Luckykboxer

the idea behind telling someone you dont want to fight, and doing so multiple times is not only to try to stop the fight before it happens. The other reasons for it are things such as.. to gather attention from other people in the area, the more people watching a situation, the greater the chance that peopel wont attack you, for fear of getting caught, or whatever. also it does have the chance to stop people from attacking in some cases if you also at the same time put your hands up in front of you with palms facing your attacker in a way that appears to say " i dont want to fight, please leave me alone, i have no weapons, i just want to go away.." this puts yoru hands in a position to attack while at the same time giving the impression to your attackers that you are trying to avoid contact and avoid a fight. also if there are bystanders they will all see you trying to speak your way out of a fight, and tryign to show you dont want to fight, and if it comes down to a fight you have eye witnesses to say that you both tried to talk a way out of it, and you tried to show you meant no harm or danger. regardless of what you think about it, it is not only to get away from the fight.... although in most cases that is the best solution.. hope this helps

how big are the bricks you are breaking? I have been getting into the breaking aspect quite heavily. i have broken 15 2 inch bricks stacked. I am looking at doing a demo here in october with 60 - 100 3 inch thick 50 pound concrete bricks in stacks from 2-12 and do breaks in ascending order down the line. One thing I have noticed sicne i have started researching breaking is that everyone tends to use different bricks and sizes. I am also curious on breaking slabs of ice... but from everything i have heard about it the few people who have done ice breaking demos have mostly cheated... i.e. using red hot wires to slice the ice in half and facilitating an easier break. the thing with breaking that i have been discovering is that to the untrained eye, the easier breaks seem more impressive, and to those of us that know breaking the speed breaks are more impressive.. of course i cant blame someone who doesnt understand it with being impressed with a 15 brick palm break as opposed to a 3 inch brick broken as a speed break with the fist. if you have a website or pictures i would love to see them, i have been having alot of fun with breaking and am looking to push far into it

well in regards to Bruce Lee.. Once again you are talking about one of the arguably best martial artists of modern times. I think you are overestimating his power though. I dont ever recall seeing or reading of any fights he was involved in that he was able to knock out an opponent with 1 punch. I have however read of many fights the won decisively with many many punches. Also, I agree with your senseis commen that MArtial Arts has grown weak in modern times. As Martial Arts has become commercialized, and instructors depend on it to support themselves and thier families, intructors have realized 2 things. 1st - It is possible to have the strongest, toughest, most spectacular martial arts school around, and all your students will be renowned... all 3 of them. 2nd - Its impossible to earn a living from 3 students, so to generate enough students to create a livable income, some things have to be sacraficed to keep students. Unfortunately this means the tougher things... because all of us know that the tougher things get, the more people will not do it. dang lost track fo time, will post more on this later..

Do none of you people own a dictionary? Or can none of you do a simple search on the net? Karate means.. depending on the dictionary... now Ed Parker had Judo and Boxing experience when he started training with the Chows. A good quote that gives some insite... Also American Kenpo Karate is not clsoer the kung fu then Karate. American Kenpo Karate teaches aspects of both styles, and dependant on the practitioner can look more like one or the other. In the Traditional Sense it is neither Karate nor Kung Fu, But In many aspects its similar to what Bruce Lee did as far as developing a style that all can benefit from. One thing I am proud of in regards to American Kenpo Karate is that it is constantly evolving and growing to meet our times. Our school has in the last few years added many grappling techniques to our style. As far as which is the best of the three listed I have to go with American Kenpo Karate. I have played with all three styles and I found alot of the other styles to restricting and not adaptive enough for different people. I am not saying there cannot be good or great or outstanding practitioners in any style, but overall I honestly think that American Kenpo is one of the most widely workable forms of martial arts that i have run into. I have trained with, worked with, attended seminars, competed against and with, officiated at, and know many different styles and forms of martial arts, I am fortunate to live in Southern California in the United States, where we have thousands, yes thousands of martial arts studios, clubs, and instructors of hundreds of different styles. I know there are styles I have not yet seen, and probably never will. But until I do, and I am always looking at what is out there I will continue to train where i believe things are the best. At this point in time all things considered equal that is in American Kenpo Karate.

