Spartacus Maximus

A good start would be to plan teaching based on the average concentration and attention span of each age group. Also important to consider is each age group’s physical and cognitive development. A basic overview of this can easily be found in any decent library or online. Consider that some things are physically and biologically impossible at certain ages. Lessons ought to be kept simple with as little detail as possible. The average child or youth is easily confused and bored with details. Focus on gross movements and imitation. Everything can be refined and explained as the student matures and progresses in ability. If something must be repeated, disguise it into some kind of exciting activity, otherwise they will get bored or give up before taking away any benefits. It is also effective to limit content to match the age group. No more than two or three very basic techniques at a time works best. It depends on the method to the madness. Teaching martial arts to youth and children can be a good experience or it can be like making a soup sandwich while herding cats in an insane asylum. One word: patience.

Conditioning for the instep follows the same process as any other striking surface, however greater care must be taken to avoid injury. A sand bag or canvas bag is a good start before gradually moving onto a padded post or car tire. As for the application, the weapon depends on the target. The big toe is for “soft” targets such as the kidney or liver area. The instep near the root of the ankle would be preferred to strike at the legs or other hard targets for breaking bones. The hard/soft opposition is a common principle in Okinawan karate and it is used to dictate how and where to hit.

Very confusing. Where is the link in the YouTube app to buy videos? Only the previews and two free episodes show up.

Kajukembo is made up of more than three different systems. It is a pool of knowledge and skills from experts of each of the components. A system of its own. It would take much more time to become proficient in one or more of the components than it might take to be comfortable with kajukembo, the synthesis of several systems.

Whether or not one trains barefoot, it is a good idea to develop a minimum of conditioning to withstand hits and knocks to the striking surfaces of the legs and feet. That way, with or without footwear the pain or risk of injury can be limited.

Leather is leather so shoes are he same as any other leather goods. If it works for fine leather shoes it should work just as well for gloves or whathaveyou. For specific recommendations it is a good idea to ask a leather product specialist such as a retailer for how to best care for leather goods. Often they will have good ideas on how to make leather last as long as possible.

Humans live in the environment they have made and modified for their comfort. Even if many now live in modern urban zones, comparing to wild animals is fair. The difference between any animal and a human is that animals can fight and defend themselves effectively by instinct. Most animals already possess natural weapons. Humans are the only ones who have had to devise and make weapons to survive. Humans must also train and condition themselves to use artificial weapons and natural ones. Hands are adapted to fine motor tasks and grasping objects. A hand injury can be crippling or result in severe limitations. Making it an effective striking weapon requires much knowledge and training. Feet and legs are primarily for getting around. A foot or leg injury can also result in severe consequences from loss of mobility. Again, people have thought of safer ways to use these body parts as weapons. The main point is that human bodies lack natural weapons, but make up for it by using intelligence to think about ways to train to become effective at fighting and defending themselves. It is the same process which allowed people to do everything from harnessing fire to inventing high-tech devices. Humans need to learn and think about how to effectively defend themselves without weapons.

Teaching in a small places to a select few is not a great idea if the goal is to make money much les make a living of it. Would it not make more sense to be open to try to attract as many potential paying students if that were a priority? Perhaps the instructor is truly dedicated to teaching only the most serious kind of student and also feels that restricting teaching allows more control on what kind of people are least likely to misuse what they learn. This is an old fashioned ideal, but there are still a few instructors who feel so much responsibility that they will only teach those who have the right character and can be trusted.

Maybe in some places it is a generation thing as well as a matter of personal taste, but there are a few martial arts people who find it(wearing logos etc) both in poor taste as well as a form of showing off. Personally anything that would stand out in a crowd or be a distinct feature is a bad idea. Looking as average as average can be is the safest way to go to avoid being annoyed, pestered or targeted. Unless everyone else is wearing martial arts related apparel, then go with the flow.

Nothing at all. Any mark or outward sign that could even remotely be associated with being a “tough guy” or involvement in with martial arts is painstakingly avoided.

When considering great and influential martial arts practitioners, it is easy to look past any titles, ranks or degrees. Much more impressive and respectable than these are their skills as well as their years dedication to their training and practise. They are worthy of awe and admiration because they are examples to aspire to for anybody who trains.

Is it out of touch to think that putting any and all previous ranks aside when training at a different school is the minimum for a guest? And isn’t doing the same the first step for anyone seeking to become a student under a different instructor who offers to teach something new or a new way of training? Why besides misguided ego would anyone insist or even ask to keep their belt or rank knowing that skills exist with or without these things?

