baronbvp

Well put. I'd rather train bunkai than kata. Why imagine a bunch of moves when I can practice the actual moves? That said, it can be refreshing yet relaxing to practice kata alone.

My old dojo has an excellent DVD for about $40 made by the head instructor, a 6th Dan. It has all his shorin ryu kata. See another thread at http://www.karateforums.com/anyone-here-have-kata-book-set-written-out-vt30114.html?highlight=kata+dvd for the website and list of kata. Good luck.

I doubt many, if any, of us train to defeat more than one attacker. My plan would be to never stop moving long enough for more than one to grab me. The idea of being on the ground is not attractive. I'd be looking for a car to hide under if I couldn't get away.

Thanks, ps1. You're right, I am used to bumps and bruises. So far I haven't gotten hurt in Muay Thai but I am only a beginner. And, I don't mind getting hit as much as having my joints tweaked too far. Your words about training and tapping in BJJ are sage. Glad to hear you like training under Pedro; I can already tell he's good people.

Bushido Man, do you ever spar with your wife? That sounds very cool. My wife is more of a pacifist - and married to a carrier pilot!

Thanks, I will try that since it's so hard for me to get my leg high enough. My instructor says to chop down while you visualize going through the target. Your shinbone hits the target just after the semi-circle's apex. (It HURTS when done correctly.) The spin helps that picture. I noticed when watching some YouTube video last night that not many pros go all the way around, unless they follow it up with an immediate spinning heel kick or some back kick. As a beginner, I am more concerned with balance during the move and getting my kick impact to be worth the effort. The round kick is not my best move...yet.

Wow! Nice. I can't even quite get my legs to 90 degrees apart on the floor, nevermind a 180 degree split. My kicks are not high and I have trouble turning my hips over. I am practicing this at home since it limits me greatly in Muay Thai. I can't kick above my own waist. I can kick the heck out of a calf or low thigh, though.

Could be! Someone in here had a signature that said, "pain is weakness leaving the body." I prefer to think of pain as weakness entering the body. Mine, at least!

Yep, you may be right. Not perfect, but a hybrid style he developed to maximize the value of the time he spent training.

Thank you, Bushido Man. You are a consistently excellent poster, so I really appreciate the compliment. I find now my conditioning and flexibility are more important than the techniques I know. And I try to find the art in my sports and the sport in my arts.

It is hard enough for me to get my hips moving that once I kick, I don't think I could stop without either falling down or getting kicked in the rear at the 180 position. I find the 360 to be easier, followed by a leg check. That is also how I've been taught.

The most classic bolo punch of all time was used by Sugar Ray Leonard against Roberto Duran. I'm sure you could find it on the web. Everyone (including Sugar Ray) was surprised that it worked in a championship fight. I believe in the same fight, Duran ended up giving up by raising his hands and exclaiming, "no mas!"

We used to do that in wrestling, but I don't think we called it that. Makes sense. Like Rainbow Warrior, I expect that I, too, will need to leave my ego at home when I start training next month.

This is a good discussion. I think it comes down to your definition of martial art versus martial sport, and martial artist versus martial athlete. If we agree that "martial" is an adjective that means "warlike" or "suitable for or derived from war," then the issue is art versus sport. Art is defined by Webster as "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." Tai chi is a martial art because of its spiritual aspect and long-ago combat derivation, but I doubt many would use it in a fight. The spiritual aspect of many martial arts is being minimized nowadays due to the ever-increasing search for combat-effective fighting styles and techniques. I would say that wrestling is more of a martial art now than when I did it 25 years ago. It is very effective in a fight. Anyone who takes it to its ultimate aesthetic expression, and beyond ordinary significance to them, is expressing it as a martial art. Same for boxing, Muay Thai, or even archery or fencing IMO. I think MMA has led to the category of martial athlete, where the physical training regimen puts the importance of conditioning equal to or even ahead of that of technique. Boxers have long trained harder than most. I would advocate that boxers, Muay Thai practitioners, and MMA guys are martial athletes as well as martial artists. Same for wrestlers and anyone else who trains hard physically. Martial arts that are martial sports, practiced by martial artists who are martial athletes.

