powerof0ne

I thought this was the gym that Vitor Belfort first really learned how to box at? Wander Braga teaches bjj here..I'd say train in the bjj, boxing, and kickboxing. If you need help with your head kicks you can even do the TKD offered, I dunno..I'd say go for it. I can at least tell you that the bjj should be pretty good.

I agree and I've had a few people over the years that pm me on yahoo messenger that live across the nation, in another country, etc. that challenge me to "spar".

I'm impressed that you guys don't use foam dipped gear and I wasn't commenting saying you do but I'm almost 100% sure that every Isshin Ryu school here in WA state does. I once trained with a very friendly Shito Ryu dojo owner that was friends with an Isshin Ryu instructor...they would come over to "spar" with us sometimes covered from head to toe in foam dipped gear and trying to slap box or something, I'm still not too sure. I was informed a few times during sparring these brown and black belts that they were considered the "bad boys" of Isshin Ryu like I was supposed to be impressed. About a year ago or so I was looking for a dojo so bad I considered training under an Isshin Ryu nanadan, and guess what, they used foam dipped gear too. My comments about kata isn't just specific to Isshin Ryu, I have seen many Chito Ryu stylists that I wasn't too impressed with, as well. Although I think Chito Ryu has good kumite. I think you're the one that commented on the "four 19 y/o" Marines that brought Isshin Ryu back to the USA. I'm aware of what you're talking about..were they really only 19? I know one of the guys was Steve Armstrong(wa), and then you had Don Nagle, right? I forgot the other two names but know they came back with very high rank that they didn't deserve. p.s. we actually have about 2-3 bad Shito Ryu schools here in WA..here's the "10th dan" that caused it: https://www.stevecurrankarate.com Curran started shito ryu at the same dojo my father trained at when my father was a blue belt...10th dan...I'll have a McDojo with cheese, please

I had a 3 year old student once...what a headache tha was. It was the school owner's(he wasn't a MA instructor) daughter and after one or two classes he could see that his daughter was too young. In most schools I have trained in you have to be at least 16 to receive your shodan. I trained at one school for about a year that the head instructor who was only a shodan promoted a 12 y/o to shodan. I told him that a shodan can't promote someone to shodan. He then made arrangements to test for his Nidan under my primary instructor. My primary instructor had him spar me bare knuckle and he did horrible so he didn't pass his Nidan test..I'm not sure if he ever retested and passed or what happened.

Here's my 2 cents from training with former TKD black belt that trained in bjj and quit TKD alltogether then regretting all the time they spent in TKD. Train in Muay Thai, boxing, Kyokushin, Kickboxing, and then go into BJJ or vice versa. p.s. I'm still wondering who you got your brazilian jiu jitsu "nidan" under? I myself am with gracie-barra via mamazinho/rodrigo lopes and used to be with carlson gracie via marcelo alonso. I highly question you being a 2nd dan in bjj...1. you say a Japanese dan system rank 2. it's how you're spelling the jj

No offense but from what I personally have seen of Isshin Ryu, the kata wasn't as good as a Shito Ryu, shotokan, or shorin ryu stylist. Now, I'm not saying your school/association is like this but the Isshin Ryu stylists I'm talking about were doing kata they had no business doing; meaning I felt they didn't have good enough form to be doing kata such as Chinto(one of my favorites). Most Isshin Ryu stylists I have met also do more of a "open freestyle tournament" sparring which means they wear foam dipped pads,head gear, feet, etc...and basically are slapping eachother, playing tag, etc..This isn't just specific to Isshin Ryu but isn't the norm for shito ryu, shotokan, goju ryu, etc. However, this is kind of the norm for "Americanized" martial arts. p.s. I absolutely hate foam dipped sparring gear

