Dont call me Sir

Name: Don't call me Sir! (I'm not a traditionalist) Titles: 3x British TKD Sparring & Demolition/Destruction Champion Height: 6'1 Weight: 187lbs Training Time: 25 years Style: KyukTooKi & Combatives Favourite Techniques: - Self Defence: Pre-Emptive Power Slap, Chin Jab, Headbutts, Gouging & Biting - Sparring: Everything about KyukTooKi

Like Aodhan and White Tiger have already stated, make sure your leg is chambered correctly first. The trouble you're having (like everyone else) is in Back Stance your hips are angled differently, as opposed to a Walking Stance, for example, where your hips are facing forwards. Some peoples hips just don't allow them to perform this kick how they would like. Having said all that, it doesn't matter what kick you do, a poor chamber will lead to a poor kick. Good luck with it. DCMS. **Edited for spelling mistakes.**

The clip is a good example of muscle memory, which can be achieved be simply doing the same thing(s) over and over. Ok, some people will be quicker than others, but that's all. I'd like to see the same guy use the same techniques, with effect, on a non-compliant partner using 'Aliveness', then I'll be impressed. But then it depends on what he's trying to achieve. For use on the street; nope, never. DCMS.

Very true. In a knife fight, expect to get cut. Live or die, the average knife wounds sustained in a knife fight are 7. DCMS.

I think it's a good idea, in principle, but like all things, it has to be drilled/trained and a bit of thought put into it. Using your Awareness & Avoidance skills you should not (never) be a target. These skills should be running like a radar, but that's not to say that you won't ever be a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Imagine turning a corner and before you know it there's a knife at your throat and a guy spitting in your face, damanding your wallet. Your a$$ will be twitching like a rabbits nose as adrenaline flows through your veins. How many of you would think "A'haaahhhh, I know, now's the time to pull out my fake wallet to fool this guy!"???? Nope, what will happen is that you'll will reach for your legit wallet as you always do, without thinking, as you see your life flash before your eyes! So, a fake wallet maybe a good idea if you have practiced deploying it under an adrenal stress response, but is it worth it? If someone approaches me with a knife there's no way I'm going to be worried about the contents of my wallet, he can have it, I don't care, so why bother with a fake one. Cards can be cancelled and money can be earnt, so why die in trying to fool the guy. Give him what he wants and get the h3ll out of there. Think about it....... DCMS.

Self Defence (or more appropriately, Self Protection) is 10% techniques and 90% mindest, so it really does depend on the person using it, not the art or style. Having said that, TKD has virtually all the techniques required for practical SD, but they are rarely drilled or trained under the adrenal stress response. Gross motor skill techniques, found in TKD, are usable under the influence of adrenaline do work. Techniques such as the Hammer Fist, Straight Palm, Knife Hand, Arc (web) Hand, Elbows, Knees, Low Section (Thai Style) Kicks, etc, etc, are all found in patterns, but how often are the trained or drilled? And when they are trained and drilled, are they then pressure tested in the adrenal state? 'Twisty Wristy' techniques, that are fine motor skill techniques, can and do work if the person applying them had trained and drilled them for years and years under the adrenal stress response. This is rarely found in the dojangs that I've visited. So, always remember; Self defence is 10% Techniques, 90% Mindset, regardless of art or style. DCMS.

Yes. He is a really nice guy and really knows his stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to go on one of his seminars. Ask him to perform a strike, using the Waveform, on you! When and where is the one that you are attending? DCMS.

No pain, No gain! Stick with it and you'll be fine after 6 to 8 weeks. DCMS.

Thank you "bat in a birdless village" for the very informative article. Certainly food for thought and ruffles the feathers of the Bruce Lee followers! DCMS.

Ninja's, in their day, wore everyday clothes to blend in with everyday people. In the modern Japanese theater the props were put in place, or moved (like the waves of the sea), by people (props dept) who wore all black, so they couldn't be seen. However, at times they could be seen so they were ignored. It became the norm, when watching something at the theatre, to ignore the 'men in black' and to treat them as 'invisible'. That mindset led to Ninja's wearing black many many years later. So, in essance, it's a theatre costume worn by the props dept, linked to being 'invisible', that later became the uniform of the Ninja! DCMS.

Fantastic!! We knew you could it!! DCMS.

With reference to my previous comments; the point I was trying to make is that we aren't designed to fight. Our instincts tell us to freeze or run. With the correct approach to training it is possible to overcome the effects of adrenaline and to fight back. The sort of training that I'm talking about involves training under the influence of the adrenal stress response and in doing so your body will become accustomed to the effects of adrenaline. Without thinking you will automatically go into what we call 'Tactical Breathing', which in turn will lower your heart rate and allow you to fight how you have trained. In other words, training under the adrenal stress response will de-sensitise you from the effects of adrenaline. Police officers, Paramedics, Fire-Fighters, etc, experience the effects of adrenaline every day, so their bodies become accustomed to it's effects. Unless we have a brawl everyday of our lives, we will never become accustomed to the effects of adrenaline in a physical confrontation. The only way our bodies can become accustomed to the effects of adrenaline in a physical confrontation is to train like we are in a 'real' fight. This can be done, we do it at my Academy, but it has to be done properly. I hope all that makes sense. DCMS.

