ps1

I was trying to post a pic but, because it's on FB, it won't post properly. If you want to see it you can go to: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=489716527761636&set=a.422197961180160.95551.100001698783688&type=1&theater It's a facebook address. So if you don't want to go to FB then avoid.

Yes. This is exactly the perception. Further, there's alot of truth to it. While children are capable of developing high levels of physical capabilities, their intellectual capacity is much more limited. Of course that's a generality and does not apply to all children. This is also why many adults don't like being taught classes by kids and even young adults. While they may have the physical prowess, they often lack the life experience to truly put what they're doing into the context of applying martial arts to life. Even now, at 34 (and I look like I'm mid 20s), people sometimes wonder about my ability to do this. It isn't until I explain that I've been to war, have 2 kids, a stable career as an engineer, a wife, and 28 years in martial arts, that they usually listen to what I'm saying.

Sounds like you have a good game plan. Just go for it. Most or the founders of the more traditional arts were never 10th degree anyway. They were either forced to take it or awarded it posthumously so those who followed could attain rank higher than 5th, which is what most founders considered themselves. In the end, the only point of having degrees is retention of children. Most people will quit upon earning a black belt or choose to keep training. If they are training just to earn a black belt, you'll lose them anyway. If they are training to learn an art, they'll stay longer. I don't see the need for super high ranks. If your system only goes up to 4th...so be it. If it goes up to 32nd...so be it. It's your system.

The rank thing does not matter. My suggestion, if you're even curious at all about the whole 10th degree thing, would be to use a different ranking system all together. Maybe have 5 phases (not belts). Phase 1 is beginner, phase 2 is novice, phase 3 is intermediate, phase 4 is advance, and phase 5 is instructor. Done. I do agree with others, however. I think too many people believe that style=rigid system of doing things. That's not how I see it. For example. I'm quite sure, at 6'-230#, I do Shotokan differently than Funakoshi did it. I probably have different preferences and technique choices that he did. My angles are likely different. But that doesn't mean I'm not doing shotokan. It means I'm adapting shotokan to me, which is ultimately the piont. Either way, no, you don't need to be a 10th dan, nor do I think you should say you are.

Would have started training BJJ much earlier.

After reading the posts after mine, perhaps I misunderstood. I have the most recent ranking of all the systems I've trained hanging up. I agree that it would be a bit non-sensical to hang my blue belt certificate as well as my sandan certificate. Overall, I have 4 certificates hanging. -3rd degree in chuan fa -2nd degree in shotokan -2nd degree in Aiki Ju-Jitsu -Black belt in BJJ Also hanging are my instructional self defense and instructor's certifications I've earned through the years.

Congratulations!!!

Agreed. Hesitance to perform your techniques demonstrates a lack of faith in your techniques. You should have 100% confidence in your actions. If you're second guessing wether you'll get hit while performing them, thus holding back, then you need more training.

I have all of mine hanging. But each is from a seperate instructor and organization. So there was never an overlap where I was receiving, potentially undeserved, ranking in several arts at once. I saw this many times in my years.

I think it's important to break this up into different historical periods. Especially since martial arts have transformed greatly in both application and methods over the centuries. 1. Ancient- I don't know enough different martial artists from ancient history. My immediate thought goes toward Miyomoto Musashi, though. 2. Modern Era, deceased: Jigoro Kano 3. Modern Era, Living: Dan Inosanto Those are my pics, but it's all very subjective anyway.

Balls of solid steel!!!

All the best

Positional Mastery Class last night. Uchi Mata Double Leg Uchi Mata →double leg combo

I'm gonna be honest and say I don't know who that is demonstrating the drill. But I liked it. I just picked it because it was most similar to what we use the technique for.

We had 4 levels. 1. Basic training of Salient points. 2. Salient points, with a finish 3. Counter to the salient points 4. Perform the salient points in a way that will nullify the counter and finish the opponent (kill). As an example of this I'll use the first full technique of Teikoyoku shodan: Low defend. We teach this as a hammer strike to the groin. (level 1) Then a hammer strike to the groing followed by a punch to the throat (Level 2) Then a counter to the level 2 technique: low defend against the hammer fist and rising block to the throat to counter the punch. (Level 3) Level 4 brings in all the movements of the low defend. So now, the prepatory movement of the arms enters the application. Grip the opponent's arm and use the hikite to put the opponent off balance during the groin strike (attempting to destroy the pubic symphasis), the hikite of the strike further pulls the opponent off balance as you strike the throat/neck (crush the trachea or fracture the spine). Hope that makes sense. But that's how we always learned bunkai. The techniques could change, but the format was always the same. 1. Technique as it looks. 2. Technique with follow up 3. Counter the technique 4. Counter the counter.

I've never used shuto as a block per se. Here's a good video that is very similar to how we always practiced it.

Advanced Class: -Arm under sweep (pendulum sweep) -Arm under sweep, opponent moves leg -Arm under sweep to armbar Positional Mastery - O Goshi - Tani Otoshi -O Goshi-> Tani Otoshi combo

I think I follow what you're saying, Drew! In my area there is a highly successful fighter that competed at some very high levels. His base and preferred art is muay thai. Now that he has opened his own school, he runs it as a muay thai gym. That's fine for Muay Thai competition, but his guys don't do well in pro mma competition because they only have 1 hour per week of grappling training. Am I following your question correctly? If so...I agree. There's nothing wrong with preferring one phase of combat over another. But if you only teach that to your athletes, they aren't likely to do well.

Do it.

