ps1

He was the head of the UN for a while. I'm not sure of the dates. Wait a minute, I'll Wiki him. Ok. He was from Sweden and served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations. His term of service was from 1953 to 1961. More info can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskjold

Awesome. Shoot him a congratulations from me!

I started at 6 because I watched The Karate Kid and thought it was neat. Of course, at the time I had no idea what it would become. I have continued studying martial arts for the last 22 years. The study has become a part of me. A part of my soul. There is only one person alive for whom I would give it up, and she would never ask that of me. When I started, it was for fun. In my teens it was for competition and fitness. In my early twenties, it was to keep me alive in war. And now it's to master my body and mind. The following quote, I believe, sums it up. "You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds." -Dag Hammarskjold I still have some weeds, but I'm working on it.

I kind of like that. Much like Wrestling, you know where you are by what you are able to do when you practice. It's good to a point. Skill vs others is a criteria, but not the only criteria. Otherwise older people and those with some handicaps could not get promoted. It also usually has to do with time on the mat. You put in the blood and sweat and you tend to get rewarded for it.

Here's the Youtube website that has the rest of the vids by that user. http://www.youtube.com/user/dvdmillenium There's a website link to an Argentinian based Shotokan school. I'm not sure if it's in Portugese or Spanish as I speak and read neither. Hope it helps a little.

I think he knows it's Heian Nidan. He is asking who is in it and who produced it. Do you know? I don't have a clue.

Oh, I see. That explains it. Just to clarify, I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers or anything. I guess I'm spoiled by training in an all BJJ school now.

gogoplata, it can also be done from the guard

I checked out the website. It's a little odd that the liniage of his BJJ instruction is not listed. Most schools list their instructors as a matter of respect and to show how close their liniage is to the Gracie family.

Thanks for the link.

This is an excellent question. The answer is that there is absolutely no difference between the amount of training it takes to earn a black belt and the amount of training it takes to be a black belt. It should be as consistent as possible.

If this is how you truly feel (and you're not just trying to stimulate an interesting conversation) than I would say you probably shouldn't train. You should never do anything part way. If you're heart is not in it, than it's not for you. Martial Arts are not for everyone. That's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is. As far as the purpose for doing them, there are plenty of reasons. Everyone has addressed many of them. However, I do it because I just find it fun. I enjoy gaining mastery of my body, controlling my motions and emotions. Sure, there are plenty of other ways to attain this. Among them are sports, meditation, and counter-cross stitch. But martial arts are what I have chosen for the past 22 years. In the end we must all chose our own paths. You seem to have reached a fork in your road. Take it.

The "Arnold" refers to the fitness extravaganza held in Columbus, Ohio. It is so named because Governor Arnold Schwartzneger began the event. It is the largest martial arts event in the United States. People come from all over the world to compete in the various events and attend the seminars. I just thought you'd want a little more info. P.S. Beyond martial arts there are numerous other fitness events held there. It's extremely interesting. I hope you have fun. Generally, the sword is worn with the blade upward. However, some swords, which were generally used while mounted on horseback, were worn blade down. It has to do with attaining the proper cutting angle.

Is your friend still at that school? By now he's be a black belt. What's his name? Maybe we've heard of him.

I don't know the results of all the divisions. An American named Matt Fowler shocked everyone by winning against Renzo Gracie and then Saulo Ribeiro back to back. Marcelo Garcia beat him though. Marcelo won that division. GZK, did you say she competed at Abu Dhabi after only 3 years of training. You're right...that's crazy. Amazing she even made it. Good for her. P.S. Bushido, you can go on youtube and just search ADCC and find tons of the fights.

wow! That's fast. He/She must be an incredible athelete or just have found a rare judo school that is also a mcdojo.

1. It can be very physically challenging. 2. It doesn't look like it to the untrained eye...but BJJ is extremely technical. Lots of step1, step 2, step 3.... but once you practice it several times, it starts to flow well. The littlest details matter. I remember getting frustrated when I first started. My first class I thought I would never remember all the steps for each technique, but I did. Just keep focused and you'll do fine. Remember, the tap is your best learning tool. It's hard to learn what you did wrong if your unconscious or on the way to a hospital! 3.Yes, it's extremely effective on the street. It's not all ground stuff like you see in competitions. They have plenty of stuff to get out of holds and attempt to stay on your feet. They just aren't afraid to take a fight to the ground if necessary. P.S. The instructor is a Renzo Gracie Black Belt. Renzo is one of the best around. He's extremely skilled and has one of the best attitudes. The classes will probably be expensive (over $100 a month would not surprise me). But you'll be training with a very skilled person.

I don't think anyone is going to yell at you for posting good stuff. If you think you post alot, looka at bushido_man96's post number (over 8400 posts in less than two years ). It's all good stuff though!

Excellent Choice!! Congrats Karate Ed!

Do you think your place is a McDojo? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Young Man, You still didn't answer my question. If MMA events suddenly began wit a bow, would you suddenly begin to like them? Also, how do you explain all of the MMA events that go on in "Asian" countries that star Asian martial artists who also do not bow? I think this proves it has nothing to do with "Asian" and everything to do with what the accepted ettiquite for a particular sport is. Trash talk happens before these events also. I'm only pointing this out because you seem to blame America for the "lack of respect."

If such a style exists I do not think it should be released. Not because of it's "perfect combat" status, but because it's totally unnecessary. People have been hurting each other since we first started walking this earth. There are only so many ways to do it. I'm willing to bet that the system you speak of is nothing new. As Bushido said, it's probably the same as most Reality Based Self Defense Systems. However, what self defense systems and classes need isn't more techniques or even more deadly techniques. They need to teach that self defense isn't about hurting another person. They are about preventing another person from hurting you. This includes situation avoidance and prevention methods. Many people get into problems because they make foolish decisions or have foolish habits. These are the more practical self defense tools. If you actually have another system that works very well I'm happy that my fellow soldiers are using it. But civilians don't need another "perfect combat" system. They are not combatants.

You bring up some really great points. However, I have found that the really good schools in the US are usually the "hole in the wall" schools that few people know about. If you ask around enough and seem like a person of good character, I bet you can find someone who is extremely good that teaches at a their home/garage/ or a very small dojo. The prices on these types of places are usually very reasonable. Do some asking around. My advice is to find another instructor. They are out there, you just have to do some searching. P.S. What sport did your instructor referee? Karate never made it into the olympics. It's in the World Games however.

Everybody is giving good advice. As far as being able to leg press 1000 lbs though, it won't help. The leg press is a function of the gluts and hamstrings. However, holding up a side kick and a round house kick is more a function of the abductors (muscles on the outside of your leg). They tend to be rather small muscles (in comparison to the others in the legs) and they do not have a great mechanical lever above a certain height. That's why it takes so long to develop. As everyone said, keep practicing it. Good luck.

I have a feeling this won't be the last of this. The testing policy is really new and I suspect we will see alot of steroid use coming into play. I hope I'm wrong.