pittbullJudoka

Please reread my original post. I guess I did word it wrong as a goal rather than something I wanted the experience of as to the feeling of it happening and what I would feel emotionally. I never set out to intentionally to harm another person in training or competition. I'll say this after it happening I felt sorry for the guy not because his arm got broken but he was just listening to his coach and he's going to miss out on a few months of training. But now if it was a self defense situation I have absolutely no problem choking out or breaking a limb off. Ask I ask you again reread the post as I state did not go out looking to break a limb.

My training consists of bjj on Tuesday morning Kenpo on the same evening and Kenpo on Thursday evenings. I'm now were as busy as you but the mind doesn't stop on certain aspects of my training.

No matter the style. Good luck. Keep us posted on the results.

Nov. 13 A.M. Drilled guard breaks and passing free rolling 1 hr P.M. Ground positional review, sweeps, various guard type, chokes Created side control flow drill and drilled new flow drill.

PaulS I've done the same thing on breaks of pulling the technique I was using. After trying a six board break multiple times and only breaking four of the six. I then realized I was snapping the punch and not driving through. A six board clean break with a reverse punch is still my unicorn. I've been chasing it for years but I only try this break on special occasions, so it's not like I've been trying it week and week out for those years. But congratulations on trying something new and learning the proper way to do it. Next time try two boards and really challenge yourself.

As mentioned above you don't target the board it's self. You place your focused objective of striking something behind the board. This is commonly the biggest mistake those new to breaking make. If you focus solely on hitting the board hard that's exactly what you'll do hit the board hard, causing pain and possibly injury to yourself. The farther through the board you are trying to strike the easier the break will be, because you are trying to hit something four to six inches beyond the board. It's is practically mind over matter. In this case if you say kicking the board and you objective target is the person holding its chest.. Bang there you go a broken board. A lot of people especially kids are intimidated by knowing the fact they are about to hit a wooden board, it's hard, and its going to hurt. They don't think about hitting something beyond the board because its going to hurt when they hit it.

I know the feeling Bushidoman. When you are limited by a rule set such as keeping the kicks above the belt it does seem to offer fewer opportunities. But seems you've kind found away around that.

Let me start with I've been descent at kicking but things are starting to get better. In our sparring sessions we use a very limited rule set. Basically don't punch the throat, kick the groin or knees and exercise supreme control. This has to take a turn to a year ago, when a friend of mine who is a pro MMA fighter came to my school for a seminar. He taught us some Muay Thai techniques that would work well with our traditional karate. He taught the Dutch round kick, cut kick, and various leg kicks. After having some pretty good success with the Dutch kick I began to experiment with the cut kick and a few others. Also I began trying to land the heel kick to the thigh as you would typically use a round kick. This heel kick has became a successful kick. I began then trying out the cut kick, it takes a bit to get the timing down to kick your opponents supporting leg while they are kicking. Also I've been finding my kicking game improving every time I spar due to trying new kicking combinations away from the traditional front, side, round and spinning back kicks. I know the more you can mix it up or not get settled into a pattern the more success you'll have. I kick low often to disrupt the foot work of my partner and also set up my hand strikes. And I think here is we're I'm finding the opportunity to play with my kicks to see what I liked and also more importantly what worked in the give situation. So how dynamic is your kicking game? You throw kicks to areas traditionally not taught such as a front kick to to the upper thigh or hip crease? Do you kick outside the box too?

Breaking can be fun especially when you start stacking up multiple boards. But as Bushidoman asked what was taught at this seminar in regards to breaking, mindset, technique, ect.

I think I remember that fight but I can remember who it was. I think Martin Kampman was on of them. That's if the fight you're referring to was in the UFC.

Nov. 6 A.M. BJJ: 3 brothers drills 3 min rnds x 2, guard pass drills 3 min rnds x2, Double leg takedowns 5 min rnds x 2, modified mount control, take down pass sub drill 3 min rnds x2, free sparring stating in guard 30 min P.M. Kenpo: Spinning back kick setup, Trigger Salute, Alternating Maces, free sparring 6 rnds

I would say if the student isn't up to your schools standards, then yes they fail the grading. If you let them slide you are letting you standards down. I personally failed a Kyu test at the first dojo I trained at. Years later I realized it was one of the best things that ever happened to me as a martial artist. It was mostly Nevels when I failed but not totally. I have no problems failing someone if they don't meet the standard set before them, as I would expect someone to do me the same way. As some students get higher in the ranks they sometimes get in the mind set of I'm getting my "x" belt on "x" day. Especially if they are a friend of yours and you are on the promotion panel. As Shorikid said of his friend I also voted failure on a friend of mine on his brown belt test. It is hard to do but the standards are in place for a reason. Personally if I passed someone who I felt was not ready, I have failed that person. I failed them because I didn't give them what they need to succeed. I failed my instructor because he set the stands and I ignored his teaching. And I failed my dojo because I lied. If I faile someone I'm going to tell the exactly why they failed. And if they want me too help them in the given areas they are lacking I will do so. There's a saying from jiu jitsu ( forgive me because I don't remember who said it.) "You either win or you learn." In this case you either pass your grading or you learn where you need improvement.

The breaking of the limb I never really ever expected to happen. I don't ever intentional go out trying to hurt someone I figured if it ever happened it would be a self defense situation. The last thing I want to do is hurt a training partner because we are all friends. I felt bad for the guy that it happened because he was told by his coach that he in no danger. In regards to you question Bushidoman I would have tapped because I know my limitations.

