Superfoot

Yes, helping train the mind to develop toughness is an excellent idea. However, everyone has different coping strategies. A more objective method that many people can perform is the use of physical conditioning in addition to training the mind. Of course, this may very well be down to individual differences too, one might argue. The conditioning of the body helps eliminate the fear of hurting onself. It also strengthens the bones to prevent injury. In my experience, there is a point where you never have to worry about the pain. Of course, you may still feel the pain when you get hit in the abdominal muscles, as an example. But as a result of conditioning, which is a habituative process, one may still remain standing, thinking of the experienced pain as a feeling rather than a hinderance. Of course, a person may train themselves mentally never to fear pain, as you have said, and continue fight with zeal. But what if their physical body cannot match the enthusiasm with which they fight? What if their body has not been conditioned properly? The result is an athlete who fights well, but does not have the body that is capable of absorbing punishment. The result is a damaged body, which itself is counter-productive to health. Of course, I speak from my own experiences from training and sparring, which may very well differ from your own experiences in the system of Shotokan. Thanx for replying. Superfoot.

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I feel body conditioning is essential to getting better in a sport, especially combative. One of the things I have noticed studying the martial arts is that many people are reluctant to try certain maneuveurs because they fear getting hurt on the counterattack. As a result, they attack from a relatively closed position, which inhibits the proper delivery of the technique. I feel if you are training for your sport, you should focus on your techniques, tactics as well as your conditioning and stamina. Also, toughening up your striking surfaces, it can be argued, can help you get better at your sport as you are LESS likely to suffer injuries. Striking with the shin may hurt a great amount, but conditioning them with various methods to a point where pain tolerance is increased can increase a practitioners confidence in the execution of proper technique, as they do not have to worry about the pain they will feel afterwards. Gaining injuries on a makiwara is possible, but in my experience, only if you perform the techniques incorrectly, such as keeping a bent wrist whilst punching, or punching excessively hard. In my opinion, the makiwara is best used for toughening up the hand and feet striking surfaces. It is items like the Heavy Bag and Thai Pads that can be used for impact training.

Usually to harden areas of your body you need to subject them to moderate force to give them the chance to get used to intermediate impact. There are some already tried and tested methods regarding the hardening of striking surfaces. To harden striking surfaces, you should strike pads or other equipment which are firm yet have a slight give to them. Sandbags and Thai Pads are perfect for conditioning your shins as well as using Thai Oil Linement which you can get from https://www.taosport.co.uk. Using a Makiwara as well as Knuckle Push Ups are also good for the hands. Striking a makiwara and performing knuckle push ups cause mild fissures in the bones where impact has been subjected. These fissure can be filled with more bone through the regular intake of calcium and other foods that are rich in phosphate. Also, these will help the habituation process of getting used to the pain and hence striking without worry. Regarding condition of the body to absorb shots, the only advice I can offer is to spar lightly with partners concentrating on delivering, timed controlled blows to the areas you wish to toughen up. If possible, I would advise you to order any of the video tapes produced and sold by https://www.fightingsecrets.com. The videos star Marco Lala, a Kyokushin exponent and Judo expert who discusses various ways to toughen the body in a large variety of his videos. I dont think he has a single video that details all in one how to toughen your body. But he does detail methods at separate stages in his series of videos. The best videos for you to buy are: Destructive Low Kicks and Knee Attacks Vol I & II Marco Lala's Iron Defense System Karate's Phenomenal Ab Training Methods All these videos will contain methods on how to toughen your: Shins Knife Edge of Foot Ball of Foot Bottom Heel Back of Heel Knees Abs I think he also details how to condition your forearms too. Hope this helps.

