Ottman

Many times, the founder of a certain style is automatically raised to tenth degree status. (or they raise themselves to that degree.) After-all, Klase did found his own style. Have you done that? I certainly haven't, and this is one of the many reasons I am not even close to a tenth degree bb. If you're trying to test up to 10th degree in a style you didn't found, I'm sure the founder would require a lifetime of training to attain such a rank as it must have taken him/her a lifetime to develop it up to a recognised status that you would want to learn. If you can create a style of martial art that is distinct enough to be recognised by other martial artists as its own style, then I think you deserve a tenth degree bb.

I've only been training for ten and it's already starting to feel that way.

Forget kicks, I like them all. It's all about combos for me. One kick usually won't land, (unless its a counter) but twist, round, twist; or round, twist, round are good if you practice them enough, and how about round, jumping spinning round, backspin, round. That's one of my fav's. The last round kick usually tends to be the only thing that lands without being blocked, but its' effective.

I understand, and mentioned even, that the rules favored me in this case, but my point was that out on the street, a match between a bjj practitioner vs. a wrestling practitioner would, IMHO, go the way of the bjj guy 9 outta 10 times. This is because, as you said in your previous post, that wrestlers are weak in finishing fights, if they are outside of the rules of wrestling. This thread asked for pro's and con's and this is the biggest con for wrestlers who want to fight in mixed martial arts competitions, or who expect their wrestling skills to defend them on the streets. As for pros of wrestiling, I love the takedowns. I wrestled a little in junior high, and am actually working with the wreslters in my bjj class to learn better takedowns as the wrestling takedowns are very effective to gain control in a bjj match, but if you do get into some trouble street-side, some people won't quit just because they've been put on their backs, and it's important for defense purposes to know how to finish a fight. In competeition, of course bjj guys will win in bjj competition, and of course wrestlers will win in wrestling competitions, but mixed martial arts has already shown the strength of bjj as a style that you can finish with, and thus win with. Wrtestling moves will get you started, but give me an example of a wrestling move that was used to win in MMA competition, 'cus I can't think of one.

What are the old style american martial art movies? (please give me some titles)

:Edited:

I train at a BJJ school that has recently gotten a few high school wrestlers to start taking classes and it is definitely true that they have great takedowns, but the whole concept of pinning someone really gets in the way of their ground fighting. I find that the wrestlers in my class exert way too much energy when they're on the ground trying to maneuver you into the best position for a pin. They often get tired quickly while I just relax in guard position and wait for them to exhaust and make a mistake. Then its usually an easy submission. Now these guys are beginners and have a lot to learn in bjj, but, I being a mere low yellow belt, have already found a weakness to exploit that works 99% of the time. I'm not trying to knock these guys; they are in great shape, and would no doubt destroy me in a greco-roman wrestling match in a matter of seconds, but my point is that wrestling developed as a sport and evolved according to the rules of the sport, whereas bjj is a martial art developed for defense out on the street, and therefore defines a 'win' much differently than wrestling does. As all of us know, a pin won't really get you much out on the street, but an armbar that can easily break the arm, or a choke out that lasts until the foe really is out (unconscious.) These leave a lasting impression on the enemy. So if you're talking self defense and overall 'winning ability' out on the street, bjj wins everytime, and that is the downfall of wrestling if you consider it a martial art, rather than a sport.

I find myself doing the same as krunchy. I'm constantly thinking about martial arts and ways to use it. There's nothing wrong with it, I think I can speak for every member of this forum when I say: "It's just our thing." On a side note, studies have shown that people who visualize their actions and thus consider the outcomes of them, are more successful at meeting there goals. Still, I haven't gotten in a street fight since I was 13 (22 now) and the best course of action is always to seek the peaceful way out.