I can say as a kickboxer.... when you land a solid leg strike, of knee and you hear half the audiance yell out it pumps you that much more. Its an exclamation of appreciaiton... kind of like when at american boxing when someone lands a good punch everyone in the audiance goes... OOOOO There may be more to it then that but thats how i take it

just from the last 10 or so posts i have read i have to say... it sounds to me you guys are fighting over "he said Toe - May - toe, and he said Toe - Mah -Toe" weight training, Isolation or full body movements are both harmful and beneficial given the circumstances. If a 154 pound boxer is fighting in a 146 pound weight class, I guarantee you will not see him doing any Isolation movements...or weight training. and visa versa if a 154 poung boxer is fighting in a 164 pound weight class he will most definitely be training with weights and isolation movements. You guys seem to want to argue that all fighting is equal. Thats never going to be the case. Sumo wrestlers will not train as kick boxers do, and grapplers wont train like either of the previous. I heard some different comments made... and while you guys seem to want to beat each other across the forehead saying you are wrong...most of what you are all saying can coexist together at the same time. There is something to be said about isolating a muscle group and strengthening weak spots. there is also something about whole body exercises and increasing the stabilizer muscles and other small muscles of the body. When it comes down to it, the truely great fighters are going to be doing a combination of all of it. Just like the truely great fighters are well rounded in all aspects of the fighting they are doing. Great boxers can not only punch, but can move their feet, take punches, and endure. Great kickboxers not only kick hard, but can block kicks, can maneuver with good footwork, and use elbows and knees and hands. Great grapplers dont only know submission holds, they know escapes, and transitional moves, and have strategy to get others to make mistakes. I can go on and on.

he has been training for 38 years.. thats damn near 5 years per black level. As long as he is active i see no reason why not. I know my school has it set up as such... American Kenpo. average time to get 1st black = 5 years must wait 2 years for 2nd black 3 years for 3rd black 4 years for 4th black 5 years for 5th black 5 years for each rank through 9th black 10th black seems to be a matter of contention.. either requiring a consensus from the other high ranking black belts of the kenpo community to promote you to 10th. With some people stating 10th should only be for Ed Parker, and yet others saying 5 years between 9th and 10th black.. either way by the time people get to that point for it to be an issue they have put in..between 37 and 39 years. That is saying they have tested or been promoted at the earliest possible time for the next belt. and that is assuming it took them 3 years to get to 1st black.. which i think is the fastest anyone in my current school has managed in 19 years of its being in business. I know schools differ here and there, but I cant imagine how some people are as highly ranked as they claim.. There is a kickboxer in San Diego that also trains in a form of karate... i cant remember the name... he claims he is an 8th degree blackbelt.. you say your sensei has been training since 1966.... this guy has been alive since 1968...... I have no respect for his rank... your Sensei... I believe that is entirely possible

This is so what is wrong with Martial arts today. This is exactly why the phrase McDojo was made. If it takes 10 minutes to completely cook grits on a stove at 150degrees, unless the laws of the universe change you cannot do it under the same situation in 5 minutes. MArtial arts is all about dedication. Its about training your body to perform certain tasks as an involuntary act... the only way to do this is through massive training over long periods of time. I have a 6th degree black belt in my area who is 27 years old. has trained for about 13 years. I am a 1st degree black belt. have trained for almost the same time. We have sparred in tournaments or in his dojo at least a dozen times. I have never lost. He is 3 inches taller then me.... he owns his own karate school..so he should have the ability to train and be better. i think the only reason he isnt is because he hasnt put the training in. He elevated and self promoted himself to increase his mcdojo sells. He is not in my same school, but he also does a version of kenpo karate like i do. Its a shame these people make us all look bad.