Thats interesting. I never knew the term "Roundhouse" was used in boxing. Is it in reference to a punch, or footwork pattern, etc? The term "Roundhouse" when I have encountered it has been used to refer to the following kicks: Spinning Wheel Kick Spinning Hook Kick/Reverse Turning Kick varying in diff. TKD dojangs In fact, when I first started martial arts, I thought the Roundhouse was those above kicks. Only after I really settled into training did I find out that this term is also used to refer to the kicks below: Turning Kick Round Kick In Taekwondo, there are 3 kicks that all really come under the Roundhouse/Round name, but have varied so much, they are referred to in separate terms: The Round Kick: A kick similar to the Shotokan "Mawashi-Geri" but uses a large swinging of the hip. The striking surface is the ball of the foot for breaking purposes, and the instep for competition. However, the opening of the hips to deliver the kick gave it a very telegraphed nature making it inappropriate for competition. This led to the birth of... The Turning Kick: A kick similar to the TKD Round Kick, but the kick is launched at a 45 degree angle. The knee is chambered early, and the hips remain relatively closed. The Down Round Kick: I do not know the lineage of this kick, but if you go to https://www.turtlepress.com and buy the Revolution of Kicking series, you will see this kick. Similar to the Brazilian Kick, there is no Front Kick-Downward Kick-transition. In the Down Round Kick, the leg is swung up at 45 degrees and then brought down (not sharply) at the same angle onto the opponents head with follow through. This is perhaps one of the kicks in TKD that requires a complete follow through motion before moving back into fighting stance. The others include: Spinning Back Kick/Back Kick Spinning Hook Kick Side Thrust Kick Slamming Kick Crescent Kicks Thrusting/Push Kick Axe Kick Crescent Kick.

Does anyone know how the term Roundhouse originated and used in martial arts terms such as "Roundhouse Kick", "Roundhouse Punch", etc. When I first studied martial arts, the term "Roundhouse" was first used before the single term "Round". Thanx for the responses.

Spinning Back Kick.

I cannot remember ever using a lead leg at close quarters. There is just not enough space of arc to deliver power. Unless of course you perform a skip step, where from the same stance, your lead is brought behind the rear leg. But by this time, you could have used your rear leg anyway.

Would you mind telling me those experiences. Did they burst? I recently watches a video of Stan the Man Longinidis training his low-kicks on them. I figured because of their banana curve and large thinking (and lightness due to inflation) it would be easier for a partner to move it into different positions to strike. Also, I assumed that if they were using air as a filler, would they not be air-vented, as in to say once struck, they partially deflated according to force, which serves as a good measure of striking. Also, there would be no solid filling to destroy through constant use, like a regular strike shield. The contact area is made of tough polymer/PVC, so abrasion is minimal. I've been trying to search for disadvantages for some time now. Thanx, especially Pacificshore, and all others who post. And yeah. Mind of Mencia is fantastic. "You'll ask her 'hey babe, where do you wanna go for lunch?' And she will say..." "ANY-WHERRRRRE!!!"

Really? What's up with Shinkyokushin. Doesn't that translate as True Ultimate Truth? Mas Oyama felt the best way to exemplify HIS ethic regarding Karate, was in the accentuation of the OSU NO SEICHIN maxim. Perseverance can only be meaningfully tested when an individual has been pushed to his or her limits, to the point where they cannot, by physiological means go beyond. This is where the mental toughness and grit and determination comes in. It is through the hard training and so called "brutal" methods that instill within the student the tools necessary (stamina, drive, quick thinking) to complete the most difficult of tasks, such as Kumite. The emphasis on "fighting" in rather paradoxical. It is in "fighting" that a Kyokushin karateka learns mastery over himself, his pain, and his will to succeed. He does this in part, by mastery over his opponent in combat. Is is all a matter of approach. For me, Kumite, despite being sometimes painful, is a test. It is the free expression of all my training. Mas Oyama took what he needed from the martial arts he studied, and used them to great effect. However, he split from Gichin Funakoshi due to ideological differences. It would appear he kept his techniques from Shotokan. His relationship with fellow Korean So Nei Chu, probably solidified his want to train harder for his breteren in Goju Ryu. It seems the circular influence is more prevalent in Kyokushin. Regardless of whether practitioners discuss such methods really relfects their intentions as opposed to the art. I am a big fan of Kyokushin, because of it's lineage and interaction with other arts, especially with Muay Thai, and it's evolution into other arts, such as Shidokan and Daidojuku. Kyokushin, despite having it's own roots, has given birth to many other styles too. In the beginning, Kyokushin also had weapons and still maintains it's Kata. Conclusively, I beleive that every martial art has it's own objective regarding the development of it's students. Mas Oyama felt the best way to develop strong, willfull people was through the hard, rigourous testing of the students in kumite, a spontaneous environment where both competitors were given the oppurtunites to master themselves and each other. Other arts feel that this is not necessary. Which is fine. It depends on what you want. I could never imagine participating in a martial art without a segment involving Kumite/Sparring or pad drills etc. This is because I want to push myself. I believe martial arts is about the expansion of the self and the growth of potential in a student. I do not feel I can achieve such actualisation through theory. Some others might. Kyokushin has evolved into such a diverse style that it has lost a lot in common with it's roots, some might say. It has kept the Kihon and incorporated some new. It has retained it's kata. However, Kyokushin's way lies in the testing of the spirit under the maxim of OSU. Perseverance. This (it can be argued) cannot be accomplished when studying certain facets of the art e.g kata, but in the Kumite, where the individuals fitness and drive are pushed to limits beyond normal endurance. It is at this plateau where we should give up. But do we? That is what Kyokushin aims to teach. Where do we stop. Hopefully never. OSU! Superfoot.

