ShadowWolf01

ATA Black Belt Academy 4101 W. Green Oaks Blvd. #343 Arlington, TX 76016 Tel: 817-478-5665

Abs, strengthen your abs. Look at the throws carefully and in slow-motion (if possible). All the turning and power comes from the hips and abdominal section. I do one set of 3 or 4 different abs exercises in the morning when I get up, just something light and not a full work out. I normally do a more full abs workout after my cardio roughly 3 or 4 times a week. Also do a lot of warm up stretches to keep my flexibility so I can adjust to different situations when trying to toss my opponent. When to train and how hard depends on how often and how hard I spar, if I go hard in one I'll take it easy on the other the following day. I also try to get in some rest. Rest is very important in my training, over training can lead to a lot of bad things, physically and psychologically, so I consider rest an equal part of my training with lifting and sparring. As for your second question, sorry, can't help you there. All the best.

If your going to talk serious about fighting on the street then there are a couple of things that you have to train for that MMA and Point Sparring will never prepare you for. I speak from my own personal experience and other's may or may not agree with me and that's okay, I would still like to hear your feedback. If your fighting on the street then there are a couple of thing to keep in mind. First, there are no rules, and second, I'd say that 95% of the time your opponent and his / her friends don't have any honour (Canadian Spelling) or respect. Its not often that I hear about a street / bar fight when its one on one, most times you get the other person's friends trying to jump you from behind. If its not that then your opponent introduces a weapon to the fight, anything from a wooden stick, steel pipe, knife, and heaven help us if its a gun. Think of the idiot that starts the street fight. I would have to assume that this is not the first fight that this person has ever started and I would say that yes, this person is experienced in fighting, even if he is not officially trained. Being skilled in MA (ring or point fighting) will give you a slight advantage, but if you have not trained to fight a person with a weapon or multiple attackers then your advantage just went into the sewer. How many of you train for being attacked from multiple attackers or by a weapon? I do. This is one of the biggest things that separate a sport dojo from a combat dojo. There are other things that separate the two types but in my personal opinion, this is the biggest. I hope I haven't offended anyone but with all the talk on sport or street fighting, I feel that no one has brought in the realistic possibilities of outside interference that MMA or Point fighters never have to worry about in a ring fight. I have fought and been jumped from behind and I have had someone pull a knife out at me, things like this happen often in a "Real fight". Let me know your thoughts on this.

p.s. Is there any other schools around that your martial art?

When you do look at the bottom line, you are threatening to leave but its not because your not getting what you want, its because he is not providing one of the biggest and (what I feel is) the most important lessens of the martial arts, sparring. Its not like your asking for a new sauna or something like that. Your looking to fully round your martial arts training and a big piece is missing. Its like going to driver's ed and learning all the theory of driving a car but not actually getting in one. I feel that sparring is important to everyone for the same basic reason, it builds confidence. I use to be an extremely shy and quiet boy way back when I first started out in TKD in the late 80's. I was so nervous about sparring that I felt sick to my stomach about it, and I hated it... at first. After a little while I got use to it, in fact I had a great defense as I was able to block almost everything coming at me but I was still nervous about hitting a person. Eventually I got use to that and I became more confident in myself both in and out of the dojo. My Sensei at that time pushed me into sparring and I'm forever glad he did. My basic point here is that sparring is great for building self-confidence. I'm in the same frame of mind as you, sparring should be a part of the regular class and it definitely should be in the belt testing. Mind if I make a suggestion to your training? As I get closer to my testing I always video tape myself and watch it. I have found that doing that has been the best way for me to see what I'm doing and work on my technique. If you have access to a video camera and a tripod (if you don't have anyone to hold the camera for you), give it a try and watch the tape of yourself, it works great for me. That's the key, does your Sensei have any interest in reviving competition amongst the adults? If he does not, then he just gave you the answer to what you may have to do. Good luck with your upcoming conversation with your Sensei, and I hope the event this weekend goes well. Let us know how things turn out.

