Hart

Think the IOC(International Olympic Commitee) will ever reinstate it? It just seems that the inherently violent nature of the sport will have to be played down for it to even be considered being part of the Olympics again.

Has anyone here heard of Pankration? From what I understand it is an ancient Greek art that literally means "all powers". Apparently a number of groups are trying to have it reinstated in the Olympics. Anyone care to elaborate on what this art actually is?

Take a look at this. It is well worth the download time! http://www.wcarchive.com/images/movies/beimo.htm

This video shows a sparring match between a wing chun practitioner and a kickboxer. From the looks of it, the wing chun stylist does a decent job of defending himself.

Do you have a link to that video?!

Has anyone here ever heard of Jeff Newton? He's a 39-year-old Karate fighter who apparently has made a very successful transition into MMA. Here's his profile. Can't get over what his nickname is though. http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterid=3263

I've noticed that the way we punch in Karate differs from western boxing. In boxing, the punch looks like its thrown from the shoulder and in Karate, the punch's power is generated from the hip. I tried using the traditional karate punch in sparring and I got whopped. Is the standard karate punch effective in certain situations or is just altogether impractical? Would it be best for karatekas to cross-train in boxing and abandon traditional hand punches or try to speed up their traditional strikes? I'd like to hear some thoughts on the issue.

This is really embarassing, but, I can't sweep to save my life. I just don't seem to get it. Whenever I try its like i'm flinging a spaghetti string at my training partner's leg. They don't budge an inch. I'm not trying to chop a leg off, for safety reasons, but I'm not sure that if I encounter someone on the street (God forbid), I'd be able to do it when I have to. Does anyone have any tips? Pictures might help.

Never thought about martial arts that way before. Well said!

I was surfing the Internet and came across a video showing Shaolin monks practicing forms. I noticed that a lot of their strikes and stances looked nearly identical to Karate. The only differences I could see was that their forms looked more sped up and had more acrobatic aspects. Is Karate simply a more "comprehensive" form of Kung Fu or is it an art all on its own? Like to hear some thoughts on this.

Hey everyone. I haven't posted in this section of the forum before, but I just found a video on YouTube featuring Taekwondo in MMA. I practice Karate but nonetheless admire Taekwondo. Hope you find it interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA7MGtX3kDM

Here's a sparring video I've found. The fighters seem to be wearing face masks. Looks pretty vicious. Feel free to offer opinions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMjGQk-k2ZA&search=karate

I was talking about the hook kick. I just can't seem to even do it at chest level.

I have trouble doing the reverse roundhouse kick and I was just wondering if anyone had any pointers on how to do it. I'm also wondering if it can actually be effective in competition.

Does anybody here have any tips for fighting competitors of different styles?

For the longest time I've been wondering about the practicality of certain stances in competition and street situations. If an attacker is coming in at full force, would it be practical to lunge at him with an oi zuki locking into a zenkutsu dachi stance? I'm thinking the stance is more for show if anything else, but I could be wrong. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Does anyone have any tips for increasing upper body strength. I've been doing martial arts for a year and half and I still can't do a proper push-up to save my life. It's embarassing! Any suggestions?

You guys have got to see this clip! I think it's Tony Jaa vs. a Capoeira fighter. You'll be impressed! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8514518157668120764&q=Capoeira

Found this clip. It's a sketch of Jim Carrey as a karate "master" from In Living Color. Funny as heck. Hope you enjoy it! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7925292111832234698&q=karate

Does anyone know what happened to Scott Morris. The alleged ninjitsu practitioner got a vicious beat down from Pat Smith at UFC II and lost some teeth. Did he retire or something.

I recently saw Karate Kid II and thought the final fight between Daniel and Chozen was cool, but at the same time realistic. Like the part where Daniel attempted to use the crane kick, Chozen simply caught his leg and pushed him down. The two of them also got bloodied up and tired during the fight--something that would happen in real life. Aside from the ending--villagers rallying around Daniel by playing those "drum paddles?"--I thought the director did his homework in presenting Karate realisticly. Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

I was just wondering if any fellow Karate-kas have had any issue applying blocks. During sparring I usually have trouble applying the correct blocks whenever the opponent attempts to strike me. It's probably hesitation on my part, but sometimes I wonder if the blocks I learned are actually practical in a fight situation. Anybody got any advice?

Does anybody have tips for building muscle in your hands. My hands are a little on the small side and I was just wondering if there are special exercises I can do to make them larger.

Has anyone here heard of the Chinese Goju system developed by Ron Van Clief? It's supposedly a mixture of Chinese Kung Fu and Japanese Karate. Would you call this innovative?

I was just wondering what exactly is the theory behind pulling punches. Is it a safety issue or is supposed to distract attackers?