SevenStar

Good post! The only thing I want to comment on is this: why is that the real ones seem to choose not to compete? People always make that statement. Masters back in the day had challenge matches, and kuoshu, san da, nhb, etc. are the next best thing to that these days. As far as the bouncing thing, that's not a boxing or muay thai thing either - people may do it when they are diesngaged from their opponents for various reasons, but as soon as you get within even the furthest striking range (kicking) the bouncing stops. boxing and thai foot work is shuffling, stepping and lunging, not bouncing.

I completely agree. Most encounters will be with untrained assailants. In the examples I was citing, htese untrained assailants provided a new threat - the fact that these people were being cut and didn't know. They consequently continued to fight, leaving them with some pretty nasty scars.

yeah, definitely. being ripped isn't an indicator of strength. Try this test... I can bench press 285. get him to do it. I bet he can't. I squat over 400 lbs. Once again, I bet he can't. because his muscles are trained for endurance. That's not a bad thing - like I said, do both.

hard training is in the eye of the beholder. There are alot of punck schools that really don't do much at all, but ultimately what a person views as hardcore will be based upon himself, as different people have different threshholds. I train every day, for about 3 hours. that three hours is class time, and includes calesthenics, grappling, sparring ( i train in bjj, judo and muay thai), drilling, etc. It's 3am ( I don't sleep much) and I need to get a few z's and get up for work soon but if anyone is interested, I'll give more specifics of my schedule. This doesn't include gym time - I hit the gym eveyrday during my lunch break.

it also puts the power limbs (the rear ones) further from your opponent, taking you more time to strike. Also, it limits mobility. you can move forward and backward just fine, but angling is slower. target choice really isn't limited. your centerline target are limited, is all. I can still hit your calves, sciatic, liver, small of the back, back or the neck, etc. - it's merely a different target area.

this isnt' the one I was thinking of, but there is some good info here: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=11837&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=10

there is actually a very good thread on this topic... I can't remember if it was on this forum or another that I post on - I will look for it.

I actually think it being "well stocked" can be a draw back in some cases. you have more to focus on. your throwing will never be as good as that of a judoka, who constantly focuses on nothing but throwing. your punching will never be the caliber of a boxer, nor your weapons techniques to that of a kalista. Over time, you can still become a proficient fighter, but I question the efficiency of some of these styles when it comes to training. people criticize the jack of all trades thing, but training a style that teaches weapons, various striking, kicking, etc. is itself making you a jack of all trades...

that's not indicative of training in multiple styles. I can train in muay thai and judo and still have less techniques than a guy who trains in longfist. However, what you say is wrong. when in a fight, your body will revert to whatever techniques are ingrained into your "muscle memory" you won't be thinking of a technique to use. whatever you are able to use off of reflex is what you will use in a fight.

the difference is what you're doing to your body... cords and plyometrics don't offer progressive resistance. eventually they become endurance exercises, and are no longer categorized as strength builders. you can't get as strong doing those types of exercises as you can by weight training. Like I said, it all has it's place.

the term taijutsu doesn't necessarily refer to ninja. taijutsu translates to "body arts" and back in the day was used synonymously with the term jujutsu. It was just a generic term.

my club has a capoeira instructor who teaches twice a week. I don't train it, but I've watched his classes - they are structured and he does teache the beginners.

That's my objection too with fullcontact; my health is very important to me. that's not true. injuries wil be sustained, but they are not as common as you think.

I currently train in muay thai, judo and bjj.

there are some stats out there - some that were published by the police force. It stated that something like 70% of all police altercations ended up on the ground.

being able to do the splits isn't important, but flexibility is. We stretch for about 10 mins every class after the warm ups, and again after class ends. As for what mart was saying, too much flexibility isn't bad. the flexibility will actually aid to the strength and speed of your kicks. That said, however, I think I know what you are trying to say: It's bad to strecth immeditately before a fight. Watch MMA - you will see guys like tito ortiz doing something plyometric, like jumping before the fight. This is to "load" his muscles, as you can be more explosive when they are tighter.

a guy I train with wins off of the drop seionage - he uses it to throw, then pins them. usually wins on points, as he's pretty new to bjj.

bjj gis are usually stiffer and the skirt is shorter. IMO, it's harder to do a gi choke on someone with a bjj gi - stiffer/tiicker lapel. as for brand, I use judo star - I prefer the loose gi to the bjj type. I have had a decent experience with atama, and I got a gameness gi tonight, so I'm itching to try it out.

I started when I was 6 - I'm 26 now. I started training intensely when I was about 17.