bushido_man96

Does he make these comments during class? If so, definitely walk. I feel that classes should be conducted in a more professional manner, and there is no place for this kind of behavior anywhere in society, anyways. Martial artists should be ambassadors to the public of their arts, styles, and beliefs. If you feel that your morales are compromised, you should discuss this with the instructor, and then decide whether to leave or not.

Cung Lee is who you may be refering to. I've seen a few of his fights on ESPN and he's very impressive. Just totally dominates the other fighters. I really like the San Shou rules. It allows strikes and throws but not ground work. It really helps to avoid the "lay and pray" we see sometimes in the UFC with fighters that aren't skilled at a ground game. Yes, that's right--Cung Lee. He outclasses everyone he fights.

I agree. The ICHF system is very nice, and has some very good applications. I think it is very practical, as all of the kicks are done below the waist level, and the use of distraction techniques facilitates the moves very well.

IMO, it's not about ego so much as it is reality. In a real fight, if a blow almost lands, I'm not gonna acknowledge it because it MIGHT have KOed me. I'm gonne keep fighting. In sparring, I do the same. Actually, I think there is more of an ego issue involved from those who expect to have the technique respected. Why are they expecting acknowledgement? I don't think it's about ego, as much as it is about the fact that many blows that would likely be finishing blows (or at least heavily damaging) in a sparring bout are often ignored by the receiver, who continues fighting as if they had never been touched. Since we pull punches and kicks somewhat to avoid injuring our partner, this sometimes leads to overconfidence, where the receiver gradually learns not to protect themselves adequately because there is no sense of risk. By stopping to acknowledge the blow, one is recognizing that their defense has failed, and they realize they must improve next time to avoid being injured. This is because sparring is not about winning, it's about learning. With respect, Sohan This is the difference between training in full contact, and training in the controlled environment of most MA schools.

Our instructor is very good about informing the new sparrers about the idea of respecting controlled techniques. As for your second comment, I don't expect an acknowledgment. What happens is that I throw a very controlled technique, like a spinning hook kick, as a counter to a round kick. In order not to take off their head, I slow the kick before reaching their head, where it would have landed if going full tilt. Then, as I am putting my controlled technique to the floor, which is going a little slower, they procede to throw some kick or punch or flurry of blows, taking advantage of my position because I controlled the technique out of courtesy.

You make a very good point here, elbows_and_knees. I realize that you probably train differently than I do. It is not so much a "point" that I would have scored, but that my round kick is on your face, and the person just walks through to lay one on you. Our training environment requires us to control our techniques, because we don't have the same equipment available for full contact sports, like in your Thai boxing. Just a contrast in ideas. This is one of the problems that is posed in "traditional" class settings.

I have done this before, but it usually leads to reprimands froms the instructor .

I don't believe that learning anything on line or in books is a good idea. Especially basics, since basics are the core of everything you do in the martial arts. Noone can afford to learn the basics the wrong way, because the rest of their training will suffer. An instructor is needed to give immediate feedback and correct errors. Books and videos are wonderful resources for review of material, basics, and techniques. They do have their uses, just not for initial learning.

When sparring, under controlled conditions, in our school we have a "respect" acknowledgment when getting nailed with a good technique. When we fight, we are controlled, trying not to take someone's head off. So, when a controlled kick finds home, the other fighter will usually "yield" for a second to acknowledge that the technique scored. A problem that we have with some is that they don't respect a technique that is contolled, and they blast right to you. So, many times, the next technique has less control, and the other person is mad because you decked them. My question is this: Does anyone else have to deal with this in their style? How do you deal with it? Should it be dealt with? I am expecting a lot of different comebacks on this. I feel that the full contact practitioners won't consider it like the more traditional style of schools will. But I would like to hear answers and anecdotes. Why this is good and why it is bad.

I feel that advanced students should work on basics in a different way, like switching the drills up, or adding more advanced techniques into the basics. Our school has a set of basics that we do at the beginning of every class. Then for our black belt classes, we do some made up patterns, that present the basics in different ways. Higher ranking students should be learning and practicing higher ranking material, but the basics should not be allowed to suffer. Belive it or not, there is a happy medium.

Yup that is right, and that is why I plan on taking a grappling art as well once I get to a good enough level. I can't say I completely agree with you though because the whole grappler and versus striker thing is true, full contact martial arts tournaments aren't realistic really many vital areas are not aloud to be hit, which I think gives grapplers a little bit of an edge in stuff like the U.F.C. and what not. You make a good point about the rules involved in the UFC and other "full contact" venues. If the grappler shoots, then he should expect punches to the back of the head, elbows to the back and neck, and possibly a knee to the face. At the same time, if a karate-ka kicks, he should be ready for a single-leg take down. There are so many variables, it is impossible to argue. Essentially, these arguements always become a battle of egos, and nothing more.

