Rick

Up until last year i had studied individual styles, maybe doing one or two at a time. Then i created my own syllabus which is an amalgamation of all of all of the fighting arts i have trained in. So i basically created my own style. Rick.

Strewth, that's a bit hard to answer when we don't even know what u want to accomplish. Give us a bit more info mate. Rick.

Sounds pretty good mate, just as long as doing more than one martial art at a time doesn't burn you out. Rick.

Savate, as far as i know, also uses unconventional methods of kicking, such as throwing a front kick and making contact with the heel of your foot rather than the ball. I believe it was designed as a method of self-defence for the upper-class men, who would also use their canes as weapons. It's like a weird form of kungfu, in that it has unarmed and armed aspects. I'm no expert though. Also, back to the topic. There seems to be an immense trust put into the asian man. If he's asian, and he's teaching martial arts, then he must be legitimate right? Wrong! Some people think that if the instructor isn't asian then he can't possibly be legitimate. Therefore, if a westerner is teaching a style that very few people have heard of, then the majority of people are going to think he's a fraud. It's basically the whole Mr Miyagi thing happening - everyone wants their instructor to be like the one in the karate kid. Heh, even though "Pat" Noriyuki (?) Morita has never done martial arts. Rick.

Okay, one thing i've picked up on in the last decade or so is that a lot of schools get things technically wrong in the etiquette side of things. For instance i was doing a japanese martial art and the "sensei" was counting in Japanese. Only thing is i was studying japanese at school and he was coutning wrong, he was even making up numbers that i'd never heard before. I also trained in a korean style for a while and the instructor was making us call him "sensei", whereas "sensei" is Japanese terminology for "teacher". The korean version is something like Kyo Sa Nim. When i did HapKiDo we just called our instructor "sir". You'd do well to look out for things like that. Like everyone else has said too, young kids with blackbelts, quick and easy gradings, and hidden fees everywhere. McDojo's irritate me. Rick.

Heh, it's no worries mate - there's some pretty funny stuff being said so it's okay... I'm just interested to see if anyone else has done the same as me at all. Rick.

Wow, that was pretty interesting. It sounds like a well-rounded basic form of defence for all of those "old-school" fighters out there. Rick

Heh, i've got no idea how a lot of these styles would be successfully combined, but it sounds interesting enough. Rick.

Yeah, i agree with Sam, you need to be able to adapt and improvise. I know so many guys with really good technique in the self-defence portions of their syllabus, but really poor ability to adapt during sparring. RICK.

That one doesn't sound too bad, i like that. Rick.

And here i was thinking this was a serious thread asking for a serious answer. Ahh well. Rick.

Dude, the problem is with these sort of moves that they rely too much on fine motor skills. When everything is going full speed and you're not ready for something to happen then your fine motor skills go out of the window and you only remember the most basic things - which is why i hate complicated crap that will never be used. BUT, if you absolutely have to learn this move then the key is to just drill it over and over again at full speed. GET HIT, it's the best way to learn. Rick.

Been there, done that.... Heh, i made my own style so i could teach easier. I sat down, got out all the old teaching guides/syllabus books/technique books etc etc that i had in my crowded shelf and put together every technique that i knew. Then i buggered off all the useless junk - mostly useless stances like Goju Cat Stance and that dreadfully stupid Zenkutsu Dachi or long stance, and brainless Korean stances like L stance or half dragon stance etc etc. I also buggered off uselessly complicated joint locks and throws. I slashed a lot of stuff down to basics mostly. I kept all the basic kicks at all heights and limited spinning kicks to the basic side, crescent and hooks with jumping variations at the highest level in the system. I kept pretty much every strike i'd learned apart from crappy spear hand strikes because they're effective only for braking your fingers. I kept the gooseneck or "koken" strikes as they're called in Japanese. Then i created 7 or 8 interpretational kata's that could be adapted to fit the person, and taught the kata simply as fluid technique practice, not THE BIBLE of how to fight. I still just call it Freestyle Kickboxing, and my old instructor is the Head Instructor, but i'm the founder and senior Senpai. I'm the only one that teaches my style though, so really my Sensei is just to use for my reference if i need any help with something. I'll get around to taking my test for third dan soon i guess - it just doesn't mean much to me, my system doesn't have belts. My students just call me Rick. Rick.

