ps1

Glad to hear it's going better for you. Good luck in your training.

AMEN!!! I was reading through the thread and was wondering when someone was going to respond with this type of remark. Thanks for stepping up tallgeese. As for the jump in Unsu. More than anything it just takes tons of practice. Most of the suggestions here will help you be quite fruitful with the movement. However, I will also point out that there must be a weight shift from the back stance (kokutsu dachi) just before you jump. Just shift the weight a little from the back foot to the front foot. This allows you to pike (lift) your knee higher and drive through the movement. Also, pull up some videos of it on youtube. Don't watch anything but the footwork that occurs just before the jump. This is especially true of some of the people that do it best. Some of their footwork is very fast/difficult to see. Just keep watching and rewinding and rewatching until you see what they are doing differently than you. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

I firmly believe that a functional and fundamental grasp of the sciences (biology, physics, anatomy, and physiology) are a must in order to be good at any martial art. In addition, it teaches us be a little more skeptical in regards to some of the things people teach out there.

you're welcome. The person that posted that clip has several others like it. They should be alot of help.

This is really hard to answer because styles vary so drastically. For example, in BJJ it usually takes between 8 and ten years to earn a black belt. However, Matt Sera did it in 3 years under Renzo Gracie. I managed it in one year in our shotokan school. But I had alot of prior training in other arts. I would say that the vast majority of schools are between 3 and 5 years though.

TKD- 3yrs, green belt* Chuan Fa (Poekoelan Teii Kung Fu)- 14 years, 3rd degree Shotokan- 10 years, 3rd degree Aiki Jujitsu- 8 years, 2nd degree Gracie BJJ- 5 years- purple belt *-no longer actively study

It just looks silly to me. For one, we get extremely sweaty in our gi. I would not want to wear that heavy sweaty thing around. It's just gross. I see kids wearing them all the time. I just figure that the parents didn't have time to change them into other clothes before doing their chores. To me, it looks no more ridiculous than all the Tap Out gear everyone is wearing nowadays.

Ditto! Great post Ed

I think this thread is important in that it addresses just how messy an eye gouge is. I know alot of instructors who don't even bother to teach it to many because they know the person wouldn't have the intestinal fortitude to actually execute the technique.

Here's a good basic vid from Demian Maia. You could use this as a drill. It would work well to teach the proper movement from the guard and defending the pass.

HA! LOL! I really like that definition! I'm gonna use that from now on.

Agreed! The non-partner drills are ok just to teach the body mechanics...but they need a human being with them as they drill if they're going to get it down properly. Are there any specific types of movement you wanted advice on? Afterall, movement on the ground is very different than movement on the feet.

With respect, it's certainly possible to break your shin while kicking. However, it's not easy. The Tibia (shin) is one of the strongest bones in the body and is far less likely to break than the tarsal bones of the instep. The shin, being a very strong bone, is dense and causes much more damage to the opponent than the instep will. That's why you see it more in mma. The snapping kicks with an instep are seen more often in point sparring because they are fast. Think of it as the difference between a jab (snapping kick) and a cross (shin kick). The jab is used to set up more powerful strikes. The cross is, ideally, a knockout strike. They both have merit if you use them properly.

Hey everyone. Here's two more vids. The first one is a defense of the guillotine while in the guard. The second is a way to open and pass the guard. They are being taught by Tony Rinaldi, a brown belt under Pedro Sauer. He's my instructor.

Two things will lead to a fundamental understanding of movement on the ground. 1. Practice/Drilling 2. Experience in open mat/ rolling A person will stay in the same place until their body learns to move. It must be drilled and recognized while rolling. It's important to recognize that movement on the ground is highly unnatural. That's why it takes so much more practice.

Chung Le certainly has alot of experience. I'm sure that, with training and practice, his methods are all viable. Thanks for sharing the article.

It reminds me of the tekki forms of shotokan. A big difference is that we do not do sine movements.

Please define semi-contact. How does it differ from a light contact tourney?

