UseoForce

Someday I hope to train with them. Great style. Mu Ryuk, I'm guessing you read the BB mag article?

I don't share this bleak opinion as a black belt as insignificant. Like any colored belt, the siginificance lies in the sweat and blood paid for the belt. For example, I hold a yellow belt in Tang Soo do (never would have guessed it from my posts, wouldja? ) I don't feel I earned that belt the same way I earned my Combat Hapkido yellow belt awhile back. When a earn my hapkido blackbelt, it will be siginificant, as it is the culmination of each of my colored belts, just as orange belt is the culmination of white and yellow belts, and green belt white, yellow, and orange. A possible theory: McDojo's were handing out BBs. The black belts were getting beat up in street fights. When the students and other people asked their instructor why this was happening. Then the instructor gives some speil (Is that even a word?) about a blackbelt being only the beggining. Did it happen exactly like that? Probably not. Was it kind of like this? I bet. P.S. Tell a BJJ blackbelt that his BB is insignificant. hehehe

Will someone explain to me why Wing Chun gets such a good rap as far as self defense goes? It is one of the only arts that is not designed for modern self defense and does not train full contact (To my knowledge) and is STILL considered good for SD. I'm not saying it shouldn't, maybe I'm just arrogant (?).

Nothing like the ol cliche!Actually, my pants are held up by a drawstring. My dobok jacket is held shut by ties as well. My belt is a symbol of my rank that I wear as it is a custom of hapkido that I like. But I get your point. .

No style, not even BJJ, will let you win the UFC. You must take the most effective techniques and principles from boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling, and other arts to create a sort of "styleless style," without limits. Bruce Lee would be proud.

A central part of Wing Chun is trapping. Trapping also has a role in my art, Combat Hapkido. It is not easy for beginners apply against an all-out attack. However, if trained for years and years, it can be fairly effective. Still, I personally don't think it can be that effective against skilled attacks with combinations. Krav is great. Just make sure the instructor is good, and you will get aewsome hardcore self-defense training. KRAV ALSO TRAINS FULL CONTACT (In a safe manner) which is IMPERATIVE for good self defense training. You'll also get gorundfighting. I like what I've heard of Kali. My only concern is that you will not learn groundfighting. Instructor and school quality are the two most important factors.

I understand your point and agree with it 90%. The only things wrong with it are: 1) There are exceptions to such statements. 2) You can't exclude the styles y2_sub mentioned, they train all-out as well. I'd like to add JKD, certain Filipino MAs, catch wrestling, Western sword, sambo, and MMA fighting to the list. IT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE THAT IF YOU DO NOT TRAIN IN THE MANNER OF THE ABOVE STATED MAs YOU CANNOT BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST SOMEONE WHO DOES! It doesn't mean you have to do those martial arts per-se, just incorporate that type of training into your regimine.

I bet Chuck Liddell could totally DOMINATE on the ground if he wanted to. He just prefers to stand. Did anyone see how he extricated himself from Vernon White's closed guard in UFC 49. Vernon was doing everything he could to keep Chuck down, but Chuck would let him do nothing of that sort. It takes a lot of skill to brake a tight guard. Break his guard, you're more than halfway to a submission. I've also heard rumors that chuck has a mean knee bar/leg/achilles lock arsenal. He just doesn't get a chance to use it (Lots of 1st round KOs)! Crucial point: chuck is dominant on his feet BECAUSE of his takedown defense and ground skill.

I love it! See, where I live, Tang Soo Do is very popular. Their are TSD schools everywhere. I even participated in it when I was very young. But I wanted to learn hardcore self-defense. I also wanted to train all-out like in judo and BJJ. Finally, I didn't want to do kata. That's not to say they are without value, they are just not for me. If you enjoy them, fine. I eventually found this strange art called "Combat Hapkido." I was totally in love with it after my first class. Combat Hapkido is a complete martial art., derived from many other martial arts. It teaches: Punches, Kicks, and Strikes (From boxing, Hapkido, and kickboxing) Joint manipulations, including throws, locks pins, and holds (Daito Ryu Jiu-jitsu, which forms the basis of traditional hapkido, and Aikido) Throws and Takedowns (Judo, Hapkido,wrestling, Jiu-jitsu) Groundfighting (BJJ with nasty tricks) Trapping (Wing Chun) Stick, knife, (Filipino MA) among others... There are ICHF schools in Zimmerman MN, Andover, and Little Falls. If you are close to any of these schools, I highly suggest you give it a look.

$ A very unfortunate but seemingly unavoidable issue with less popular MA. .

Hmmm... There's those redman suits like they use on mythbusters. I've used those before, they are pretty good. The only other one I've heard of is Blauer's High Gear suit. But what if: Fairtex Muay Thai Chest Protector Fairtex Shin and instep guards Fairtex Thigh protector Fairtex boxing gloves or MMA gloves Any kind of leather headgear with full face protection. Century forearm protector (I forgot the name of the line) Pros: Good protection, much less than $1000 bucks Cons: Get hit from behind, you're dead! That's the best I can do, sorry!

I just wanted an idea about how the masses felt about my primary martial art. If you want more info, ichf.com.

Are you having trouble with it?

headlock hip throw (I think he's had enough)

Wow, 6 days a week! I wish I had class that often. The max training I can get in the dojang is 4-5 hours per week. You can be sure I'm there for that, though.

I wish I had access to a training partner outside of class, that'd help a lot!

Ever get that itch to train when you're at home? You wish you could just get in your car and drive to the dojo and get train'n? But you can't, because your class doesn't start for hours or even DAYS! I get like this all the time. What are your favorite drills or activities to do outside of the dojo to improve your self-defense skills? Obviousl, lifting weights and cardio are at the top of the list (for me), but what else do you do? I- Work out on my heavy bag Read MA books Watch MA DVDs Log onto KF Shadow fight Practice upas and shrimping And some other stuff... What about you?

Excellent article. What denomination are you, tomkatch?

Hmmm, good to know. It sounds excellent, but I want to hear from someone who has done it. You should check it out sometime.

I have been doing that, and I think its helping .

I understand how possibly self-destructive it can be to punch with a closed fist. What are some strengthening/toughening excersises I can do to minimize these risks? I'm guessing the Muay Thai guys would know some good stuff(?)

Anyone ever practiced this system or viewed the DVDs? Impressions?

Blackbelt mag is easily all-round best.

I've been working on it, and mine is functional now. Thanks for the replies, I think we are mostly in agreement.

For reviews, http://home.att.net/~erik.mann/reviewsd.htm