Patrick

Hello, KarateForums.com reached a big milestone today with the registration of our 10,000th member. I'd like to thank Heidi, Brian, Danielle, Eric and everyone who has helped me and this community as a staff member, as well as everyone who has positively contributed to the community in general, for making this possible. Thank you for reading and for visiting KarateForums.com. Sincerely, Patrick

Thanks guys. ps1, yeah, I try to say something whenever we have something like this that extends past 4-6 peak hours or so, unannounced. Thanks, Patrick

Welcome aboard. How do you know pittbullJudoka? Patrick

Welcome aboard. Glad to have you.

Thank you for the submission.

Hello, As you may have noticed, for yesterday (and some of the day before), access to the site was unreliable. Our host was dealing with some serious network issues that now appear to be resolved. This sort of thing does happen from time to time, but is never fun. I apologize for the downtime/slowness and appreciate your patience. Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. Sincerely, Patrick

Congrats.

Happy New Year!

Hello, KarateForums.com recognizes one member every month as the Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. The January 2008 selection is... pittbullJudoka. Congratulations!

Congrats.

Welcome aboard.

And congrats, of course!

I have one. I bought it on eBay right after they came out. I actually only paid like $120 above the normal price and when you consider I've had it for over a year and it's still not easy to find... it was a pretty good deal! I think if you think you'll like it, you will. (You may also like the other systems, too). I think it's a fine system for anyone... big time gamers, small time gamers, etc. Everyone has different preferences, but all the systems are cool.

Hey Kevin. Good to see you!

A monkeygirl sighting! Good to see you here again.

Congrats.

Welcome aboard. Glad to have you.

Good luck.

Welcome back.

Just a note to say that this is OK. Storm is writing a college paper of the culture of KarateForums.com and if you'd like to assist her, please feel free. Only if you want to, though. Thanks, Patrick

Hello, I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy holiday season and happy, healthy and successful 2008. Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com.

Hello, We removed a couple of posts from this thread in error. They are below. I apologize for the confusion. Hey Devil Aside- glad to see you checking this great style out- I've been doing it for a long time and am well versed and experienced in martial arts. I'll label what Im addressing since Im late to the conversation First your questions 1: BJJ is very physical-you will be getting a workout for sure. You'll find muscles you never knew you had (when they're sore the next day). Typically you'll leave the gym drenched in sweat due to training. 2: Its very addicting learning BJJ. You'll be like a little kid in a candy store once you start to learn even a little bit. If you have a passion for it, you'll find that you cant wait to learn just a little more... and then attempt to try your new tricks on your training partners. 3: Ive trained in BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Ninjitsu, and boxing. Let me say this- its the single most effective self defense system. Its quite commonplace for a blue belt jiu jitsu fighter (one with about 2-3 years experience training 2-3x a week) to fight and easily defeat another stylist with over 10 years training. Self Defense and multiple attackers As far as attackers in the street- I've been working at a bar for 4 years and Ive never had anyone stop my first move (because they dont know the proper defense) and I've never had a fight last more than 10 seconds (because chokeholds are easily achieved). I find those who speak ill of its practicality are often afraid to give it its due credit, perhaps fearing it somehow dimishes the effectiveness of their own styles. Which brings us to the multiple attackers thing... -most fights are 1 on 1 -no style can stand against multiple attackers If someone claims they can defeat multiple attackers, ask them to prove it. If you walk into a BJJ/Judo/Boxing/Muay Thai school and ask them to prove they can use their style to defeat you- you'll find them more than willing to prove it. I've never seen anyone who claimed they could defeat multiple attackers attempt to prove it when asked Grappling on concrete and the misconceptions about strength in grappling As far as hurting yourself when you attempt to use groundfighting, try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQQ7pYgjf1Q You'll find the person on the recieving end of the takedown is at risk as opposed to the one executing it. Adding a hard surface helps the groundfighter as opposed to the common misconception that it hinders him When Rorion Gracie first came to the US he once had a sparring match with kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez. Urquidez asked Rorion whether he wanted to fight on mats or on hardwood floor to which Rorion replied, "That depends- do you want to land on a mat, or do you want to land on a hardwood floor?" As far as strength going a long way- moreso than almost any other athletic activity, weaker more technical fighters are about to easily defeat stronger ones. The common misconception is that grapplers are strong, and that one needs to be strong in order to be a grappler. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, grapplers often feel strong or heavy due to their understanding of techinque. For example, if Im only 150lbs, but I know how to drop my weight when on top of you, I'll always feel heavier than someone who's 300 lbs but doesnt know how to effectively position himself when he tries to hold you down. Contrary to what NightOwl suggested, smaller people tend to progress faster than due stronger ones. This is due to the smaller person having no options but to utilize technique much more effectively- a larger, stronger person can always afford to make up for what he lacks in technique with strength. As a result, the larger fighters often have difficultly learning technically as a direct result of their strength- its hard to not train with everything you have. Hopefully you decide to go with it, and if you have any more questions, I'll be glad to answer them for you!

Congrats.

Hello, KarateForums.com recognizes one member every month as the Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. The December 2007 selection is... bigscottius. Congratulations!

I'm getting the band back together. lol. Patrick