DarthPenguin
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Posts posted by DarthPenguin
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Saturday 24th January
BJJ Session
This session was all about retaining back control. Worked on keeping grips and hand fighting to keep the grips / open up choking opportunities. Worked some claw grip to secure the neck and also worked a little on read naked chokes. My back control is awful so it was a good session and lots to work on! Though my recovering to mount when someone is escaping back control is still not too bad - session did show up though that often i default to moving to mount rather than fighting harder to keep on the back, so it is definitely something to work on
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Friday 23rd January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
80kg x 1
99kg x 3
99kg x 3
99kg x 3
99kg x 3
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 1
81kg x 3
81kg x 3
81kg x 3
81kg x 3
Romanian Deadlift
72kg x 3
72kg x 3
72kg x 3
72kg x 3
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
7 reps
7 reps
Standing military press
32kg x 10
32kg x 10
Was short of time so had to cut the final pull ups and standing press sets short (am doing them as a superset). Got main lifts done though which is the main point
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3 hours ago, KarateKen said:
A bombshell on Tuesday night that also has to be one of the most bonehead moves in the history American sports. Former Patriots and Browns head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Hall of Fame, getting less than the 40 votes needed to be selected. He will get in, probably next year, but to not make him a first ballot HOF coach is beyond asinine.
Definitely. Is kinda like the absurd bar the Baseball HoF used to set that no one could be unanimous etc. even when it was blatantly obvious they should be. If Belichick isn't first ballot (much as i loathe him) then no other coach can be going forwards (unless they get 7 HC superbowl wins / 9 total wins maybe). Apparently it is 'punishment' for the cheating scandals but if that is the case then he should have had the punishment levied up front - defer his eligibility for a year or something
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11 hours ago, bushido_man96 said:
Well if you go dark again, I'll try to pop in here and ask where you at.
cheers!
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On 1/26/2026 at 3:45 AM, bushido_man96 said:
Good to see your updates. I've been having trouble posting lately, too. Here's to making it regular again!
Thanks! It does help with accountability too
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Monday 19th January
Karate Session
Standard session again. Worked through all grading required kihon plus lots of reps of kata. Also got confirmation of date for my Shodan grading in March
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Sunday 18th January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
80kg x 1
99kg x 3
99kg x 3
99kg x 3
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 1
81kg x 3
81kg x 3
81kg x 3
Romanian Deadlift
72kg x 3
72kg x 3
72kg x 3
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
7 reps
6 reps
6 reps
Standing military press
32kg x 10
32kg x 10
32kg x 10
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Friday 16th January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
Romanian Deadlift
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
6 reps
6 reps
6 reps
Triceps pushdown (straight bar)
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
20kg x 10
Standing military press
31kg x 10
31kg x 10
31kg x 10
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Monday 12th December
Karate Session
First session back for 2026. Standard session. Not massive numbers so lots of reps of kata, which are always needed!
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Sunday 11th January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
88kg x 5
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
72kg x 5
Romanian Deadlift
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
64kg x 5
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
6 reps
6 reps
6 reps
Standing military press
31kg x 10
31kg x 10
31kg x 10
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Friday 9th January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
Romanian Deadlift
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
5 reps
5 reps
5 reps
Standing military press
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
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Yeah i have to agree. Can make an argument that Ukemi is the skill you are most likely to use in your life and the one most likely to save you from injury or severe harm. People don't get in that many physical confrontations but everyone has fallen on a patch of ice etc. at some point in their life
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7 hours ago, sensei8 said:
Ah…no thanks!! I’ve read the same thing about NFL team and MLB teams hiring MAists to help the team with whatever is necessary. However, while the money is tempting, I’m not a Raiders fan and it’d turn my stomach to help them. Oh, my wife would love it!! If I was crazy enough to help the Raiders, I’d wear a Cowboys shirt and hat!!
As far as the HC merry-go-around goes, I’m shocked that they fired McDermott after all, he did get the Bills to the Divisional Round unlike some other NFL teams didn’t make it to the playoffs. Bills so ungrateful; I understand if the Bills had a record like the Raiders, for example.
As a long time Bills fan i actually agree with the firing. To me it is like when the Buccaneers fired Tony Dungy years ago and got a lot of stick for it. He got them very close for years but couldn't get over the hump and next year they won the superbowl with Gruden. McDermott has done a very good job, but he has also had one of the (in my opinion) 2 best QBs in the league for years. To not get to even one superbowl isn't that great with the talent the team has - this season they really should have gotten there with the Chiefs not making the playoffs etc.. Hopefully the new HC gives them the needed boost. I wonder if Tomlin would be interested - he did win with Big Ben after all and i always think of Allen as a slightly improved version of Ben!