In my school, there was always an emphasis on footwork, and we did a lot of drills focusing on landing, shifting directions, and positioning to throw certain attacks. Instead of benig taught certain techniques to be used in certain situations, we practiced how to position ourselves to use the techniques we preferred in a variety of situations. Obviously, we had to practice every technique to find which ones we personally liked to use, but when we found something we liked or were good at, we were encouraged to work on it harder than our other techniques until we mastered it. This resulted in many different styles coming out of one school and students who knew themselves and knew about others and what works for certain things and doesn't for others. There was always an open discussion forum in my dojang and lots of information being passed around. Trends in sparring class were brief and changed often, and I learned that it's definitely impossible to learn everything that can be done in any specific circumstance, because that number is infinite. I guess my point is that, with so many different possible courses of action, it takes time, practice and experience to learn what works best for you, and I think your instructor was just trying to simplify this overwhelming task of trying to find a few techniques out of limitless possibilities, by narrowing down your selection of techniques, especially since you (and I, after ten years of training) are still just beginners. Once you get good at a few techniques to the point that you won't even have to think about them to execute them, then you can start learning other techniques/principles/concepts, and eventually master those too. It just takes loads of time, so focus on just a few things at once.

Keep working on it Jinxx. What you've said is truth. The same type of rules apply in my dojang, and the custom is definitely one of respect. This is sparring for sport remember, and courtesy and self control were still tennets last time I checked. If it were a fight on the street in self defense, obviously facing away and kneeling to your opponent wouldn't happen.

Depends on what my goal for the drill is: For aerobic, power, and leg strengthening for instance I'll do the 50-40-30-20-10 drill which is: 50 high round kicks with each leg then 40 with each, then 30 all the way down to ten. Next is the same with hook kick. For balance and control I'll practice five of the same kick in quick succession without letting my foot hit the ground(cycling through front, side, round, hook, inside and outside cresent, and twist kick, and as always, repeating with each leg.) Combos I usually like to improvise, but some good ones for a great workout that I like are: -Jumping front, jumping round, jumping backspin- -round, jumping spinning round, backspin, round- -lowround/highround, tornado, spinning outside cresent, round- -double front, assisted back side, spinning axe- -jumping spinning axe, jumping front, assisted backspin- and one of my favorites: -Flying punch, round, jumping backside- There are many others I like to practice, but these are my favorites.

Start with just the jump, when you're comfortable with jumping and landing, then try the jump with the chamber for the kick. Next remember to practice the kick on the ground until you're comfortable with that. Then put it all together and start jump kicking! And as always, practice practice practice or it won't get better.

tkder, Have you just been sparring white belts? don't let anyone fool you into thinking that attacking is bad. Just don't attack directly. Use feints and try to bait them. Move in as if you're going to attack, and draw a counter attack out of your opponent, then counter-attack yourself. Using the example from tkders strategy: If you realize that everytime you move in, your opponent throws, say, a spinning back kick to the head, then fake an attack, wait for the kick to come, and duck under it. Once the kick has gone past you can stand up into a front kick or a side kick or whatever and take advantage of the lack of balance your opponent has after executing their own kick. It isn't about who can counter better, it's about who can fight smarter. Work on deception, fakes, and cunning, and use every advantage. If you know that an opponent is prone to throwing a certain technique in a certain circumstance, try to lure him into that circumstance and then you'll know what he's going to do. Especially if you know that someone is just going to wait for you to attack first, this gives you control over the match. You can decide when you're ready to start swapping blows, and then position yourself, and set yourself up correctly to use your own strengths. Sure countering works if an opponent is unskilled or unexperienced enough to attack directly and obviously, but sparring with skilled opponents is more like a chess match. It's all about set up and preperation, and if you've ever played chess, you'll know that nothing but defense and countering does not win against a skilled player who knows how to use fakes, distractions and decoys.

It took me about three and a half years, but it really all depends on the school. Check out the thread lower down in korean MAs entitled: "How long did it take for your black belt"

Well, BJJ is the hot style in UFC and mixed martial arts competition right now, so it probably attracts the more aggressive guys who have dreams of making it big as an Ultimate Fighting Champion or some nonsense. I'm not knocking BJJ, I take it currently, and it is a great style for defense, but the inflated prices must be due to its popularity. Just make sure you meet with the instructor and let him know what you want to get out of your martial arts training. If the instructor seems like he's willing to help you achieve your goals, and is focused on his students development, then go for it, it's probably a great school. Definitely talk to some of the other students and get their opinions of the school as well. Good luck in your search. On a side note, if you're looking for a more passive aggressive style, look into Aikido, which also was developed from Ju Jitsu. It's definitely a more peaceful art, but just as effective for defense, and might not cost as much either. Happy hunting!