No need to apologise. In re-reading my posts I realise that my comments were a bit short sighted in terms of a Panic Disorder, my apologies to Kez. DCMS.

I take your point, but can I just say though, I wasn't 'scoffing' at anything. DCMS.

No worries Kez. But that's part of the problem, we still have caveman (woman) instincts, which are to either freeze and do nothing, hoping the Sabre Toothed Tiger didn't see us, or run like the wind, back to the safety of our cave. In a physical confrontation you don't always get the luxury of being able to run and use our adrenaline dump for which it is meant for. Instead you have to stand and fight, or in most cases, simply freeze, which can be fatal. DCMS.

Kez, have a read of this thread...... http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=23891 It may give you some more explanations as to the effects of adrenaline. The way I look at it is that if you understand what is happening to your body, then you can do something about it. You can certainly lessen the effects of arenaline by understanding how it effects you. Until you grade, surround yourself with positive people and positive things. Think positively and control your breathing and you will be fine. It's no different to when you actually grade. If you make a mistake, breathe deeply, regain your composure and lower your heart rate. Chin up and carry on. The worse thing you can do is worry and elevate your heart rate as that will inject more adrenaline into your system. Once that downward spiral begins, it's very difficult to stop it. When I grade students and they totally clam-up, it's down to adrenaline. The brain, which is starved of blood as it rushes to the major muscles and organs, simply cannot process fine motor skills. Long words or even sentences cannot be processed by the brain, hence why in a physical confrontation the words used by aggressors are usually "yeah", "so", "and", "c'mon then", etc, etc. The aggressors become monosyllabic. Has anyone ever made you very angry and it's not until an hour later you say to someone "I was so so angry, I now wish I'd said......."? The reason you couldn't think straight was down to adrenaline and the break down of cognitive thought processes. It's the same for 'twisty wristy' techniques. The brain simply can't process them under the effects of adrenaline, hence why even the best martial artists (who know nothing about adrenaline management) revert to using gross motor skill techniques in a 'real' fight, such as Hay-makers, etc. I think it's vitally important for everyone to understand the effects of adrenaline because it has such a bearing on our everyday lives, let alone in a physical confrontation. Good luck with the grading, though I'm sure you'll be fine. DCMS.

Kez, what you are experiencing are the effects of adrenaline or to be more accurate, the slow release of adrenaline. Adrenaline causes the heart rate to increase and as the heart rate increases the more adrenaline is pumped around your body. All this is perfectly natural and the effects can be seen/experienced in all walks of life. Adrenaline is our natural turbo boost. The feeling of butterflies is one symptom f Adrenaline. The feeling that you are experiencing is the blood rushing to the organs that require oxygen, such as the legs muscles for running, hence the 'draining' sensation you feel in your legs. Other effects of adrenaline are: Impaired vision (tunnel vision). Impaired hearing. Lack of siliva (dry mouth). Sweating. The ejection of the stomach, bladder and bowl contents. Loss of cognitive thought processes including the loss of Fine Motor Skills. Time distortion. Impaired memory retention. This list goes on. Relax and take deep breaths to lower your heart rate. The slower your heart, the less adrenaline that'll be pumped round it. DCMS.

Self defence is 90% minset and 10% techniques, so why does everyone get so hung-up on a particular style being more (or less) superior (inferior) to others in a SD situation? Watch a 3 year old do a jig-saw puzzle. Watch how they force the wrong peice into the wrong hole. Watch how they use a Hammer Fist effectively. I've won physical confrontations using the correct minset and a natural striking technique used by a 3 year old! "It's not the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog!" DCMS.

Walk and keep walking! You don not need to train under people like that. Instructors who behave like that make my blood boil! Brandon, I've read your posts before and you seem a very likable person, someone who is intelligent and hard working. I think that you may already know the answers to your questions. I wish you all the best. DCMS.

Fantastic! This is the true spirit of martial arts. I think the kids should be honoured to have such a good role model and I hope your instructor appreciates your work. Keep up the good work. DCMS.

Make your views clear by using your feet! And I don't mean kick him, I mean walk and keep walking. Find another instructor. DCMS.

I was one of 10 instructors teaching at a large international seminar. I was there to teach Combatives. I was impressed with the Hapkido instructor through discussions that I had whith him prior to him taking over his portion of the seminar, so I decided to join in his segment and thoroughly enjoyed it. DCMS.

I've just had delivery of Bas Rutten's Mixed Martial Arts Workout CD's after hearing good things about them. After a short listen to them it sounds like a series of great workouts. Has anyone else got these CD's and how did you get on with them? Has anyone ever tried using them in classes? DCMS.

In all honesty, Aikido was the one martial art that I didn't stick at. I only studied it for about 9 months, so didn't really give a fair go. However, the Hapkido I learnt - albeit a very small amount - had the strikes, etc, which impressed me. All the movements were more compact, like you say, so, as a 'package', I prefered the Hapkido. As for an Aikido practitioner being allowed a quick promotion to Hapkido, well, I don't think I'm experienced enough in the two arts to say. Either way, it was fun. DCMS.

After 25 years in the arts (TKD, Judo, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kick Boxing, Aikido) I had my first taste of Hapkido (at a seminar) and loved every minute of it! Hats off to you guys who study Hapkido, it's a great art and one that I'll definately take up in my next life. DCMA.