cleung

I agree with the last post. I've seen a girl in the NASKA circuit do an open form set to the music of the Chicago movie. It was interesting but in my mind, she put in too many jazz poses in her form which is suppose to be martial arts. I think that was overdoing it a bit. Her martial arts techniques were good enough on their own. I've seen all sorts of little kids add cutesy moves like wiggling their hips to the music as well. This I'm not very keen on.

I would like to put a different angle on this whole thing. Effectiveness of ground fighting vs just stand up striking is one factor but another point that is important here, especially if the UFC wants to sell tickets, is what the audience wants to see. Would you all rather see fights that remaining mostly standing up or ones that end up in the ground for lengthy periods of time? I still recall watching one of the earlier UFCs where Shamrock had a rematch with Gracie and the fight ended up on the ground for something like 20 minutes or more. Now, everyone has their preferences in entertainment but for me, it was pretty boring to sit through those 20 minutes.

Yes, these are both part of the NASKA and Krane circuits I usually go to both of them.

Cycling on a stationary bike was a big part of my rehab after both of my ACL knee surgeries. They also did lots of exercises to strengthen the joints and increase the range of motion to prepare for a comeback to activity.

You can also check the NASKA and NBL websites. Also karatetournaments.com which also lists a lot of events.

If there's a lack of control in sparring no matter what the age groups are and people end up getting hurt, that's one of the reasons why we see such a high dropout rate in martial arts. It's really a shame.

I'm almost 45 years old and have won a few senior world championships so there's ample competition opportunities even at my age level.

Once more strength is there from say weight training, he's got to do something to increase speed which is where power comes from. Just strength alone does not always result in more power in strikes. This is why sometimes we see big muscle guys not able to hit as hard as some smaller guys. Learning when to contract muscles during the execution of strikes will be important here. Also don't forget that mind focus will also have a part on power of strikes.

Probably right. Incidently, the KSW people at this tournament went into the soft style forms division with me rather than in the Korean style forms with the tae kwon do competitors.

Also, some styles might work better for people of varying ages and health conditions. For myself, after over 32 years in martial arts and two knee surgeries, I find that I don't do as much jumping and high kicks anymore. I tend to favor staying on the ground and enjoy weapons work more than ever these days.

I am a relative newbie with Chinese wushu staff but a veteran competitor with Japanese/open style bo staffs. My original question was with regards to the white wax wood staffs used by wushu folks. I just wanted to know how to position the hands and fingers without getting them crushed when slamming the staff on the floor.

Tournaments is also a way to make new friends who might be able to have sparring sessions outside the tournament environment with perhaps more relaxed rules.

You can also check out kama forms on Mike Chat's videos and Jon Valera did a nice open kama form too.

You are right about open creative forms that lack in basics will look lousy. After all, flash without good basics is trash. However, there have been some really good competitors out there who do creative forms and have awesome techniques like Mike Chat and Jon Valera. As far as open forms versus traditional, it's a matter of personal taste. I like watching both if the competitors are good.

You can find where open tournaments are in your region very easily on the internet these days. Just get some info from the promoters - get them to mail you a flyer. And then show up. You can either watch toget a feel of how things are or jump right in to compete. good luck

I met a top KSW competitor in a tournament in upstate New York many years ago and he even said that KSW is nicknamed Korean kung fu. There's definitely the Chinese influence there.

You are never too old. There are senior citizens starting martial arts like tae kwon do.

There's lots you can do on your own. Do forms, bag work, even shadow boxing with martial arts techniques. Pretty well everything except sparring can be done alone.

These little things can differ among different instructors, schools and of course styles. Just go with what you have to do for your own school for successful gradings.

Doesn't hurt to try and only you will be able to decide which techniques from both styles will suit you.

Martial arts has helped me in my flexibility, strength and coordination to be able to do other activities easier. But also benefits for my confidence and overall attitude in life too which has had dramatic effects on how I choose to live. Martial arts gave me the discipline to take on challenges in life like studying, dealing with different people and even hardships.

Just depends on what may appeal to you. Best is to check them all out in watching a class first and go from there.

Also, some styles may work better for some people while other styles will work better for others.

Cross training in different styles even for a little while is always worth it.

I think that UFC is an eye opener on what is effective in fighting but as a spectator sport, I personally think it's pretty boring to watch a fight once it stays on the ground.