I feel that a good grappling base is every bit as important as a good striking base. That does not, however, mean that you need to be a BJJ black belt..or even a purple or brown belt for that matter. By the time I earned blue belt I could easily beat anyone who walked through the door with no BJJ/JJ background. That includes the wrestlers. Blue belt represents about 1 to 1.5 yrs of BJJ training. Everything after that teaches you how to beat other BJJ stylists...which is fun but not necessary. Basically you need to know the following: Sprawl, Upa, Elbow escape, Escape from side control, Choke defense, Closing the distance, Armbar (from all basic positions), triangle choke, rear naked choke, Oma Plata, Kimura, Americana, how to hold side control, obtaining mount, guard passes, Sit over sweep, Scissor sweep, headlock defense, cross choke, t-position takedowns and a few others I may not be thinking of as I write this. In addition...you need to know how and when to flow between them...otherwise they are just useless techniques. This alone will not help you, however. You also need some basic stand-up skills. My suggestions would be: Knee strikes, elbow strikes, Low line round house, front kick, jab, cross, hook (maybe), comb the hair block, leg check (maybe) FOOTWORK (stacking opponents and getting angles). Just like the grappling, you must be able to effectively flow through all of theses and know when to use which ones. Lastly are some basic movements that work to defend against an armed opponent. The more all encompassing the better. We loose fine motor skills with excitement. No matter wether you're grappling or striking you should always have good target recognition. The victory will go to the person who is able to seize the moment most effectively. There are other factors such as aggression and will to live that can never be factored in until the moment arises. This is not meant to be a complete list...but rather just illustrating a point. Grappling and Striking are the same. Each is equally important. Grappling is great if you're taken by surprise and didn't have the opportunity to strike. Striking is great when the opportunity presents itself. To completely exclude one or the other from self defense training is delusional and foolish. IMO

Shotokan: White, Yellow, Blue, Green Purple, Brown, Black Poekoelan (Chuan Fa): White Belt, Green Sash, Brown Sash, Black Sash Aiki Jujitsu: White, Blue, Green, Brown, Black BJJ: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black

Find an open area and work on tricking. You may also find a gymnastics gym that has an open floor night and work some stuff there as well.

It's a great move as well as very realistic for fighting. As long as there is some semblance of control...I wish it was legal in all forms of sparring tournaments. Further, I like the tourneys where you can perform a takedown as long as it's followed by a strike attempt.

1. Have Fun. If you don't do this...there's no point. 2. Don't overthink it. It's no different than any other day. 3. Chances of ever making a million dollars at this are very slim. Don't take it too seriously. After the tournament...spend more time figuring out where you can improve than worrying about what place you got. That is, after all, the point of it.

By definition, Karate is dynamic...see the definition provide by Dobbersky. I have never seen this term used to define a specific sector of Karate. I would say that those who do...may not have a true/full understanding of how Karate is supposed to be performed. I suppose that one could use the word dynamic in the psychological sense to differ their karate from traditional. Meaning that they allow things to change to "fit the times." But, in my opinion, karate already does that if you know it well enough. In the end...I think someone decided to use it to make a little extra money and segregate themselves from the mainstream karate.

Hi Traymond, The important thing to remember about stances is that they are only a small part of a greater movement. That is, each style has stances because they feel that particular position is an important transitional step to a full movement. They are not meant to be stagnant fighting positions. That said, they differ because various styles believe that important transitions occur in slightly different locations. Some styles lift a leg with weight distribution "x" while others believe that weight distribution "y" is better. Generally, they evolve from what worked well for a particular system's founder. That's they way it worked for him/her, so it was passed on in the same manner. This is also why various instructors make slight changes to the stances. Multiply those changes and variations over the number of instructors/styles out there and you can easily see why there are great differences in the way they get performed. As for what is correct for each stance. The answer is that the only correct version of the stance is the one the founder of the style used. Otherwise it's a variation/ adaptation of the stance. The same process happens with all the techniques of a system. Before to long...bing bango...you have a new system.