Cross_Trainer

Thank you for your youtube suggestion--I do indeed use it frequently, and it has some great stuff. But does anyone know if there are any vendors of higher quality tapes and DVDs with full length fights on them?

Does anyone know of companies, vendors, or websites who sell footage (preferably DVD) of the old greats--men like Oyama, Lewis, Urquidez, Geesink, Wallace, and even older films? Thanks!

I know that these are a somewhat controversial topic--many consider them to be rather useless. However, I'm curious....out of all of the face cage headgear on the market right now, which do you consider to be the best?

I wondered what you guys have found to be the softest, safest training glove available. Combatsports' MMA glove seems to be mentioned in this context several times....is it the best out there, or are there superior ones? Thanks for your help.

Although I box rather than do Eastern martial arts, board-breaking strikes me as a potentially useful method of power measurement. While I have experience in throwing punches, I have no background in breaking boards--although I intend to use bag gloves (as you see below) and handwraps to prevent hand injury. http://www.karatedepot.com/catalog/images/items/bx-bg-10.jpg I am about 150 pounds, and a somewhat harder-than-average puncher for my size. What thickness equivalent would you recommend I get? Thanks!

I am contemplating getting one of these two freestanding bags due to space limitations at my house. Has anyone had experience with either of these products? Are they reliable? Are they useful? And is BOB's lifelike shape worth the extra money? Incidentally, I would be using it solely for punches--I am not sure if this has any bearing on the reliability of the bag or its stability, but I thought I'd mention it. Thanks.

Probably the best way to be prepared would simply be a LOT of sparring. Endurance is sport-specific, so running isn't going to help you as much as sparring endurance-wise. After all, if you're training for endurance in sparring, doesn't it make more sense to train it by actually sparring? Possibly a bit of weight training as well, and definitely a sound diet regimen.

If a fighter won belts in the same/very similar weight class in both the UFC and Pride under both of their rules (Pride's in Japan, UFC's in America), would they be considered for all intents and purposes the unified world champion, since they won in the 2 major organizations under both rulesets? Or are the other organizations out there important enough that it would still be disputed? Also: 1. What do you think that would do for MMA in general? I would suspect that it would improve its popularity, especially if the winner is charismatic and a heavyweight. People seem to enjoy a sport more when there's a top person to identify it with. 2. Is it possible and/or likely in the near future? It seems that Pride's fighters have a lot more money and little to gain by going into the financially poorer UFC. I'm also not sure how much the two organizations think of each others' legitimacy. 3. Is there anyone who could pull it off at any weight class, and keep both titles for a long period of time (They'd have to fight more often than normal, though...) 4. Any other thoughts on this that I haven't addressed? Thank you for your time.

Hypothetical question: If a match could be staged with rules similar to the first few UFC's today, in which all of the heavyweight contenders and champions from all of the major tournaments (UFC, Pride, Abu Dhabi, etc.) competed, who would win the world championship? Also, do you think that there's the possibility of a unification bout between any of the larger organizations any time in the future? Do any of them have regulations allowing for the use of different rulesets (Pride's seem to be fairly good, except for the lack of elbows--maybe this changed recently but the last I heard it hadn't). Anyway, thank you for your time.