Wow, I just posted a long reply and it made me relog on here..doh! I train at Family Martial Arts in University Place(Tacoma), WA. I'm not exactly a student but go here because it's convenient for me after work, and gives me a place to train and occasionally spar with some nice people. I teach the Muay Thai here and we also do knockdown style kumite, here. I also occasionally train with Jon Gerkin privately on the weekends, and he will be competing in the Kyokushin tourny on april 29th, as will I. The school I train/teach at is a Kempo school but I don't feel comfortable calling myself a kempo, or even a shito ryu stylist anymore. I hold rank in Shito Ryu but don't feel comfortable sparring in jiyu kumite, the "shito ryu way" anymore. I've even been going over in my head of joining another association/style/etc. because I don't know exactly what to call what I do anymore. Anyhoo, I'll stop here before I go on a long tangent. Unfortunately, the Kyokushin I was involved with is no more(tjakai in burien)and I've considered cross training at the SEattle U Kyokushin club(my brother does or was recently) but will wait after the tourny on the 29th, if I do. What about yourself, where do you train? Sorry it took me so long to reply but if you want to get a hold of me quicker u2u me or email me @yahoo.com

I've only personally witnessed one Sabaki event so far so I'm reserving judgement on whether that is true or not. I suspect that in a Sabaki tournament match if neither fighter is knocked-down or if the match ends in a tie on points, then many of the judges might be more inclined to choose the fighter that they think used more Sabaki method than the other fighter, no matter how many kicks or punches the other fighter threw. Nevertheless, in our tournament, several of the divisions were won by non-Enshin fighters who defeated Enshin fighters by judges decision. In '01 at the Seattle Sabaki Sattellite Jon Gerkin fought the Oregon state Enshin branch chief for 1st place...I really need to get a video link of this on youtube.com or something. Anyhoo, Jon was throwing leg kicks, body kicks, neck kicks, head kicks, punches, spinning side kicks, etc..throughout the duration of the fight. The Oregon competitor went the distance but all he did was tsuki(punch). Just throw soem body punches while Jon was using him as a punching bag throwing combinations. I'm not saying this by any favorism, it's just a fact, many people came up to Jon right after the match and told him he should have won. It was literally the worst decision I have ever seen in person, ever.

Young children with black belts always raises a warning flag with me, even though I have seen a few that I felt did deserve it(not many). If they're running around with no discipline like you're saying I have something to say: Can I get a McDojo with cheese?

Lots of leg/knee submissions, it's a great compliment to brazilian jiu jitsu because in bjj you usually avoid these kind of submissions.

I have a subscription to Black Belt and Classical Fighting Arts..CFA is definitely a much better publication but is only published quarterly . I once complained to Harry Cook(one of the staff) about this wishing it was monthly but he brought up a good point that the quality wouldn't be as good if this was done...hmm... Bad Quality in a monthly martial art magazine? Shocking, Black Belt is monthly and I often find myself not liking at least 70% of it.

Fairfaxuechi allready commented on this and I highly agree, I have a subscription to it. Harry Cook, one of the writers in the magazine is also a regular poster on e-budo.

There is a classic fighting arts, or classic martial arts magazine that I've seen that seems pretty good. It's fairly expensive and fairly short page wise, but it seems ok. I've looked at it at Borders, but haven't purchased a copy as I always seem to be short of cash when I find a good copy. I have a subscription to this magazine myself and highly reccomend it! I even have a Meijin gi that I just got recently that is advertised in their magazines, great gi for the price!

I've seen some people enter the ring with only 2-3 months of training but I personally think this is too short. I think someone can be ready in about 6 months, though..this is my general rule, if they train hard for 6 months they can enter the ring. Green fighters go "balls to the wall", usually, and the most important factor for someone's first fight is to have GOOD CONDITIONING. I started out in Muay Thai at about your age and my father had some concerns, as well but I came directly from a karate background...he kind of gave up because he realized I was going to do it sooner or later.

sparring isn't about "winning"...Not to say that there wasn't a time that I was a white belt or had yellow/orange belt syndrome. Sparring is about practicing techniques and strategies you haen't done much in order to get better. I have a motto when it comes to sparring: You set the pace. Meaning that if I spar a knucklehead that wants to go hard I'll go just as hard back.