elbows_and_knees

No it can't - the judges won't let it. In my karate days, I was training under a guy from japan who didn't believe in point sparring. it was hard contact. However, I was also training at another karate school (american) and they entered tournaments. I had point taken away from me for excessive contact on several occasions.

same. now, the strategies are different, but the intent behind a KO punch is the same regardless.

I understand, but no, the intent is no different. In both situations, I want to end the fight as quickly as possible, as long as we are talking about full contact fighting. if it's point, then yes, the intent is different.

i dont agree with that sport has rules and is a more controlled situation budo is ment for a life and death situation two different applications i do agree though that its up to the practitioner to make some thing either budo or to make it a sport I train judo - I choke you and don't let go. Will you not die? I didn't make my judo bujutsu instead of sport - the choke is the same. The only difference is that I didn't let go. And 'do' symbolizes a way of life. If anything, bujutsu would be more life and death, not budo.

even the original question and assumptions are flawed. he assumes the smaller guy has better stamina. The powerlifters that I train with run 1 - 3 miles at least twice per week. they have better stamina than many smaller guys that I know. As I've stated in other threads, look what the overweight and under trained tank abbot used to do to people...

as a bigger, strong guy, I can safely say that this is only partially correct. When you first start to learn something, the natural reaction is to use what has always been working for you instead. consequently, yes, from the get go a bigger guy will try to rely on size and strength. Once he gets used to what he is doing and begins to relax, he will rely on strength less and use it when he has to. For example, I am now perfectly relaxed when I am on the ground, however when I need to power through something, I do. That is an advantage that we have over smaller guys. you can't just power through me if you need to. As far as the bad posture, I have no clue what you are talking about... I've never experienced this, nor have the other big guys I train with. see above.

there is muay thai in detroit...

I think the biggest factor there is eating habits. Most of the people in other countries consume a lot less fat than we do.

muay lon lon, muay chaiya, mae mai, muay kaad cheurk and other variations. some were variations, some were eras. for example muay kaad cheurk was the era that began the use of wrapping the hands with hemp.

philosophically, yes, this is probably right. However, isn't it technically wrong? no style created after either the tokugawa or meiji restoration (can't remember which) is considered a 'jutsu' - it is all 'do' as the styles considered koryu or classical are all pre tokugawa. as far as jujutsu and taijutsu go, they are for all practical purposes, the same thing. jujutsu was a general term used for several hundred variations. At one point in time, there were over 700 "styles" of jujutsu. taijutsu was one of these offshoots. from an application standpoint, it's all the same, IMO.

You make some very good points here. But I think that the difference is in fact in what situation arises. You won't necessarily punch the same in competition as you do in combat. Therefore, it is not the same punch. I do believe at some point you can train all three, depending on the mindset that you have at the time, and what you are focusing on. that's not true, but I'm glad you mentioned it. From a sport perspective, nothing changes. My right cross in the ring is the same as it is on the street. My hidaka jime in the street is the same as in shiai. A sport style does not have to alter anything. I think this is part of the reason why a sport style can produce an effective fighter faster than most traditional styles. from a traditional perspective, you learn eye gouges, groin strikes, pressure points, clawing, ripping, small joint manipulation, weapons, etc. There is no competition venue that let's you use all of these things, and even within the confines of your own school, you really can't practice all of these things at full speed and power. Consequently, you DO have to change some traditional techniques if you want to spar or compete with them. This can cause confusion in the street. Looking back in the day, look at the tournaments where kano and his judoka competed against jujutsu guys. The judoka owned them. Why? because they were able to randori full speed and power with their techniques. The jujutsu guys were for the most part unable to do this due to the nature of their techniques.

I've got that article as well - I enjoyed it. However, as to the comment about footwork, tkd footwork is horrible for muay thai. other than that, I think the two can work well together. Knees can safely be incorporated. elbows are harder. generally, we don't spar with elbows.