I have a somewhat involved question for you guys on setting up an MA conditioning program. I have a solid knowledge of sports training and conditioning, but there's something that I've been wanting to clear up for a while, and hoped you could help me with. It will take a little while to get through, so I appreciate your patience. It's based on two premises that I've found, which are: 1. Sports endurance is primarily sports-specific. Therefore, in order to train sports-specific endurance, it is best to perform movements closely resembling the activity. Presumably, the best way to train "skill-endurance" (ability to perform MA skills when tired) would be repetition of the technique over and over again even after you get tired. To balance this out it would be necessary to practice frequently when NOT tired in order to keep technique where it should be. 2. Technical skills are best acquired through a mixture of drills and sparring. 3. Speed-Strength (power) in sports comes from fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are developed using powerlifting protocols (very heavy weights, 1-5 reps). Therefore, a powerlifter has greater POTENTIAL for explosive strength even if his actual weightlifting speed is slow. The best way for muscles to fire quickly, on the other hand, is to use explosive lifts (generally olympic, but would also include many kettlebell lifts if you use heavier weights) 4. Another excellent method of gaining functional strength is training to lift irregular, unwieldy objects (as in "strongman" training), with some endurance component attached. THEREFORE... Is it correct to assume that one of the optimal ways of getting the correct training for martial arts would consist of (obviously not all at the same time): 1) High Weight/Low Reps powerlifting methods for pure strength development (including the three powerlifts--deadlift, squat, bench---plus a few more to round it out, i.e. bent over rows, possibly bent press, and a few others) 2) Ballistic/explosive speed-strength development through olympic lifts plus the kettlebell lifts (only using weights that you can only do a few times, for power rather than endurance) 3) Lifting of irregular objects with some endurance component for functional strength("strongman" training) 4) sparring, drills, and repetition of techniques over and over again for a combination of endurance and technical skills. Note: would have to be periodized one way or another, possibly running along westside principles The most important part of this question hinges upon whether simply repeating the skill(s) over and over is the most efficient way (or a fairly efficient way) to train specific endurance. (for instance, sparring a lot of rounds really frequently) compared to other training methods (like sprinting, running, etc.) Thank you for your time.

My mistake. I should have clarified. By jeet kune do I mean the core curriculum as was taught in many JKD schools after Bruce Lee's death, as outlined in his numerous writings. I do not mean the MMA-type philosophy of mixing and matching styles to produce an effective all-ranges personalized martial art.

If you could choose any fighters from any era to represent their respective styles in a no-holds-barred style fighting competition, who would you choose? A few of my choices would be: Mas Oyama (kyukoshin karate) Joseph Charlemont (savate) John L. Sullivan (bareknuckle pugilism) Mohammed Ali or Joe Louis (modern boxing) Bill Wallace or Joe Lewis (American 'full contact karate') Alexander Medved (Olympic freestyle wrestling) Anton Geesink (judo) Royce Gracie (Brazilian jujitsu) Bruce Lee (jun fan/jeet kune do) Any extra information you can provide about your fighter(s) would also be welcome.

What are some good drills that I could do that would improve my hand/eye and foot/eye coordination, and general perception speed? Thank you for your help

The West has virtually invented modern physical fitness, weight training, plyometrics, and so on. It has also invented boxing (almost an ideal hand art), wrestling, and savate. It has approached MA more 'scientifically' than its eastern counterparts had for centuries--although of course recently they have caught up. On the other hand, the Eastern martial arts read as almost a who's who of MA styles--Muay Thai, Jujitsu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, and so on. So, although I realize that both are extremely important and interdependent contributions to the MA world, whose has been greater? Has there been any single nation that has made the greatest contributions? Comments?

Muay Thai is one of the few arts out there that allows full-contact use of elbows and knees, and which uses low kicks against the legs. This leads me to wonder--is Muay Thai good because of its techniques (IE how its moves work), or because it is simply able to use more weapons and kicks at a different level? In other words, if other systems simply aimed their kicks lower and were also allowed to use elbows and knees, would they have similar performance to Muay Thai? Or are there other characteristics that make Muay Thai so effective?

Thank you. So they're actually planning to get it into the Olympics? Interesting. Will it be a toned-down version, or full-contact? Are there any websites with more information?

By this I don't mean the modern MMA style calling itself Pankration, or Jim Arvantis's "reconstruction". Nor do I mean a completely no-rules contest in which you can do everything up to kill your opponent. What I am talking about is an "all powers" event in the olympics as it used to have in ancient Greek times, with very few holds barred, and in which various styles could be pitted against one another--kind of like many of the MMA competitions today. No point sparring or anything of that sort (although the authorities would probably have to make it a little safer, unfortunately). Still, think of how much more interesting the Olympics would be to watch...the best of the best from countries around the world, fighting with their native national styles against one another (certainly, there would be quite a few MMAists there too--but national pride being what it is at least some competitors would have a "bent" toward their native arts). I can see it now...Muay Thai boxers fighting Japanese Kyukoshin karatekas...Western boxers fighting Korean Hapkido or Tae Kwon Do practitioners...and for the first time styles will be represented as fairly as is humanly possible, with the BEST Martial Artists from their respective arts competing. A pipe dream? Perhaps. But you never know...and wouldn't it be great?

