DarthPenguin

To your point here, when I was doing Longfist, the CI didn't use a rank system. He just taught you the next thing when you were ready. Sometimes, he would teach you the next thing if he thought that it would help you understand and become proficient with something that you were currently struggling on. It was a really refreshing thing to be a part of. That sounds very refreshing tbh. Is one of the things i like about bjj, while there is still a ranking system, it doesn't affect the techniques you are taught (it does affect those usable in competition i know).Technically you could stay a white belt forever and keep learning new stuff - you might get a bit of gentle ribbing for never taking a promotion but it wouldn't stop you learning

Totally agree. Reminds me of a conversation i had with someone last night about a grading they are worried about sitting. I said to them that what does it matter in the big scale of things? Will they be become better overnight since they have a new belt? No. Will they become worse overnight because they didn't get it? No. A new belt will open up new material for them to learn. Thats it really. Can they learn this material without the belt? Yes of course they can. If they don't want to grade then don't grade! If they do want to then do it. But don't get worried about it! I have used the phrase "i would rather BE a belt than HAVE a belt" before and i think it is in a similar vein.

Is the main focus of the session the deadlift or the olympic lifts? I know it is common to do the power movements first, so the olympic lifts are done first, but i always quite liked doing deadlifts first and then whatever olympic lift i was doing. Rationale was i wanted to maximise my power/strength for the deadlift to get maximum benefit and then do the power work. I thought that since the olympic lift part was to work on explosiveness and it uses as much fast twitch muscle as possible, that even if slightly weaker post deadlift i could still use as much as possible to do the olympic lift. Also, doing it this way means you may only get one olympic lift in post deadlift if short for time but you will have done both max strength work and power work in the session, rather than only power work. If the purpose is power generation though then keep it the way it is. Maybe split the snatch and clean & jerk to separate sessions?

Thursday 18th August Lifting Session This session got cut a little shorter than planned as got called back in by the other half as both her and my 5yr old had picked up a tummy bug! Got the main lift done though Deadlift 70kg x 5 80kg x 5 90kg x 3 102.5kg x 3 117.5kg x 3 130kg x 5 70kg x 10 70kg x 10 70kg x 10 Later that evening i added in some kihon practice to get a little more exercise in but not push it overmuch. Did the following : Gyaku Tzuki x 100 Age Uke x 100 Soto uke x 100 Uchi uke x 100 Went at a medium pace most of the way through but sped up the final few reps for each technique. Was concentrating on form throughout

Wednesday 17th August Karate Session There was a really small turnout as the schools started back today and some people are still away on holiday etc. Was just two of us and the instructor, which from a selfish point of is great as it becomes a semi private lesson and lets me find out more areas to work on! Warm up Usual warm up carried out Kihon did quite a bit of kihon. Slightly slower grading kihon, with lots of focus on stance depth and kime. Realised i can manage a much longer stance more easily when i minimise the 'coming up' during steps. Then went through techniques much harder, trying to replicate a grading. Was helpful. I'm not making a blade well enough with my foot on my yoko geri's so was working to fix that Kata We spent the remainder of the class working on our grading kata. Lots of run throughs of Heian Sandan. Initially to my own timing then to count, ironing out issues the instructor could see, repeating this a few times, then a few more times to my own count. Was very helpful. Managed to iron out most of the issues as they were mainly misconceptions on my part eg i was deliberately straightening up on the second pair of uchi uke/gedan bari rather than the first but the instructor said it should be the first one. Need a little more work though on pushing my hip through for the fumikomi stomps without travelling too wide an arc. On the whole though am happy that i can see improvements. will work on it at home as usual too

Tuesday 16th August Lifting Session BJJ coach is away this week so sessions moved about a bit. Bench Press 20kg x 8 40kg x 5 50kg x 3 62.5kg x 3 72.5kg x 3 80kg x 5 45kg x 10 45kg x 10 45kg x 10 Trying to add a little more volume and felt good. Will do so gradually. Reps felt smooth though final rep on max weight set felt tough (but it should do). Was really trying to concentrate on form and felt decent Seated overhead press 25kg x 10 25kg x 10 25kg x 10 these felt good and surprisingly fatiguing in the shoulders (i must use more shoulder than i think when i bench!). using the 50% of TM number and seems reasonable Bent over barbell row 60kg x 10 60kg x 10 60kg x 10 60kg x 10 These also felt good Wrist Roller 3.75kg x 6 3.75kg x 6 3.75kg x 4 Gradually increasing these. will work up to 3 x 10 and then increase weight Rest periods kept quite low too. Apart from heaviest bench sets i stuck to 50sec for everything else

Thanks! I've always found reviews to be very useful myself when purchasing stuff (especially since a lot of 'decent' ma stuff ends up having to be ordered from abroad for me. Hopefully can start a trend!