I give my new students 6 weeks free with a gi included. There is no obligation to sign up for anything other than a typical month to month tuition payment schedule. Of course, there are other offers, but those benefit both me and the student. I think it's more accurate to point out that you should ensure you're signing up for something that you are sure about, especially if there is more than a one month commitment involved. The answer to your question is a little tough. Tae Kwon Do and Karate are sometimes very similar. Other times, very different. Karate is a very generic term and has many many styles. As others have pointed out, the best thing is to try each place out and decide what you like. As much as you may want to, don't just try out one place. Even if you think it's great, you may find later that it's not what you really want. I suggest trying out at least 3 and as many as 6 schools. Even try something you wouldn't have considered as they may surprise you. I'm a prime example of that. As a Kung Fu black sash in high school I wrote a ten page paper on why brazilian Jiu-jitsu is ineffective. Fast forward 15 years and I'm a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who owns his own academy. I wish I had known how much I would love it at the time. That was my fault for not trying it out when I had the chance. Anyway, keep us updated on your progress. Good luck!

I think your dream of competing high level MMA is perfectly realistic. Others have given you very good advice as far as the training aspect goes. But there is so much more to it than that. You should begin finding some good strength and conditioning coaches and someone who can give you solid nutritional advice. Those things will be of critical importance as you move forward. The earlier you start developing good habits in training, the better you will be. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

This has been going on for years. NY isn't seeing the bigger picture. If they were smart, like my state of Ohio, they would legalize it and then regulate the heck out of it. There's a state commission, fighter registration and everything. The state makes money on it. Even the referees have to be state certified.

For your beautiful belt, I'd recommend Kataaro. You can get anything you can imagine from them. Litterally anything. Our instructor signs all of our belts. I sent them an image of the signature, they digitized it and embroidered it on the belt for me. PM me if you want their website.

Line of Sight on Your Weaknesses: In 1999, the Dunning-Kruger effect was introduced to the field of social psychology. In summary, this is the idea that people tend to overestimate their skills while underestimating the skills of others. Jiu-Jitsu does not allow for this. Because you are constantly testing your skill against others, over time, it is nearly impossible to believe yourself to be better than you really are. Your strengths and weaknesses are made apparent to you as well as the strengths and weaknesses of others. The ability to recognize and confront your weaknesses is character building, and enlightening. Goal Setting: Because weaknesses are constantly being found, the ability to set goals to confront and overcome your weaknesses becomes ultimately important for growth in the art. Goal setting in Jiu-Jitsu is the only way to get better at jiu-jitsu. Further, because the goals are specific to your skill set, you will always get better as a result of achieving them. Quiet Your Ego: In order to achieve your goals, which are ultimately grounded in your weaknesses, you must do things you are not good at doing. This means you will lose more often than you win until you achieve your goal. The only way to accomplish your goal is to quiet the ego; that innate desire to abandon what you’re doing and just do what it takes to win. Until you can quiet your ego, you will not achieve your goals. This is what holds most people back from getting good at Jiu-Jitsu, as well as keeps them from getting ahead in life. Importance of Detail: When you constantly confront people that are younger, stronger, faster, and bigger than you; or when you are constantly beaten by someone who is smaller and weaker than you. It quickly becomes apparent that physical prowess is not the deciding factor in winning. In Jiu-Jitsu, as in life, the devil is in the details. Learning to be a technical and detail oriented person will make you a more effective person both at jiu-jitsu and in real life situations. See the Forest for the Trees: Because the details you learn to see stem from a broader goal, this means a person will learn to see that the small things you do, affect the big things that happen. Despite the fact that there are several details to learn for each move, the overall goal of the move is never lost and is, in fact, strengthened by the details put forth. Our lives can often become clouded with the monotony of day to day details. It is important to constantly remember those details strengthen and support us in many ways. Achievement Comes in Many Forms: Winston Churchill once said, “Failure is not fatal, Success is not final, it’s the courage to continue that counts.” This rings true both in jiu-jitsu and in the grand scheme known as life. Failure to meet a goal enlightens us to our weaknesses. And being successful at a something does not indicate that the move or skill can not still be honed further. Like a diamond, perfection in Jiu-Jitsu is the product of constant pressure and time. Go With the Flow: There are times in all our lives when things are truly beyond our control. This can either be a product of our own doing, or the product of others. Regardless, Jiu-jitsu combat has similar situations. If you chose to fight against those things you can not control, you will usually lose. Learning to go with the flow is very important if we want to succeed in Jiu-Jitsu. Spot Your Landing: As we go with the flow it’s important to constantly look for places where we can regain control of the situation. Finding a foothold and focusing on where you’re headed will allow you to spot your landing and come out ahead. Stand Your Ground: It’s been said that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Understanding when you should stand your ground and when you should go with the flow is a constant struggle in Jiu-Jitsu. Different people move in different ways and the better you understand yourself and your situation, the better you can determine when and how to stand your ground and fight for your position. Fun: While the prior 9 points are of extreme importance in getting good at jiu-jitsu and applying it to your life; having fun while you’re doing it will guarantee continued success and constant improvement. Whether it’s jiu-jitsu or improving the human condition, fun is the key to self-betterment, enduring struggle and pursuing your top level of achievement. I heard a professional fighter once say, “Jiu-Jitsu is the most fun you can have without breaking the law.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Back in the late 90s, when I was in college, the American College of Sports Medicine had Judo ranked as one of the safest SPORTS for children. Over Football, baseball, and Soccer. With my experience in Judo, I would agree it's a grossly inaccurate assessment. But I do believe the injury rate among children is very very low. Oppose that with broken necks in football, deaths in baseball, and accidental kicks (with spikes on) during soccer, and it can seem mild in comparison. However, among the people in the sport, Judo is known as "The Great Crippler."