ps1

Time in grade. Nothing more. BJJ rank is very subjective. Every degree in BJJ requires a minimum time. In BJJ, 7th degree is "master" rank. In order to attain that rank, you must be both technically excellent and have contributed to the art in a very big way. It's not guaranteed that one will ever earn this rank or any above it, despite knowledge or time in grade.

This is, in no way, anyone's responsibility. Just walk away from the situation.

Yes. For example. I have studied Tae Kwon Do. It was from ages 6 through 9. However, I have not done so since that time (I'm 32 now). So, in regards to TKD, I'm not only stagnate, but actually have lost much of the knowledge I had gained in that art. That's the hard truth about what we do. It's a perishable skill. Therefore, when you stop doing it, you lose your abilities. So it's only studied when you stop doing it. Hence the use of past tense.

I agree with Dobbersky. The most complete listing of wristlocks I've seen in book format was in a Chin Na book I purchased years ago. http://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Shaolin-Chin-Na-Instructors/dp/1594390002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309664142&sr=8-1 I believe this is the newer edition of the book! Enjoy.

Because people's desires almost always extend much farther than their willingness to work hard to attain them. It's that simple.

It's not terribly uncommon to see blue belts teaching right now. There just aren't alot of BJJ black belts. Blue belt takes about 2 years to earn and you remain there for about 3 years. So he could have as many as 4 or 5 years of training. Regardless, he should be able to translate the basics of the art to you. I would not, however pay alot to train under a blue belt.

I started when i was 6. So I really didn't know anything about belts. Actually, I remember seeing a kid doing a spinning kick on "The Karate Kid" and i wanted to learn how to do it. However, as I went up through the ranks...certainly, I wanted to earn the black belt. That said, now that I've been a black belt for a while (over 14 years now), I can say that i have plenty of students that don't care about rank. But they are only adult students. The are set in life and comfortable with who they are. They aren't doing this for self esteem or enlightenment. They are doing it for the enjoyment of the thing itself. That is the ultimate difference between someone who wants a black belt and someone who doesn't care.

I think there's a "Team ROC" school out your way that's affiliated with Royce Gracie. That should be a good school. If I'm not mistaken it also has Isshin Ryu karate at the school as well.

Respectfully, it's been made very clear that Silva was making a joke when he said Segal taught him that move. Same goes with Machida. Machida was a champion Karateka and Silva has been practicing Muay Thai for years. I don't think Steven Segal was the one who introduced them to the front kick.

cool

Please clarify. Is your instructor signing your student's rank certificates? Is your instructor participating in your student's tests?

your thoughts please I think this, while possibly thought provoking, really comes down to a matter of semantics. Unless you have never entered a MA school and come up with a fighting system all your own, you will be drawing your technique base from somewhere. So whether you decide to say, "your training Dobbersky's Karate" or "Shotokan Karate mixed with some other things," is really quite irrelevant. Personally, I would want my students to know how their technique base was derived. I think it's only proper to pay that respect to those who taught me.

Solid post! I can think of several moves and concepts I've learned over the years and initially thought were useless/don't work for me. Yet, as my skill increased (and of those around me as well) I ended up using the very things I had thought were unnecessary. Had I just thrown them away, I may never have been able to step up to the next level each time.

IMO...my worry wouldn't be getting mixed up. My worry would be in not really getting good at any of the styles. To get really good at a martial art, it takes dedicated practice regularly. I would worry that going two months between each style would hinder that process. That said, there's only one way to find out. Go there and see if you like it. In the end...that's all that really matters anyway. Welcome to the forums by the way!

I think most of us would agree with this and echo it. But I'm just seeing what else people do with the movement. Just creating conversation really.

Nice list. We have a saying in BJJ... "It's only gentle on the one who's winning!"

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved." George MacDonald “I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you” Fredrich Nietzsche “We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy” Walter Anderson “Without trust, words become the hollow sound of a wooden gong. With trust, words become life itself.” Unknown author I hope you get the idea...your purple belt, your words, your deeds, your thoughts, your desires, your skills, your whole being is nothing...it is meaningless if you can not be trusted. Never Lie! The truth shall set you free!

I like that. So you see it as more of an agility drill. Not a bad thing. Promotes coordination and kinesthetic awareness...plus it's simple. Would you say the same for the jumping turn at the end of empi?

Anyone who knows the kata will know exactly what I mean. But here's a few videos to help out. The drop is about 55 seconds in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5f-aMNTFFg] about 1:08, slightly different angle again...around the 1:08 mark

Happy Birthday!

November 2004.

I really love karateforums. I found it at a tough time in my life. I was still in Iraq and would wake up each morning at 3am so I would have a chance to make a phone call and send some emails before morning PT. It gave me a sense of home. A connection to the art and type of people I had left behind. It's funny, if you go back and read my posts from that time...you'll see I have a much different attitude than I do now. It was a very rigid and militaristic view of things. I like that KF has allowed me to grow and given me access to ideas and people I would not otherwise ever meet. Thank you for that! Happy Birthday. Here's to 10 more!

What bunkai do you practice for the drop in kanku dai? I use it as a sprawl...I've just defended high and the opponent shoots to my legs...so I sprawl. In his Best Karate series, Nakayama sensei uses it to duck under a bo. What are your thoughts?

On another thread, someone mentioned that training the skill of "closing the distance" is a waste of time. The person sited the idea that, if a person is not within striking range and you "close the distance" to strike them, it is you and not them that is starting the fight. It is an interesting point. How do you feel about closing the distance?

You're absolutely correct that it should flow together. However, I know that every dojo I've stepped into, Karate, Kung fu and TKD all taught about kicking and punching ranges. And it wasn't until I read this book a few years back that I said...that makes alot of sense. Using MMA as a template, you see that they people who consistently get knockouts don't necessarily pay attention to ranges. They throw whatever technique they feel they can connect with in that particular moment. Superman punches, overhand punches, flying knees all tend to defy the "traditional" range system.