ps1

I love to use this method. As painful as it is, video is often times the best way you can learn what you're doing wrong. Much of the time, you think your body is doing one thing and it's actually doing something else.

It’s very rare that I find myself disagreeing with Brian. But this is one case where I disagree nearly 100%. Technique is everything (assuming we leave the metaphysical out of this). Proper technique creates proper leverage. The better the lever, the more useful the move. Strength, speed, agility, cardio…these are all athletic traits. And in a competition, they are important. If you have two people of equal skill in technique, the bigger/faster/stronger person is likely to win. However, outside of competition, there really aren’t weight divisions. So the usefulness of athletic traits (again, not talking about general living or being healthy here) becomes less important with larger disparity in size. A 135lb man facing me at 230lb is doomed if his technique is not spot on. Yet I’ve met boxers who can pick me apart with angles and set ups. Pedro Sauer (8th degree GJJ black belt) easily destroys me on the ground, and he’s 55 yrs old. He wins not because of his athleticism. He wins because his technique is near perfect. He connects to me in a way that everything I do amplifies or enhances his movement. Likewise, the boxer uses angles that make it so when I move, my movement takes me right into the next strike; not because he was faster, but because his mechanics were better. As we get older, youth is stripped away, strength is stolen, and speed is lost. All we have left is technique. If a person hopes to have any kind of longevity in the arts, they must shed themselves of the need for physical power and embrace the proper body mechanics that will allow their body to endure the test of time. Doing martial arts this way allows you to avoid more injuries, experience success even at an older age, and train indefinitely.

It's important to note that it has been RECOMMENDED to be dropped. This is not a done deal. None the less, I can think of a host of reasons that wrestling in the Olympics is far more important than Karate in the Olympics. The first of which is that Wrestling was in the first Olympic Games, ancient and modern. It's also more widely practiced that Karate. Also, Karate is not a likely candidate to get in. Here's a yahoo article talking about golf or rugby. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--ioc-s-poor-decision-to-add-golf-costs-wrestling-its-spot-in-olympics-201325406.html

I agree with Sensei8. No one here will know the intentions of the instructor. Go check it out would be my advice. At worst, you only get one lesson. At best, you get lots of private lessons.

Brilliant! Did the instructor also have a stripy Gi? K. I believe at a certain rank they also get a large pocket with a big letter M on it. This stands for Master. How did you know that??? Was that you at my grading/promotion last Saturday? After weeks of diligent practice (and payment of my exam fee, and signing up for another 13 years) I finally made it to white belt!

Welcome! I'm a bit confused. You don't want to do online (I understand that) but you're hesitant to train with this gentleman, why? The price is certainly a good one. Private lessons can be very pricey. I don't see why you wouldn't go.

I didn't provide kid's ranks for bjj: They are as follows: White Grey (some use white/yellow) Yellow Orange Green- as high as you can go before the age of 16 yrs.

Chuan Fa: Dragon's Den school of Kung Fu Shotokan & Aiki JuJitsu: Mahoning Valley Center for the Martial Arts BJJ: Instructor's school: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Self Defense Academy My School: Top Level Martial Arts

How? Wouldn't you still have to do the gradings? I can see how your previous experience could help a lot, but only in regards to double grading. Just curious. Is this in JKA? The only grading I was required to take was shodan. I offered to take others, but was instructed to wear my black belt from day 1. This was through the Kwanmukan, not JKA.

I've done rolls in a ton of different ways, including all those shown.

I think what's more important are two things: 1. Your experience level in the art 2. Your goals with the art If you're a beginner. He should be able to get you to a point where your fundamentals are high quality. Combinations, clinches and foot work can all be taught. If your goal is to learn a good fighting art and maybe do a fight or two, you're probably in good hands. However, if you want to fight many times and often, you'll eventually need a coach who's learned what that's like. How to handle the constant beating on the body, how to handle the diet between fights ect... I teach BJJ. But I've only competed a hand full of times in it. I can teach most people just fine. But if someone wants to become a world champion, there's going to be a point where I'm unlikely to be able to take them further. Possible, yes. But unlikely.

In Shotokan we had 4 criteria in running kata: 1. Hand and foot move at the same time 2. Back Straight 3. Head Level 4. Start and End on the same spot However, components of a good technique include: 1. Proper breathing 2. Proper timing 3. Proper focus 4. Zanshin So, technically, the 4 components of a good technique would also be components of good kata. On a personal note: I do tend to agree with #7 as stated. I don't really see the point on learning countless kata and performing them just ok. I'm more a fan of only learning between 5 and 7 prior to Shodan. Learning a new one before truly understanding the current kata is sometimes a waste, in my opinion.

