hansenator

I think this point is key and seems to be the missing component in too many classes. While I agree it's the person that makes an art effective, I think the more important point is that proper training and preparation is what allows a person to do that. You get good at what you practice but you also don't get good at what you don't practice.

How long have you been practicing? I've found that anytime I learn something new - whether it be MA, music, a new exercise - it's always kind of stiff and robotic at first. With time and repetition it becomes more familiar and I'm better able to relax. When you learn something new, the neural pathways involved in the movement strengthen their connections. At the same time, the unneeded neural pathways atrophy and become weaker. As this process continues, the movement becomes more and more efficient but it takes time and countless, correct repetitions.

This may or may not be applicable but in the kali class I used to attend we were told that we don't get to have a preference. It takes too long to reposition the weapon, you have to move from whatever position you happen to be in.

That's what I was wondering. I was thinking of solo practice, if the arts were similar enough. Krav Maga has lots of drills but it's hard to practice the grappling elements without a partner. Since that material is in kata, I was just wondering if it could be useful. Especially if you're looking for an excuse to learn a couple. The next question would have been which ones are most/least compatible?

There is that. I would think the general principles would apply though - Shift weight forward, shift backward, pivot, etc.

My wife's been wearing kung fu pants for years?

This was kind of my thought. When you want to maintain integrity in a certain style, you need some way to define what is that style. Whether that's a governing body or a grandmaster or some type of authority that can say "This is how it's done in this particular style."

I realize krav maga doesn't have forms but I'm thinking it might include throws, some joint locks, escapes, some kind of clinch/standing-grappling type stuff. These kinds of things are found in karate kata and I was wondering if the techniques would be similar enough for the krav maga practicioner to consider learning a couple of katas from the local karate instructor?

So this might be an odd question but I've been wondering: It seems that Karate and Krav Maga have similarities in purpose, that being self-defense. I know almost nothing about Krav Maga but I started wondering if it might have commonalities with karate in the way they function? Which started me wondering if there are karate katas that contain material or movements that are similar to what you find in Krav Maga and would they be useful as a solo training tool for a Krav Maga practitioner? A little off the wall I realize but the idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while. Thanks.

I've seen the opinion that, if you need to stretch before you can do a certain activity, you're not yet flexible enough for that activity. The advice was to improve your flexibility first and the go back to doing that thing. I have a feeling that won't go well in a TKD class though.

I don't think it makes a huge difference with or without the rotation, people have been successful either way. Rotating seems to bring slightly different muscles into play and the body mechanics change in a subtle way so people will probably have a preference for what they're used to.

I really like this idea. I bet you can use it with a lot of things.

I think combining styles can be problematic when each one uses a different type of structure or framework. For example: Karate has a certain way of standing and moving while wing chun has a different way of standing and moving, and you can't do it both ways at the same time. If you look at an art like JKD, they draw from many different styles but everything is performed from a common structure. In a single exchange, they might use kicks from Muay Thai, trapping from Wing Chun, and throwing from Silat. The reason it works is because everything is done from within a common framework or "internal logic" so it blends together seamlessly. This is true of traditional styles as well. The founder might have drawn from several different sources but it all fits together into a particular 'style' with its own specific way of functioning.

I've been experimenting with an exercise I do on the edge of a door where I pull with the fingers and push with the thumb, kind of like when you apply a wrist lock. The idea was to develop strength for wrist locks but it seems to be a good isometric exercise for the thumb in any case. I'm curious what other people think of it?

Wim Demeere wrote an interesting article about the state of kung fu today. http://www.wimsblog.com/2015/05/the-effectiveness-of-traditional-chinese-martial-arts/#more-6237