SevenStar

I wouldn't say it's the main factor. if that were the case, a guy lee's size could easily KO someone tyson's size and there would be no need for weight classes. that's simply not true. mass has plenty to do with it. I recently fought to a decision against a guy who outweighed me by 80 lbs. had he been my size, I know my shots would've dropped him, as I've done it before - size means alot. How many KO's are produced of of a jab? How many off of a cross? which is faster? what's more feared, a lead leg roundhouse or a rear leg? which is faster? you need mass behind the speed. speed isn't the main component, IMO. they are equal.

he took the words right outta my mouth

Check out any of the Kenpo/Kempo systems, and you'll find you are wrong. There are many others, also. Muay Thai is an excellent fighting art for sport or street, but I wouldn't say it is a complete practical street defense system. by full contact use of knees and elbows, I think he means in sparring/competition, not self defense application. In which case, I'd agree with him. However, In America, it's rare for elbows to be allowed in competition.

I do know of at least one muay thai club that uses a color system, and that's champion thai boxer manu ntoh.

all kickboxing is sport. He means is it american (freestyle karate influenced) or muay thai?

it's an experience thing. One good way is full contact sparring. you train to defend yourself, but until you've really been hit a few times, people still tend to have a hint of doubt in the back of their minds. That hint of doubt is magnified 100 fold when adrenaline rushes.

many associtations have levels - level 1, level 2, level 3, assistant coach, etc. it is for structure within that organization and to denote who has what qualifications. you won't wear a belt or anything, however some schools I hear do use the color of the trunks, but these "ranks" have no significance outside of the organization you got them in. Some schools - I'm, thinking more american kickboxing type - institute a belt rank progression, similar to karate.

very true. they actually use alot of infighting and takedowns

I use one to keep track of new drills and techniques we learn in bjj. It helps me to remember, as in bjj, you will learn ALOT of setups for various techniques. for thai boxing, I use it to document things such as details of a particular technique, curriculum outlines for the classes I help teach, etc. and random training notes, such as new exercises to perform, pad drills that I come up with, etc.

But do you think a 250-300lb husky person, or per even a muscular "boxer", can do it? I hover between 210 and 230 and I am a grappler/thaiboxer. When I trained longfist, I was able to do tornado kicks and land them on one leg, in addition to all of the other aerial kicks. I was one of the best kickers in the class and can kick above head height without warmup to this day. the maestre at my club (the MA center consists of several instructors of various styles who share a gym, basically) let me borrow some footage of capoeira competitions - baccizado (sp?) and there are a few husky people on there. He also has a student bigger than me that can do some amazing things.

that will be taught to you, just as you will gain the attributes necessary for any art you train. Some natrually, will be more apt than others, but anyone can beccome proficient.

agreed.

not really...

it's a good read. some people may debate some of it though, as far as structure goes. There is no one "right" fist - in addition to the horizontal fist, there is also the structurally strong vertical fist and also the diamond fist. the vertical fist doesn't hit with the top two knucks - it connects with the bottom three. there is really no need, IMO to raise the leg while blocking a body punch. the forearems and elbows work just fine. also, this: "Even though body shots are powerful and useful, this does not mean body shots are always the best tactic to use. If you are fighting Muay Thai fighter and you drop you head for a body punch, you may receive a knee to the head. If fighting a ground fighter, dropping you head may lead to a takedown. However, a fighter is tired and is hiding behind a guard is a choice body shot target. " when throwing a straight right to the body, your head won't drop much at all. Same for a body hook. When you drop your head, it's usually in response to his hook punch. While you are weaving, you can toss in a liver punch or body hook while youre low. The reason you are low is because you are evading his hook, NOT because of the body punch. As far as a grappler goes, lowering your head lowers your center of gravity and may reduce your chances of being take down.

shuai chiao.

if the two styles share similar ranges, i.e. two striking systems, then I wouldn't cross train, as you may get confused. Not only that, but varying mechanics in different styles will hinder you. for example, a thai round house and a karate roundhouse are completely different. trying to learn both at the same time may slow you down. If the two are dissimilar in range and function, ie. striking and grappling, go for it - you shouldn't get confused here.

that is why the strikes, spine locks and leg loacks were pretty much removed from the curriculum. some schools will teach the atemi at black belt level, however, I'm not sure how many teach the forbidden locks.

simple searches... look for info on shaolin do and on oom yung doe.

judo came from jujutsu. he didn't want it less agressive - judo is actually VERY agressive. he wanted if "safer" that way it could be easily be practiced by the masses. also, by having a safer style, he was able to introduce randori - freesparring. jiu jitsu stems from them both. as for the spellings jujutsu/jiu jutsu, jujutsu is the correct term. the latter is one of the romanizations but is considered incorrect. This spelling was adopted by bjj, however -I'm not sure why. Perhaps merely to distinguish the name from jujutsu, as they are different arts.

arts with the jutsu suffix are koryu, or classical japanese arts. They denote styles that were used pre meiji era - combat styles. the do suffix denotes styles post meiji and reflect the art more as a lifestyle than a battlefield art. They have the same basis, but quite natrually, the fighting methods/techniques will differ somewhat. tae kwon do and tae kyon are two different styles completely, if I'm not mistaken. zen, chen, cha'an, etc. dialectual/language differences.

for the serious part of your post -yes and no. some of the strategies will work for some people and some won't - not everything works for everyone. That's what your coach, sensei, sifu, etc. is for. However, you may still pick up some ideas to work on here. There are some posts that are blatant *, but those can be spotted. As for the rest of your post, whatever. If you only spent two years in MA and under a questionable instructor, you really haven't "learnt" anything. And as for fighting experience, some of us have more in our pinky finger than you will ever have...

nothing wrong with cross training - it's a quicker means to one of the ends which we are seeking.

In a nutshell, no. Effectiveness isn't totally dependent on the art you train in. What's most important are the training methods you use.

In a nutshell, it's a fierce martial art that utilizes the feet, knees, hands and elbows. there are also several throws and sweeps. It's a hard style with conditioning that will have you in the best shape of your life.

I can't really tell you which school to go to, bit I'll give my oppinion based on the info here: stay away from the ymca class - the shotokan they state is "family oriented" that's about it - no other detail. And what the hell is "shadow of the dragon kung fu"? I wouldn't go with the goshin.org school either. The classes are only once a week (hence 8 months as white belt really isn't that long...) A punch in the stomach is no indicator of skill level. private lessons to teach eye gouges and cheek ripping? skip it. DO NOT take a cardio kickboxing class with hopes of learning proper boxing technique - that's a bad idea. I would go with judo. The classes are three days a week and the instructor is a 4th degree black belt who has been doing judo since he was 10. There should be a wealth of knowledge there. for striking, you can attend the tang soo do classes that are offered two days a week at the same facility. your strength training program is good, but I would add pullups to it, and back off at least one day of the plyos - you don't want to do them too often. for conditioning, all you need is a heavy bag. As for books, if you haven't already, check out "power to the people" by pavel tsatsouline. Chad boykin's muay thai book has some good training and conditioning info as well.