ps1

I train in one of his affiliate schools in Ohio. We usually have 4, 2 day seminars with him per year. I always attend and make sure to get a private lesson with him as well. Additionally, because he usually comes in on a Friday evening and leaves Sunday evening, we take him out to dinner and for breakfast. I get to talk to him alot during those times. It is pretty awesome. He has some great stories about training with Rickson and the other Gracies.

It sounds like you already know the answer to your own question. Afterall, you based your decision based on the background of the instructor, the fact they are affiliated with someone, and I would assume you liked the personality of the classes. That's really all there is. The style or form of MA isn't as important as many people would have you believe. It's all about what your goals are. For example: If your goal was to train for the Ultimate fighting championships, you're not in the right place. As I highly doubt that is the case, you're probably ok. If your daughter is young the most important thing is she is learning to set goals, stay fit, learn some general self defense, and has a great activity to share with mom! It keeps her off the streets while giving her something to build confidence and foster good morals. I guess my point is, you already know how to find a good instructor. If they're having a ball, then stay the course.

Congratulations! For some reason, green belt was one of my favorite ranks. I think I just liked the color. Good luck in your future training.

In talking with Pedro he said he just wanted to make sure he was the one who initiated contact. Kinda like you said. He didn't want that giant getting a lucky shot in. I think you're right about the round house kick too. Just the length of your weapon is so much bigger. You can hit with anything from the knee to the instep. The side kick takes a far more precise shot if you want it to cause damage of any significance. That's a good point.

Alot of people I once considered mentors let me down as I got older. You know, they just aren't the people you thought they were. I caught some doing drugs, others were just in it for the business, and a few betrayed me when it became convenient to do so. I guess my mentor now, as well as my best friend in the world, is my wife. She wouldn't know a side kick from a back kick. She can't perform any kata and posesses no martial prowness what so ever. But she's the kind of person I would love to be. My wife is my mentor.

I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate. It sounds as though his friend is on a personal and ongoing journey. As far as learning kata, there are several martial arts that do not have or teach them. Does that make a BJJ black belt any less of an achievement, since they don't have kata. I can't think of many who would agree. I agree that the kid is a little hung up on rank. It's pointless, as I explained above. But if he worked hard and learned to get where he is, how is his achievement any different than yours? If a person can play Motzart on the piano, but received no formal instruction, does that make them any less a piano player? If I can go out an bat .350 in the major leagues, but never played ball in school, am I any less a ball player?

How do you mean? You look at your hands as you fight?

I suspect you're right.

I'm not extremely familiar with all the rules. But side kicking the upper leg would be much more damaging than hitting the torso. I would guess they aren't legal though. I'd have to check. I watched a very old video of Pedro Sauer defeating Mr. Utah. He side kicks the legs (not the knee) in order to close the gap. But it doesn't look like the fight was sanctioned in any way.

Remember that movies are fake. If you remember the movie Only the Strong for example. Mark Dacascos plays a Caporiea instructor. It's important to note that, at the time, Mark had only 6 weeks of Caporiea instruction in order to prepare for the movie. Yet he looks like a pro. My point is it's more important to get a very strong skill set for the basics that are applied to every art. Then, be sure to take stage combat classes. They're more important than you might think. Also, learning some basic gymnastic skills in a good school will serve you well. You don't have to be a good fighter at all to get into movies. You just need to be in excellent physical condition and look pretty when you do things. The last two things you need are connections (there's about a million martial artists trying to get into Hollywood) and the drive to keep trying even after failing about a thousand times. Good luck and train hard.

Great story. I find it difficult to see how someone who trains alone can learn the essentials of fighting like, timing, distance, and proper angles. That leads me to question the skill level of those he challenged. All that aside, if his system was designed just for him and not to teach, why have a belt at all? The only purpose of belts is to determine which students have certain skill sets. It makes it easy for instructors to quickly determine which techniques a person needs to know. I don't think what your friend did is wrong. It's certainly dangerous and not suggestable to train without a qualified instructor. But anyone can go to a tournament and enter any division they want. If he goes to tourneys in the BB division and does well, good for him. He can wear a chartreuse belt with little yellow polka dots for all I care. I suspect, though, that he would get wiped up in a good school. Hopefully, he will find one and get to learn the things he may be missing.

Wow! That's a tough break. It sounds like you were able to keep your head during the ordeal. I had a kid go crazy once when his mom left during the class. She had just stepped out of the gym to get a bottle of water for him. He thought she was leaving him. You have to feel for the little guy, but all I could do was have him sit down until she came back.

This guy takes it to him pretty well. He doesn't really even seem that skilled. His guillotine attempts really stink, even though Kimbo is in position for them. Of course, Kimbo may have just been strong enough to power out. He does look as though he can lift a tractor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LOIDj9TTfU Anyway, keep in mind that boxing is not easy to imitate. This guy seems like he has alot of street experience, not to mention he's huge! At 5'9", I would hope your first option would be to flee! If fleeing is not possible, force him to grab you. If he's holding you, he's not hitting you. Then think groin and eyes. Fact is, it's a bad situation. Just get out alive and you've won. Something in me feels like Kimbo isn't the type of guy who is gonna just attack people though. PS, how awesome is it that he looks like Mr T?