Hey karate_woman, you have tough choices ahead. I have a couple of ideas of what I would do and hopefully my thoughts and feelings will help as you are on your path to find your way. I would first talk to your Sensei (if you haven't already) and express your concern as well as your passion about sparing and competing. Would he and the other instructors spar with you at the end of the night (class)? Other students can watch and that may inspire them to try sparring themselves. Just one idea right now. If your Sensei and other instructors are not willing for any reason at all, ask your Sensei how he would feel about you going to another school that focuses more on sparring and competing? I know and understand that this would be a difficult conversation to have, but you have to do what is in your heart. I admire your loyalty to your dojo and Sensei. I myself have recently talked to my Sensei about my goals of competing and maybe one day turning pro in MMA. My Sensei understood my goals and is willing to help me where he can. Soon I'll be joining a second dojo that will help prepare me for the future challenges in the ring. I am staying at my current dojo. I'll be attending both full time. Have you talked to the Sensei at the other school yet? Here's another idea that just came to me. Would your Sensei allow you to create a sparing class that anyone can participate in after the regular classes? You could run it. I know you said that the Friday classes are next to empty, but that could be for other reasons other than students not wanting to spar, it is Friday night and people in general are more tired at the end of the week or they want to go out and party or go to the cottage or something. Would you be allowed to try it for two weeks and see what kind of turnout you get during the regular classes (Monday to Thursday)? On a side note. It is a skill to kick, to punch, to throw, to grapple, etc., but it is also a skill to learn how to use the techniques in a real (but controlled and safe) situation. If the students get into a fight outside the dojo then they may not have the sparing experience to actually use the techniques they are taught and get seriously hurt, that will also look bad on the dojo.

Here is the actual Canadian Criminal Law (Section 83) on prize fight, just so its here and everyone can read it. 83. (1) Every one who (a) engages as a principal in a prize fight, (b) advises, encourages or promotes a prize fight, or © is present at a prize fight as an aid, second, surgeon, umpire, backer or reporter, is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction. Definition of "prize fight" (2) In this section, "prize fight" means an encounter or fight with fists or hands between two persons who have met for that purpose by previous arrangement made by or for them, but a boxing contest between amateur sportsmen, where the contestants wear boxing gloves of not less than one hundred and forty grams each in mass, or any boxing contest held with the permission or under the authority of an athletic board or commission or similar body established by or under the authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the province, shall be deemed not to be a prize fight. R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 83; R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 186.

I was doing some searching on the http://canada.justice.gc.ca site and I came across this page with a small section on Prize Fights. I'm assuming that everyone knows Section 83 of the Canadian Criminal Law on Prize Fighting and this law is the reason why MMA (and other arts like boxing, kickboxing, etc.) competitions are illegal here. http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/cpa/cpa2000_1.htm, if you scroll down a bit and click the link "Prize Fights", this is what came up. Prize Fights The Department of Justice, the Department of Heritage Canada and Sport Canada are examining ways to modernize Section 83 of the Criminal Code. This provision is useful in controlling undesirable combat events, often referred to as blood sports. However, it may be that this provision can be interpreted to extend to circumstances where its application may not be warranted, such as in the case of certain combative sports. For further information, please contact Carole Théberge at (613) 957-9606. The same thing is on a PDF document, bottom of page 24. Here is the link to that http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/cpa/273-42.pdf I've called Carole and left her a message to get back to me and I've also e-mailed Ken Hayashi this morning, May 29 2003. We'll see if he replies and if Carole calls back.

MMA was legalized in a couple of provinces here in Canada and it can be made legal here in Ontario, nothing is impossible. I plan on contacting Ken Hayashi, Athletics Commissioner and try to get some information as to what needs to be done for MMA to be legal here in Ontario. Here is Mr. Hayashi's contact information: Ken Hayashi Phone: 416-314-3630 Fax: 416-314-3632 E-Mail: Ken.Hayashi@ccr.gov.on.ca Address: Ken Hayashi Athletics Commissioner - ATHLETIC COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE 1075 Millwood Rd Toronto, ON M4G 1X6 http://www.infogo.gov.on.ca/paceweb/owa/intergtd_en.disp_detail?EMP_ID=EMP0011713 ATHLETIC COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE General Inquiry: 416-314-3626 Toll Free: 800-268-6024 Fax: 416-314-3632 Address: ATHLETIC COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE 1075 Millwood Rd Toronto, ON M4G 1X6 This is all public information that I was able to track down on the Ontario Governments web site, http://www.gov.on.ca/ As I make progress or get any kind of feedback (good or bad) I'll come back here and post my results. If anyone else (especially people from Ontario) would like to contact Mr. Hayashi about how to legalize MMA in Ontario, please feel free to do so. I only ask that you are kind and respectful in your messages. It won't help any if someone pisses the man off and gets a personal grudge against helping legalizing MMA in Ontario. Remember, information is more powerful than a sword. Lets work together and one day (hopefully soon) MMA in Ontario will be legal.