guird

shotokan is likely Shito ryu also uses 'Heian' I think.

A lot of people are rejecting the research based on anecdotal examples. If the study is correct, it doesn't mean that every karateka dies 15 years below the average life expectancy. Statistically speaking, it's almost certain that there would be elderly practitioners. I would like to see his research methodology before I draw conclusions about the validity of his research. I'm not going to reject it just because there is someone in my dojo who is old an healthy.

I haven't seen any front snap kicks to the body, and only a handful of front head kicks. maybe it's because a good snap kick is tricky to execute on a moving opponent. you get the distance just wrong and you end up either uselessly extending your leg or weakly hitting your opponent with your toes.

assuming a martial arts technique ,concept, or training method is ineffective for the purpose of self defense or other combat simple because it is traditional is a mistake. assuming that a martial arts technique, concept, or training method system is effective simply because it is traditional however, is also a mistake. A lot of the criticisms of traditional martial arts are valid, whenever i look at the situation I can't deny this. If you value tradition, isn't tradition for its own sake enough? why do we have to assert that it is also necessarily effective for combat or self defense?

GKR dojos have a VERY bad reputation, and as an organisation a lot of their behaviour is immoral.

Still, it's better to lose your wallet and phone than your life. No reputable instructor recommends going up against a gun or knife unless you suspect they're not satisfied with your belongings. of course, good on him, good that it worked out, but in general?

Hi guys, just heard this story So what do you guys think? should he not have taken the risk? (I don't think he should have). what should he have done differently? it didn't go totally smoothly, he didn't have enough control to throw those famous KM groin kicks that you would see used here in the demos. Though it's probably to his credit that he didn't.

The Netherlands is a very good country for kickboxing I hear. However, I wouldn't recommend moving anywhere for this until you've been training for professional levels for a year or so already, it'd be a terrible shame to leave your life behind and find out later that professional combat sports aren't really for you. the most important thing is how hard you train, get that sorted first.

which style(s) specifically do they teach? is it traditional kung fu or sport wushu? In any case, I'd reccomend getting some sort of physiotherapy for those feet. Even jogging should do you some good. And no more inserts, that's my reccomendation.

The performance based sport wushu doesn't seem practical to me at all, though it probably does wonders for your balance and flexibility (and the performance value is a plus if you're the kind that likes the stage). If they teach sanshou, then going to that will give you pretty solid fighting knowledge. no-nonsense kickboxing with takedowns. The qi na seems like a great addition as well, being able to fight on the ground is important, and added to sanshou will make you a complete fighter. I don't know much about Ueshiro shorin-ryu. MMA is always a good reliable option when in doubt. It'll give you the same skills as sanshou+qi na, though it may devote more time to putting it all together. Have you visited all the schools? style is usually a very minor factor, which school seems better? which one did you enjoy training at the most?

Looks to me like kickboxing with shoes and a point system that favours kicks. You only win by points if there is no knockout however. I think it's pretty legit.

Looks like something between Kenpo and systema. the strikes look ballistic, but the training method reminds me of kenpo. I'm not entirely clear on the effectiveness of ballistic strikes, so I can't comment on that. I dislike the training method though, as things never go as smoothly as in these drills irl, and if you don't learn to improvise a reaction through free sparring, you'll be in trouble.

Yep, that's why I do bare-knuckle (well, recently I've taken to wearing hand wraps, I consider it impolite to bleed on punching bags that don't belong to me) heavy bag work at the sports centre nearby once or twice a week. I'm still trying to think of more ways to harden my knuckles themselves (heavy bag only helps to get technique right).

trapping seems to be the jkd and wing chun way of dealing with clinching range, judging from what you discuss here. It makes sense considering the emphasis on defeating larger attackers in these arts. clinching with someone much larger and stronger than you can end badly.

No sparring is a bad idea. It's not a sure sign of a bad school, but it's pretty close. Krav maga is brutal, If pure adrenaline is your idea of a good time, it's definitely worth training in even if it's just for the ability to cope with fear and utilise agression. make sure you get a good school though, there are plenty of schools that would make israeli soldiers cringe.

Sensei 8, yes, that is his point and I agree. block is a poor translation for uke , parry matches it better, though not perferctly.

here is an explanation of what the technique is, the 360 defene is carried over to the civilian self defense branch of krav maga as far as I know. I suppose it is better to get punched in the mouth than stabbed in the liver. I'm guessing preventing combos is what the simultaneous counterattack is for.

I just started reading this guy's stuff. http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.nl/2008/06/why-blocks-do-work.html It isn't shotokan, but it's relevant. by his argument, karate blocks won't do you much good in (kick) boxing, but may be quite helpful in MMA.

how did this turn into a boxing v.s. ... thread? of course boxers punch hardest, without without gloves. The mechanics of the punch do change when the gloves come off, but not enough to offset hours of hard training.

Another difference is that covering becomes a little less effective without gloves, and parrying a little more so. you'll need to take care of your opponents head-hook punches by using the elbow-style cover, or a krav-maga-360-defense kind of block. I'm pretty sure that's a difference most mma gyms can teach you though. I don't think there's much bare knuckle boxing can teach you which is applicable to MMA that most fighters haven't already figured out. When it comes to self defense however, there may be some things important to take note of to allow your boxing to translate better into the street.

Judo seems more similar to wrestling. It'd probably be better for his wrestling than BJJ would be. If it's not just about competing, you should put him on bjj for a little while too, so he learns a little more about how to defend himself on his back (which he probably won't learn as much in wrestling).

there are 'drunken boxing' forms. A friend of mine knows a little, and occaisionally when we spar he goes drunk. very disconcerting and unpredictable. He says that the purpose of drunken boxing, other than teaching relaxation, unorthodox balance, feignts and trickery, is to make an attacker underestimate you, to make them think they're attacking a helpless drunkard when in fact you're totally sober and capable. I'm told it doesn't actually work that well when drunk, but it makes a great theme for a martial arts movie to work better as such.

ikkyu in shotokan karate.

I agree, but you gotta understand that there are people who just want to twirl there nunchucks and call it a spiritual practice. True, and there's nothing wrong with that (as long as you're honest about the purpose of the training). It depends on what your goal is in training martial arts.

Thanks everyone. looking forward to plenty more discussions to come.