I've been doing some research lately about the ancient form of Pankration (not the modern stuff that's just another MMA calling itself by an ancient name, with a few of its principles retained). Surprisingly modern art for 2600 yrs ago...punching bags, boxing gloves ("spheres"), weightlifting (well, boulders, actually) etc...and surprisingly complete as well, with breaks, kicks, punches, submissions, and so on through the gamut. Of course, now we have the advantages of superior nutrition, much more information on physical fitness, knowledge of pretty much all of the world's major fighting systems available to us at the click of a mouse--all of the advantages from modern technology. On the other hand, the Greeks had several hundred years to practice and perfect pankration in an essentially no-rules atmosphere, (there WERE rules against biting and eye-gouging, but even these were frequently disobeyed--from what I've heard many of these conditions also exist in modern Burmese boxing), and so probably knew what worked and what didn't. It is unlikely that they knew that much less about body mechanics, at least when it came to a sport like this, than we do in modern times. Granted, we have access to a few more moves, more techniques, and do it more 'scientifically', but it couldn't be THAT much of an improvement over hundreds of years of testing techniques and tactics in a brutal environment. My question is this: We definitely have the advantages in sheer strength, height, weight, and probably sophistication of our arts. But does this compensate for the sheer brutality of ancient Pankration? Ultimately, does it come down to the sophistication of the art, or the intensity at which it is trained? Would an ancient Pankratist (and by this I mean the Olympic championship winners) have a good chance, in a COMPLETELY no-rules situation, against a champion from one of today's MMA competitions (Pride, UFC, K1, etc.)? Thanks for your time.

Right now I have been doing Goshin-Jutsu karate for about eight months, and I have a few questions about the two cross-training options in grappling open to me, which are: Judo and a (non-Brazilian) jujitsu/self defense class split. Both are taught by the same schools on different days. My questions for you are: 1. Are the movement patterns of judo, jujitsu, and karate relatively similar, and therefore not likely to screw me up by confusing me about which style of movement I should use with this or that move. 2. Will it * my training if I take one of these in addition to karate? (I have enough time to get all of the classes in for both) 3. Should I wait longer before I start cross training? 4. If so, how much longer? Thanks for your help!

I live in a small town, and so have limited options as far as MA cross-training goes. However, I am trying to get as well-rounded martial arts experience as possible (kicks, punches, grappling, groundwork, etc.), and I have the ability to learn karate, boxing, judo, and jujitsu (regular, not Brazilian). I will probably be able to train in all four. I have already been doing karate for eight months. My questions are: 1. Are their footwork, stances, and manner of movement relatively similar or compatible with one another? If not, what alterations have to be made to them to turn them into a coherent fighting system? (to give an example of what I'm asking, I have heard that Muay Thai and boxing have some differences in the height of their stances, method of moving, etc. and so are more difficult to combine. 2. If they are not extremely similar, which would be the best to act as the base martial art? 3. How much longer should I wait before beginning to expand my learning to other martial arts (continuing in my current one)? 4. Is there any other advice that you can give me? Thank you for your time