this has the potential to be either a really good conversation, or giant flamefest. I personally am of the opinion that Size does matter. for example when i see articles like the 4 year old girl who got her blackbelt.. I am amazed at what that implies about the martial arts family in general. I am a firm believer that at some weight... i am not sure what that point is... but at some weight, there is too little muscle mass and power to effectively do damage to another individual. I am also a firm believer that at some weight.. once again not sure of an exact weight... there becomes a point when there is plenty of muscle and mass to inflict great damage with little skill or training. if everyone can agree with those two statements, then the rest is rather common sense. as the smaller sized person gets bigger, and gains muscle or strength, they get to a point where the skill starts to be able to use that strength to make a difference.. I do think that all other things being equal a person with less strength must have more skill to defeat an opponent with more strength. Visa Versa... a truely huge person... as they lose muscle mass and strength will need to gain more skill to accomodate. A person with incredible power may be able to overpower a better skilled person.... but the more skill an opponent has the more strength they must have to overcome. now somewhere between too small... and too big is a big grey area... where the combination of skill and strength alone can be adequate.. i.e. a person of average build has enough power to do damage... but the more skill he has the more damage he causes... that can go either way. I am a firm believer that is people are within 20-30 pounds of each other then skill alone will be the determining factor most times. as the weight difference gets greater, the smaller fighter is at such a disadvantage that his skill must be at such a high level compared to the stronger opponent that may outweigh him by 30, 40, 50 pounds or more... the greater the weight difference the greater the skill needed to overcome.. now at some point, the human body just doesnt gain by more weight and strength and actually becomes a negative.. what this weight is i dont know. For a 5 foot man it will be alot less then for a 7 foot man. I am also a firm believer that a very good martial artist will be able to defeat a truely exceptional martial artist if the weight and strength advantage is on his side.. I have often wondered what it would be like to see Bruce Lee fight some of the 250 pound powerhouse no holds barred fighters of today. Hell I have often wondered how i would fair in a sparring match with Bruce Lee.... I am 6 foot 3 inches and 225 pounds. I do not doubt that Bruce Lee had more skill then I have, But I also know that my strength is much greater then his was or ever could have been. anyways.... the only way to actually prove this theory one way or another is through hundreds of thousands of closely monitored fights... and sicne i doubt that will ever happen... I think this will always be a topic for debate.

Both aspects are important. what is more important? it depends on who you are fighting. If skill levels are equal, then i would place my bets on the muscle endurance. If the skill levels are different then the better technical fighter would be able to end his fights alot quicker with brute strength. The lesser skilled fighter would have to depend on defense and muscle endurance. overall all things considered muscle endurance wins out slightly

I am 6'3" and 225 pounds. I put muscular, but it may just be athletic. I fight full contact and no holds barred fights so i think that having the extra muscle mass is a benefit. If i was doing forms, I would probably work on my speed a bit more and i think it would change my structure to a little less mass. I dont think there is a perfect build for a martial artist... I think there are atributes that different sized martial artists lean towards.. for example.. a smaller martial artist will most likely depend on more speed and technique then a larger martial artist who may depend more on power and accuracy. that snot saying a large person cannot be fast and technical, and that a small person cant be powerful and accurate, just think that different sized martial artists tend to use what their obdy gives them the benefit of using

until they play with other practitioners it can be either dumb karate or kick *. you can put a bunch of idiots in a room with bats and have them beat on each other, even if they use technique you still have a room full of idiots. Until I see someone from this style do anything, I will probably go with the room full theory

i dont know what to tell you in regards to tae kwon do.. but if the push kick is what is getting you, there is a very easy way to counter it.. as they are throwing it and the weapon is coming into your stomach... assuming thats where they are aiming. use one of your hands as a hook.. palm facing down, working from your inside line towards your outside line. you will pull the leg slightly towards your outside.. if you can invision this, it will just knock their foot enough off target that you can also twist your body at the same time, if you practice it enough you will get to the point its a reaction and it will place your open stance to their closed stance and while giving you a bunch of possible attacks it limits theirs greatly. now... this is much harder to do if the person kicking is using an inverted side kick.... like those taught in kickboxing... but you can still smack or "bat" the foot down.