In my chuan fa training we looked at the center of mass or waist line and utilized peripheral vision to see the arms and legs. In general, where the center of mass goes, the rest of the body must follow. It's very effective, but takes practice. This was a stark contrast to the training in my Japanese arts. We were expected to watch the eyes as they "reflect the soul of the warrior and will reveal his intentions." In the end, both methods work well, they just take lots of practice.

I agree with mantis here. I can't let one technique define me. The ideal is maximum effect with minimum effort. Jigoro Kano was a genius.

Congratulations on your success. I hope you continue to train hard and get even better.

In sparring, the side kick is one of my favorite techniques. However, in MMA fighting, I rarely use it. I train in a good BJJ school that has two world class wrestlers as well. They are very quick to perform takedowns off the sideways stance you're left in. And these are guys who aren't good enough to be in the UFC or Pride. I think the skill level of those professionals is extremely underated sometimes. It just takes one mistake and you could be on your back. The differance in this and Sanshou is in Sanshou you get back up. In MMA you get pounded or submitted. The roundhouse is a much safer option and the trade-off of "power" is well worth it. Also, I think it's safe to say most sidekicks are targeted at the body. While it's possible to knock a person out with a body shot, it's not likely. The side kick can't be thrown rapidly enough to continuously punish the body and break down the opponent either. You're better off going with the low-line roundhouse kicks that will punish the legs and wear down the opponent without putting you in the poor position. Additionally, the side kick has a tendency to "stick" to the target during follow through. This is why it can be caught easily. The video shows the how that can be a disadvantage. With the low-line round house you're using a whiping motion rather than a thrusting motion. This makes it far more difficult to grab and hold. I'm not saying that it can't or never happens, just that the percentages are in favor of the round house. And in a world where people are making money, your best bet is usually in following the high percentage shots most of the time. Afterall, you may see some spinning back kicks and hook kicks, but you can probably count on one hand how many you see in an individual match. They are low percentage kicks, so they are also thrown a low percentage of the time.

Elky hit the nail on the head. If you're looking for a kicking art, TKD is the way to go. Personally, I feel Shotokan has better self defense. But that's always a personal thing anyway. If you don't feel you would use the techniques being taught to you, then they are useless anyway. Good luck with your decision.

No, there's no actual lunge. That is, you're not throwing your body forward in an uncontrolled manner. We use the term for any technique thrown off the rear or far side and landing with that side having advanced. For example: You're in a Right leg forward front stance with your right hand in front. A Left lunge punch would have you stepping into a left leg forward front stance and punching with the left hand. Just like the punches in Heian Shodan/ Pinan Nidan.

I think it's only natural to compare yourself to others. As long as you don't hold the differences you see against that person, it's healthy. "Maybe if I tried my kick like that" or "Perhaps I could set up my cross choke like him." Those are helathy comparisons that will make you grow as an artist. "Why is he a black belt and not me?" or "I do that kata better, why is he demonstrating it for the class?" Those are negative and unhealthy comparisons. Basically, if the comparison involves something you have control over, it's probably ok. If it's something outside your control, it can only serve to break you down and should be avoided.

I'm not sure if you were referring to my earlier post or not, but I meant that the person being taken down should try and maneuver for the armbar, or at least try to capture something on the way down to prevent their opponent getting a totally dominant position. I see what you're saying. I certainly agree. Kinda like starting the elbow escape from the mount before the opponent is able to complete their mount. That goes back to what I was saying about the importance of knowing good ground fighting. I don't bother to slap off when I'm applying a submission on the way down. That would be counter-productive. Good point.

Alot of "contracts" out there aren't really that sound legally. If you want out of it, all you should need to do is ask and the school can let you out. Remember, a contract is a mutual agreement between two parties. There should be expectations expressed in it as to what is expected of each party. If it just says you'll pay "X" amount each month for "X" months, but does not specify what you can expect in return, it's probably not a great or solid contract. Of course then you're talking about fees for lawyers and court costs. Most places I've seen will let you out without much trouble. Of course the best advice I've seen so far is to simply talk with the instructor about your concerns. Maybe he/she can incorperate some of your ideas or you could become a more instrumental part of the school. In the end, you need to do what's best for you though.

Not to vary too much off the thread. Please be careful when giving advice on conditioning exercises. Plyometrics should NEVER be done to exhaustion. They should be carefully balanced for a certain number of footfalls based on the height of the fall and weight of the person performing them. You can really tear up the ligaments and strain the tendons in your knees if you do them improperly or too often. Plyometrics are a great way to develop power but I would suggest investing in a good book about them before attempting them on a regular basis.

I've seen about 8 different versions of Bassai Dai performed by different people. Sometimes the changes are just in tempo. Other times the changes are in the way certain techniques are performed. I've even seen things added/subtracted from the form. The simple fact is that your son needs to go with whatever way is taught to him. I'm sure whatever orginization your son falls under has its reasons for changing the kata. Just go with the flow, don't let it get to you. There's probably not an old kata in existance today that is still the same as it was when it was originally created. If you still want to really see the movements as they were originally intended for Shotokan; I suggest Karate Do Kyohan, written by Funakoshi himself. Also, the Best Karate series of books is excellent. Those have the movements as they were intended to be taught to Shotokan students at the time.

Listen to your doctor. Stop practicing for a month and take the tests. It may sound like a long time now, but it's better to get healthy and be able to practice for the rest of your life later.