Also, does anyone here use Air-Shields? How do they compare to strike shields? What's the best way to use them (aside from the same way as a strike shield)? Thanx Superfoot.

When you start a new martial arts class, should you deliberately downgrade your skills to appear as a new individual, or just kick and punch to the best of your ability? When I resumed TKD after 5 years, I never told my instructor I was a blue belt previously, but I think me may have noticed I had some experience. As a result, I ended up sparring with a black belt, and got kicked up well. I saw this as positive as it would teach me to sharpen my reflexes, and work up to a standard where I was probably competent enough compete. If you train with the best..... But then I got thinking. Is this right? If I continually spar people "better" than me, will this not hinder my growth as a martial artist? I won't be sparring anyone of similar level, and hence I can't measure my own growth against someone of a comparable nature. I am going to be studying Kyokushin soon, which is a full-contact bare-knuckle system of martial arts. To be honest, I have no intention of "downgrading" my skill, and purposefully slowing down. I feel that if I perform as my best, and the master sees something is wrong with my current best, he/she can correct my mistakes. But my question is: should an individual with martial arts experience start new classes under the guise of being inexperienced. I know you should look at everything you learn for the first time as a newecomer, so you dont get your hopes up. But regarding execution of technique. Is it best to "pretend" you're a totally new student to martial arts? Or would it be better to perform your best as always, despite looking like a show-off and risking the chance of being made to spar with people better than you. I have no problem with the former. Martial arts is not about ego to me. But with regards to being set with more advanced practitioners. Is that academically sound? Thanx Superfoot.

Thanx Pacificshore.

Does anyone know of a place, prefereably in Britain, or on the Net, of where I can buy a striking sheild in all or just one of the following colours: - Yellow - Blue Those are my favourite colours to have on a striking shield, but I havent been able to find any, save for a blue on on eBay. Also, could anyone suggest any shields that are of a good thickness, so I can throw kicks without worrying about damaging them or my partner? Thanx Superfoot.

I don't think either the Overhand Cross of Hook are meant to break guards, just come over or around them. When I use them, thats my intention anyway.

