bushido_man96

The problem is, there are only so many "tip tier" QBs out there, and they're all signed. Dak is good enough to lead a franchise for 10+ years, which he is doing. If you can get a QB like that, then you have to and you have to run with him. I think the ownership is more of the problem than the QB. Worse QBs than Dak have won championships.

Not terribly unlikely for the Cowboys to beat the Eagles. It was a division game, and playing a team twice a year, sometimes things go that way.

I'm thumbing through The Odyssey again.

11/22/2025 BJJ: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Open mat. I don't know how many rounds we rolled today, but we did a bunch. There were three of us and we did round robins. A younger guy I hadn't met before showed up. He was quite a bit lighter than me. I did have a pretty good hip throw takedown. I don't recall if it was from an underhook, or if he tried to step behind me to take me down and I was able to keep a base and wrench him back over. I do recall I was really deep with my hips, behind both his legs, and when I threw him I was worried that one of his legs stayed planted and twisted his knee up. Thank goodness that wasn't the case. I also pulled up on the finish so it just wasn't an absolute slam. During a few of the rolls with this kid I was able to get a couple of Americanas going. Didn't quite get them finished, but I was getting close; I know time ran out on at least one of them. The kid was really lanky, too, and had a pretty sticky guard. The other was one of the coaches, I guy who's short and stocky like me. I always struggle against him. He just keeps moving and framing. I need to keep my legs more active. When they stop I lose what decent position I had gained and end up getting sucked back into a guard of some kind. The coach would stop and briefly discuss a few things here and there, but by and large we kept the rounds going, which was great. At the end of the class, he did cover some details on mount and moving up to high mount and isolating an arm.

Could be several reasons. Perhaps there are only a few things an instructor would be willing share with only the most dedicated students, those that are willing to spend years studying under him or her. Perhaps the instructor just doesn't see the value in something and therefore doesn't bother to teach it. Perhaps something better was figured out and that is passed along instead.

11/21/2025 Heavy Bag/Forms Workout: 8 rounds, 1:20/1:00 (first round got interrupted by a phone call). 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus. 2 rounds of speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack. Floor drill: I worked on the "side kick" segment of Choi Yong, focusing on balance on the reverse side kicks. The segments are back to back in the form. I found that if I do a higher side kick chamber on the reverse side kicks as opposed to "buzzing the knee" I tend to keep my balance better. When I chamber and turn into the one-legged stance, I try to bring the knee directly up and across, not let it circle out in front and then come back; trying to make it a good chamber position, and make it sharp. Sitting stance, knife hand block/punch, hands come to hips (come set) and chamber for side kick in one-legged stance, turning the body side on; side kick, then advance to x-stance and reinforced middle block; uncross back foot, reverse side kick, land back stance knife hand strike. Then step up to sitting stance and repeat the segment on the other side.

11/20/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Just me and sensei today. Started with some meditation, during which time I prayed, and then some okinage breathing. Meat of the class was working with the jo, which I had not done in quite some time. We did the 4-hi, 4-low, 8-high, and 8-low two-person drills, then did a few reps of jo kata 1 on both left and right sides.

It sounds like your approach to the Pinans is the same as it was originally, for the youth. I agree with your assessment that if the applications can be found in other kata, then the redundancy just isn't necessary. I'm not a fan of curriculum for curriculum's sake.

