baronbvp

Nice new avatar!

Thanks. I will go by this week. I just talked to the guy on the phone. It's only $80/mo and sounds as though it might be right up my alley.

Yeah, and I'm not sure how many of us really are know how to take it that last step. That's not something you get to practice. Most of us don't even think about it much, I'll bet.

You know what's funny for me, is I have about three kicks I can do with any success. I am left handed so I normally fight lead right. I can straight kick well with my right (front) leg, either a teep push kick or front snap kick. I can reach about to someone's midriff. I can also do a round kick with that front leg, from about the hip on down. With my left (back) leg, though, I can only do a sort of side-back kick. I can't kick high because I can't get my hips wider than having my legs 90 degrees apart. I work on my flexibility all the time, and I practice kicking with both sides of my body. But, I can't do a decent side kick with my right leg at all. And my left leg isn't nearly as strong with a front or round kick. The fact is I know the kicks I can do, so I do them. Even when I switch to lead left, my kicks stay with their respective legs. Weird. I guess I'm built or have become sort of asymmetrical. Is anybody else like this?

I think of him as the original MMA guy. Many people fail to realize that he developed his JKD style for his own body and abilities. He was VERY fast and very limber. He could switch direction and leads like few people can. He had excellent vision and could regularly intercept strikes in a fight, whereas many of us are painfully aware of watching that punch hit us right in the face or that kick to the body. What I like best about JKD is that it teaches you to pay attention to and respect your own body for what it can and cannot do. It taught me to put equal weight to what I know to be true about myself, as I do toward teachings of someone else. After that, it's about dedicated application and practice of your craft and constantly reassessing what is effective for you.

We've had 3 inches the last 3 hours. I've shoveled the driveway and sidewalk twice already in heavy snow. It's still coming down. Forecasters missed this one! Hope they cancel work tomorrow.

I like it.

Laurie, it is snowing right now. Then today it's supposed to change to freezing rain - again! The DC area is trapped between snow land where you live (NY very cool) and rain land farther south. Looks like classes will be canceled today. This is getting a little old... VR, Baron

I just found a new place I will check out in detail this week. Actually, I followed a link on KF and found it. It's only a few miles from my house - what are the odds! I went there yesterday briefly with my wife and it looks like a great school. The combat curriculum is JKD plus American kickboxing, submission grappling/shootfighting and kali/weapons. They even do Tai Chi Kung. I believe it's only $80/mo. If so, it is cheaper than the other school I am considering. Here are its websites: http://www.completefitnessconcepts.com/index_files/training_methods.htm http://www.virginiamartialarts.com/class%20schedule.htm Might be a good solution for an old guy.

That sounds like a good plan. You are getting wise in your old age!

Good discussion. Another technique I want to try is having my wife videotape me while I spar. That way, I can see my own mistakes from an outside perspective. Mirrors are good, but if you are watching yourself then you aren't watching anything else (like a partner).

Treat the training school with respect and conduct yourself like a professional. This includes your attitude toward the people who teach and work there (including in the office), those who train there, and guests who may be watching someone train or checking the school out as potential students.

No, those sound good. I'm just wondering about the karate context of the terms. Their proper use seems to cause a bit of heat and light. I don't have a dog in the fight either way, just curious as to generally accepted usage.

And Adonis, congrats on the digital red belt!

Very articulate and reasoned post, ninjer.

Thank you. I don't find these incompatible with all black belts being referred to as sensei, and brown belts as sempai (which I previously understood to mean, "one who has gone before.") These are terms my dojo used for students to refer to senior belts.

What are the correct usages of renshi, sensei, and sempai?

By the way, another thing that is helping me in kickboxing is holding pads and mitts for others. Having to anticipate and react to a person on offense teaches me the other side. I find it equally useful.

I might not have gotten the style of bag correct. I believe there is a kind that is suspended on an elastic cord from the top and bottom. You mount it at head level. When you punch it, it moves away several feet and comes right back at your face. While you may not be able to fully duck under it due to the bottom cord, it is good for slipping and shifting feet. Basically, it's like a shadowboxing target that comes at you with more spatial displacement than a speed bag. I could be wrong, but that's what I thought I saw. Maybe a more experienced boxer can correct me.

At my Shorin Ryu dojo, the head instructor was called renshi, a 6th Dan. As a sign of respect, all black belts were called sensei and all brown belts were called sempai. Only the head instructor could promote the higher belts.

I love the way the ref starts the match with the word, "RELAX!"

This is a true story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/costa_rica_tourist_mugging_11

Ugly kung fu, I like that. I've seen some ugly styles that were very effective. Street fighting comes to mind. Or the gang fighting in the movie The Warriors, recognizing of course that it's a movie.

Is there a Secret Amish haymaking martial art?

Good point. Maybe they can start fighting with real swords.