ps1

Cat stance and Back Stance

In Shotokan testing occoured just about every 3 or 4 months. That made it take between three and 4 years to earn black belt. After that it was 2 years to 2nd degree, 3 years to 3rd degree, 4 years to 4th and so on... In BJJ you test every two and a half to three years. Basically it takes about 8 to 10 years to black belt. You get a stripe (degree/dan) every three years after that. Additionally, you must be 16 years old to earn blue belt and 18 years old to earn black.

It's funny you mention that! People do the same thing to me. They find out I've been doing martial arts all my life and they assume I can levitate or something. People will believe what they want...truth rarely matters.

I wasn't a wrestler. My high school didn't have a team:( However, we have had many wrestlers come into the BJJ academy. Two are world class. These are my observations : 1. They initially give up their back alot. 2. They have a great base and are usually very difficult to sweep with conventional methods. They avoid it to the point that they give up the back...as I already mentioned. Usually you need to use xguard or half guard. 3. Their takedowns, as you would expect, are strong and they often end up in the top position. 4. Because they don't like being on their back, they don't work on their guard much initially. This leaves them exceptionally vulnerable to being passed once they get swept. 5. They don't like to tap...ever! Sometimes they roll too hard/fast and get themselves in bad position. 5. Once they develop a good guard and start slowing down...they are really tough! Good base...good takedowns and good jitsu= one tough grappler.

I'm not buying it. Fight Science was more about entertainment than actual science. They don't take into account the brains ability to deal with pain. This assumes that it hurts so bad that the brain sends out a paralyzing signal. Pain threshold really comes into play here. Think back to the first time someone pushed the radial pressure point on your wrist. It hurt bad and you dropped to your knees. Now, it's probably a minor annoyance. The mystique of martial arts in the past was such that masters wanted laymen to think they could do these things. It's a basic psychological operations play. Make your enemy think you're tougher than you really are and he won't want to fight or will fight with fear. It's a trick, nothing more.

You took the words out of my mouth.

I agree with your thinking here. I even mentioned it above. I don't use it more because I train with alot of wrestlers (two of whom are/ were world class). Since I have no wrestling background I end up putting myself in a position where they can now throw me hard. So I sit to guard. I'm one of the higher ranks in my BJJ school and I can almost always sub or sweep the guy.

Sit down and play guard. Be aware that there are ankle locks and remain ready to defend them. It's better to sit than to be thrown. That is a decent jiujitsu response. You could also slide your leg through their arm by clinching and then attempt a sprawl. However, I feel, you're more likely to get thrown this way. The scissor isn't a bad option either. I usually use this technique to the back of the knees and the front of the hips. This makes it harder for the opponent to step out of the technique.

I wish his family the best. May his contributions to martial arts be remembered for all time. In the future, his name will be mentioned along with the likes of Musashi, Bruce Lee, Oyama, Funakoshi, Ali and other greats that have come before us.

I agree. Physical conditioning is important not only because it will help the body absorb the hit, but also because a healthy body heals and copes more easily with the stresses of combat. I also think that we often forget that we practice an art of combat. "Taking hits" is not something everyone can actually learn to do. That's why skilled martial artists are so very rare. Combat, as it seems you train it, is not for everyone. What are the ages of the students in questions.

If you're doing an armbar properly it should not be resting on your family jewels. Rather, the elbow should be slightly above that area.

Do you feel the methods of instilling discipline are effective for the majority of individuals? That is, both inside and outside the dojo?

That is awesome! I knew a BJJ BB under Rey Diogo (Carlson Gracie Black Belt) that rolled with Ed O'Niell before. Said the guy is pretty good. That is awesome he came down to your guys school. Did he roll with any one or just talked? My guess is talked because he mentioned in an interview that lately because of injury's and such he only rolls with Rorian and his sons because they are the only ones that don't try to go after him. Any way thanks for shairing your experience that is awesome he came by the gym. I always wanted to meet the guy. He just talked and joked around with the guys. He said the next time he's in town he will work out with us a little. He was really happy to see a legit Gracie school in the Youngstown area.