Today marks the 24 and a half birthday for KarateForums.com. That is quite a landmark! The fact that this community has lasted for so long is a testament to its members and how we all interact with each other. Sure, there have been ebbs and flows along the way, but by and large, it’s easy to see why this community has stayed active for so long. It’s because we are a community. KarateForums.com is so much more than a collection of random usernames floating about the ether of the internet. Amid a collection of newer members and longtime members, one can see that this is a community nurtured by caring and respect for others. Upon first glance at our community, it would appear that martial arts brought us all here, and one would think that martial arts is what binds us all together. I think it’s much more than that. Martial artists are who we are, and who we are is why we are martial artists. The drive, the determination, the perseverance of sticking with something and making it not just a hobby, but a lifestyle, says something about who we are. And that “something” is also what continues to build this community. All martial artists experience the highs and lows, positives and negatives that come with a lifetime of training in the martial arts. This community, KarateForums.com, has been a pillar of support for those of us who continue along this journey, because community members come here to laugh, cry, exclaim, and gripe about our training, knowing we are coming to an open and honest community that will back each other, guide each other through, and support each other as we navigate “the way.” Whether one has been a student for 30+ years or is a brand new white belt just donning the gi for the first time, KarateForums.com is a collection of like-minded individuals that all share a common set of interests, and I truly see that each and every one of us genuinely cares about everyone else here and the goals that we have. KarateForums.com isn’t just another website; it’s as much a part of my martial arts journey as practicing the martial arts is. I truly believe I am not alone in this. The longevity of KarateForums.com is good proof that this is the case for many others as well. Happy half-birthday, KarateForums.com! Let’s keep it rolling!

If the Raiders want to move on from Carroll, I'm fine with that. They'd be foolish to do so, but I'm ok with it. They apparently don't want to establish any stability, and hiring a third head coach in as many years would help increase their instability all the more. I will say this; I'm not sure Geno Smith was the answer. Maybe it's just a bad year and he can get back to his Seattle form with another off-season of work under Carroll. They are looking at a high draft pick right now, but I'm not sure how many QBs will be available this year. Several of the top college QBs are going to be returning to school next year, mainly because the NIL money is so good. From what I'm hearing it could be Mendoza and Simpson that enter the draft, but even those two could put another year in at college in an attempt to win a championship, and both Alabama and Indiana will probably pay them more for that year than they would make in the first two years of their rookie deals.

Those are good points @DarthPenguin. It's something I've been trying to do more of, just to stay positive. The coach we had in last Saturday was really encouraging. So far the bulk of what we do is no gi, which I'm ok with. They do have a gi class at least once a month, and I'm sure if I requested it I could get them to do some gi work on these Saturday open mats. 11/19/2025 Heavy Bag/Forms Workout: 6 rounds, 1:20/1:00. All on same standard heavy bag. 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus with some hand work. Reverse side kicks were better on this bag. I'm definitely feeling more fatigue using the new bag gloves that I got. I've been wrapping my hands and the gloves are a bit heavier. Floor drill: worked on a kicking segment from Choi Yong to try to get my balance better on the repeat kicks. I did the segment down the floor several times, trying to focus on the balance with the re-chamber. Knife hand down block in back stance, #2 round kick setting down in front, #2 round kick/repeat side kick, land forward in front stance, reverse elbow strike. Dry Fire Practice: 10 minutes, draw and fire 5 rounds. Acquiring the dot and focusing on trigger control.

Is he from the Dominican or somewhere like that? Could be that is something legal from where he's from. Not condoning it, but different cultures have different norms.

11/15/2025 BJJ: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Open mat. Worked from mount position, with bottom player focusing on framing at the hips and trying not to let the arms get up above the top player's waist (which exposes them to isolation and submission and generally other sundry options). Bottom player was also to focus on getting an elbow planted into the ground inside the top player's knee, along with getting slightly onto that side. Top player was trying to isolate an arm. I had a wrist pinned but gave it up because I felt like I couldn't do anything with it; I let go and tried to scoop under the arm. I can't do that! Coach pointed me to a solution: I should have "walked up" to a higher mount position. While working this situational drill my arms got tired and really gassed out. We also switched it up where top player worked on a back step to avoid half-guard and get to side control. If we got caught in the half-guard, we worked on fighting out of that. I was working with another short, stocky guy like myself and found myself quite off balance in the mount position, which made things even harder to deal with. I couldn't get both knees to sit on the ground to straddle, so I always felt like I was teetering or tottering. We had a guest coach from a few hours west of us come in that coaches at the other schools that we are now under the umbrella of. He was really great at helping me out, and since we are affiliated, we'll probably have some more visits from him.

I am exactly the same way. If it's sitting there waiting for me, then I don't have to buy when I want to read it. I'm now poking my way through Heavy Bag Workout by Sammy Franco. It's got some interesting ideas on changing up heavy bag training.