Yeah, i was gonna mention psychologist but i studied psychology for three years and i don't have much time for it, i personally think it's a bit of rubbish and just perpetuates the problem and fills the patient's head with crud.... Dunno though i guess, it could work. Rick

jarrettmeyer - dude, i already know that. Khan, just try what i said, it works for me, hopefully it does the same for you. Rick.

I have a hideous rage problem, it's disgusting and profound. Many things anger me, just small things in society, people not caring about other people and stuff like that. I'm 22 now, and i've had it since i was a teenager. I just thought that it was one of those things that you get when you're a teenager, but it's stayed with me all this time. To try and control this i sort of "let it go" so to speak. People always underestimate the power of breathing. They forget it during sparring, fighting, meditating, and they forget it in angry situations. If something annoys me, i close my eyes, keep a straight face - NOT AN ANGRY OR ANNOYED FACE because people will ask you "What's the matter?" and if you're anything like me that just sets me right off the rocker. With my eyes closed and my face straight, i take a huge breath in through my nose and let it out of my mouth. It works man, it REALLY works. When you take this breath you are sucking everything in, and when you blow it out you get try and push out that anger pain in your chest and let whatever angers you slip away. Try it! Of course, i'm no master at this yet, and there are times when things get violent that i should keep a level head and deal with the situation. Instead, i go into what i call a RED RAGE. That's where i lose all control and i smash everything and everyone. I won't go into detail but i've been in trouble a couple of times. Anyway, i hope this helped mate. Rick.

I agree with SevenStar once again - i was wondering about the chinese vertical fist (chinese practitioners believe that there is a pressure point that adversely effects breathing situated in between the index and middle fingers). I use that punch quite a bit. And also the raising the leg bit... That's particularly why i don't like kicking too much (although i'm quite well versed in kicking) - if he's REALLY fast he'll turn the punch into a fake and spin around and sweep u... Rick

I just got really annoyed when it was said that u only really started learning and concentrating on doing the moves properly when he gets to BB... They should be teaching to give the absolute best from day 1, otherwise it will produce weak and substandard black black belts both mentally and physically. Never EVER did i let a coloured rank give anything but their best when i was teaching ( a couple of years ago in another dude's school). I wouldn't wanna be taught substandard crap and i wouldn't wanna try my guts out while everyone else is getting their ranks just for turning up - it's ridiculous! Rick

Also there is a difference between LEARNING on ur own and PRACTISING on ur own... I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, i just thought i would put it down before my poor brain forgot about it. I'm not learning anything on my own really, well maybe a little, but i am practising everything that i know... I thought that i was learning, but just came to the realisation that everything i'm doing i already knew... Rick

I nearly got killed by 3 guys once, one with a knife spent a fair while in hospital... I saw a whole bar erupt into fists of fury but i just politely and ever so quickly stepped out of the pub... Got into a huge rumble against another group of guys at school, about 20 of us or so, maybe more... Haven't been in many huge fights though... Rick

My body has adverse reactions to soy and tofu - and i'm a little "old school" in the way i think about food. But that's a little controversial and i don't feel like debating it. I just prefer to have natural foods that have been eaten by the greater majority of people for the greater part of history... Meat, Bread, Eggs, fruit etc... Rick

And for the record i've still got the munchies... Rick

Yeah, u definately could have gotten done with excessive use of force... Rick

$300 for the black belt club!?!?!?!? $95 for normal people... WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT SIR!!!???!!?!?!?!???!?!?!?!?!

Oh yeah, okay cool... Now i understand u... Rick