parkerlineage

I'll have to ask my master about that one - he's filipino, and knows a few of those stick systems.

I would like to shake the hands of the men and women who made those commercials. HILARIOUS!!! I have yet to see this Dew one, but I haven't watched TV for a month, so that may be why...perhaps someday, on youtube...

My tentative plan for the MA club I'm leading in a few weeks/months is: 20-30 minutes of warm up 10-15 minutes of kata 10-15 minutes of weapons 15-20 minutes of techniques 30 minutes of sparring 5-10 minutes of cooldown stretching So that comes out to...one and a half to two hours.

Not so much into blocking, myself. I'll parry if I have to, but I usually just like to move so I'm not there while countering or getting ready to counter. That's rather uncharacteristic of AK, though, so don't base any stereotypes off of that.

If I were a judge at your competition, I would score the bo kata higher. I would give you more points if you deepened your stances just a little bit more, if that was possible and followed along with your style. I'm also in favor of the kicks, but I don't think that's really necessary.

My last fight was in 5th grade. There was this new kid who decided that he should pick on the little dweeb (I was a little guy, and a complete nerd), so he persisted for weeks and weeks,a nd I let him do whatever he wanted to, verbally, and I even let him push me and hit me without doing anything. Finally, one day at recess, he grabbed me in a headlock, and I dropped my weight and hammerfisted him in the groin, pulled his arm off my head, armbarred him down to one knee, and then roundhouse kicked him in the face. We were good friends, after that.

Interesting - thanks! Those filipinoes love them their sticks, don't they? Add Kali to that list, then...

Do you know why so many of these stick fighting styles come from Spain or seem to have Spanish roots? Escrima, Doce Pares, and Arnis are all Spanish, right?

I like that idea! I may have to try that... hahahaha...you're clearly not French...(voila)

If we started out full contact on yellow belts, we'd have no orange belts!! You may want to keep in mind that we wear point sparring gear, so the "anything goes" is a little more kosher than "anything goes and you'll likely bleed all over my mat". The lack of restriction is fun, though - you don't have to continually pause and go, "Wait, am I allowed to do that?" like I continually have to remind myself in TKD tournaments (not bashing TKD! I love it! Seriously!). Haha...I felt so bad for this poor guy I lost to in my first black belt TKD match...he kept kicking high, and my instructor is really big on groin shots when the opponent hits high - and the guy wasn't wearing a cup. I almost got disqualified, and he won partially because he was better than me, partially becaue I felt so sorry for kicking him in the crotch three times, and paritally because my errors gave him two points. Random tangent...sorry...

Don't tell anybody I told you this, but it's either a decoder ring, a sticky-hand, or a wind-up Superman toy.

My three cents about cross training: 1) Pick styles that will compliment your own. For example, it would be a waste of your time to take Tae Kwon Do, because it's so similar. Take a hand style, like a hardstyle karate, or a grappling style. 2) Make sure you're confident in your original style. I didn't even dream of cross training until I had been a black belt in my style for 3 years. Of course, I may have waited longer than I needed to, and it's probably different for everybody, but take it into consideration. Otherwise, you will end up messing up one or both of your styles. 3) Make sure your instructor is okay with it, first. Some old-school instructors aren't cool with you training around. I'm not saying it's good or bad either way, but make sure you're not going to burn any bridges you don't want to.[/i]

Oh, well in that case - I have no opinion, because I have no idea. But it looks cool.

For white belt (9th kyu), we do drills only. For yellow belt (8th kyu), we begin to mix in a little freesparring with very limited contact to body only. For orange and purple (7th and 6th kyu), freesparring is the norm, with light to medium body contact, and very light contact to the groin and side of the head. From blue to probably second brown (5th to 2nd kyu), medium to strong contact to the body, light to medium contact to the side of the head, light contact to the groin, no back contact, no sweeps. For first brown and above (1st kyu-Dan levels), anything goes. And when I say anything, I mean no breaks, eye strikes, elbows or knees to the face, and stop if there's blood, but other than that, anything. We also try to shy away from back to front sweeps (back of your leg to the front of your opponent's leg) because of the damage it can do to knees.

Instructor, environment, and training regiement aside (since you haven't told us about them), I've always loved animal styles, especially southern animal styles. You may find that some techniques are a little impractical, or too tradition rooted, but they're fun and effective anyway.

Round = slippery but fast and very nice if you can control it. Square = easier to control at first, but I find it harder to control them with the finess and minuteness with which I can control round. Granted, I'm talking sai, nunchaku, and kama - I don't use tonfa - but I assume it's at least similar.

I've seen some of the Doce Pares guys that also train at our dojo do stick/knife kata, and haven't been hugely impressed - then again, they all pretty much suck. It does look like a good concept, though.

Old school rules say you clean sensei's dojo. New school thinking says, "And pay you, too? What am I, your janitor?" I have no opinion either way. I think it's kind of stupid, but, hey - who am I to argue with tradition? See, I get paid to instruct and clean the dojo - so I'm cool with that. Plus, I wouldn't mind some free janitorial work when I own my dojo...hehe...

I would throw the first strike if I percieved a threat. My instructor says that you don't learn karate to defend yourself from your attacker's blows - you learn it to make sure your attacker doesn't have time to throw those intended blows. PREaction beats action.

If I understood you correctly, then we take the same or very simliar styles. The transition from second class brown to first class brown, or whatever you call your next level, is - especially in Kenpo - very difficult. The techniques are very abstract, the form, if you don't already have it, is crazy...and all you're trying to do is get another little stripe on your belt. All I can say is - don't give up. You're so close now. Try to remember all the fun you've had, and don't forget to practice the earlier stuff that you enjoy. Also, it's time to start thinking about your own take on stuff - that can add an entirely new dimention! I hope that was helpful...how's it going for you?

hahahahaha...I just about died from reading this!!! Very funny, very well put, very insightful. Two broken thumbs way up and slightly to the side!

I would think that most people would view it as hassling, unless, as previously pointed out, they were longtime students. I don't know for sure though - interesting question.

We open Short Form 3 and Long Form 3 with that. I don't know if we have a name for it other than overhead-horizontal-looping-punch-with-simultaneous-low-looping-upward-horizontal-punch. Gotta love Kenpo naming... As for the other, yes, it makes sense, but I've never used it. How effective is it?

haha...when I first read that, I thought you said displaying "spit." That's true, too. After hearing everybody's responses, I changed my style of breathing to where I merely exhale for power and inhale at the proper time, and I have to say I like it more than kiai.

In my humble and inexperienced opinion, I would say that if it comes down to MA loyalties and your hustband, the decision should be obvious. Is there any way to just not teach in the class, or possibly talk him into seeing things the way you do, without causing unneccessary stress and conflict?