I believe that it is the practitioner that makes the difference, not the style. There are street fighters out there that can prove this point. My late grandfather on my father's side had no martial training in his life, save for what he might have learned in the Navy. When my dad was 13, he watched him take a gun from another man, and proceed to pistol whip him until he was no longer stupid. My point is, a fighter can get just as much experience in the streets as anyone training daily can. In fact, his training may be better because he learns everything at full speed, and in real situations. I DO NOT CONDONE THIS KIND OF TRAINING, HOWEVER. I am just using this scenario to make a point.

sounds like shin splints. Eat some banannas, and get some potassium in you. it should help.

I think that running has such a high impact on your knees that after so many years, it does break them down. I am not a runner, but after 13 years of TKD, my knees are starting to suffer. They ache right now, just sitting and typing. I find that they start to bother me when I drive for extended periods of time. As your body gets older, overtraining will start to wear on your joints, and your could actually regress as a result of overtraining. If you have access to one, try to get to an elliptical machine. They are great for me, as I feel no impact on my knees at all. Try it in place of running, and see what happens.

I have a fairly entertaining story, as it was not a fight, but just a full contact sparring session that me and my brothers had out in the front yard just for fun. We were all 3 in TKD at the time, so we put the pads on, and added in wrestling and low kicking. My youngest brother developed a very good "hit and run" tactic, so he stayed pretty safe. Me and my other brother, however, was a totally different matter. We were sparring along, trading shots, and he could wrestle a little, and he eventually took me down and worked me over. I worked my way free (I HATE wrestling), and while he was still down on all 4s, I took a shot at the back of his head. I threw my pads off and said I was done. He threw his off, and said "No, you ain't." So, we padded back up, really mad at each other, and ready to go. He put his hands and feet pads on, and I put on head gear and hands, but not feet pads. We started going, and I got a round kick in on his ribs, but he trapped my leg under his arm, which he just had up in guard. I don't think he meant to catch it, but it stuck there. So, with my foot stuck, with out thinking, I launced my self off of my base leg, and brought a nasty spinning hook kick around to land on the side of his face. It made the coolest CA-CHUNK sound, and he went down!!!! He rolled onto his stomach, and told me to go get him a towel to quench is bloody nose. Then, we WERE done. Best "full contact" story I have. The scary part is that he didn't go unconscious.

Many people don't give the high kicks the merit that they deserve. There are risks inherent in using them, but that goes for any technique used in fighting. One must appreciate the skill involved in using high kicks skillfuly in both tournament and self-defense situations. Anybody can go out and slug away, but it takes practice, patience, practice, and practice to be able to perform high kicks successfully on a skilled opponent.

What kind of a seminar did you attend? Was it Combat Hapkido (ICHF)? I did Combat Hapkido for about 9 months off and on, and enjoyed it. The only downfall to it is that it is very curriculum heavy.

That's good news. sounds like you could be on your way to a mixed MA career if you are not careful

This is something that Brazilian Jiujitsu does very regularly. It is nothing to call a school and ask if you can bring some students up for the day. This has always been extremely positive. We've also done it in my Chuan Fa school as well. This became almost too competitive. The students began to go a little hard. They're never trying to harm anyone...just get caught up in the heat of the moment. But when you're striking, that can become very dangerous. It was still positive to see the applications and fight against other systems. However, when it comes to Karate and TKD schools (that I've attended)...there is always problems with it. They can't agree on rules or the businesses are too close...Personally, I feel they can't let their egos go. Many of them just worry about the bottom line. Others are forbiddin from doing this by their affiliations. I actually heard the owner of the Shotokan school where I train and teach say he wouldn't do it because he's afraid he'd loose students. Does he really have such little faith in the loyalty of his students? I was shocked! Yes, the egos are the big problems that prevent these oppurtunities for good martial artists to network together and form alliances. I hate politics.

I'd fight Abe Lincoln...tall wiry guys, fight to the death Seriously, though, I'd read that Lincoln was quite the scrapper.

I have been playing with some of the more "Olympic" style kicking techniques in my spare time, and I have found that in order to switch kicking legs like they do, that it is easier and faster to do when you swing your arms to get momentum. I think that is part of why they keep their arms low.

What you state here could be something very positive in the MA community. If the dojos could get together, and come up with a rules base for some kind of interdojo tournament, then you could stand to learn a lot from each other, without offending anybody. It could also strike some very good MA friendships, leading to training together, and the healthy exchange of information. Maybe even lead to interdojo seminars and training sessions. Lots of positive possibilities here.

Sounds like you have a good plan. If you like the shorei ryu school, go for it. TKD has some things to offer, it is a more traditional school. More of a "traditional" school will not focus quite so much on competition. Watch a class of both, and go with your gut.

I think I would like to fight Joe Lewis in his prime. Another one would be Chuck Liddle.

I would like to see Sapp fight a heavyweight boxer. One of the top tier ones. He does not seem to move very well. By the way, Sohan, funny commercial Did you see him in The Longest Yard? He is a specimen. I had not heard he used steroids. Is that confirmed?