ps1

The author makes some good points and misses some points completely. Good points are that BJJ/MMA training should be for survival and self defense first and foremost. Being able to set traps and take advantage of the opponents mistakes are also extremely important. The author makes some clear mistakes when he asserts that the positional strategy is not necessary. Rickson Gracie, arguably one of the greatest fighters of our time and Helio Gracie (creator of BJJ), are both known for saying, "position before submission." It is the positional heirarchy that keeps you safe on the street. I would bet that the author would much rather be on someone's back than have them in side control on him!

Here's some footage of Pedro Sauer's kid's seminar. Despite the fact he's teaching kids, the techniques are very good. Kimura, Scissor sweep, and armbar from the mount are covered. Hope you enjoy.

I can't help but be honest. Afterall, no one's ever gonna see my name on any UFC highlight reels:D It works very well in Karate and I make it work in our MMA training. But I'm not exactly fighting anyone who is world class on their feet. I think someone with excellent timing can pull it off though.

Throwdown is right. Those muscles are called intercostals. They allow the expansion of the ribcage during breathing, among other things. It is quite likely you pulled them during pilates as it incorporates breathing exercises with core exercises. In addition, you could have dislocated some intercostal cartilage. Both injuries are excruciating. However, you need to see a doctor. There is also the possibility of an underlying heart condition. The tests are fairly noninvasive and could save your life if there's a problem. It is a scary prospect to face...but do it! Part of martial arts is to learn about overcoming your fears. Overcome them and see a doctor.

In regards to sparring, a black belt of any style should have a much higher degree of skill in regards to footwork, reaction time, and technical ability. The main reason that a blackbelt in one style is not a blackbelt in another is more about the other details such as etiquette, forms, and drills. As those are considered important as well, a person can not be a blackbelt in the style without knowing them.

In general, if you hold a Dan grade in any system, you should enter all competitions as a dan grade. Differences would be If you were to go to a Judo, BJJ, or say Kendo tourney. Just examine the rules and stick to them. Then you won't be disqualified.

glad you like them. I think it's a good way for people to get exposed to thechniques they may never have the opportunity to see otherwise.

It wouldn't surprise me. It's a pretty common technique among martial arts. The setup is sometimes different.

Hey everyone, Here's a video I put together, part of a series actually, about the double leg sweep. It's my opinion of how it can be used in MMA fighting. It has always served me well. Let me know what you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8A-sHK69t8

Hey everyone. Sorry it's taken me so long to get another video. This isn't a how-to vid. It's a few clips of technique demos during my Purple Belt test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_xOdQJHUM

It's 5 muscles, in the anterior forearm: Flexor Carpi Radialis Palmaris Longus Flexor Carpi Ulnais Flexor Digitorum Superficialis Flesor Digitorum Profundus In addition, the muscles of the rotator cuff, chest, and biceps come into play. There is no skeletal muscle that is impossible to strengthen or work out.

Here's what you need: 12" x 1" dow rod 3 feet of thinner rope or parachute cord. Drill "D" clip Olympic size weights Here's what you do: Drill a hole in the middle of the dow rod. Feed an end of the rope through the rod and tie it off. Attach the "D" clap to the other end of the rope. Feed the "D" clamp end through the weight and clamp it to itself. You now have a handle with a rope hanging from the middle and a weight at the bottom. Now hold it as though you are going to do a biceps curl. In stead simply roll your wrists causing the rope to begin wrapping around the dow rod handle. Do this for three to four sets. This will strengthen all 5 groups of muscles that cause wrist flexion (bending the wrist toward the biceps).

This was my impression as well. There is an art to it. It is not something a lot of people really train for...just those who have a knack for it. Have you ever seen the movie Over the Top with Sylvester Stallone? Good stuff! "It's like a switch when I turn my hat around."

Any time you have a "tightness" in a certain area it's always good to take a look at the strength of the antagonist muscle group. In this case that would be your hamstrings and the muscles of your lower back. Most people have very weak hamstrings, which are also postural muscles along with causing knee flexion. I would suggest two things. First, perform exercises such as hamstring curls, good mornings, stiff leg deadlifts, and back extensions. Second, look into ordering some light flexbands (see https://www.jumpstretch.com). You can lay prone and use it to pull your foot up behind your head. Hope that was helpful.

You can use many exercises to attain an aerobic effect. But first, you need to understand exactly what aerobics do. They enhance your cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular health is the ability to breathe in Oxygen, Transport it throughout your body, and utilize it. This means that it will enhance the capacity of your lungs (breathing), your heart (transport), and your musclular endurance (utilize oxygen). In order to attain an aerobic training effect you need to increase your heart rate to between 65 and 85 percent of your maximum heartrate (220 - your age). Then you need to keep it there for between 20 and 45 minutes. Certainly, you can do this with martial arts techniques. I suggest picking between 5 and 6 drills. Then learn to lace them together with good footwork. Most important is that it's fun for you to do. If you find it monotonous or mundane, you aren't likely to stick to it. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Yup...that's what a degree in exercise physiology will do for ya! That and it's great fuel for a fire on a cold Ohio night