Do you guys set long and short terms personal goals in bjj? If so what are some of the goals you set for yourself this year? First of my long term goal I set for jiu jitsu where to choke someone out and to break a limb. Now let me explain breaking a limb. I did not want it to be a hey I'm toning to break John Doe's arm in training today. It was more if it happens kind of thing. I wanted to understand the feeling of the limb coming apart in my hands, also the mental feeling. Also I don't think a lot of people experience this as much as the choke. I realistically didn't think I would ever experience this one. My short term goals were of course just to improve my over all game, get more transitions and submission attempts chained together, and compete at least once, and improve the ground game of those at my dojo. First of in May I met goal number one I got the choke I was looking for due to the guys just not tapping and setting a good choke. Goal one met. Well September rolled around and I was competing in the state bjj tournament. Goal two met. My second match I locked in a standing kimura and unfortunately he did not tap before his arm broke. Goal three met. As I roll a lot with guys more experienced than myself I feel my transitions are getting there. I've improved somewhat but not where I want to be. And I trained Shorikid up for his first bjj competion and the ground game at our dojo I think has improved a great deal over what it was. So this I count as a success toward the goals I set early on. One always wishes they were better no matter how good they are. So it the time of the year I bein thinking about what I want to improve on next year since its just around the corner. I blame my failures on myself and myself alone. I have the instructors second to none that give me the knowledge I need I just have to apply it. My success I give to my instructors and all my training partners at both schools for beating me down to build me back up and make me the martial artist I have become. Each of my schools have a couple of motos at my home dojo "Fall seven times, get upi eight" both share " iron sharpens iron" and my jiu jitsu schools main Moto " Molon Labe" all of which I carry proudly and try to instill in everyone I train with. Train hard, fight hard.

Congratulations on the wins.

This is and has been a tool that we have used with great success, as Shori mentioned we video about anything possible, also lets our instructor see what we're doing via YouTube. Since we upload a good bit and helps since our instructors live a good distance from us. I don't go to either gym I train at without a video camera just in case.

In my dojo you may wear a white or blue Gi at Kyu ranks but black gis are reserved for shod an and up. But at the gym were I train bjj colors don't matter to the instructor ie I have a black, white and blue gis that I rotate.

Good job, man. Now just doing more of what was successful for you. The more you spar the better you'll get. Keep up the good work.

Happy birthday sir, hope you have a good one.

I would only encourage someone to take a cage fight per black belt if they wanted to do so. I wouldn't ever put that in as a requirement due to the fact some people just train to be training and the stress relief and enjoyment of it. Shorikid and I run a small dojo and we do not push competions on our students but if they decide to compete we will do our best to make sure they are ready. I train bjj at a different gym and my instructor does not decide our promotions on tournies won or lost. It is decided on our skill set as it should be. I do how ever agree with turning up the pace and contact level as the skill set advances. And at least one time a year of going very very hard.

Kuma as an officer of the law you need not be an expert on the the ground but you need the balance and take down ability of Judo and the sweeps and escapes of BJJ. There are many sweeps in BJJ that are for solely getting up also you worry when you hit the ground is survival and weapon retention. You really need a special blend of both.

That's true but this time I applied my kimura grip correctly and tight and applied the pressure even slow pressure until things came apart quite literally. This kid had plenty of time time to tap. I've caught many people in both gyms I train in in this a few times and they have always tapped without damage to the arm.

Keep rolling those habits tend to start fading over time. You'll become aware when you are about leave the arm behind. The not quitting comes in handy against a pure bjj guy, since they think of just holding a position( helps me a lot). Just keep rolling the transition will come.

Well said both of you. I too have the situation were I can no longer train with my Kenpo instructor. We still talk whenever possible and he gets to see videos on YouTube of things going on in the dojo. So he has a visual of some of the things we are teaching. But we indeed still are learning from each of our students.

Now keep in mind this is just my opinion. But to be a good bjj instructor you must first be not only good but very good at bjj. You must be able to break do the moves to the smallest details, and trouble shoot for others why a given position or move isn't working the way you show it. You must be able to watch students roll and antilize their game and give pointers of what they should've done or not done. You need a vast array of positions, passes, sweeps, and subs. The ability to help students game plan for different types jiu jitsu games they face. Ribeiro's book it excellent for beginners and as a refresher for those that are at the intermediate level. I've been training with the same instructor for about three years now and only a few times has he repeated anything. This will give you an idea of how vast bjj as a system is. And at my level of training I'm starting to see why they say bjj is an ocean that you drag your foe into to let them drown. It seems no mater how many subs I throw up or counters I combined to get out of a given position he has a counter for whatever I do. I do teach some BJJ at my home dojo but I'm grappling minded and if something doesn't work I go back to my BJJ instructor and we break down and trouble shoot it to the smallest detail to figure out what I've done wrong. To tell you the truth I have filmed a series of guard passes a little of over a year ago and I'm now embarrassed to show it to anyone as my guard passes are now much more in depth when I teach them as I know have an understanding of how they really work. I'm in the mode of re teaching all guard passes and giving each person in my dojo different guard passes that will work better for their body type and this is due to understanding some guard passes work better for different body types and experience. This is something my BJJ instructor has done to me. I do have one question for you, how long have you actually been training in BJJ? I once taught a lot of jiu jitsu before I started traing because I could figure moves out easier than most in my dojo. Once I started training in BJJ I realized I knew little to nothing about what of which I was teaching. There are so many minut details that I never knew existed until my instructor pointed out some bad habits I had. I would suggest you seek out a good instructor and begin training yourself and then find a partner to help with the drilling. Good luck.