If your physical trainer told you that flies are just for looks, then you need to find another trainer. To gain size and strength, you need to stress the muscle with heavy weights, low reps and plenty of recovery between sets. 3 sets of 6-8 is more of a toning/maintenance type workout. Go read a good bodybuilding site, and then a good powerlifting site, compare the differences, and figure out what you want to emphasize. If it's powerlifting, drop Sohan a PM, he competed in it and is a very knowledgable personal trainer. Aodhan I think the trainer is referring to the thought that flies are unnecessary. All you really need is the bench press. Technically, he's right. the upper, inner and lower pecs are so close together that you can't work one without working them all.

the body can only be in one state at a time, catabolic or anabolic. You can't gain weight and lose it at the same time. Like aodhan said, this is counter productive to what you are trying to do. In addition, you don't want to overtrain. keep them on separate days, and have phased goals - phase 1 may be to put on weight. Phase two is to trim the fat. As an example, look at bodybuilders. In the off season, they bulk up. put on both muscle and fat. In the on season, they are still lifting hard, but are also doing more cardio to shed any excess weight.

nobody has really touched on the answer yet - the true answer. you are working two different systems. Running is aerobic. fighting is generally anaerobic. doing a kata really fast several times over, or doing several rounds of sparring is more akin to a short, fast sprint - very anaerobic. anaerobic work will not help your aerobic system at all. This is why you notice no difference. In order to improve your aerobic system, you have to work your aerobic system.

that's the part I think a lot of people miss. They like to assume that the big guy has no skill, which is not true. I was always into bodybuilding and now I'm into powerlifting. But I've been training MA for years. there are a lot of big guys with skill. Heck even without skill, look at what tank abbot did in the early UFCs - he was big and fat and would maul people just off his size and aggression. He was big and fat, but he had a fighter's mindset and it worked to his advantage. Bob Sapp is the same way. He's a big, burly football player. But his size and mindset make him more than formidable.

in my jkd days, I trained kali. we worked stick and knife all the time. You say you train medieval combat - what specifically? they trained stick and knife too, or had variants - espada y daga, for example.

I'm actually glad you mentioned that. groin shots CAN end a match - they are also stalling techniques where people fake it for time's sake. I have been kicked there in fights (real and ring) and not felt it until afterward. same thing with the eye gouge. Now, the key point you touched on - IT IS MUCH EASIER TO EYE GOUGE FROM TRAPPING OR GRAPPLING RANGE - and that range is the grappler's forte. It is indeed much easier for me to gouge you If I have you controlled and have positional dominance. Same with throat strikes. elbows_and_knees are allowed in some sports, as are headbutts. And illegally, they are used as quick strikes all the time in all contact sports - boxing, muay thai, judo, heck, even soccer and american football.

I've heard it in several schools. another example are the supposed knife defenses schools teach. not really. bjj was adapted from judo, which was created as a sport. And it has lethal techniques as well, even though they are supposedly taken out. anything can be modified. If I throw you onto your head instead of your back, what happens? If I hold a choke for a prolonged period of time, what happens? If I block your leg above the knee or right on it when throwing tai otoshi, what happens (the leg get's injured). If I have your arm positioned elbow down while throwing seionage, what happens? (I can break the elbow) - sport arts can easily kill or maim. the rule in bjj is a tap. what happens when you don't tap? snap! good story, but we have a million of them - and it's not that easy to crush a trachea. I sparred a guy at my old school and told him groin and throat strikes were legal if we could land them. He was unable to hit me in either place. Stories are great, but really don't prove anything one way or another, as we all have our own. On a side note, I put my thumb into someone's trachea last week at work (as many of you know, I'm a bouncer by night) - the guy had problems breathing and speaking, but did not die. and even those problems were very temporary.

Don't mean to pick at it, however for better or for worse, in alot of western matches, these strikes are often not allowed. in western matches, knees are ALWAYS allowed. however, some venues will not allow you to knee to the head.

everything you just mentioned is legal, except groin kicks. FWIW, the kajukenbo guy I know isn't very street practical at all, and he trained it for like 5 years. Granted, he's only one guy from one school though. He is VERY fast and unorthodox, but not practical.

I agree and disagree. there are a lot of thing tma guys talk about that are myths. such as the "fact" that groin shots are instant fight enders, or the "fact" that it's really easy to eye gouge someone. As for sport vs martial, sport arts ARE martial. I can't believe there are still people who differentiate the two. the only difference terminology wise is that I train to compete in a sportive venue. As a bouncer, I use my "sport arts" every night. they work well. martial arts were developed to teach fighting. Doesn't matter if you are fighting in the ring or in the street. its REALLY not hard to maim or kill with my sport arts, so now, why are there different terms?

o goshi

bingo. also, you have to think about what a defined look really is. Tone is nothing more than residual tension in a relaxed muscle. that combined with low bodyfat = definition. you can achieve that look with weights or without. Also, the thought that lifting weights has to make you bulky is dead wrong.

depends - it varies from school to school. IMO, it should be 3 - 6 months. until then you should only drill and if anything, spar lightly. Don't be so anxious though - your time will come.