There are 5 components of physical fitness: 1) Body Fat Composition- the percent of fat mass to lean mass within the body. 2) Cardiovascular endurance- the ability of the body to breathe in (lungs) transport (heart) and utilize (muscles) oxygen. 3) Muscular Endurance- the ability to perform a motion repetitively (how many pushups you can do in one minute) 4) Muscular Strength- The ability for a muscle group to exert itself once in a maximal effort. (one rep max) 5) Flexibility- the ability to move a joint through its entire range of motion. Everything you do in a fitness program should be aimed at improving some or all of those areas. When designing a fitness program, keep the following principles in mind: 1)Progression: The exercises should get progressively harder over time 2)Regularity: You should train on a regular basis 3)Overload: The exercises you do should be taxing on you system, causing it to have to get better at the particular movement 4)Variety: Besides being boring, doing the same thing over and over and over for years will become unproductive and the body will stop adapting to it. 5)Rest: You don't get bigger, stronger or faster in the gym. Those are a product of how your body reacts to overload...and it happens while you rest. 6)Balance: Work all muscles groups in the body, not just the ones you see while looking in the mirror. 7)Specificity: You should, as safely as possible, choose exercises that are specific to your daily activities. This, of course, just hit on the physical side of things (as that's my area of expertise) but it's a little more in depth. Overall, I think your list is pretty good. These will help you. If you want more information, contact a fitness professional near you or just give me a PM. I'd be happy to help.

Many people underestimate raw strength and power. Against an average person, the wrestler would kill em. The problem is that you say martial artist. If that's a Tai Chi expert, the wrestler is likely to win (assuming tai chi that's usually practiced globaly...not the more combat oriented version). Even against someone who doesn't do alot of hard training, the wrestler may win easily. It's going to take a very skilled person to defeat the wrestler. The harder the training of the person, the more likely they are to win. A Muay Thai, olympic wrestler, boxer or MMA person may have the most advantages. They need to be used to dealing with raw agression. Most martial artists are not. Even then, it's going to be a tough fight. Those guys are strong and you really have to know your stuff to deal with that kind of strength (either by avoiding any kind of clinch or handling yourself after the clinch). Rank is relavent only in so much as it is usually tied to age. A grand master has usually trained for 50 years. That makes them kind of old. If they are no longer in good shape, they are gonna have a tough time. Of couse there are some exceptions.

You'll find that many elite athletes move much faster than this. However, it's their conditioning that allows them to do so. You should look into a good sport conditioning program. My suggestions are the American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association. They are both very reputable. The basic problem isn't that you're "moving too fast." The problem is that you're moving beyond what YOUR body is capable of supporting. Proper conditioning can combat that problem.

a) Tai chi b) MMA c) Tai Chi d) Depending on the rules...kyokushin

Ask to be partnered with a more mature person.

I'm not sure if this is true. Do you have proof? Not to be argumentative or anything. Just curious. Actually it doesn't "break down" per say. Repetitive, fast, and explosive movements can cause overuse injuries when performed too often or over a long period of time. This is where you get injuries such as tennis elbow (which is essentially tendonitis) and other sports related ailments. But it's not as though you're going to disintegrate or anything. If you take the time to properly condition your body, as Bruce Lee did, you are less likely to suffer from some of those problems. But let's not forget that Lee died at 32 years old. He didn't exactly live long enough for us to see how his training methods would have held up over the long term.

Johnlogic121, What you're referring to is called junretsu or permutations. In traditional menkyo training (Japanese instructor training) it is necessary to go through lots and lots of them, keeping a notebook and then cataloging them as they link to kata. However, most styles have already decided which permutations they feel are best. In general, those decisions are guided by the doctrine of the system. TKD may choose the permutations that include more kicking while wing chun chooses those that best protect and stem from the centerline and shotokan usually selected those that are very strong and linear. It is doctrine (a particular set of beliefs) that guides all the choices you make in a style. For example: Let us suppose you created a style that said every technique set MUST include a crossing elbow strike. Your doctrine has just limited which particular permutations you will chose. It is my opinion, however, that a particular style of martial art should provide a general guideline rather than stead fast rules. In the end, if you find a technique set that works well for you, you should use it. Regardless of wether it fits in the doctrine of the system. Hope that's been helpful.

I have trouble believing that there is any person alive that could easily defeat Couture eight out of ten times (assuming MMA rules). Not only that, he's a very smart fighter. In the "street" or during the "real thing" he can fight just as dirty as you can. Eye jabs, groin strikes, and make shift weapons are things just about anyone can use. Too many people hide behind the whole, "tournaments are a waste of time" or "demonstrations of your skill are not honorable" scheme. This is just a way to make sure no one has the opportunity to knock them off their throne. Tournaments and other competitive events may not test every faction of martial arts prowess...but they are certainly better than doing nothing more than drilling technique day in and day out with no validation of the techniques. A person needs to be put under stress, with adrenaline pumping, and the actual fear of being defeated. This will teach them to think and act under pressure. That's what competition helps to accomplish. There may be some no-name people out there who can defeat the pro fighters out there. But they are very few and very far between. If you believe you're one of them, then take a seminar from one of these pro fighters. Most of them will spar with you at their seminars. Then you'll have some realistic idea of how well you actually compare. If you are already sure you stack up well against them, kudos to you. But it's difficult to believe.

You're a sniper's dream! Snipers are like the T-rex from Jarassic Park...they can only sense movement. That's what I read on wikipedia anyways.