I hadn't heard about the controversey over TKD in the olympics. Any references? I'd like to read up on it. Measuring on how hard it is to find a decent TKD school in the states that hasn't been reduced to being a business before being a TKD school (I hate to use the term 'mcdojang' but there are alot of them around my area) i wouldn't be too surprised about some scandal breaking out. It's a shame, but I can't even give my own style the benefit of the doubt here.

As CapitalK said, knowing the rules that you spar under will help us to give you better advice, but if your just starting out, just concentrate on proper technique. If you can't get controlled kicks up to head height, then work on them and get good at them before trying to unleash them in sparring. Instead, try to get the proper foot positions, and technique down, and really just focus on hitting your target, even it is just at stomach height. (not to mention, focus on NOT getting hit yourself, which will probably be your main focus if you're a beginner anyway. Footwork footwork footwork) For self defence, stomach kicks are much better as they are easier and more quickly executed, as well as the stomach being a very sensitive target area. It really takes a lot of practice to develop accurate, precise, and fast high kicks, especially for us short guys. Never stop working on them, but don't underestimate the effectiveness of mid-section kicks. They are the most common kicks you'll see anywhere, in any fight, sparring match, or style, so get good at those first and worry about head kicks later.

Just another word of advice: make sure you raise your chamber as high as possible before kicking. This will result in a higher kick. I can't stress how important proper chambers are to proper kicks.

Light weight training focusing on the thighs, and I must stress LIGHT. Heavy weight training will take away flexibility. See my post on ankle weights: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=203230#203230 these work outs really helped with my flexibility, not to mention speed and power as well, and ankle weights aren't too expensive (think I paid $25 for the set I refer to in the post.) As others have said, stretch fully AFTER your weight training. this will reduce the risk of muscle pulls and you'll get a better stretch after the work out. (P.S. For your reference, turn kicks are the same as roundhouse kicks.) Happy Training!!

Actually, I'm pretty sure that billy blanks is up there in age. (maybe not sixty, but definitely over 40) Still, he's in extraordinary shape whatever age he is.

I hear you Seven, I've definitely been playing the devil's advocate (so to speak) a little much here, but this debate of ours has definitely made me think about the nature of fights and the nature of martial arts, and that's what I joined this forum for so kudos to all of us. As for your last statement in your last post, I've heard that quote before, and I don't disagree with it at all, but I'd just like to see more guys strive to be the guy who practices every technique 10,000 times. (However long it might take.)

don't take this the wrong way Little D, I'm not trying to call you out on anything, and I'm sure you probably didn't mean anything disrespectful, but I'm just wondering what the "slight skin color difference" has to do with anything on this thread?

Seven, I guess you're right, there really isn't much to rebut, because we essentially agree with eachother. Usefulness is relative, but if I find a use in something you find useless, and I can apply that usefulness effectively, then wouldn't it be a good idea for you to at least understand how I make use of it so that I can't use it against you? This is exactly why I say that no technique is useless in training. You will at least learn how to defend against it by learning and practicing it. Know your enemies.

SevenStar, I was going to rebut to your arguments concerning my first post, but warlock has said it with this post. As for having more efficient ways to train the body than MAs, I don't disagree and I do utilize those more efficient methods like running and weight training, but I still don't get those motions and positions down that might be necessary in a fight from running or weight training like hook kicks, and spin kicks, and angular attacks which can at least be great fients and setups for other, more straight forward attacks, or can be used to keep an opponent back and at bay while you regain your compsure and/or balance. Like I said before, I can go on finding uses for even those most, seemingly, useless techniques.

This makes you just as bad as the guy attacking you because if you DO do this, then you're out of control. I don't know about you, but I train to be able to control the situation, and if the law can prosecute me and throw me in jail because of something I've done (and believe me, if you hospitalize someone, they can, and probably will, especially because you're a martial artist) then the situation is no longer in my control, so I've failed in my training. If one punch is thrown at you and you have the proper training to control and neutralize that punch, then you have the ability to control and neutralize subsequent punches as well, and you have no reason to maul anyone. If you have this neutralizing ability and still feel that you need to severely hurt someone, then you've just given in to your fear and paranoia, and you clearly have no self control at all.