Alan Armstrong

This video link below, matches my sentiments on having a favourite technique list or not. As it is usually the opponent that makes the options available to move in to a position by whichever technique or method is suitable in the moment, as opposed to using set ups that might or might not work.

I would opt for the punch first to the opponent's ear, to upset their inner balance and equilibrium, which might give you an extra 3 seconds to live before getting ground and pounded. As to sprawling as mentioned, just a suggestion, the added slamming the opponent's lungs from above, on the back very hard, (while at it) is very effective (knocking the air out of your opponent) might want to give it a try, before going for the usual choke, so as to live 3 seconds longer than one might exspect.

Professional fighters train about 6 to 7 hours a day, while recreational Maoists train about 7 hours a week. So roughly, what a professional fighter does in 1 day the recreational Maoist does in a week. While the professional is focused on training to hurt the opponent and expecting to get hit back for money, while the recreational Maoist might not be completely sure about this aspect, as there are many reasons, morally, ethically and legally to consider, also the sporting aspects of competition and getting hurt in the process, are not for everyone, as self defence might be the main reason for signing up in a class and not having much to do with being physically fit. Therefore it is the "Intent" that needs to be something that needs to be understood for the student, to have a clearer understanding of what all the training routines are for. A person that want to fight professionally will need to step up to the many challenge ahead, whilst the Maoist recreationalist can be as committed as more or less that is necessary for that individual. Sorry in advance for saying this, but training professionally and recreationally are two very different things, this is why when one meets the other, the fight ends very quickly. Point being, training professionally doesn't usually happen in a recreational environment. Concluding that professional training is intense due to the need for conditioning, with a high level of fitness and buckets of stamina is required, whereas the recreational Maoist would most likely not survive the punishment, that is done on a daily basis, to become a human weapon, therefore the watered down version and less hours training is more common than not, point being 1 hour of professional training doesn't equal 1 hour of recreation training of which most Maoists do.

So we are all in agreement that perseverance is a good thing to have. As martial artists we do have one thing in common and that is to preserve. Asking myself the question, am I a talented martial artists, for example that can do kicking tricks, my answer is no. Am I stronger or faster than most martial artists, my answer is no. Am I naturally more flexible than most martial artists, that makes my kicks look extremely beautiful, my answer is no. So really as a martial artist, I don't really have anything out of the ordinary going for me, but in spite of it all I keep going and just preserver. My Tai Chi teacher said to me once "To endure the unendurable" something to remember when having root canal work done at the dentists, now that's a lesson in perserverance in extremely painful circumstances.

Sorry, "Show me" was my reference to Morpheous's reply and then the dojo fight scene commences. Sorry for the confusion Bulltahr.Neo just before the fight scene with Morpheus had been downloading martial art styles and systems to his brain, once download Neo said "I know Kung Fu" I personally practice none traditional Kung Fu, as in Wing Chun.

I'm in my 60,s and have had two 3.30 hour intense workouts today; looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow morning. Of course I'm a little sore in places and tomorrow once I get moving again, I will choose different types of exercises to hit other muscle groups. As not injured, just a bit fatigued that's all, I train 7 days a week, twice a day if possible. As I use a health gym in winter months, it is interesting to see the contrast of working out outdoors in an adult jungle gym in the summer, both have there advantages. The body does adjust its pain thresholds due to regular exercise and stretching, once a person gets over the initial symptoms of exertion, then it is very enjoyable no matter the amount of post soreness.

Simultaneously blocking or deflecting or moving out of the way of being hit and striking the opponent works best for me. There is space between you and your opponent and knowing where to be in that space is a very real advantage. For an opponent to use the appropriate technique, is a problem for those that are technique based, as for the skilled, it is to never be in a position that the opponent can use a technique fully. Fair to say, controlling or mothering the opponent's space while keeping one's own intacked as much as possible, doesn't leave much room for the opponent's techniques, as it is one thing to have many techniques and another to have the room or luxury of space to use them.

@Bulltahr, I know kung fu is a quote from the matrix as an attachment to the link.

How I have overcome the paradox of martial art training, is by listening to health and fitness experts and trying to incorporate what they have say in my training. Taking it easy when adding or using new training products and techniques, so as not to do over straining or breaking myself in the excitement of taking on new challenges. Training injuries are very counterproductive as they slow down the learning and conditioning process, which when happen are (chalked up) as the hard way to learn. Breaking one's self in training isn't conditioning, when one thinks about it, it is a way to become broken and weaker! Conditioning is gradual, methodical, tried and tested, that shows quantitative changes and improvements over a reasonable period of time.

Doing core (abs) exercises are just as important for strengthening one's defences (as in taking hits) unless getting hit isn't an issue.In a world where time is limited finding the time to do a variety of ab exercises is time well spent IMHO

Two Samurai face to face both waiting for the other to make a move, the wrong move hopefully, to capitalise on the moment, striking the enemy down in a single swift counterattack. Or the classic version, of two Samurai face to face and they do not move, all the while the scenery behind them changes through the seasons. Often in modern day bouts the referee shouts out to both opponents FIGHT! As there isn't enough contact or far too much inactivity. Jo Sao, from Wing Chun is about making something happen, Bruce Lee capitalizing on this concept, very much in his JKD with adding feints and misleading movements to his arsenal. As with Wing Chun, similar to the opening statement of counter attacking techniques the concept of Jo Sao is used to get the fight moving. Similar to the game of "rock paper scissors", having the opponent commit to one of the three and using the appropriate other to win, which is called attacking the attack, with soft Yin, where paper wins over rock as opposed to using rock against rock, which would be a hard Yang approach. In the extreme example, there are fighters that are far too active and energetic, that waste a considerable amount of valuable energy, trying to make something happen with Jo Sao and become very wasteful with their lack of skill and forgetting economy of motion altogether. Thefore Jo Sao is an art and skill worth investigating and developing, perhaps you use it using a different name, if not Jo Sao is as good a name as any. How do you make something happen when nothing is?