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From what i saw it looked like some big names taking part which is interesting. Saw that the Bo Nickal vs Yoel Romero fight fell through last minute due to Romero missing weight too. Also saw they have signed one of the best wrestlers ever, Sadulaev, recently!
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7 hours ago, bushido_man96 said:
Mike Tomlin stepping down was interesting to me. I didn't see that one coming. I think this is the most coaching vacancies I can remember seeing in a year for a long time. I was kind of surprised by the John Harbaugh firing, to be honest. That's two of the longest tenured coaches in the NFL no longer coaching. Crazy.
I wonder if Tomlin is interested in coaching again. He put a lot of time in, and has accomplished quite a bit. I've not seen the level of interest in him yet. Harbaugh received 7 phone calls within 45 minutes of being fired...and at the time, there were 7 other coaching vacancies. I think he'll get to pick the job he wants, and every other team is likely going be waiting for that shoe to drop.
On a side note, both of KC's coordinators have been given permission to speak with other teams about head coaching jobs. I don't think Spags leaves; he tried the HC gig and didn't do well. Nags tried it, too, with limited success, but being an offensive coordinator, may get another shot. Honestly, as Chiefs fan, I'd like to see Eric Bienemy back as the Chief's OC.
Amusingly Harbaugh actually got 7 calls with 6 vacancies at the time! Was quite amused by this as in essence one team offered him an interview with an incumbent head coach already!
Had an interesting chat today with someone about which of the Steelers and Ravens jobs is the better bet: Ravens are closer to a SB ready team with Lamar and Henry etc. but the Steelers have lots of loyalty to the HC (only ever had 3!!!) so not sure which is the plum job. I think Steelers personally since Henry only has 1 yr left and then their window might close a bit
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Congratulations!
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Have once again been horrendously remiss in updating this! Kept training through most of December and even added in some regular runs (which i hate!) Won't bother with updates for missing period and will start with this week!
Monday 5th January
Lifting Session
Back squat
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
83kg x 5
Had tested indicative max at end of January. did a few reps with 110kg and it flew up out of the hole but slowed down a lot at a sticking point nearer the top. From looking into it this is likely weak glutes / hamstrings so i will try to work on that too which should also help my kick height.
Bench press
20kg x 5
40kg x 3
60kg x 2
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
68kg x 5
Again i tested this end jan. Can just get 100kg for 1 rep and it is proper maximum but i also have a very marked sticking point near the top of the lift so need to strengthen triceps.
Romanian Deadlift
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
Starting these pretty light but will be double overhand with no straps to also work on grip. This should help work on hamstrings / glutes
Assisted pull up with 25kg band
5 reps
5 reps
5 reps
pleased with these - have already really reduced the amount of band assistance from when i first started on them will build to 3 x 10 then reduce banding until i get to bw
Standing military press
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
30kg x 10
Again went light for these. Partly to work on SE as the weight flies up for first 6 reps or so then my shoulder start to fatigue a bit so i need to work on that and increase their work capacity which should carry over well to my martial arts training
Close grip bench press
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
50kg x 10
adding these in to work on triceps strength
E-Z bar biceps curl
26kg x 8
26kg x 8
26kg x 8
Overall good first lifting session of 2026, i was pleased!
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Thanks for taking the time to pull together the detailed write up! As others have said the issues / questions you have raised are not new ones and are ones that many people have and reach their own conclusion on. I would be surprised if your current instructor hasn't had similar thoughts at some point in his personal journey and come up with his own answer to them - have you tried discussing it with him? It could be an issue for you of "you don't know what you don't know".
Giving some personal examples: i was away from karate for an extremely long time, and only actually returned as my son wanted to train in it. So i went back, returned myself to white belt and started training. One thing i noticed straight away is that while i was away i had fallen into the camp of "they have lots of useless silly stances", when i came back i came to the realisation that the stances (in my view) are more of a type of body conditioning / stretching and a way of honing your body. When we do kumite we immediately shorten stances and go back to a more "kickboxing style" stance. My other experiences had then led me to a greater appreciation of what i am being taught.
