bushido_man96

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 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.

KC needs to win out, at the very least, to get it done. They also need some help in the form of Jacksonville dropping three in a row or something, and Baltimore needs to stop rolling along. KC may have a chance, but they don't control their own destiny, that's for sure. Dropping that first game to Denver was a huge blow.

11/14/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 1:20/1:00. 3 rounds orthodox boxing. 3 rounds southpaw boxing. 3 rounds kicking focus on the tall skinny bag. Stretch in The Rack. I need to work on my reverse side kicks on the tall skinny bag (banana bag?). I don't land the kick right, and it jams up my heel is a weird way. Can't really explain what I'm doing, but no I need to fix it. Maybe that's just not what that bag is for? I also downloaded a boxing round timer app on my phone that lets me set the round time and rest time at whatever intervals I want. Awesome addition.

This is terrible to hear. Condolences to his family. KC likely ended their consecutive run of division titles, playoff appearances, and Mahome's streak of playing in conference championship games with that loss to Denver. On a high note, Travis Kelce is now KC's all time TD leader, passing Priest Holmes.

11/12/2025 Ten minutes of dry fire, focusing on trigger finger resent and it's movement, and making adjustments accordingly. 11/13/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Another 6th kyu and I did demo on katatori sankyo omote and ura, and the forward and backward nage versions. I got to shore up some issues I was having with the sankyo lock. Then we worked munestki kotegashi, which is another of our testing requirements. Slide/angle step forward, parry/block at the shoulder for the entry.

11/11/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 1:15 min rounds, 1:10 rest. 4 rounds orthodox boxing. 4 rounds kicking. Stretch in The Rack. Choi Yong x2. I need to take some time to work on the kicking segments. Strength Training Leg Press: 255x10, 255x10, 255x10. Incline Bench Press: 45x5x2, 95x5x2, 105x5, 110x5. Standing DB Press: 15x10, 25x10, 30x10.

This is interesting. I can't think of anything that I wouldn't teach; maybe use some different approaches, but can't think of not teaching it. But I definitely don't think I get to teach everything that I want. On the other hand, there are some things in our curriculum that I would rather not teach, like our black belt three-step sparring. I honestly don't think it offers anything constructive to the curriculum and is just curriculum for curriculum's sake.

11/8/2025 BJJ: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Open mat. Rolled a warmup round then coach suggested working on over/under position on the legs when inside guard. We worked a pass and also being able to transition to camping position. I kept posting up my underhook side leg to try to create pressure, and that was a mistake; my leg got wrapped an ruined everything. After several rounds of that situational sparring, we rolled one more round. Coach said looked like my conditioning was getting better. Part of this is that I'm just making myself keep going, because if I stop, that's bad.

I just finished up Sunrise on the Reaping, another Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins. It's Haymitch's story, and was a pretty good read. The movie will be out in 2026.

11/7/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: Nine rounds, 1:15/~1:00 min rest. Three rounds orthodox, boxing; three rounds southpaw, boxing; three rounds mostly kicking. Strength Training Leg Press: 245x10, 245x10, 245x10. Hammer Iso Bench (seated): 45x6, 45x6, 45x6.

I agree, the accessibility to gambling now is just crazy. Every sports podcast and show I watch or listen to has some kind of multi-leg parlay to offer you, and the online sports books are sponsors of every show. I can't believe how much the increase must be with the advent of this online accessibility. It is no surprise that some athletes will get caught up in it as well.

11/6/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Lots of technique work for 5th kyu testing requirements. Katatetori sankyo, omote and ura: Really working on the cut, keeping it in our center, and then maintaining sankyo down low after the cut. Eventually we worked in the takedown and pin. Then we moved on to the nage finish, which required some attention to detail in order to not lose the lock and stay connected to throw. Free work, and me and my partner chose to work on yokomenuchi sokumen iriminage, with focus on the wrist twist and draw to the hip.

11/5/2025 Heavy Bag Work: 9 rounds on the same standard heavy hanging bag. 1:15/~1 min rest. 3 rounds orthodox hands only, 3 rounds southpaw hands only, 3 rounds kicking and punching. Nice stretch in The Rack afterwards, and went through Choi Yong twice, fixing a few things.

10/31/2025 Heavy Bag Training: 6 rounds on a heavy hanging bag, 1 min/1 min rest, working various bags and focuses. Strength Training Leg Press: 255x10, 255x10, 255x10. Hammer Iso Bench (seated): 47.5x5, 47.5x5, 47.5x5. Lat Pull-downs: 132.5x10, 132.5x10.

Love this! Happy Birthday Felix the Cat!

That's a tough deal. They probably win that game if Dart doesn't leave with a concussion. Too bad Skattebo is injured too. He was really providing a spark for that offense. It'll be interesting to see who they bring in next.