How do you find the olympic lifts benefitting your ma training? Am curious. I used to find that doing a hang power snatch had an almost immediate impact on my hip explosiveness when grappling. Can't do it at the moment due to low ceiling height, but was wondering if they have a similar benefit for a striking style?

Strongly concur with this! But thankfully, people like Chuck Liddell and Stephen Thompson have demonstrated its value in competitive mixed martial arts at the highest levels. (former champ Glover Texiera is also a high ranking Kempo guy under Hackleman) I've learned over time that looking to the most talented in conversations like these doesn't end up proving much. It's likely that these individuals would have made whatever they were doing look good, when in fact, it has more to do with the fact that they are just really naturally talented, and they ended up making what they do look good. Totally agree here. I am reminded of a video i saw once of GSP being shown some silly gymnastics trick involving a gym ball and performing some moves on it while standing etc (cant remember exactly which). First time he literally fell on his face. The guys showing him were all amused and a little smug at their skills. 30min later he could do it (and to the untrained eye he looked as good as them doing it). Some people are just immensely physically gifted and whatever they do they will be good at it. For example look at Floyd Mayweather. Imagine how good an mma fighter he would have been if that had been his focus etc.

This is likely a stupid idea! But would it be possible to wear chestguards with a sensor in them and maybe small sensors in gloves/footpads that register when a hit is landed with sufficient force? I'm envisaging something like the fencing system. Not quite sure how best to work it for the face though (other than a helmet). That would then allow the (i think excellent) judo style scoring system that Wastelander mentioned above to be implemented. The system could judge is it is an 'ippon worthy' strike, 'waza-ari' etc and go from there. Would remove a lot of the tag aspect while still preserving the single strike ending the contest aspect

Yeah when i first tried 531 (this is years ago) i had an issue with the numbers being lower (at the time i was doing 200kg x 5 for DL and the TM concept seemed odd). I found though that it worked well with other training : as long as you are doing a lot of conditioning work on 'off days' or in my case it was martial arts classes mainly, then it works well and lets you recover. Anyone i knew who tried it and didn't add in the conditioning etc (solely lifting) didn't like it as much. When i went through phases of lifting mainly in the past i found that i did well using Jamie Lewis (from Chaos and Pain site) style routines - but everyone is different. I'm just taking a long term view of it. I keep logbooks and have spreadsheets set up that calculate my estimated 1RM for all of the lifts plus keep track of the rep maximums for every weight. As long as i can see that things are ticking upwards over time steadily then i'm happy. Could i get stronger faster with another programme? Probably yes, but that runs the risk of injury/more fatigue for the ma training which for me isn't worth it. I appreciate the input though Thanks for taking the time to comment - always good to get additional input

Do you have to practice the techniques 'live' with a training partner? IF so then it could work but otherwise i doubt it. I would liken it to an instructional dvd. Initially you can view a technique and be confident you know the sequence etc but un til you have tried it on a live resisting opponent then you don't really know where it will fall apart and are unlikely to be able to apply it. The more experience someone has then the more likely they are to be able to just apply the technique, since it is more than likely a modification of a technique they already know / another application of a principle they can already apply etc. I can see how it would be useful to see how some things work but without pressure testing on a resisting opponent then i doubt it would be of any real use - indeed it might be dangerous as it leads to a false sense of confidence in a real situation. It is possible to get to a good standard learning techniques from videos but you have to then drill them strongly against resisting opponents. My original BJJ coach (he is a legit BB) started out this way and attended as many seminars etc as he could with BJJ BB's to get input on the techniques etc and improve his skills. Is a tough road though and needs a lot of dedication and self awareness

Mugen is the "high quality" version of KI International. The Lexus to the KI regular Toyota Camry. Higher quality parts and a look that you recognize. They're good GIs, and when someone is looking to upgrade for the first time from their light-weight one that the dojo provides I usually recommend Mugen. Good quality without being a burden on the wallet. DarthPenguin mentions Tokaido, and I would put them on par with that. Not quite the prestige of Shureido, but still a very solid experience.Thats good to know!