Thanks for the links,.. And GrrrArg... I never said i was insulted. I said that answer he gave had nothing to do with the question. It is similar to someone asking how they can find out more information on who the people in the bible are, and someone telling them to just read it. If i had felt insulted i would have said it and i would have made it clear i didnt appreciate it. as I said, I was just a little annoyed with the initial response.. I have found a book on different excercises that i bought, and 2 videos so far on different exercises as well... all of htese are exactly what i was looking for. Thanks again for the link and advice.

lol Smokey, I am sorry but if you have super secret idea, maybe you should explain what you meant a little more, because all it sounds liek is you are talkihng about Ryu or Ken in the street fighter video game getting ready to toss a haydukken at you.. It really came across as ridiculous Like i said there is something to be said about the way you carry yourself, and it is fairly obvious when some peopel can handle a situation and when some people cant just by looking at how they move... I would not contribute this to Chi, but rather getting to know your body and how it works...I look at Chi as the force you use when you are focusing on breaking a brick, or board, or ice, or getting ready to put your energy into a certain direction or pathway. It doesnt have a physical manifestation that is visible in my opinion

not to be overly sarcastic, but gee there is a great answer /sarcasm off. I understand that being there as much as possible is the going to get me more, maybe reread the topic and instead of changing the answer to something you think is witty either not reply or add to it. That kind of a response has nothing constructive about it. i didnt ask for advice on training... I have achieved black belts in other arts, I fight competitively in other arts and styles.. I know how to get the most out of the class. If you were honestly trying to help then great, maybe im just overly annoyed atm at anther post war that another MMA board is having atm that i just came from.

i think you are one of the people that martial arts will help tremendously. Stick with it, try to do your best, the sense of accomplishment will help your self esteem, the training will help your coordination, and it will all come together if you put forth the effort.

I just started training with Carlos Valente, he is a 5th Degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the Gracies. I am looking for any advice on books, videos, etc. that people have seen that are really good that i could get and study and incorporate into my training to help me move along better. Thanks in advance for any recommendations

YA its called hope you ropponent is on crack and sees flames from hell surrounding you and scares him into leaving... btw I am sorry but I have to call * on this. In some situations a confident posture and a person who carries himself in a way that appears to be formidable will deter attackers from making a move. Once someone has engaged or decided to engage in a fight, I dont care how ugly or scary you can look, you are going to have to defend yourself

hehe i hear what you are saying.. I know it can be worse thats for sure.

interesting San Fran eh? San Diego here, I have played around with coreography for a few tv shows, and have worked with a few productions on the back end. Havent had much chance to actually film one yet myself though

My studio is in Soutehrn California, during the summer months it can regularly get up and into the 100F Degrees and higher. witht he cost of electricity what it is, we run fans and leave the doors open. TShirts are allowed. they must be black(our uniform is black) unless its an instructor and we can red TShirts(our Gi Tops are Red) we have tshirts with our school logos on them for sell in all sizes, including tanks, and sleeveless Ts, and long sleeves. we also allow for those that for whatever reason cant afford it to wear plain black shirts. if we are doing any groundwork we do require to bring the gi tops for that, but wont wear them until we get to that point. It is just alot safer then having peopel overheat

damn its going to take me a month to catch up on this thread as i just entered into it.. is it long fist? or long winded? /snickers ill post when i finsih reading

I like most of what you said EMBM, except I think it is a bad idea to stop class and demand an apology from 1 misbehaving student. you are rewarding his bad behavior by giving him attention and you are redirecting your efforts from the students that are trying to learn. I think a simple... 50 pushups now... and back to class is more then enough in that case. I know when I am teaching and i have a student acting up, I try to address it without disrupting the rest of the class... setting someone up with chinese chairs for 5 mins does wonders

ok to clear up a few myths. you did not see him die on film, as a matter of fact all footage of him being actually shot was never editted in to the final film. what happened.... there are many versions, but the version that seems to be the concensus is this.. they film using a gun in many ways, in some shots where they use a close up of the gun shooting a bullet, they will use a dead round... which is an empty shell with no gun powder and a bullet attached to it, so it looks exactly like a live round. It doesnt have the ability to be shot though. but when you are on a close up of a revolver and are filming what you see is the front of the gun and the heads fo the bullets in the chamber. ok so they get done filming that and unknown to them when they were removing the dead rounds a bullet slipped out of the shell and staying in the barrel of the gun. when they reloaded the gun with blanks for shooting... blanks carry about a 1/4 load... so it makes a bang... gives a flash, and looks real... not as powerful as a regular round, but that much gunpowder can still launch a bullet at close range with enough velocity to penetrate a human. so anyways they get to the scene where they shoot Brandon. the actor does his job, aims, fires, and the bullet lodged in the barrel is dispelled similar to a regular round... the rest is history. May the Lees rest in peace