offer a better title would be something like: Defense against aggressive people? or maybe Defense against aggression? I do get there is a contradiction in terms when we say Defense only and Martial Art. to me once the idea of MA is corrected, you can review the approach to the situation, what ever it is. Then, to me the best defense for dealing with an aggressor or aggressive situation is to not be a threat to the other party! In a conflict one person feels threatened, that they are at risk of pain, in all its brutality gore and hurt! No one has hit anyone yet, the imagination is running amok and the imagery is fueling the body (adrenaline and endorphin etc) preparing the body for fight or flight. A normal human default reaction when under threat, we are born with this reflex in us, its in our genes, its normal! So to mind set... MA teaches you to control this behavior and arms you with the skills to deal with either action ... fight or flight! MA teaches, defense only (flight) but it teaches 'fight' if flight is not possible, it's how you get to this point that is important and so we return to non threatening behavior non aggressive stance, passive posture and so on. An angry person who is determined to attack, to fight to hurt will have one idea in their head, the idea is simple...attack! There is no idea number 2, attack is all they see, beat you, bully you, knock you down...nothing at all about" "what if I get beaten to a pulp", nothing, nadda, zip, big fat empty empty space, no "what if" about anything, just attack. MA teaches you to present idea number 2 to them, to have them ask "what if?" No I don't mean, you scream: A non threatening, non aggressive and 100% calm response, head up, relaxed eyes, (the critical point - relaxed eyes!) that has them ask themselves 'Why?' (the birth of idea number 2) You are not friends at this point, don't shoulder chug them and go for a drink, show open hands (no weapons) relaxed eyes (confidence, without arrogance) relaxed chat, not fast, no big words, plain simple easy speech. Talk them down let them have the ideas and support the good ones and "idea number 2" the bad ones!! If fight is the only response, the only thing they see, MA has taught you how to fight and given you all the tools. use them to full effect and end it. They have chosen this position, they no longer care for you or the outcome, law, rules nothing, so consider your actions and how you end the situation and make sure you have nothing difficult to explain, no grey areas, to cover when the police ask what happened.

An apology to all, I've been adding to this post fully aware of a 100 man event about to take place ... and not mentioned it or added it for you to take a look at! Truly sorry guys, have a look: http://www.100manfight.com/ This is on FB as well, search for: 100 MAN FIGHT and 'Like :up:' the page!

To add my own experience as a new and young karateka ... a few years ago ... ! I was about 17 & 61/2Kgs! A lightweight possibly a feather weight (if such a category existed in Kyokushin) and from the get go I had to fight for all my grades/belts ! Red belts (10th & 9th kyu) 3 fights Light contact. Blue belt (8th & 7th kyu) 5 fights light contact Yellows (6 & 5 kyu) 7 fights Light contact Then things change ... Green belts (4 & 3rd kyu) 5 light contact, 3 then 4 at knockdown Brown belts (2nd 1st kyu) 5 knockdown ... at least! Shodan then as now 10 Knockdown ... at least. (one of the shodans I spoke with a few weeks back had 18 fights) Continuous bouts are a good thing of this I have no doubt, the Kyokushin 100 man test is just that its a test Sosai Oyama was inspired by the book 'The Book of Five rings" written by Miyamoto Musashi. Tests can be what you want them to be in this sense, a: - 10 man - 20 man - 25 man - 50 man whatever you want. As I was saying in an earlier post ... I'm a middle weight now, and ... um... not 17 anymore I'm to prepare for a shodan grading next year, so my training in that respect starts now, a kumite test is no different, you know what it is, you know how to do 'stuff' but the test is can you do it? Your weight is a factor, it is for me, s it is for the heavy weights in the dojo, its the spirit the mind the stamina... not because it is easy but because it is hard!

(busy day, got to go running way later in the evening ...) 11/9 Only 2km

Look at this like this (no I'm not upset, annoyed or angry or ) be assured I'm happy with all that you say. The point you seek is maybe better said like this: Awesome speech but I'll point to 1.35 secs onwards to answer your question about the 'point of it'. Then I'll ask, suggest, implore everyone to get a copy of a book titled: The Book of five rings. Written by an ancient samurai warrior named: Miyamoto Musashi. I have a copy, read some of it realized I really didn't understand what I had read as well as I thought and am reading it again ... slower this time hehe!! (No harm, no foul loving the opportunity to look at this from other points of view )

hehehe! I'll add, that back then (I may be off in this point of history) Oyama karate, he'd not yet named it Kyokushin, was unheard of by many in the Martial Art world, it was new and growing, and though's who that had heard and attended all understood why it had a 90% attrition rate on students. The 3 days of combat (The 300 man Kumite) was the mainly the same students standing up again and again to fight! Thing was as the days passed the ones able to stand up and carry on became less and less, and so come day 4 very few could stand up at all and carry on. ... but back then the rules of "Kyokushin combat" allowed for full bear knuckle contact to the face as well as judo techniques! One thing I didn't know was that fighting in the honbu between students was done until one or the other yielded, meaning some fights would go on for days. Not as in 24/7 fighting, the fight would be stopped, students would go home, eat, sleep and go to work, then return to the honbu and pick up where they left off the day before! To win the fight you were to knock the other guy out or if the other guy was to yield he was to say so (to shout out) so all could here that he submitted to other other ... hence fights went on for ages! EDIT: I read my post and two words struck me so I'll add this edit leaving the post in its original state! I say in my above post" ... back then ...", and it makes it sound like some journey in history through the mist of time to some distant past. Sosai Oyama sadly passed away, in, many of the members here, life time, in 1994. I never met him, I was never knowingly in the same building or possible county as him but I feel pointing out the fact I and possibly many of you were alive in his life time makes the story's of him and his life that much more physical, that much more real to all ...maybe make you feel you can reach out and touch something of him and his legend! (Does that make sence?)