I have also over the years come across many people who have the idea that they are going to ignore conventional training because they want to focus on "self defence and what actually works in a fight". Usually when i look into it more or try to spar with them etc. they couldn't fight their way out a wet paper bag. They will focus on lots of silly partner drills with a compliant partner and believe that if someone comes at them then they will miraculously be able to protect themselves from the knife etc.. There are obviously exceptions to this rule. I had a former instructor who used to like teaching knife defenses by covering a plastic blade in some paint and that showed you the cuts or stab wounds you would have received which was very eye opening - he used to be ultra practical and tell you that in reality you will be cut/stabbed in that situation so don't get into it or worst case pick where you will be cut!
It sounds like you had a decent Krav Maga school (which will have been good) but i must admit i am always a bit sceptical of them as from prior experience the style often seemed to boil down to "kick them in the balls", which while effective is hard to drill and practice!
If you are wanting to boil everything down to self defence then fair enough but i would build a decision tree with some questions and take it from there. I would start with: do you want to protect yourself in a way that minimises the risk of your going to jail? If no, then tbh get some weapons and build skill in using them and improvised ones; if yes then next step is what type of situation do you think you would be in? Someone aggressive starting a fight in a bar / location or are you in a more dangerous area where you might be attacked by someone with a weapon? etc. etc.
For me, when i asked those questions and follow ups (plus making allowances for age etc as i am 46) i came to a set of conclusions and i train Shotokan, Judo and BJJ together now. I also try to see where i can blend the styles together eg if someone closes range in karate kumite maybe i could use one of a few judo throws there and the one i use might be picked as it segues into a bjj technique i like etc.
In my view, when it comes to self defence you need to focus on gross repeatable motor patterns since those are more likely to be repeatable under high stress situations. You also need to pick things that work for you and suit your body type e.g. i am 6'4 and about 230lb (in US units) so i will be suited to different techniques to someone who is 5'10 and 160lb.
If i was to pick (from scratch) what i would want to learn to defend myself in my early 20s i would pick up 3 styles (one for stand up striking, one to deal with clinch range and one for on the ground) and would choose Muay Thai (you learn to judge distance, take a hit, deliver a hit and amazing conditioning), Judo (better judo schools in the UK than wrestling plus in public people wear clothes but if in the USA might opt for wrestling) and for the ground work BJJ. Learn all 3 to a black belt (or equivalent) level and you should be able to protect yourself in most situations, having applied your techniques on resisting similarly sized or bigger opponents. IF worried about weapons then add in some Kobudo.
If you want to start (in essence) teaching your own style then, being blunt, you need to acquire rank in the component styles you are using as a building block. Not because rank in itself confers any validity but it does confirm that a skilled practitioner of that style has independently determined your skill level in that style to be X level. If i looked into a non mainstream style and was told it was self defence focused and made up by the instructor i would heavily scrutinise the instructors credentials: i would expect multiple dan ranks in traditional styles; a amateur/pro fighting record that can be verified; a law enforcement/ military background that i think would have conferred the skills. Eg if i saw one from an individual who said they were a Kru rank in Muay Thai, 3rd Dan Judo, BJJ Black Belt then i would take them seriously (or something like professional bodyguard in dangerous location X for high profile individuals - with evidence). If i saw "have trained in martial arts since i was little, lots of breaks, not achieved Dan rank in any but i have done lots of research etc." then i wouldn't even bother looking into it further as i would want some independent validation of skills. Likely a little harsh of me i know but just being honest!
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On 12/23/2025 at 12:43 PM, Furinkazan said:
I would never consider myself a Jake Paul fan, but I have a lot of respect for what he does. In this case, he fought six rounds with Anthony Joshua. How many of us could do the same thing? How many of Jake Paul's haters could do it? Everyone seems to forget that Francis Ngannou got knocked out by Anthony Joshua in the second round, so Jake Paul did far better than Ngannou. And Ngannou is no pushover: he went the distance with Tyson Fury before that.
Very fair point - while i loathe him he deserves respect for getting in there by a live puncher in Joshua. I genuinely don't think Joshua went at him full bore (i still believe he might have killed him if he did) but taking punches from a boxer like Joshua takes serious guts. He deserves a lot of praise for his bottle and courage if nothing else
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Good topic and i totally agree, resolutions need to be trackable, actionable and realistic. I also find that applying some kind of penalty for not achieving them is also helpful (eg in prior years i would set goals and if not met by time X i owed someone else £50/£100)!