Congrats

Hi, i just recently purchased a Ki Mugen Orange label and i thought it might be nice to post a short review. I had to order it from the USA to get shipped to the UK and when making the decision to get something shipped it can be helpful to have some reviews to read IF reviewing items isn't permitted (i think it is but just being sure) then apologies and please delete this! Item ordered : Ki Mugen Orange Label Karate Gi Size order : 6.5 My size : 6'4", 225/230lbs (to get an idea of Gi Sizing) Initial impressions Gi arrived very nicely packaged. When unpacking it was a little lighter than expected but seemed well put together. The trousers are extremely similar to my Atama Mundial ripstop BJJ Gi trousers which i love, so a massive plus from me there! Gi Seemed a little larger than expected when unpacking but i know these things shrink. I had originally ordered a size 6 but the retailer had been in touch and told me that a 6.5 should be fine for me and i went with it since i should be in the middle of the range. Fit I washed the gi in a warm/hot wash and then dried it for an hour to shrink it down. Length is exactly as hoped for though it is slightly baggier than i would have preferred ideally. Should shrink a little more in subsequent washes. Is perfectly usable and tbh the thought that it is baggy might just be my being used to the more tailored fit of a bjj gi. When i wore it to karate class i got no strange looks or comments and it seemed about the same as the other class members. I really like the drawcord fastening on the trousers. They are identical to my Atama ones but fasten even better. Very snug fit with plenty of freedom of movement Quality Item seemed solidly put together and well made. Stitching was good and couldn't find any issues. I plan to update this review once i have trained in it a few times and again after 6mths or so. This should hopefully give a better picture of the quality Value for money This is a difficult one as it also factors in the shipping costs / customs charges etc for a USA - UK order. If i was ordering it in the USA then i have no problem at all saying i would order again as the price is good and the quality seems good for the price. For the UK though it is harder as, once i had ordered, i managed to find a retailer that sold Tokaido gi's in the UK and once shipping etc is factored in they come out at about the same price. Since everyone always talks about the quality of Tokaido it is hard to recommend something else at the same price, but i haven't tried a Tokaido so this may be better if i had both to compare Ease of ordering This (unfortunately) is more negative. I tried to order the Gi originally from the manufacturer. There website is awful and kept failing when it went to add shipping costs etc. I emailed them several times (as i do like to purchase from a manufacturer where possible) but then took a couple of weeks to reply to each email. I sent a couple but when no responses were received i went elsewhere - their responses were received after i had ordered from someone else. I instead ordered from another often recommended martial arts supply store (i won't give the name here as that isn't the purpose of this review). They very much were a mixed bag which surprised me. Replied very quickly to my original enquiry email on stock. Then once i had ordered, accepting that there would be a delay of a couple of weeks, they went dark. I emailed them once the expected time period had elapsed and they ignored all emails. Eventually i raised a paypal dispute to cancel the payment and they instantly responded (though didn't acknowledge their failure to respond previously). Once they did get in touch they processed things quite quickly and they filled out the customs declaration in a manner that minimised the customs charge i would receive (which was good) Would i order Again? If i could find another KI gi from a UK supplier, with them in stock then the answer (currently) is a resounding yes, though this could always change based on how it holds up over the next few months. From the USA again? Probably not unless it was from another supplier that i have dealt with previously, as i can't be bothered with unnecessary hassle. If there is anything i have not mentioned that might be useful then please feel free to let me know. Everything above is my personal opinion and based on my own experiences. I totally accept that things can be different for different people at different times and by no means think that any issues i may have had would be the same for others.

i did train in the past in a style that had pockets in the trousers (was a TKD offshoot and they had their own bespoke designed suits). Never once heard of anyone having an issue with a finger/toe getting caught in one. My bjj bo-gi shorts also have some internal pockets for mouthguards etc and i'm sure i have seem some with pockets too. Never found it to be an issue and if fingers/toes getting caught was ever going to cause a problem it would be with grappling. Pockets in gi trousers sounds like a pretty good reason to start a new organisation - better than some of the reasons people give for breaking away!