Ace, holding the opponent's shoulders on the floor for a pin is the goal. You'll need to learn not to be flipped on your back, whereas being on the bottom on your stomach is okay. Some of the starts are from your knees; some of the techniques you know will help you learn the reversals from that position and others. You already know what leverage does, so you'll be well ahead of many of the other students who are just learning. Just be careful not to hurt guys, and remember to keep at least one of your shoulder blades off the mat. Good luck and have fun.

Thanks, gubbs, that video looks right on the mark. There are some older guys who train at this school and Pedro is 48 with a family, so he is experienced with the issue. Anyone out there have any stories or ideas to share?

Now that's an image I can remember when I start training BJJ next month. What exactly is shrimping?

I currently train in Muay Thai and decided awhile ago to add BJJ next month. I can train both arts at a good school and take BJJ from Pedro Sauer. However, I have been reading in this forum and some other places about the injuries BJJ practitioners can sustain to their joints (naturally). At the age of 45 with relatively healthy joints, I have no desire to sprain or otherwise injure my shoulders, knees, hips, or ankles. Does anyone have any insight as to the likelihood of that? I know I have to work on becoming more flexible, especially in my hips. I can also avoid heavy sparring, but I am still concerned. Is it worth the risk? Should I just stick with Muay Thai? How can I reduce the risk of injury in BJJ?

I think he is spending time touring his various schools doing seminars. He was in the DC area last summer or fall. With the Royce Gracie network of BJJ schools, he has a lot of places to visit. He may also be trying to spend more time with his family.

I agree. I injured my rotator cuff while wrestling in high school 25 years ago. I can still feel the injury if I shift around in bed on it the wrong way. You need to stop training and get checked by a doctor. Think NFL - the season is long, so don't ruin it by doing too much now. If you are in that much pain, I doubt you are focused on your training anyway as much as avoiding further injury. Let your body heal.

Another thought I just had is that, all other things being equal (which they never are), the person with the stronger will to win, and who is in shape and mentally prepared for a physical confrontation, is more likely to be victorious. The intangibles often sway the fight.

Bruce Lee tried to invent the perfect style when he developed Jeet Kune Do. Some argue its combinations of techniques are, in fact, perfect and that eliminating kata was a key to its success. Others argue (successfully, I think) that the evolution of MMA after Royce Gracie won with BJJ in early UFC was the modern revolution in MA toward a focus on combat effectiveness and efficiency over art and spiritual development. Great points made in this thread about what you spend time on, and how you will do against someone whose style differs from yours, and about where you train. For myself, I have an eclectic background where I have done several styles and am master of none. I am currently training in Muay Thai. Next month I begin taking MT and BJJ on different days at a well-respected MMA gym: http://www.onespiritmartialarts.com/index2.asp. The MT instructors are two Thai brothers who grew up fighting professionally in Bangkok with over 425 professional bouts between them. The BJJ instructor is Pedro Sauer, one of 5 original Helio Gracie black belts and voted Best of the Best BJJ Instructor in a worldwide poll. This gym even offers Vale Tudo/MMA training sessions twice a week for those who actually desire to compete. I am excited to to begin training there. My point is that, at this school, I expect the training in striking, clinching, and grappling to be of high quality. I expect the biggest limitation will be mine: the time I have available in my life to devote to training, and the consistency with which I can put together my advancement and make the lessons stick. I also need to drastically improve my physical flexibility. Of course, my ultimate answer to the OP's question of the perfect style is Jedi Mind Control: "These are not the droids you're looking for." No fighting required!

He does have a chance. Peter King of SI said that he feels this was Monk's year to get in. King finally was swayed to vote for him, but not enough voters did. He said now there are receivers behind him (Chris Carter) with better stats. Monk may get left behind. I believe Donnie Edwards, like players from many AFC West teams, was let go because he got too expensive and the team suffered. All teams do this, but the AFC West was (is?) notorious for letting good guys go to the detriment of their team, and then surprise! watching them excel other places. Rodney Harrison is a great example: great on the Chargers, great on the Patriots. Donnie Edwards may suffer from "Kansas City disease" because the team - no offense to the fans - didn't seem to want to take care of its players.

Yeah buddy, he did. We'll see if guys like Junior Seau make it, or will it be strictly the Brian Urlachers of the world. I hope Art Monk gets in too, but I'm not sure that will happen after this year.

Bushido, how do you feel about Derrick Thomas being left out of the Hall of Fame? The knock on him is that he was one-dimensional. I think he displayed the intensity of Lawrence Taylor. VR, Baron