This is true that a "duel" is not usually a life and death situation. But that's not what Sensei8 was asking. Regardless, duel situations happen often. Are they usually more sportive...I think that's fair to say...but they are common none the less.

Absolutely true. But not what the original question was asking. Neither the hook or the uppercut should be a first movement. Both are more effective when set up and followed up. And the answer is...no. Well, I guess it CAN. But it's not likely to be effective. Most of the energy in the strike will have been offset by the energy required to change it's direction. Inertia is a pain in the rump! BUT!!!!! That's where straitblast's comment comes in! Combo it up, baby!!!!!

Highly effective strikes such as a hook and an uppercut are not always in line prior to throwing them.

I actually agree with this perspective. My problem is when a school claims a system that it clearly does not teach (there are only a handful of certified ninjitsu experts in the U.S.) or when they make outlandish claims such as teaching "an elite tactical system" but won't disclose the system name. My biggest problem with this is that they are lies. To begin a relationship based on a lie is never a smart idea.

Here's his website: http://www.topgunkarateacademy.com/martialartsprogram.htm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robinsons-Top-Gun-Karate-Academy/123730490978649 Though I'm given to be suspicious of the school. In listing the "styles" you learn he has this statement: We will equip you with skill sets from, karate, freestyle jujitsu, submission wrestling, and an elite tactical system, (name undisclosed due to licensing regulations), used to train some of the top body guards in the country. Anytime someone says they're "unable to say the name of a system they teach" it sets off an alarm in my head. Plus they have a "Ninja camp." That said, the "ninja camp" could just be a fun name for a big event they hold. That is how the Facebook pictures make it look. But on this page: http://www.topgunkarateacademy.com/aboutus.htm they have "Shadow Wolf Clan (Ninja Weapons, Tactics, and Wilderness survival)." Actually, of the 4 "licensed martial systems" he has listed, I've never heard of any. It's possible they are repackaged arts that he has learned over the years. It's also possible that he is not a credible person. The last alarm is that I can not find ANY information about the instructor, other than his name on the home page. Lineage, or at the very least proof of training (pictures, certificates, actual styles ect...) is important to me. When the styles listed are so vague, there's no information about the instructors, claims of "ninjitsu" training, "undisclosed" styles...I start to think it's fake. With all I've said, it's certainly not my place to slander someone. That's not my intent. The ONLY WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE IF A SCHOOL IS GOOD IS TO CHECK IT OUT. But I would do so with a very critical eye and a huge air of caution.

I agree with the 3 previous comments. When you first learn anything, you must actively think about what you're doing. Once you own the movements, the pattern and sequences should be automatic. Now, I don't think of the pattern at all. I see the attacker for their respective sequence.

When in doubt...ask the google!!! Here's the main webpage for International Shinson Hapkido Association: http://www.shinsonhapkido.org/en/what-is-shinson-hapkido.html

Yes, they are. It's all about location, facilities, and affiliation. I'm sure training at Extreme Couture in Las Vegas is much more expensive than training at the average, local MMA gym. I mean, really...look at his floor plan http://www.xtremecouturemma.com/GymTour.asp I'm willing to bet those are larger and better kept facilities than 90% of the gyms around the world.

Awesome. I'd love to have the chance to train with him.

Neither of the examples set forth in this thread seem to be a mcdojo. Every school, run as a good business, will have some traits. But the biggest trait of a mcdojo is POOR QUALITY. If you feel the quality of your training is worth the price, you're probably doing just fine.

I would say that many of the bjj academies out there can be placed into this category. More specifically, those run by the more famous practitioners. That said, I would love to be able to provide such a service. A large open training space, showers, locker rooms, reception and waiting areas. I say that kind of facility carries with it a higher cost. So paying more makes sense. More so if the instruction is of high quality. The Gracie Academy in Trance, ca is a good example of this. It even contains a museum dedicated to the art's lineage.

Look into educational psychology books. What you'll find is the following: Retention of information can be broken down into how the information is received. 1. Heard: Information that is heard has the lowest level of retention 2. Heard and Viewed: Things that are seen as well as heard have a higher level of retention. 3. See, Hear, and Do: When you actively participate in learning the information, you retain it much better. However, if you're looking for how to teach LEOs techniques that they may need to draw upon 2 days or 2 years from now. That's about repetition of training. There is no way they will develop an automated response if it's something they only did once.

I agree with this. It's like being a veteran. I can usually spot another veteran from a mile away. Not always correct, but alot of times I am.