elbows_and_knees

you don't have to have a deep stance to be rooted. that's something untrue that many people believe. judoka have an excellent root, and they aren't deep at all. pressure points in general won't help much in an altercation. If you have the guy down and have control of his arm, either snap his arm or kick him in the head, then get out of there. I disagree with this also. see above about root. the same applies for center of gravity. a lower center of gravity can make you somewhat harder to takedown, but generally makes you less mobile as well. lower your center for certain throws, then keep moving. The purpose of stance isn't really root, per se. As I said, judoka have great root, with no stance at all. stance is used for stance disruptions, MOVEMENT and grappling. stances aren't static - you don't hold them. you transition from one to the other while you are fighting. For example, someone throws a punch, I shift my weight back into a cat stance and block. I then step forward into a bow and arrow stance and lunge punch. He throws a roundhouse at my body and I shift into a back stance then block. He next kicks at my head and I lower into snake creeps down (longfist kung fu) and let it go over my head...transition. that's what stance is about. As for grappling, after you throw tai otoshi, look at your body - you are in something resembling a bow and arrow stance. o goshi and ippon seionage will leave you in a horse stance. This is how stance has its use in grappling. the exact form isn't important, as whether your stance is high or low, it's the same stance. When you are transitioning and grappling, the stance will not be exact, but the structure is there. that is what stance is setting in place - your foundation.

In real fights? usually the two are clinching and one loses balance, or one strikes and loses balance or one tries a takedown.

As someone who is involved in altercations almost every day, trust me - no, you don't. enter full contact fighting matches. you will experience similar adrenal response and against more skilled opponents, minus the threat of death or serious harm.

there's no capoeira in that vid... There are some elements similar to capoeira techniques that have been adopted by gymnastics and hip hop.

there is an aikikai dojo in my city. I may check them out some day.

I don't think that's it. ueshiba had only studied aikijutsu, I believe. Something about the training HAS to be much different than it once was. 6 years is too long... WAY too long. As for locking in place of blocking, I don't think it would work too well. you would be better served by using the evasive foot work instead of blocking, not locking.

I've heard two things: 1. aikidoka don't spar. ueshiba was a pacifist, but I don't think that's plausible, because kano was also, and he sparred. However, I've also been told that aikido techniques will generally break or dislocate if you resist against them, so the drills are always done cooperatively. 2. I've heard that the lineage seagal was in (tomiki?) DOES randori.

or instead you can simply hold onto something for balance. that way you can continue to go down - further than you can using a chair.

No, they are not alike.

Thanks! I'll try the push ups. One of his instuctors told me when he drops his hands when we're sparring to hit him off the top of his head. I'm not sure if I agree with that one though. I most definatly wouldn't agree with that one. It's just mean instead of helpfull and doesn't help neither you or him. It's not mean at all. Think about it.... most people have to actively be shown something in order to ingrain it into them. I teach it to my students every class. They can be shadowboxing or doing drills and I tell them to keep their hands up. They constantly drop them. When we spar and I hit them, THEN tell them to keep their hands up, they get it.

Like I said, it all depends on how you train. I personally have never met a good WC guy. I know there are plenty, though.

On my myspace page, I blog about incidents that I am in on my night job (bouncer). The biggest I've been invloved in was a huge brawl involving over 20 people. as recently as three weeks ago, I got into it with three guys. Both of these are talked about in my myspace blog. https://www.myspace.com/muaythaiboxer

I didn't know that, and I've talked to him in person. He's got rank in kendo, judo, aikido and karate, but I was unaware that the karate style was shito ryu.

the problem many people seem to have with aikido is that it seems hard to make it work if your opponent isn't cooperating. I've had three friends of mine from three different schools in two different states try aikido while sparring me and they couldn't make any of it work.

just hit a heavy bag...

to toughen the hands. rubbing would break the skin. Then, you have to let it heal before you could rub them again. it would slow the process down. huh? there are many studies that show that both impact and weight bearing are means of increasing bone density. that's really not the point of hand conditioning.

that was definitely intentional

why do you say the backfist can do more damage when you also state the jab is stronger? Some practitioners have only developed speed (not power and accuracy) in a jab. The same practitioner might use a backfist with devastating speed, accuracy and power to a vital point (temple, behind ear, jaw). In this scenario, the jab is probably used more frequently to open better targets, distract the opponent, break the rhythm, set up combinations, establish control, etc. The backfist, in this scenario, is used in moderation only when a vital target is open, in an attempt to knockout or do large amounts of damage to the opponent. Again, this will vary depending on the fighter, situation, practicing methods, etc. This is just one of many possible scenarios. For someone that spends more time on the jab, to develop power and accuracy (in addition to speed) the jab will be more successful that an undeveloped backfist. I guess now we get into the context of what the techniques are used for - what you described is the main use of the jab - it's not meant to be a power punch - that's what the cross if for - but it's possible to add power to the jab. My first ring fight, I KO'ed my opponent with a jab, but that's VERY rare. I'd imagine it's the same for a backfist.

there are alot of cma schools that still do not spar. However, there are some that do and are quite good. It all depends on where and how you are training.

yeah, he's really good. when he was younger he had a record for being the youngest person to be judged in adult divisions and was a tkd fighting champ. He got into muay thai later and had 3 fights, if I remember right. Back in the day, his website had a message board, and he would respond to the messages himself, so I talked to him for a bit.

I powerlift and was once into bodybuilding. if he can relax he will get it. I agree with you though, the hook is definitely hard to learn.

he loses his advantage once the short guy gets inside on him. As stated previously, mike tyson in his early days is a perfect example of this.

not every time. think back a few years in boxing. tommy hitman hearns was known for his "flicker jab" which was basically a mix of the jab and backfist. It was a whipping jab from a lowered lead hand.

why do you say the backfist can do more damage when you also state the jab is stronger?

Coincidentally, since I first posted on this thread, five of my friends, all of them untrained, and one of them a bouncer alongside me, have all asked me if I knew about the show. They have all told me that they loved it. they never once referred to the "realism" of the fighting. They talk about the challenges and about the speed and technique seen in the fights. My bouncer co-worker already assumed that they are holding back their strikes so they don't hurt eachother. He actually respects them for that. If this is the general concensus of the audience at large, than this show could be pretty successful on several different levels.