ps1

Congrats Iceman!

Yes...most certainly. Basically, we're saying the same thing. For example, from side control, you can use your shoulder to make sure the opponent's head stays facing away from you. This will both protect you from being bitten and only give the opponent one route of escape. However, if he rolls that way, now you have his back. I like to call those kinds of things, "opening doorways." But the opponent doesn't realize it's the doorway to hell! Only bad things can happen when they go through.

Oh, ok. As I'm not likely to be making the trip across the country to Glendale, CA...what are your philosophies concerning the hips and head? Mine are as follows: 1. If you control the hips of an opponent, you control the movement of the opponent. Never allow an opponent to control your hips. 2. If you control the head of an oppoent, you control the movement of the opponent. Never allow an opponent to control your head. 3. Grappling is a physical chess game that requires as much mental proweness as physical.

Very insightful. Thanks for the clarification. To be sure I understand it correctly...It's ko soto gari when I physically move their foot. But it's ko soto gake when I simply impede the movement of their foot. Is it classified as Osot gari even though my leg is not behind theirs? What I'm saying is that as I enter for Ogoshi, the opponent steps back with the far leg. Rather than turning and having to reach for o soto gari, I simply extend my leg in a sweeping motion to the front of the knee/thigh area and the opponent wheels over it.

Any good grappler would know what that means. Not only physically, but the mental chess game as well.

Sure, obviusly Judokas will practice more throws when doing straight judo. But when grapplers join a no gi submission wrestling match , they are going to fight in a similar way. When I was talkin about BJJ and wrestling takedowns , I was talking about no gi BJJ , that is basicaly Sub-wrestling. Sure , Gi bjj will have more judo throws and take downs because the cloth grip I see. I have a bad habit. Anytime I see BJJ, I automatically think of the Gracie system. That's a bit presumptuous and a little arrogant of me. I should apologize. I bring up this point because the Gracie Jiujitsu system is a gi system. Sure, in submission wrestling events, they shed the gi. But that came about mainly because of money. More people were willing to fight without the gi. When the ADCC was formed, it tried to be fair to every style of grappler and it was decided the largest participation would come if the gi was eliminated for its tournament. However, if you train in any pure Gracie school or Gracie affiliate, you find them to be a huge advocate of the gi. What I'm saying is when I think of BJJ, I think of gi. When I think of no gi, I usually call it submission wrestling. Just semantics. In any case, it all goes back to the idea that the theory of BJJ, Lutre Livre, Sub-grapplers, and Sambo is the use of what works well. So their arts have assimilated the techniques that have been successful. You could draw the same conclusion by looking at TMAs and noticing that they all use side kicks, reverse punches, high blocks and so on. But they are still different and respectable arts in their own right. It all depends on the teacher.

Right, I know they are called different things. But the entry and execution of Harai and O goshi are identical. The only difference is the leg comes out in Harai in order to catch the opponent as they retreat. It just seems to be another variation of O goshi to me. Am I, perhaps, executing it incorrectly? Do you set it up differently than Ogoshi?

My money's on Couture!

I never formally studied Judo. I studied Aiki Jujitsu, which incorporates the throws of judo. But, in my opinion, they are taught in a dramatically different manner. We were taught to use them in conjunction with strikes and it was most often practiced in the form of ippon kumite. My point is this. Because I've never learned many of the throws while working with a struggling opponent, I don't have a full understanding of some of their differences. For example: Ko soto gake vs. ko soto gari. What's the difference? In all the vids I find, they look identical. Same really goes for Harai Goshi and O goshi. Though I've used the two on resisting opponents, they seem to be the same throw. The only exception is the extention of the leg. Here are the questions: 1. Are all of the throws truly different? 2. Why did they chose to call minor variations by a completely different name?

Perhaps when it comes to the sport aspect, you make a good point. However, if you have a good instructor the arts should hold up and withstand the test of time. Anyone who trains for a tournament is going to learn to fight within the rules the tournament provides. So, when watching a tournament or other sporting event, you'll see very similar movements being used by all. However, in my experience, BJJ has more judo takedowns than wrestling takedowns. The only wrestling takedowns we really use are single leg, double leg, and the ankle pick. Conversely, we learn o goshi, hane goshi, seio nage (morote and ippon), o soto gari, ko soto gari, o uchi gari, ko uchi gari, yoko wakare, uchi mata, yoko otoshi, and tomo nage and sumi gaeshi, all of which come from Judo. This falls in line well with the background of BJJ. Afterall, it did come from Judo and later Rolls Gracie worked with some American wrestlers and added in some of its movements and techniques. That is why the Americana is called the Americana. The book "The Gracie Way" also outlines how BJJ added some of the Sambo style leg locks. I guess, in a way, you're right. BJJ, at least, did incorporate several techniques from other arts. However, the Gracies did give credit to the original arts from which they came. But it's still not exactly a melting pot. More like a Beef Stew. Mostly beef and beef broth but with a few other things thrown in.