At fast forward in the matrix ... perhaps in the future... martial arts will be learned like this: I know Kung Fu

The best (core) exercises are: The ones you are currently not doing! Challenging oneself is a personal matter, as what is difficult for one is easy for another. As there are many muscles to strengthen in the core area then targeting them all with a variety of different exercise methods will be smarter than working just harder. Starting off with easier exercises then progressing with more difficulty and challenging ones. Everyone is at a different level of core fitness, then building upon from where you are right now is better than under training or over straining. Using core exercises as a part of your warm up routine is a great habit to get in to, then in the near future, tackling challenging core exercises will not seem to be something near to impossible.

"Punch'em in the face" is what I always say! But what happens when both fighters receive the same advice?

It was Bruce Lee that pointed out that there is alot of mess in the martial art world that needs cleaning up (before the internet came to be) as, being a lover of the truth is a step in the right direction. Let's face it, there are many skills to acquire to be a martial artist, as some will gain a high rank that lack coordination and talent, just to name a few attributes and believe that they have the same ability as those that are truly coordinated and talented, that are so deluded that they post themselves on the internet.

Generational lose of knowledge in the internet age; IMHO on the contrary is happening, the age of the internet has changed MA for the better, as we are all more informed and equippped to tackle challenges than ever before. Personally integrating alot of time in to conditioning my body, as have experienced in the past that having ma skills is not enough, the internet has plenty of ideas and options to add to my personal growth in this respect. Finding the time to sift through the immense amount of information on the internet for most is not feasible but as for me, luckily at present, time is on my side.

TMA it is possible to practice for all of one's life and get better at it however with MAA burnout and peaking out is a higher probability than not, alot like condensing one's efforts on the fast track, than slowly perfecting them over the long run; of course there is always the middle of the road approach, that is neither here nor there.

Add more variety to my training methods by making them more unorthodox, creative, interesting and challenging. Do more types of training that I need to do but don't like to do and learn to like them. Try harder, train smarter, be more professional and more focused on improving performance.

If all else fails, puch him on the nose!

We spin/pivot on our toes or heels when kicking as we use a spot on the ground turn from, it keeps the technique stable. By pivoting on a point of contact with the opponent (as in forearms making contact) it also keeps the technique stable, also as a reference point it gives many options to attack and defend with as reading the pressure to stick with, slide through, deflect, to maintain and match the pressure, reading in an instant the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, in short, information is gathered that can be utilised in an instant as opposed to "clashing" that is a means to an end. Information that is not gained by clashing forearms, therefore bone spinning has the benefits of obtaining tactile information, similiar to feeling road conditions when driving a car due to the contact of tyres to road. As in video games tactile information is lost, therefore tactile information in reality is important to have to make quick minor adjustments, as in driving in icy conditions compared to the norm, as keeping the car stable on the road is of great importance. In none contact or light contact sparring, the bone spinning and bone clashing, the reality of fighting is lost, that turns in to something not much different than virtual fighting, that leads to a false impressions of what combat is.

Another phrase could be used such as "joint untilisation" as it is the joints that link together the bones and muscles and brings them both in to play. Spine activation is phrase that also belongs to the bone power concept, as there is a lizard aspect that can be used having to do with adding to movements that includes the use of the spinal cord.

The concept of "Brain washing" is not to be taken literally either, but most us get the point of it in a round about way. Bone power needs muscle as they are the initial way that bones can move, this includes breaking boards. In reality the bones don't move as they are solid but the joints and ligaments that connects them do.

With martial arts there is always exceptions to rules, even with structural integrity and balance as important as they are they are not the all and end all of fighting, but I do like to keep mine as intact as possible all the while attacking the opponents. Claude van Dame utilise bone power in his movies especially when he has that crazy look on his face when palm striking his opponent in the chest LOL. Shotokan with its emphasis on one blow to finish a fight is also in the region of using bone power, as when also adding throws and takedowns, then this automatically becomes a fierce Dragon way of figjting. Also heavy handedness when striking uses bone power and also can be used when using feet, elbows and knees, by relaxing the muscles the weight of the bones can be better utilized as most people hit with far too much tension in their muscles, which is similar to driving and the brakes are on all the time.

Fighting trainer and mma trainer. Both have combos and are free Apps that can be found on google play.

Partner stretching is the best, with both having the intent to become more flexible. By having a partner there is a tendency to go futhter than one would than doing it alone. Also relaxing while the partner stretches you out is a benefit as they are the one making the tension and stretch happen. Having a person standing and walking (sideways) up and down on the the back of the legs massaging them is the best, as in India they use oil while doing it, while they hold on to bars above as to not slip off accidentally. Personally I stretch everywhere anytime, going for the max while in the spar or in the shower.