Hello. I'm posting because I wanted some advice on where to take my MA development. I live in a small town with limited options available, which are: School #1 (3 different instructors) Judo Jujitsu Goshin-Jutsu Karate supplemental arts-- Aikido Tang Soo Do (Korean Karate) Link: http://www.goldendragontraining.com/class.html School #2 The place that I'm currently going--Goshin-Jutsu Karate (our sensei also knows some aikido, so this is another source for that). I am unsure as to the quality of this school, since it has a few characteristics of a mcdojo and a few that seem to indicate that it is a good school. These are: On one hand: 1. It costs a good deal of money to get new belt rankings, do various seminars, etc. 2. We spend a lot of time doing kata, and need to learn a kata to get a promotion 3. We have many children who are up to purple belt (our ranking goes white, yellow, green, purple, brown, 1st dan) but none higher than this. Several of these children are definitely not qualified. However, on the other hand: 1. One of the students there fought in the world competition for Goshin Jutsu karate in Russia, and won second place (he beat the guy who played Darth Maul in star wars) 2. Our sensei has been doing this for over thirty years, so he isn't one of those 1st/2nd degree blackbelt teachers 3. Our school always does well in tournaments, for what that's worth (small benefit maybe, but not much) 4. Our blackbelts seem to be generally pretty qualified (the test includes getting hit full-force in the stomach, for instance, and they have been doing it for at least 5-15 years before 1st dan) 5. Promotion is generally slow. I am a whitebelt after eight months (w/ the little yellow stripes on it) and I have progressed much faster than most other people who entered at the same time. The sensei's own son is only green thus far. 6. Our sensei also has taught several other people in other towns with their own Goshin-Jutsu schools 7. He also privately teaches some of the harder-core stuff (like ripping out cheeks, eye gouges, etc.) and things like hand conditioning. This is taught only to older and more responsible students. link: https://www.goshinjutsu.org The YMCA: We have a cardio kickboxing class (which, although I know that it would be nearly useless as a self-defense class, MAY be able to allow me to learn the TECHNIQUES of "normal" boxing to improve my hand techniques--I would spar with them elsewhere (There are no normal boxing instructors in the area--would this work?) Shotokan karate--one of those "improve self-esteem and physical fitness while learning the art of self defense!" classes, claims to be family oriented, etc. etc. Probably not a good choice, but then again I have not talked to the teacher. "Qigong Kung Fu and T'ai Chi Ch'uan"-- Seems mostly a mind-body class rather than a self-defense class; on the other hand the instructor has been practicing a variety of martial arts over the past 20 years and the Yang style of Tai Chi for eleven, so he may be able to teach fairly well privately. link: http://www.williamsportymca.org/ I'm looking to get well-rounded, self-defense oriented training, so cross-training in more than one of these is a definite possibility. Also, I have a few questions about martial arts fitness and training: 1. General Conditioning Currently, I am doing a complex training regimen with low-rep, high weight multimuscle lifts (deadlift, bench press, squat, weighted ab crunch, bent rows) immediately followed by the corresponding plyometric exercise (box-to-box squat jumps for squats, plyometric pushups for bench, etc.) On off-days I am doing a full-body stretching routine. I have not as yet started much cardio training, pending purchase of a heart rate monitor that I haven't been able to get for a few months. My periodized schedule is almost finished, and will also include hypertrophy (muscle building) as well as power-building exercises to give some extra padding against strikes. Nutrition I'm still working on, but as of now I'm getting lots of protein, carbs, fiber, and in a few months when I quit my acutaine treatment I'll be able to take a multivitamin. I'm also taking about 2000 mg of vitamin C and around 2000 IU of vitamin E per day to allow my muscles to recover faster. I do a full-body workout every other day (except on the weekends--it's usually 3 times per week). Right now what I do in each workout is: WEIGHT TRAINING....................FOLLOWED BY 3x4 Bench................................+ Plyometric pushups (till exhaustion) 3x4 Deadlift..............................+ Clean & Jerk 3x4 Squat.................................+ Multiple box-to-box squat jumps 3x4 or 5 Situps (w/weights)........+ Situp pass 3x4 Bent Rows...........................+ Underhand medicine ball throw 2. Conditioning of striking surfaces How best can this be done? I have heard two different approaches, short of smashing your hands against rocks or metal plates: a. rub the surface against something over time, and a callous will form that will be able to pad the striking area b. strike something slightly solid and yielding (like a makiwara, wood wrapped in carpeting hanging from the ceiling, or the like) and hit it repeatedly until the neres in the knuckles move/migrate further up the hand (or does it just deaden them?) Also, what surfaces are safe to condition? Are knuckles, forearms, elbows, knees, lower legs, palms, top of the foot, and balls of the foot all fair game, or are some unsafe and/or need lighter/more specialized conditioning? 3. Books on martial arts conditioning. So far, I have purchased, and read, six or seven books on general conditioning and two that are specifically martial arts oriented (the fighter's factbook and solo training, both by Loren Christenson). Can you recommend any other reading? 4. Other Is there any other training or conditioning, mental or physical, that I can do? My goal is self-defense rather than looking showy in kata or being able to point spar well. So far I have been doing Goshin-Jutsu karate for eight months (I have been doing physical conditioning, including weightlifting, for two years now) Thank you for your time