cymry

It depends how you are taught. If you can find an 'adults only' class, so much the better.

IMO, you're most likely to be attacked by someone with little or no MA experience, and anti-grappling is an effective way to counter the type of crude grabs and holds used by these people. For a grappler - better get good at grappling, but even then I'd try to keep them at bay with strikes.

NO NO NO, I was saying hat's how the KICK should be delivered, to the ankles, toes pointed out. And if you read the first post I explained that it's pre-emptive. Oh, don't forget your hands are up.

Not having much exposure to this art, it's hard to say. But from wh I've seen, there are several small, precise movements, which would have limited efectiveness on the street when adrenaline kicks in and you're reuced to gross motor movements and every move is sloppy. Also, when practising techniques, it doesn't look like the training partner offers much resistance, nor do they come at them with any techniques that most people would use. So, IMO this is not a god art for self-defence.

Imagie you are facing three men. The leader is standing in front of you, and his two buddies behind him. What would be a good first strike to use? (I suppose it could apply to different numbers of peple too.) Personally, I'd use either an upwards palm heel, or hammerfist to the nose. I'd palm heel because it's a powerful shot that telegraphs very little if at all, and the hammerfist because it can also be used with hardly any telegraphing, and because busting the guy's nose will make the others think twice. (Blood will remind them that they're human too.)

No the system is very effective, but the marketing is screwed up.

Whoever does the marketing for Comhrac Bas must be a little confused. In one place they say "fighting art of the Roman gladiators" and in another they say "totally new way of fighting". And as far a sI know, most gladiator fighting was done with pointy metal.

Can you please go into more detail on the techniques you know? Or are there any websites that explain them?

What techniques do you know of? Things like hip torque and the drop-step.

I think Shuai Chiao is a very old form of Chinese wrestling. Matt Furey does it. He is the first non-Chinese to win the Shuai Chiao championships or something.

1. Comhrac Bas 2. Krav Maga 3. Systema 4. The teachings of Geoff Thompson 5. JKD Not necessarily in order, but CB is number 1.

The most practical advice I have seen is a tape calle 'Tactical Street Survival' by Larry Wick. The ad is * as i to be expected from TRS, but the video is extremely good.

Same here. Also there's the more brutal techniques, for example in Hangetsu there is a movement where the hands are in a "single-knuckle fist" position (I think that's what it's called.) They are straight out in front of you, then you pull them ito your chest and pull them apart. Amongst other things, this could be interpreted as fish-hooking your attacker's mouth (this is standing behing him), then pulling his head toward you unbalancing him, and pulling his mouth apart. I've fish-hooked my own mouth before, and it split all the skin on my lips.

Buy 'Bunkai-Jutsu' by Iain Abernethy. There is chapter on blocks.

IMHO, they are an effective substitute to weights.

Shotokan get so much bad press. You only have to look at people such as Geoff Thompson, Vince Morris, Dave Hazard, Harry Cook, Russell Stuely, Terry O'Neil etc. to see what superb martial arists the style has produced. Oss!

Wado-Ryu or Shotokan

Hmm... how about Yip Man vs. Emin Botzepe?

Okay, I think most of us get the point about Keanu.

Or perhaps not. You have to use much more muscular force to drive a punch through resistance than through air.

Just a thought - would punching air full power tire you out faster than hitting say a heavy bag? Because you have to use your muscles to stop your arms for hyperextending.

Has anyone done this? If you have, please share your experiences. Read the book 'Five Years, One Kata'. It's about one man's study of Gojushiho Dai I think.

Also there needs to be some level of contact when you spar. Otherwise the first time you get really hit, you'll fall apart psychologically. Conditioning! Try some scenario fighting. Change the conditions, like dark, slippery floor etc.

I'd agree with the others. Eat properly, train/exercise every day, put all your mental effort into it as well as your physical. And of course train in an effective MA and put some heart into it. Oss!

Actually, let's make it Choki Motobu vs. Mas Oyama. How about Muhammed Ali vs. Oscar de la Hoya?