My Martial Arts resolutions / goals are:
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Sit Shotokan Shodan with very strong attempt
- For this the goal is to sit it once in March and if needed resit in August. Not making the goal passing it (even though that is obviously the intention) since passing is out of my control to an extent but i want to do so. If i don't manage to pass it in March (which i hope i will since i have spent 1.5yrs at 1st Kyu making sure i am ready for it) then i want to make sure i smash it later this year
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Get to Judo 4th Kyu
- This one i am putting the grade as the more continuous assessment of the lower judo grades means i have a little more control over it and it isn't an assessment that i need to wait 3/6 mths to resit if needed
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Get a stripe on my bjj belt!
- Again this is being put as the continuous assessment makes it more achievable. I also want this as a target so i will have something to aim for / work on to demonstrate i am becoming less bad!
- Improve my kicking height, ideally to shoulder height for yoko geri and mawashi geri. Will do this by working flexibility plus strengthening hips, glutes etc which is the issue i think (ties into fitness section too)
Fitness related goals
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Lifting
- manage to bench 105kg x 2 reps, current 1rm is 100kg and it is very much a real maximum
- manage to squat 140kg x 1. Think this is doable as when i recently testing i did 110kg and it flew up out of the hold and hit a sticking point 3/4 up which showed up glute/hamstring weakness so is fixable. Legs themselves could likely manage more weight
- set of 5 pull ups - currently can't do 1 but working on it and have been doing assisted reps and the level of assistance has been coming down a lot so i think it is doable
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general fitness
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run for 5k relatively easily
- have started a little running (which i hate but i think is worth doing), managed up to 3k so far though HR is on border or Zone 2 and 3. Want it to be a consistent low Zone 2 for full 5k.
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run for 5k relatively easily
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Sit Shotokan Shodan with very strong attempt
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21 hours ago, Furinkazan said:
What you put in parentheses is why I don't think these two factors should be considered. Because it makes the false assumption that the "good" kids are more likely progress faster than the "bad" kids, and that it's more likely turn "bad" kids lives around while there's a risk of making the "good" kids more violent.
Again, the moral alignment of people has nothing to do with how well they progress in any form of training or instruction.
This reminds me of the scene in The Breakfast Club where Bender was responding to Brian talking about why he failed shop class.
Yeah that is true, there is no reason to assume that one or the other would improve at a faster rate. Though i would say that what i put into parentheses is also equally applicable towards training at any martial arts club.
21 hours ago, Furinkazan said:Let us not forget that there are plenty of "bad" people that know how to play the long game. Even children. With Christmas being ten days away, the most common way we see it is that when children finally reveal that they no longer believe in Santa Claus, they also reveal that they haven't believed in years. They hid their skepticism out of fear that they wouldn't get anything for Christmas. If children can do it for that, they can do the same thing to remain in martial arts training.
All true but i think this also applies equally to any martial arts club. Nothing stopping the child playing the long game and training at a regular club. Long term martial arts training doesn't make someone a decent person by default - first example that pops into my head is Rousimar Palhares (there are other issues with him too i know) who basically liked to injure people and did it a lot with leg locks.
21 hours ago, Furinkazan said:If the reason they're teaching a martial art is for self-defense, I'm assuming karate. The reason is because they already have wrestling as part of normal physical education (at least when I was in high school), but you learn according the rules of the sport, making it rather useless for self-defense.
I'll admit to having very little exposure to judo, but in that limited exposure, it appears to be similar: the focus appears to be competition and sport, rather than self-defense.
This likely varies from country to country. I am in Scotland and there is no wrestling taught as part of school here (or indeed in most of the UK). Typically PE here is football/soccer; rugby; basketball; gymnastics; badminton. If anyone wanted to learn a martial art of any kind (including wrestling) it is done outside school.
At risk of shifting the focus of the discussion, learning the rules of the sport does not in my view make it useless for self defence. I remember our judo coach showing us all Uranage with the comment "if anyone ever starts on you in a bar and you can't avoid it then uranage them through a table - will put them down". I have always inherently disagreed with the assumption that the untrained/"self defence trained" fighter will use all kind of dirty tricks etc. but the trained individual magically loses the ability to do so. I remember watching an excellent video with the well known BJJ instructor Draculino demonstrating a triangle choke with the person being choked permitted to bite etc. The bite didnt work - he also pointed out that if they can bite him he could put his thumbs through both of their eyes as their head is trapped!
While the focus of the sport in judo is definitely competition and sport, hitting the ground hard hurts a lot. For self defence, in my view, one of the best ways to protect yourself is to down your opponent and get away. Slamming someone to the ground hard, when most assailants will not have great Ukemi (and tbh on concrete even if you do it will still hurt a tonne) will in most instances give you the time to get away safely.