Indeed, stay away from vaseline. Leather products are best maintained by applying any fine oils. Animal based is best because leather is basically animal skin. The non-leather parts of the gloves require different maintenance but overall, a lot depends on what kind of place they are stored and how well they are cleaned after usage. Anything leather should never be stored in a place where it will be exposed to extreme temperatures or high humidity.

Getting more and more annoyed and disappointed that availability is not extended to other areas/countries. There must be a way around that.

For some reason the books are very difficult to find nowadays. Even back in the 90’s it wasn’t such a common book and getting it meant raiding several used book stores. It was great reading them, though and perhaps made the movies more enjoyable to rewatch again.

Stretching and getting more flexibility is not so much to eliminate risks of injuries, but to make sure one can comfortably move in the maximum range of motion. Flexibility is an important factor in developing speed, power and precision in techniques and movement.

There are a lot of well-meaning yet ill-informed martial arts practitioners who confuse warming-up with stretching or flexibility exercises. There is a difference between the two and warming up light to be done thoroughly before any sort of flexibility exercise. This makes them much more effective with greater results.

Aiming to be better than ones instructor is the same as aiming to be better than anyone else. Comparing oneself and one’s progress to other people is a futile endeavour because every martial arts practitioner’s training is personal. Instructors and senior are but a reference and a source of knowledge and inspiration. Examples of skill refinement whose experience gives insight and guidance towards one’s own development in the system practised.

However a belt is tied, it should not get in the way such as to prevent or impede movement during practise. Obviously belts shouldn’t be to long or too short. Crossing at the back or not really depends on the instructor or school. There isn’t really any universal way to tie it. Even among branch schools of the same association or style there are differences. .

Just to nitpick, the definition of “comprehensive or authoritative knowledge” would be more accurate if it said “and” instead. They are indeed different, but possessing both is what makes the basic definition of an expert. In other words, a martial arts expert is simply someone who is highly skilled and who serves a reference or example by others who train in the same system. Someone whom others will consult, listen to and follow to get important insight into what they practise. It should also be noted that even among experts, there are different levels and not all experts have a far-reaching reputation, nor do they seek it. Some are not even recognized as experts until later in their life or after their passing.

This keeps getting interesting. For many, the answer is that it takes a serious martial artist to know one. Quite right, as most if not all truly dedicated practitioners have appeared or been called obsessed or fanatical about their training. Then again one cannot be any other way when the goal is to constantly improve and increase ability in each and every thing about whatever martial art is practised. It is often very difficult for others to comprehend how much effort serious martial artist put into what they do or why they always seem to do more than everyone else.

Expertise can be defined by many different points but one of the common traits that stand out is the fact that an expert is constantly active in their field. Doing it and thinking about it occupies every waking moment. They are not only highly knowledgeable and competent, but entirely consumed by their chosen path. To them there is no such thing as “good enough” or “knowing enough”.

Who of the two is the serious practitioner: Both A and B belong to the same school and have the same instructor. The school/instructor is available 5 days a week for 2 hours each time. A attends nearly every day, but hardly ever does anything outside on his own time. B can only manage to attend the school more than once a week but is always asking questions and spends an hour or more practising at home most days. B also spends much of his free time studying any reference material or media for his chosen system from his instructor as well as other sources. Who is serious? One or both? Why?

With or without a belt, one’s skills do not change. With or without a given rank one still has the same qualities, abilities and weaknesses. Ranks, belts, certificates etc are only arbitrary symbols. Once a martial arts practitioner is honest about that and accepts that there is always something more to improve and someone with more knowledge and skill to share, all ranks are insignificant. Ranks etc have symbolic value only because the recipient values, recognizes and respects the judgment of whoever bestowed it. A rank or belt bought from a random source or an unconfirmed authority is worthless. Imagine for instance, that a highly skilled martial art practitioner has a high rank with belts and everything from his deceased teacher. Our hypothetical martial artist has all the authentic symbols and they are one of a kind. Unfortunately he has the misfortune of having all these destroyed by an accident. With all documentation of rank and belts gone and unrecoverable, does he not still possess everything his teacher passed on? If you suddenly loose all the tangible symbols of your training, do you still have what you know? Can you still do everything you were able to do before?

It's all about developing a sense of awareness and the right habits. These are the same whatever the kind of possible threat may be. A great proportion of possible violence can be avoided just by knowing how to behave and what to do before a situation calls for using any physical force. If any training is done to prepare, it ought to be spent learning how to prevent a situation from happening and how to recognize a potential danger before it becomes unavoidable. Fire and evacuation drills follow exactly this principle. Spree attackers might seem to commit their crime at random, but there is always a method to their madness. There is always a reason for why it happened in one place at a certain time but not others. Knowledge of this is more useful than training any defensive techniques.