Mr Pockets

Actually, even if it looked like shadowboxing in slow motion, you'd be better off just shadowboxing.

Unless it looks like shadowboxing in slow motion, you'd be better off (actually) punching a heavy bag, focus pads, sparring, jumping rope, whatever. It's more efficient to fly from NewYork to LA heading east the entire time and therefor flying around the entire world than it is to do Thai Chi and expect to learn to fight from it.

While those are the workouts of professional boxers- not everyone who wants to learn boxing has to do that. They do have to be in shape, of course, but training a few days a week is okay for those of us who simply can't do anymore. Still, you make excellent points a lot of karate guys should think about regarding conditioning.

Yea, you may not feel like an idiot, but it's okay to be humbled in that you get your * handed back to you when you first start rolling. What you should do is, once the roll is over, or even during if you want to break it up, ask the guys "hey, how'd you do that, what should I have done.." etc and learn. You get better at defending than attacking at first, and it's a funny process. The place sounds good though, so I'd say go for it.

Seagal uses more kung fu looking stuff because that's what the more popular stuff in movies is, and the more popular choreographers are doing.

Actually, cops could use ground fighting- NHB style for sure. If you hit the ground you don't necessarily want to be there... you do want to be good enough at it to get back up. Judo isn't bad either. Also, definitely boxing- if punches are being thrown at you you want to know what to do with them, and the thrower, no nonsense.

My general advice would be to do both judo/bjj (which ever school you're more impressed with- I like BJJ more, the school will probably be better for straight learning to fight, but Judo is great too) and Kyokushkin. Kyokushkin, based on my limited experience, seems pretty hardcore. Muay Thai I think is harder still, but I've seen some pretty good Kyokushkin fighters. All that said- you have to make sure the people at the schools are good to train with, instructor especially.

Mai Tai had some pretty good advice. In general I would say the shotokan, hapkido, then tkd. However, depends on the places and the people there, so you will have to check them out yourself. Muay Thai would be a great choice if you find one.. or just boxing.

No offense taken or intended. I'll repeat, it will build some power, but not like heavy squats would.

I've had mixed feelings about burnouts, let me get back to you on that. Let me say though that they're not going to hurt you or anything (no more than any other lifting will, anyway), but as always listen to your body. However- I will say that you should never work out a sore muscle. I am a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to this- as sometimes my lats get a little sore from doing my chest, and I'll go ahead and work them the next day. But generally, and almost always, speaking, don't do that, there's no benifit, just muscle loss.

Apparently you've never taken hits from a really big guy. God, I hate how people in here try and talk physics all the time. Don't take any personal offense by that- it's just that people define things in ways that aren't relevant. Power is also the derivative of energy, but who cares? The power we talk about when we talk about wanting power in martial arts- a more powerful punch or kick, whatever... comes from hitting hard. How can you train to hit hard? Bigger, STRONGER (that one's more important) muscles are important. A slow big guy actually hits harder than a faster smaller guy. Sure speed has its advantages, but guess what! big guys can develop speed too. And it doesn't even sacrifice their lifting ability (strength). If you want to be a great, hard kicker (first of all, kick correctly), you need to develop a lot of muscular strength (lift heavy) and also learn to kick quickly (practice kicking.) There's nothing wrong with endurance training, or the exercise described in the first post here... but let's not start spouting facts that aren't true.

Yea, Chuck started kempo at a young age. He also did wrestling, football, eventually trained striking with some serious players (I forget the name, you can google it) where he really perfected his more thai-style, and just chuck-style strikes.

It looks good to me- there's really no way to truly tell you or prepare you... you just have to go and see it for yourself.

Anything loud and hard works for me. I also really like prodigy lately.

Definitely what SevenStar said. If he hits too hard and you're new just looking to spar and learn, he should lighten up or you should not spar with him. Just to add to what Seven said, you need to come in with a combo, then get back out of range. If you're within his punching range too long you can be sure you'll get hit.

I don't know if this counts, but a good double leg take down; if you get it deep enough and fast enough, makes a great throw right on to their back.

Funny thing about street fights... anything can happen. A great fighter may come across some punk who's been in a few fights and has virtually no skill... but if the punk is strong and lands one good blow, just one, could make the great fighter lose. Anyone see Liddell vs Couture? Not that I'm calling Liddell a bad fighter, but Couture's still great, and he's never been knocked out before. Chuck changed all that with one good shot though.

Something with serious weight will build a lot of power. Something with low weight (like your body only) but higher reps (like 500!) builds more endurance. Of coure you'll get a small amount of power from the high reps, and vice versa for the heavy weight, but if you're interested in building power you need to press something really heavy a lot less times.

Sure you yank the hell out of it, but most locks they get could be applied faster and harder, and easily break in a more lethal situation. Even in a situation where the guy is screwed and there is no defending the lock, most guys in the cage wont just thrust their hips through the guys elbow in one swift arm-breaking motion.

Maybe we're not picturing the same thing, but I assure you that the way boxers and kick boxer hunch forward does not throw them off balance. It's barely off at all, but it isnt standing straight up like attention in the military.

He isn't saying to just bend your back and walk like Steve Erkil. Have you ever seen a boxing match, or a Pride fight or UFC? Everyone in there hunches a little, has their shoulders up. You bend your knees too. Also- hands in front of the face is good, but not if they're too far away from the face. Your lead hand can move away, but rear hand shouln't go to far at all. The hands, and shoulders, are there for the punches you don't see coming more than the ones you do.

You know, I like and dislike the article. I myself have never criticized someone for taking up some martial art like TKD, Caporia, or Thai Chi, or for wanting to go to tournaments to do point sparring. If you think it's fun, go for it. More people in this country (USA) need to get in shape anyway. Thing is though, a lot of people are concerned about the street fighting aspect, because a lot of people are concerned about actually knowing how to fight. Maybe we want to use that ability in competition, or never, doesn't matter. I didn't buy a gun hoping to shoot someone with it, but if it comes down to me or the criminal, I don't plan on it being me. Also, it's fun to take it out and shoot cans or targets or something. Same goes for martial arts. A lot of us like going full contact, and becoming serious at fighting. Another quick point- martial arts didn't just come from people needing to learn to fight and all that. They came from all sorts of philosophical areas too, and a lot of these martial arts were never really tested or proven, and therefor idealistic, theoretical, and impractical. For instance, practicing katas, is not as useful (oh dear lord I'm going to catch flack for saying this) as other training methods. If you like doing them, fine. If you do them hoping to learn to adequetly fight, you're wasting your time. Snazzed called it right- you would be better off taking boxing if all you want to do is learn to fight. Just because some martial arts are ancient and were originally intended to teach one to fight lethally doesn't mean they are or ever were any good at it.

I think you're referring to a double-leg takedown. Could also be a single, even a firemans throw or other things. Anyway- you have to sprawl. Often times a good sprawl will let you take a guys back pretty easily.

Mir has been quoted as saying "I dont care if you tap, I dont train to make people tap- tapping doesnt mean anything to me. I train to actually break your limb, to choke you out. I realize that the guys Im fighting could care less about tapping. If you tap before that, kudo's to you, I dont have to break it, and you dont have to go to the hospital." That is how anyone trains to make someone tap- because it's virtually the same thing. However, I think Mir is telling a sort of half truth- because in real life when you get an armbar you crank on the thing hard and fast and snap the thing before they even feel the pain. In the cage, you get it and put pressure so they know to tap, but you don't just pull their elbow through their skin with all your might.

Whatever it used to be, whatever it is, moving around slowly, or even quickly, doing forms, won't teach you to fight.