The way I look at it is that Kata has many different levels of function ranging from the "physiological" (and the training of the body for strength agility, balance and timing etc.), to the explanation and therefore understanding of martial techniques. The key is to get a good instructor who can unlock all of katas potential for you. Can you post a link to a vid of "Toi Gye" so I may compare. Thanks... Z http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUoo5Na8dUQ Here ya go.

Side stomping kick to the knee and a low line round house to the leg are both very good techniques that also serve to keep you out of clinching range.

Going out on a limb here!! I'm pretty sure the video is meant to be satirical in nature. And it's hilarious by the way! Hahahaha. It reminds me of the lightsaber kid.

To answer the post, try to look it up on the Department of Justice website. I would find it hard to believe that many posters here have been in 100 conflicts. So it would be a guess at very best. That wouldn't help you.

I agree. Control the most dangerous weapon and then you can worry about taking out vital areas. If you are busy trying to use eye jabs and striking the throat (the groin isn't likely to do alot in these situations), the opponent is likely to be busy stabbing you. Gain some sort of control over the weapon, then hit they eyes or throat and so on.

Very true! Don't tell anyone though...it's a trade secret!

The first place you should check that is through your school or orginization. Different orginizations are going to give different lists. In "Karate-Do Kyohan," Funakoshi's Master Text, there are a few throws in the back of the book. But it's not meant to be a complete list.

If you have the underhook it's called Kuzure kesa gatame, broken scarf hold. It is, by far, the most secure of the two. When done properly and the weight is placed well, it's far harder to escape than the normal version because you have the ability to keep the opponent from turning onto his side. A good opponent will get out rather easily. Especially when strikes are allowed and there's no gi. Here's a link to pics of the two for anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about. http://www.judo-for-all.com/Theory/Theory-pages/Kesa-Gatama.htm

Ok, maybe I just took it wrong then. In that point he's right. From any point, if the opponent makes a mistake, you can submit them. But there are still some spots that are better than others. For example, you have more options when you control the opponents hips than when he controls yours. Jiujitsu is about learning where the opponent needs to go. Once you know where the opponent needs to be, you can learn to be ahead of him/her. Anytime you can be a step or two or three ahead of your opponent, you're going to win.

It's easy to escape. Since you don't have the underhook on the far side, the opponent can slip out the back door. All you need to do is frame against the neck and rapidly jerk the arm out. Now the opponent is free to armbar you, take your back, or simply stand up depending on the reaction they get.

I work out with people from two different Isshin Ryu schools. Both say the information given here is not accurate. Johnlogic121, where are you getting your information?

IT's hard to say whether it's good or not. The instructor bios seem genuine enough. Check it out and see if you like it. As far as your size goes...MMA is a sport. Should you decide to get in the ring, you'll be with other people in your weight class. In the school itself, you may have a hard time finding someone your size to work with. But, again, you'll just have to go there and find out. The good news is that it will require you to use perfect technique. The better your technique gets, the tougher you will become. Especially since you'll be used to fighting guys much bigger than you. Several of our smaller guys fare very well when they do tourneys or fight and it's for that reason. Good luck.

I think you may be a bit mixed up. Randori does not/should not have a prearranged pattern. In Judo it's free practice where one person tries to get their throw on another. Randori isn't usually used in Karate forms. Instead, they usually use the word Kumite. As Kumite is a general word for sparring or fighting, several types were established: 1. Ippon Kumite- the opponent typically throws an attack and it is immediately defended. However, the movements are completely predetermined. 2. Sanbon Kumite- three techniques are thrown by the uki (sometimes they are pre determined and sometimes they are not). The Tori blocks/evades the three techniques and counters. 3. Kiso Kumite- A word I rarely hear utilized, it refers to kumite drawn directly from kata. More commonly you will hear the words bunkai and oyo used for this type of kumite practice. 4. Jiyu Kumite- this is free sparring, what Judo would call randori. The attacks are not predetermined and neither are the defenses. I hope this was helpful.

This website is horribly vague. The same statements are often made about nearly every martial art. Such as: 1. Doesn't require brute force 2. Ends the fight as quickly as possible 3. No Rules fighting With respect, this is jargon that's often used to sell a martial art. As you are a Brown belt in the art, can you tell us a little more about it? Perhaps give examples of combinations you use, your favorite techniques and so on. This would help to paint a better picture of what the art is all about. Thanks, Bill

I definitely have to say: 1. Ralph Machio- Not a real martial artist, but he played one on TV 2. The Gracie Family 3. Jigoro Kano 4. Miyamoto Mushashi