ps1

I second all of that. In a sport fight my hands will be taped and in gloves. In case of self defense, I would open my hand for head strikes anyway. I don't like to share blood with random jerks. Of all the ways to get a blood borne disease, busting knuckles on someone's face ranks pretty low. Agreed and agreed!

You've missed the boat on this one. It's been around for several years now. The process is far more difficult than you may expect. There are several videos online about it. It's not uncommon to fail the process many times before getting it right. Until BJJ schools are a dime a dozen like most other martial arts, this is likely to exist.

Some people just bruise easily. Usually, it will go away after a few years of practice.

You'll have that. It's quite annoying. The best thing you can do is identify those who do this and never train with them. Or you could be quite blunt and remind them that you pay money to train...you can talk anytime. Remember that there are different reasons people join martial arts. Some do it purely for the socialization aspect. It's very annoying...but true.

If it's important to you...then it's important. My view of kata is that they are all just a dance if all you do is the moves. I never taught kata as just a sequence of moves. I would teach self defense moves for a month and then say, "here's a way to remember them." Then I teach the kata. Now, it has purpose.

It's really a matter of training. I used to prop against a wall and and plant my toes in the ground and pick up my heel. Kinda looks like a calf stretch but hits my toes instead. Then I would sit with my legs stretched out and simply pull my toes to my face 20 times each. It's not a normal thing to do. You just have to work at it.

Why call it anything other than what you do. Offer a boxing class...a kickboxing class and so on.

Are you sure you're skilled enough to teach it? You may want to test some of your things out in other schools before you go naming things and making people pay for it.

You need to get inside her kicking range. That is, close the gap and clinch. You'll likely have to stuff a mid level side kick to do this. Don't stop when it makes contact, just run right through it. She's gonna try to keep you in kicking range. And she'll probably be pretty good at it. If you can't close the gap...you will lose the battle. Talk to your BJJ instructor for the best methods for doing this.

Agreed...on all points. Practice as often as possible to excel. Most students do not do this.

You're gonna have trouble as the rules on Taping change from event to event. Some let you do the wrists only, others let you do fingers. Some don't allow any at all. It's very inconsistent. I'm not sure I know what you mean by straping.

The original UFC competitions pitted style v style. At the time, there were very few rules. Many of the competitors there found that their styles were not as effective 1v1 as they had thought. The main reason for this is because people can take alot more damage then many martial artists give them credit for. That "one strike, one kill" is far more elusive than people believe. That difficulty in handling just one opponent becomes exponentially more difficult when others are involved. Among the styles represented in these competitions were TKD, BJJ, Karate, Kickboxing, Shootfighting, Boxing, wrestling, and Sambo...among others. Granted...it's a competition. But there were VERY FEW rules at the time. Groin strikes and fish hooking were still legal. It was bare knuckle and I believe the only illegal actions were biting and eye gouging. I think Rorion Gracie said it best years ago in Black Belt Magazine. "A person can never overpower multiple attackers. They can survive and even defeat them. But never overpower them." It's a very realistic view of the situation. That's what many martial artists lack.

I'm going to echo the post of Sensei8 here. No one can stop you. However, not being a black belt yourself, how will you rank students? Are you going to do a RBSD type of system that doesn't have rank? I would imagine that would be the best, and most honest way to do it.

It's sad that you're right. Remember that art always reflects the times in which it exists. I think you could make the same argument about government and society as a whole in today's world. That said, I can only fix the problem one way. That is to do what's right and expect the same of my family and students. If I am lucky, they will pass it on as well.

I am a big fan of front leg kicking during point fighting. My front leg side kick is very fast and powerful. However, for the cage, the majority of the kicks go to the leg. Low line round kicks take a lot of time to be powerful and it's usually better to use the rear leg.

You should enter intermediate if it's offered. Beginner is usually meant for people with only 1 to 2 years of grappling experience. If you want to do well, you'll need to figure out ways to get them out of the low stances that dominate this type of competition. You can't let them see you know judo until it's too late because they will just pull guard to avoid it. Dave Camarillo suggests playing a low "wrestling type stance" until you get your underhooks, then you can go to your more comfortable positions. But underhooks will dominate, especially when you don't have a gi. You'll find yourself sprawling alot as singles are extremely common. Good luck and have fun.

Personally, I wouldn't trust any "MMA" school that has a belt system. MMA is a sport, as such, the only rankings are those assigned by success in the ring. That is, you're the champ or the #2 guy ect... MMA schools that assign rank are just trying to cash in on a popular sport. That's fine if all you want is a glorified fitness class. If you want real MMA training, keep looking.

Well the only true Menkyo Kaiden I've ever met had it awarded to him in Japan. It was only after many years of uchi deshi work. As far as who awarded it, I'm not entirely sure. While I trained under him for a year, I was never personally close with him. Here is his bio: http://www.seishinkan.com/martial_members_area/john_viol_daishihan_menkyokaiden.htm

I'm quite partial to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In my opinion, this is really only three kicks:Roundhouse w/variations (ball of foot and shin) Front Kick w/ variations (ball of foot and heel of foot) Side kick So, given my way of thinking, I add a knee strike. Those four strikes, studied in all their variations and uses, will be enough for anyone; sport, self defense, or otherwise.

Cool. I hope you enjoy it. I know I always enjoyed my time training (Diato Ryu and Yagyu Ryu). Much of the stuff we did there is still found in the curriculum of both Judo and BJJ. Have fun.

Which style of Jujitsu are you studying?

Most people have pointed out the three most important issues. 1. Be sure to talk to the instructor before joining. Explain your situation and why you need to wear shoes. 2. Purchase shoes that are designed to be worn on mats. Wrestling shoes and martial arts shoes should fit the bill nicely. 3. ONLY EVERY WEAR THEM INSIDE THE SCHOOL. Never...ever...wear them outside for any reason. You could bring in some nasty things like hook worm, plantars warts, and staph infections by wearing them outside and then wearing them on the mat.

I've run over small trees in a HUMVEE. Let's see your Caddy do that! I need space for me, my lady and a few guns...that's it.

That may or may not be true. But it's important to remember that knowing the moves is different from knowing how to apply each. This list in no way validates rank for anyone. If you want to know where you stand, go try out a jiu-jitsu class. The technical level of each technique is also a big deal. It's not enough to say, here's a kimura. You need to be able to explain what each body part is doing and where it's moving on the given technique. Lastly, it differs from organization to organization. The best example of what I mean is the place where I now teach. It's a school with an instructor who has trained in many styles. When I showed him the list, he reacted alot like you. However, despite knowing what the moves where, he was no where near ready for blue belt. I even brought in some of my blue belt friends to prove it to him. Again, not saying your skill isn't there. Just saying that some arbitrary list you find online is not a good benchmark. True. Aperson can know a jab, cross, hook, uppercut and cover yet not be a good boxer. Absolutely!