elbows_and_knees

right, but they can still disable with those same techniques that they are doing full speed... so even though they may not be what some call "lethal", that is really not the case at all.

here's a quote from another thread that kind of illustrates what I was talking about: that was in response to how a person training karate should train - that you generically train in a manner that works for you. The problem is that most people aren't gonna put in even half of the effort that they are capable of. With some styles, this is taken care of for you. IMO, that's how it should be in regards to training.

that's not really an agree/disagree thing - it's different personal experiences, that's all. everyone's will be different. I started in TMA and moved to sport fighting and these are my experiences. yours will be different. As for the instructor - he didn't have this attitude - the students developed it themselves. BUT, I know that the instructor had done some competing in his day as well, which goes back to my theory - competition is good for humbling you. I didn't say he didn't kill bulls. I said that there is rumor that the bulls he killed were already sick. I also said that it only proves that he was strong - but being strong doesn't mean much by itself. There are people today who could do it - a few have been listed already. As for the 300 people, who knows - I am skeptical about that one. However, I am also skeptical about rickson's claim to beating 400. Names would be nice, as it shows some sort of paper trail you can verify.

depends on the brand. century thai pads are cheap, but they are crappy. However, a good pair of Windy thai pads can run about $100US. For a good mid level price, look into brands like ringside and twins.

depends on who you ask. to many, ki/chi/punap/prana, etc. is nothing more than correct breathing and proper body mechanics, not some myserious bioelectricity.

I agree. but that doesn't convey the same feeling of carrying out the technique on a person. the feel, the timing, the force necessary, etc.

yeah, basically. It was boran combined with some of jaa's own innovations. Simply put, all of the traditional thai stuff is now generically called muay boran. It's a mix of what is left of mae mai, luk mai, lon lon, chaiya and all of the other old styles.

right, but I think what the poster is getting at is what happens if you are spearhanding his throat for example, and he lowers his chin - so you ram your fingers right into his chin. Even worse, what if he tries to duck and you hit his forehead? I think he is wondering how safe it is to use this technique with minimal risk to yourself.

not really. if you choose to stop caring about the art or philosophy, that is your choice - it's not necessarily automatic. However, fighting is fighting. Those things are actually unnecessary. Some people cherish them anyway, and others don't - different strokes for different folks.

this has been happening in my city as well. Here are some of my thoughts. 1. forget self defense for preachers - that would be a joke - like women's self defense. Train them just as you would train anyone else. 2. many of the churches in my area offer MA programs - why wouldn't a preacher join one? 3. there is a scripture in the bible that says something to the effect of if there is a man without a sword, let him sell his shirt and buy a sword. Also, look at the history of war in the bible - the tearing down of the walls of jericho for instance - they were fighting - with God on their side. What is the difference? 4. talk to them and ask them what they would think about offering a training program.

I don't know about his experiences, but just two months ago, my thai boxing coach helped the kempo guys with a black belt test (we are all friends, so the teacher wanted him to spar with the guys he was testing) He dropped one of them to the floor with a liver punch, and almost KOed another with a spinning backfist. None of them did any damage to him at all, though they were able to hit him. That's not a knock on kem/npo in any way, just something to consider for those talking about how much more "lethal" it is than thai boxing.

bjj is actually getting very popular in china. kung fu / qigong magazine had an article on it a few months ago. I haven't clicked on the link above, but it may be about the same guy who is spreading bjj over there.

grapple with her

that is COMPLETELY untrue. I can make it true though... When MA is taught WITH OR WITHOUT philosophy AND the students do not test themselves, they tend to get large egos. On tv, yeah, you see ego... it sells tickets, which makes them money. These guys are not like that in person though. Tito ortiz, for example makes regular contributions to several children's charities. I've met royce, and he is very humble. most of my TMA friends have big egos - coincidentally, NONE of them compete. they say things like "grappling is fine, but I would just punch him in the throat" and "boxers don't have alot of skill - they just stand there and slug eachother," - that is ridiculous. The sport fighters I know, however, aren't like that. They respect anything that you can make work. Getting your butt kicked tends to be very humbling, and those who compete get their butts kicked on a reagular basis. We don't say that it is. However, it is the CLOSEST that you can SAFELY come to a real fight. How many people are killed or maimed where you train? If the answer is none, then are you training any more realistically than we are? No it doesn't. It's obvious that you don't know much about mma training and strategy. I'm a bouncer at one of the most popular clubs in my city's downtown area. I have had no problems yet. matter of factly, one of our guys mounted someone last week. He had to take him down, and the guy turned to his stomach. The bouncer mounted him and shoved his head against the floor. Nobody touched him. that's not to say that other people will never jump in, but it doesn't always happen, either. 1. I'm sure others that wanted to try could as well. It's a good accomplishment, but he's not the only one that could do it, I'm sure. 2. it's been said that the bulls he killed were already sickly to begin with. please post the names of all 300. 1. we don't say that mma are the best - there is no best. 2. oyama began incorporation thai boxing after fighting a few thai boxers, did he not? 3. who REALLY cares about killing a bull? It proves he's strong, but not much else. 4. if you count MMA as a style, then it has enlisted millions - and that is only since around 1995. ------------------------------------------------------------------- you do understand how adrenaline works, right? It saps your energy. It increases sight, strength, etc. TEMPORARILY, then it leaves you sapped and tired. Since you guys are big on talking about multiple opponent fights, we'll use that as an example - adrenaline won't save you there. this is where conditioning comes in handy. What if you have to run? there's more benefit of conditioning. Also, not all fights last only a few seconds. To prepare yourself for the ideal is not a smart thing. you should prepare for the worst, no?