10/9 (Double session) session 1 General warmup. 20 mins combination work - 20 mins(mixed) Light sparring - speed work 20 mins session 2 Bag work 1hr - 20 mins punch combos, 50-70% power - 20 mins kick combos, Full power. - 20 mins mixed combos 50% 20 mins kata work 20 min light sparring.

Hanshi Steve Arneil, is one of the few, (and the first after Sosai) to complete the test. I think you'll enjoy this: IMO. No system is truthfully soft, it is what you make it, the more or less you put in defines the results. Your interest in combat, and kumite test of 10 or so shows your desire to be more than you realize! Your size is going to be a factor, be assured it is exactly the same for everyone. Search the forum there are more than a few threads about combat, kumite, and conditioning,that you could borrow from to build on as you wish! Osu!

9/9 3.5 K run! (only because I picked a new route and got lost!!)

opps yes, meant to add a 'well done' to my other post. Really sorry I was meant to be in a meeting and was a little rushed, sorry! Yes, well done! Any contest entered is a win the moment you walk out! Look to the crowd, many do that same thing as you and are watching, not competing, you are out there actually doing it! Well done! That is and always will be a plus to you, enjoy! Welcome to combat! Osu!

Rank and weight based 'divisions' is always (to me anyway) gonna be a little difficult to square away with many people, I include myself in that group!! My son used to fight based on his age but fights now by his grade. Now he could face 1st kyus as well as 4 Kyus as he is a higher grade himself (3rd kyu), low grade 5 and below fight amongst themselves. When he fought when they defined by age, he used to fight tall kids, and likewise he could be considered the tall kid when he fought, so power concerns, reach and so on tended to 'pop up' when a bout finished and the result was not what was expected. (Hence the change to grade over age, I guess) For myself when I fight I'm defined in two ways, weight and experience. Light, middle, heavy & Novice or Open (My age is not considered, although you can see they do look long at hard at me on the mat when I walk out ... hehe! My next tournament is my last novice bout, after this one I become an open fighter, now as then I am a middle weight.) If this was defined in age I'd always have a title of some sort as the only older fighter!!

... worth looking up IMO!!

Yups I'd agreewith that and add/offer into the mix; IchiBan do a pretty darn good Kyokushin gi (under license I'll add) for about half the price of Isami! I have this gi and it feels great, works well and after a bit of sweat and blood lokos the same as well ! (hmmm ... that reminds me must get a second suit, might make no2 gi an Isami!)

8/9 (double session) 20 min Bag work (punches) 20 min Bag work (kicks) main session 20 mins x 5 (core) - sit up - crunches - leg lifts (rotation & crunches) - air cycle 20 min - push ups - punch combos - kick combos 20 min running and foot work exercises. End night in a light contact 10 man fight. 4 of the fighters pulled out to face the dojo, (no rest between bouts) to finally end facing off with each other!

harkon72 & mal103 Yes. There are many many ... schools ... that are just the same both in structure, foundations and approach. I have to agree with the driving factor being money,and as you say mal103 remove that factor, what happens next? I do not doubt that there are a few good schools in this mix, and I do not doubt there are a few diamonds in the rough that attend them as well. There is some credit to be had with these if they able to get space to grow and breath! In the reverse I have seen and been on the receiving end of 'the establishment' who look at you as if a poor relation or some kind of underling when you do announce who or what you stem or represent. I refer to my dalliance with other systems, before I return to full time training. One class actually snorted when I said what I did, and then stood me in-front of there 6 BBs. .. I was sat down 3 times, before I truly understood and accepted what was happening, I was all mixed up with honor and respect before I realized they had no respect for me and what I represented. At the time I actually though they wanted me to prove myself to them ... so I did, I was stopped before the forth contest was concluded with a request to not go to heavy ....

Top man ... yes I am well aware that will come over a little biased LOL! I hear that, the Sanchin verison of Shuto Mawashi Uke is much easier than the Ko Kutsu Dachi one! It will come, for what its worth, for me it in my head I would say to myself Thrust (to the knee) Pull (back to hip) Rise (over head) Chop (at my attacker) ... making that work together in one smooth transition! http://karatetest.com/kyokushinkai/7thkyu/shuto-mawashi-uke-74.htm FYI: Taken from: http://karatetest.com/index.php Found this was good little 'reminder' for the brain when I was working towards doing my 1st kyu ...

I used to do Ju-Jitsu years ago and I can honestly say ... nope never! However, I have most of my life done a stand up fighting art, Kyokushin, and have on the odd occasion had my jacket pulled off my shoulders, pinning my arms to my side ... to then be 'ribbed'!

Well done hammer! ! Which system was the test for?

Cotton! No question! ... Well to be honest, its more what feels right for you! Cotton is a better feel to me and a 'heavy' cotton Gi makes for a perfect combination as far as I am concerned, I struggle to feel comfortable in a 'light gi. Some of the guys have 'light' cotton gi's and seem more than happy, but like I say its a personal thing, it feels right or not only you can say. Tsuma, what is your system? How long have you been doing it?