There was a very interesting study I read about when I did Psychology, where a women (whose beauty is unknown) was made to interview local men on a bridge. However the bridge was varied in its height, from very high to very low. Findings showed that a lot of men who were interviewed on the high bridge fell in love with the women, compared with the men on the bridge of intermediate height and floor level. This was apparently because the men misattributed their feelings of anxiety (from the fear of height) for love. This does not explain why people bond in high stress situations, as that apparently occurs due to the need for support from an individual who can empathise. And who better than a person in the same situation. Im not saying if you want to be with a woman you gotta push her into a puddle, save her, and hope she misatributed her fear of drowning for love. Just that sometimes love can be purely situational or circumstantial. Whether or not you beleive it to be "real". Now then. Not to digress from the topic, but given that many people are talking about characteristics that make a person stand out and be comfortable....what is the attitude (from both sexes) towards singing to a girl? You could have your guitar, and play out the song Broken by Seether (get that people), and even though you can make it look like a joke, deep down, she might like the sound of your voice, or possibly be impressed by the fact that you have a craft that not many people do. "I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh I wanna hold you high and steal your pain awaaaaaaaaay" "I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well I wanna hold you high and steal your pain" "Because I'm broken.........." (takes bow) The singer Amy Lee from Evanesence also sings on the track, so your lady can join in too. Apologies for the long post. But I'm revising, and nothings really sticking. So I thought I'd take a break until my brain gets back into the dojo -- I mean gear!!! Laterz. Superfoot.

I agree with "taking the next step". You will never appreciate the blocks and evasive techniques you are taught, if you do not put them to use in a spontaneous, free and full-contact environment. IMHO, full-contact fighting is the best way to develop one's own sense of persistence and toughness, something all martial arts try to instill in their students. Full-contact is not thuggish. It is carried out in a controlled environment, with supervisors and goodwill between competitors, who are all striving to pursue their dreams and hopes of either becoming stronger, testing themselves, or just having fun with new techniques. I myself am a WTF TKD practitioner, but both my instructors have a background in Muay Thai and boxing, so they always intergrate that into our repatoire. Consider yourself lucky for being with a great school. Do you use those Enshin Armguards regularly? The look fgreat to use, and on a more trivial note, have a nice blue colour to them. Americanized TKD? Is this the same as what is taught at ATA? I mean this as a purely innocent question, as I have never had any instruction in ATA TKD.

Can't find anything on those two styles. But I would imagine Superfoot = many kicking techniques rolled into one style. And Sumo Judo = well, utilising both styles in the same combat form.

Sup Meguro, thanx for the addresses bro. Those dojo's are very far from me, but the ones I listed are comparitively closer. However, I'll have to take the train to get there, which isn't practical on study leave. I think Kyokushin training for me will be starting from next year January onwards. However, I think when I get the time, I think I might wanna check out those dojo's you listed too.

Get a friend to throw ping-pong balls at you whilst you dodge and weave. The splashing water is also great. Titleboxing.com do a great video on getting faster and developing good speed, I can't remember the title, but there are two vids you need to get, one of them involved running through a rope ladder on the floor, and doing other footwork patterns. Another routine involves using three different coloured medicine balls, and your instructor claps his hands and yells (in order of colour) which balls he'd like you to touch. You stand facing away, so that the moment he claps his hands, you spin, and touch the balls as fast as you can. Bungee cord training, practicing blocking drills and sabaki methods, all while wearing ankle and wrist weights are also excellent ideas.

Much of the time, holding a leg up requires more attention on your hips. So go to your local gym, and there should be two machines that train both "Hip Abduction" and "Hip Adduction", which involve trying to close your legs together under resistance and vica versa. It helped me alot. I often found that when I held my leg out for long, my glutes and hips cramped up.

Hanshi Steve Arneil runs a Kyokushin Dojo in Wimbledon. I'm not studying there at the moment, but intend to do so. Wimbledon Kyokushinkai Karate Secretary: Hanshi S. Arneil 145 Cambridge Road West Wimbledon, London Tel: 0119 460 673 Club: Raynes Park Sports Ground Taunton Avenue, Raynes Park London, SW20 Also one near Kings College, also run by Hanshi Arneil. Kings College Kyokushinkai Secretary: Hanshi S. Arneil 145 Cambridge Road, West Wimbledon, London, SW20 0PH Tel: 0208 946 0673 Club: Kings College School, Wimbledon Southside, London, SW19 4TT.

Maybe the pillow was filled with pennies or something And different people have different pain thresholds. Have some sympathy towards that Timmy....lolz.

Could you give me some examples of such schools?