seeing them is one problem. Applying them is the other. this is where kumite comes in.

No, it doesn't. There is a real easy way to test it though.... go to a boxing gym, put on headgear and get in the ring. Before the sparring match, be sure to tell them that headgear encourages lazy striking and promotes getting hit in the head more. Then, come back and tell us how it went. Headgear is for safety. In grappling, you don't want to break your training partner's limbs, do you? No - which is why we tap out. If you train a "self defense" style, do you take full power shots at your partner's eyes, throat and groin, or do you pull them? If you pull them, doesn't that promote lazy striking?

you still hit with the shin - the hip turns over, not the leg. When you are first learning the kick, chambering it can be easier, as it's more natural for a lot of people. If you chamber the leg straight up - like a front kick - you HAVE to turn your hip over in order to get the kick at the right angle. As you get used to the kick, you can stop the chamber. Different people learn differently though - if you are more comfortable just swinging your leg, see what he thinks about it - because that's actually the way the kick should be thrown anyway.

not necessarily. The other theory is that it was developed while they were migrating from southern china... Like I said, nobody will ever know. It doesn't matter though. Since being in thailand it's undergone so many changes from what it originally was that it is completely thai now. Bando has undergone alot of changes, making it completely burmese, etc.

I breathe in for two steps and breathe out for two.

it's a normal roundhouse. There are several variations and angles for the roundhouse kick: kicking to the neck area, you can kick diagonally downward. kicking to the floating ribs, you kick diagonally upward. for a "suitcase kick", you lunge to the side and kick squarely on the front of the quadricep, just above the knee cap. for the standard kick, you completely turn your hip over and kick inward - this is likely what you are talking about. you can also cut inward after impact - like you are hitting them twice. This is hard to explain - I'm not going to type it out. there is the switch kick, in which the front leg becomes the rear leg and kicks quickly. the thai roundhouse kick is so powerful because it involves the whole body. the turning over of the hip is the main generation of the power; it doesn't chamber like kicks from other styles do.

but pads don't hit back. there is a difference between hitting something full speed and hitting SOMEONE full force who is resisting, doesn't want to be hit and is trying to hit you back. This is true. But on that same token, do you really think that hitting a pad is the same as being in a real fight? Do you think that walking through your drills with a partner is the same as being in a real fight? The people who always say "sparring isn't the same as a real fight" always seem to overlook the fact that what they are doing really isn't that realistic either. It can. principles are the same across several styles.

the list of styles that incorporate it would be WAY too long. However, most chinese styles do it. Also, from an external point of view, thai boxiners do it. Internally, it is done in OMA via the sanchin kata, as has been said. Iron body is really just body conditioning from an external point of view - you are hardening your body to withstand blows. Some styles also utilize an "internal" component. There is more than just iron body among chinese styles, there is: iron body iron palm golden bell iron crotch iron shirt just to name a few.

and that opinion is based on....? FWIW though, there have been a ninjutsu stylist and a WC stylist that were totally destroyed in the UFC. I've trained with several WC guys and have beaten them sparring.

true, but if what you train dictates how you train, then it can matter. It's a small line that a lot of people don't see. using a thai boxer for example, they are the way they are because of how they train, as you are saying. BUT, they train that way because the style dictates that they do. Not all MA styles are like that. So, in that sense, it very well can be what you train. And yeah, I missed what you were saying above - we do agree on that.

One of the teachers at our club is also a purple belt in bjj under de la riva. He's good at them both, but I've never seen him mix the two, So I'm not sure how he transitions from one to the other. Capoeira does have a lot of infighting though, so it's possible that after a takedown (which capoeira seems to have plenty of) he will follow them down and work his bjj from there.