SevenStar

that's true. If you have a black belt in bjj, you definitely earned it.

Umm... i've heard that spouted by more then a handful of people and i really want to address it. Most martial arts have proven themselves in combat at one time or another. However, modern-day combat does not include much hand-to-hand, so any newer martial systems, such as bjj, really are only being included in the soldier's training program.. with minimal application in modern warfare. Some cops and security guards use it. As do some bouncers out there. The martial arts that truly have proven themselves in 'real' combat... are the ones that existed before firearms and explosives became the mainstay. However, things have changed over the centuries. What worked way back then, in the test tube of one society, doesn't necessarily work now, in the test tube of this society. A martial art system that stays rigid to its teachings can find itself 'behind the times,' per se. very true. Consider always the applicability to your potential threats. If i were in Africa and people were chasing me down with a machete, bjj would not be the system i would care to know. Seriously consider these things when stating that one system or another has been 'proven' in combat... because... the definition of combat changes according to the threat posed and the weapons implemented. Also true.

why would you think so? an off balance head kick can mean I get dumped on my butt. It means my kick may have less power, it means I'm uprooted more easily...It bad no matter what your style.

the designers of machines are likely not thinking of the needs of those that are already fit and flexible. The avg. person typically doesn't have such flexibility.

I've got that beat.I train judo at two different clubs. One, I mentioned above. The other charges only $8.00 per month, and the teacher was a 3 time national champ. The coach at the other club was 3rd in the WORLD a couple of years ago, and combined with guys who have won national and international level grappling tournies and fought pro mma bouts, I think the above school is also a steal for $75 a month.

You got ripped...bad. My pricing is similar to beka's. I pay $75 a month, and I get muay thai twice a week, judo twice a week and unlimited bjj. judo classes are 1.5 hours, muay thai usually runs 2 hours, and bjj is anywhere from 2 - 3 hours, depending on how long we feel like staying.

I'm an even mix. I've been striking all my life, but have been training judo and bjj pretty intensely for the past two years, in addition to muay thai. I'm more comfortable with standing grappling - throws, takedowns, etc. but I can hold my own on the ground.

MA has alot of pitfalls - not sure how secret they are...McSchools, loss of fighting instinct, in some cases, etc... Whether or not you train after donating blood should depend on how soon after giving you are planning to train.

different tactics are involved - you don't see sidekicks, hook kicks, etc. in muay thai matches too often, even though they are in the system. the roundhouse kicks are performed completely different. use of leg kicks in MT calls for a slightly different stance - if you keep the weight on the front leg, it will get torn up. the weight is more on the back leg, similar to a cat stance use of knees and elbows use of the clinch you definitely have to duck properly. improper ducking can lead to you getting kneed in the head those are just some basic differences... there are several more.

the thai roundhouse also goes to the head, the calf... elbows are outlawed in some US thai matches also, although knees are allowed. When I get back from the gym (if work's not too busy) I'll list some differences.

you definitely don't want to coach yourself... way too easy to pick up too many bad habits..

that's why I posted the first bolo punch, and listed SRL's as the "fake" bolo

I haven't noticed that. I can do head level kicks, my head height and over with no prob, and I have very strong legs. I can't do the splits, but then, I'm not training to either...

That doesn't disprove that it's an endurance exercise. ANY exercise that isn't done with progressive resistance becomes an endurance exercise as the body has no heavier stimulus to place on it. Pretty much any exercise, weight bearing or not is going to have a limited range of motion. the kicking exercise included. This will range from static exercises like static stance training to weight bearing exercises.

depends on what you are experiencing - if all of the symptoms are throat level or above - sore throat, runny nose, etc. you can train. If symptoms are below the throat, take it easy.

There have actually been several of these, but I don't think any have been in a poll format. I currently train in a multiple grappling arts and boxing art.

That's not really strength, but endurance. Similar to TMA who do stance training - holding deep, solid stances for several minutes at a time. Doing that will build strength initially, but resistance is not progressive, therefore it becomes an endurance exercise. that exercise you talked about sound pretty good though - I may start doing that one. I've never hard of tom cruz... are you talking about tom kurtz?

japanese or brazilian?

I've received plenty of bruises from stand up training, but my joint related injuries have come from grappling. I wouldn't fear that your ability as a strikier would be hindered though - by all means, train in both.

he trained in judo before he started training in karate. After his injury, he stopped judo and began karate.

I didn't belittle anything. As far as those who do, ignore them. I don't have to have trained budo taijutsu - every art in existence makes the same claims of being complete. you're not speaking foreign, because it's MA - there's not one single fighting principle you can name that I haven't heard of , as fighting is fighting, and as a whole, I've head alot of exposure to it. What will be different is the way those principles are trained and applied. And those two things are the big differences that I'm always talking about. I believe several styles are good - I've trained kali, jun fan, karate, longfist and tang soo do in addition to what I train now, so I've had experience in traidional styles, and have trained sticks, knives, broadsword, staff, etc. I like judo, bjj and muay thai because it's VERY intense and offers a way for me to continually test myself against others inside and outside of my school. I've always loved full contact fighting, which is why I loved the karate I was training in.

not sure about that one... I can head kick with no warm up, but how many people can hold their leg out above head height, even with warm up? That's not really a display of leg strength anyway... I squat over 400 lbs, but I can't do it.