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On 12/11/2025 at 1:06 PM, Furinkazan said:
There was a public post on facebook that asked the question on whether or not martial arts should be part of the curriculum in public schools. I'm very anti-groupthink, but I don't dissent for it's own sake. I'm a free thinker.
Just about everyone in the comments agreed that it should be. The consensus is that "everyone should know how to defend themselves."
I thought that this was a horrible reason. Why? Because if two opposing people have the same advantage, then neither of them do. That puts everything back at square one, and the advantage goes right back to the bully. Basically,
if a > b, then a(x) > b(x)
the scenario you want is a < b(x), or at minimum, a = b(x)
But you ruin that if you require everyone to train in martial arts.
Of course, the responses I get are things like "that's not how it works," etc. Basically, disagreements with my reasoning, but with no attempt at an opposing argument.
What are your takes on this?
There are a few other points here that I think may be relevant:
- often kids aren't really aware of the consequences of violence and the harm it could cause to others so there is a chance that them all training would make the kids aware of the potential for harm and make them show more reserve (though the opposite may also be true and it makes people realise how much damage they could do!)
- Opening it up to all kids doesn't mean that all the kids have to retain the right to be trained. If kids demonstrate that they fail to meet certain acceptance criteria for the training (eg bullying people etc.) then they could be stopped from attending the lesson/s
- Not everyone will progress / learn at an equal rate. So even if the bully is being trained too then there is no guarantee they will improve at the same rate as the others (though again the opposite is also true).
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Teaching at school would remove the choice of styles from the parents to an extent. Eg for myself my son started Judo at 4. He really wanted to (and loves it) plus i personally think it is the best "foundational style" for a kid due to teaching the kids how to fall safely etc. plus the really well structured pathway for teaching from very young ages all the way to adulthood. He later added some Shotokan and he has told me he wants to try Kyokushin too and learn some mma (he is 9 currently so i told him he needs to be a little older first. Would i have liked it if the school just decided that he had to learn Muay Thai at age X? Probably not, it is a fantastic style but i would prefer him to try it when he is in his teens at least (and through his own choice).
- Also how would the school choose the style? Could see this causing plenty of issues too!
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On 12/12/2025 at 3:44 AM, bushido_man96 said:
If Martial Arts become part of a school curriculum, then it takes the instructor's discretion away on a lot of things. For one, someone that probably doesn't know a thing about Martial Arts training is going to become an arbiter of what is or isn't taught, to what extent, etc, and things could likely get watered down. Then there is the issue of how to approach gradings. Insurance and liability become even bigger issues of concern. The instructor has less ability to control who he/she is teaching; it becomes available to all, especially if it's required. I like to think all kids can benefit from Martial Arts training, but there will be some that will take in the training for the wrong reasons. The idea appears appealing at first glance, but I think there are a lot of things that can go wrong.
there is sometimes a way round this - years ago a friend of mine was brought in by a school (happened to be a private one) to teach two of their pupils martial arts during PE lessons. He was their instructor in their regular club and they were allowed to choose whatever thing they wished to do in PE providing it was a sport they could demonstrate a genuine interest in etc. He taught them during the day a couple of times a week and was given discretion over what he taught etc and his assessment. Gradings were still the usual route.
I am aware this is very much the exception though - would be extremely hard to tailor it to a school situation generally
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On 12/12/2025 at 3:52 AM, bushido_man96 said:
Is it "playoff Mahomes" that beats him, or is it "playoff Allen" that loses...????
Only time will answer that question, I guess. This could be the year we find out. Allen doesn't have a great defense to rely on, and I'm not sure even he can carry that team through to the AFC title.
Very true - this season might decide it! Shame about Mahomes injury too - hopefully he comes back at 100%. He is easily one of the best QBs i have ever seen tbh and will be deep in the GOAT conversation when he eventually retires i think.
For Allen, the key difference for me this season is Cook has been great. When the Bills had the better defences they always lacked a running game from anyone but Allen which hurt then in the playoffs etc i think. Now there is much better balance
Ki Mugen Orange Gi review
in Equipment and Gear
Posted
I will also add a vote for Hirota here too - depending what you mean by big of course. I have a size 7 and i really like it (6'4" about 230lb in US measurements). Didn't need altered at all - just some careful warm washing / drying for fit. Price was reasonable too from Japan to UK