I'm using a 2day per week variation of the 531 programme. Have run 531 before and got good results. Your question led me to take a look back through my last couple of years worth of paper workout logs and i realised that i have (without realising it) cut the volume quite a bit on the sessions over time - it's been a little adjustment here due to time etc My logs from earlier in the pandemic were 3dpw with less martial arts but the volume was quite a bit more. Dug out my copies of wnedler's books again and had a look through and i think that should help too. Will tweak things a little for the next go-around

Yeah, i used to do them a lot and liked them which is why i am reticent to just jettison them straight away. I think it was a setup issue (when i thought about it later)/ Plan is to retry and see how it is with a light weight again. If feels like it is ok and just need to regrease the groove then that's good - if it feels like my knees just don't want to do it then i'll drop it. Thanks for the suggestion though

Saturday 6th August weights session Squats 20kg x 8 40kg x 5 50kg x 3 60kg x 5 70kg x 5 80kg x 9 Trap bar deadlift 75kg x 10 75kg x 10 75kg x 10 Front squat 40kg x 10 40kg x 10 These didn't feel great. Haven't done front squats for ages so called them here rather than chance an injury. Reflected on it later and worked out what the form issues were. A large part due to my grip being too narrow and feet too wide. Will adjust next time Fat Grip bent over read delt raise 5kg x 12 5kg x 12 5kg x 12 Wrist roller 3.75kg x 6 3.75kg x 4 3.75kg x 4

Friday 5th August BJJ Session Warm ups Techniques for the day : Worked the scissor sweep, some variations for when opponent counters and the reverse scissor sweep (which i have always loved) Few rounds positional sparring followed by a few rounds of rolling

Thursday 4th August Weights Session Seated Overhead Barbell Press 20kg x 8 25kg x 5 30kg x 3 35kg x 5 40kg x 5 45kg x 8 These felt ok, though i think it is my triceps giving out first not my shoulders on these. Will take a look at this over next few weeks and see if i need to add more triceps work Bench press (lighter for higher reps) 47.5kg x 10 47.5kg x 10 47.5kg x 10 KB one arm row (supersetted with bench press) 24kg x 10 24kg x 10 24kg x 10 Wrist Roller 3.75kg x 4 3.75kg x 4 3.75kg x 4 I have an ironmind wrist roller (shaped like a large yo-yo) and going to start using it again at every session. Each rep is concentric only and let the weight roll down for the negative bit. Using bith forwards and backwards. Plan is to get to sets of 10 and then increase weight, drop reps and work back uo

Wednesday 3rd August Karate Class Warm ups Kihon These were pretty standard, and the same as usual Kata Ran through grading kata again multiple times. Seems to be getting more automatic which is good Kumite Lots of rounds of sparring here. Went well. I was paired up with a shodan and a 1st kyu sitting shodan in a fortnight and we took turns with each other for multiple rounds. Good feedback from the session especially when sparring the 1st Kyu as the Instructor was getting frustrated at him not being able to land anything. Have been feeling that my timing for stand up sparring is gradually coming back and this felt like it is beginning to get there (slowly but slowly!)

Monday 1st August Weights Session Deadlift 70kg x 5 80kg x 5 95kg x 5 110kg x 5 122.5kg x 5 Squat 47.5kg x 10 47.5kg x 10 47.5kg x 10 Fat DB Lateral Raise (supersetted with the squats) 5kg x 12 5kg x 12 5kg x 12 KB Triceps Kickbacks (supersetted with the leg raises) 4kg x 10 4kg x 10 4kg x 10 Lying leg raises 12rep 12rep 12rep Tried the triceps kickbacks as it is an exercise i don't usually do and had read an article listing the benefits of doing them with kb's. Felt ok so may keep doing

yeah, having that amount confirmed in advance should allow them the freedom to have some proper story arcs develop

I'm still not sold on the idea of warrior Galadriel but i'll give it a shot! They also have had a full 5 seasons confirmed so they should be able to build a nice arc