He scored 4 touchdowns in the championship game for polk high. Ha! It's funny you say that! One of our guys asked him about it and Ed said he never scored a touchdown in his life.

This was really good. I like the progressions he talks about near the end. I also like his 4 step thinking process. Thanks for sharing it.

He was in our school a couple months back. The picture is at the bottom of the page on the site below. http://www.ohiobjj.com/ I wasn't there that night. But he just stopped by and joked with all the guys. Talked about training in Brazil and his life in general. We're close to his home town. Said he might stop by again some time.

How, if at all, does your school teach/enforce discipline to it's students.

I'm not going to address the proper foot placement, width ect... You're instructors will guide that. It seems to me that you seem more concerned with a loss of fluidity due to tightness through the calves and knees. Your main problem is that you're expecting too much of yourself too soon. The answer, simplistic as it may be, is to simply keep practicing. Your body will adapt with time and you won't even notice it before long. Once your body adapts to this unique position, you'll begin to feel fluid again. Hope that helps! Good luck and keep us posted on that.

An interesting read for sure. I think, for it's time, having a text devoted to teaching martial art techniques was revolutionary. However, I think the technique and art in general need help. The text suffers the same problem that many traditional jujitsu schools of the time did. They were nothing more than a collection of techniques with no underlying principle. This is the reason Kano broke away from jujitsu and created judo. He then said that all techniques must "use minimum effort for a maximum effect." Any techniques he didn't feel followed that maxim were removed. His body positions in the photos suggest he's using alot of strength and energy to accomplish some of his techniques. A head straight up in the air while performing a takedown is usually indication of an inefficient body position. Additionally, no reference is made as to how to control the positions once you get a person to them. It's an interesting read for nostalgia purposes. Some of the techniques bare a resemblance to techniques used in many arts. There is little refinement of techniques (at least as far as the text goes...with no real life experience it's hard to say for sure). No governing maxim or doctrine seems to be present. Overall I wouldn't suggest it for reference purposes. However, it's a good piece of history and one of the earliest texts I've seen.

I'm a righty (left side forward) for most of my fighting. However, I have a number of technique combos that I use. Some are better with my right side back...others are good from a lefty stance.

Wow!!! This has had alot of responses! I appreciate that. However, I think many of you may be misinterpreting my question. I've seen many people talk about needing knowledge of the art and an ability to teach. That is a given (Since I started the thread, I can say that:)). I have trouble believing that anyone would agree someone without those things should be teaching. There are people out there that don't teach well or have the technical knowledge, but that's another issue all together. The question was 2 part: 1) What qualifies a person to teach? Most everyone has answered this. It's a question that is answered with extrinsic factors. Black Belt, former fighter, certified and so on... 2) What makes their teaching credible? Not many have answered this question. This is an intrinsic question. Perhaps a better way to state it is: what must be necessary in that teachers training to make you happy with their instruction? So far, I think ironsifu and joesteph have answered the question fully. Others have hinted at part 2, but not much. I'll give my opinions on the subject in about a week. Until then, I really appreciate all the input so far.

30 years old. Training since 6.

Heart disease is, and has been, a leading cause of death worldwide. You can't beat the statistics. The combination of diet, genetics, living conditions, medical availability, and stress (among other things) all contribute to the various forms of heart disease. You can't just lump all heart attacks together. A heart attack can occur for any number of reasons. Even the stress of being sick for another reason can lead to a heart attack. Bottom line: It has nothing to do with karate.

Same side armbar from the knee mount.

In Shotokan we made sure the stripes were on the right. The knot was a square knot that held both sections of the belt in place. Some people did it in a way that there was no cross in the back others did it with the cross in the back. In Chuan Fa we wore sashes. The were tied in what was essentially a slip knot. The knot was worn on the right hip. The ends should cascade down the right leg with the longest ending at the knee, the middle ending mid thigh and the loop ending just above that. In BJJ, we think of the gi like a runner thinks of his running outfits. They should be clean, in good order and fit properly. Other than that, just put it on and get on the mat.