bushido_man96

I hear you, Bob, and I think you are teaching things right and doing it clearly. And I don't think you are discounting your female students at all. I don't think any of us are. But are any of us as instructors encouraging our female students to take the opportunities to engage male students in combat? No, I don't think we are. And it would be wrong for us to do so. The thing is separating self-defense from competition, especially at the elite levels. Look at Olympic weightlifting, male vs female. There are lots of strong women out there, stronger than guys I see in my gym, like the one I see in the mirror all the time. But can they compete with the males in Olympic lifting? No, not even close. Does that make them a failure? No, not even close. Same with baseball vs softball, or why we don't see women playing on the men's soccer teams. And more recently, we see the advent of women's wrestling competition at higher levels, college and international competitions. This is because as the competition gets tougher, it gets tougher for elite woman athletes to compete with elite male athletes. So, I say, we don't do women a disservice. We actually help them more by giving them chances to succeed within the female competitions. And again, I am not saying that woman doesn't ever have a chance to defend herself against a man. I will never say that. Nor do I want a woman to stay in the fight any longer than she has to against a male attacker. As with any self-defense situation (man or woman), defend yourself quickly and get away.

I think putting a weapon in a student's hand and starting soon will help them learn control with the weapon, much like empty hand. I don't think that it is necessary to have to learn some form of empty hand combat prior to learning a weapon. I think one could start learning stick combat right away, and it would become beneficial very early on. As long as the instructor has the ability to teach it, then he should do so early. As for age/maturity, an instructor can base that as he or she sees fit.

It also has to do with what others are willing to pay for some weapon. I also believe it has to do with how it is used, and if it is a weapon that is relevant in today's society. People aren't fighting each other with traditional MA weapons today. With that in mind, I'd guess that most manufacturers that make a sword, they aren't worried about it ever really hitting another sword, or a shield, or the shaft of a spear, or clanging off some armor. Its being used for display or for some aspect of demonstration that isn't going to be as demanding as, say, combat. With that said, look at high quality knives and firearms that you can find. Sure, there are some cheaply made ones out there, but you can easily find high-quality knives if you are willing to shell out the money for them. Why? Because they still have real, popular uses, like hunting, and yes, self-defense/combat purposes in the military. Same with firearms. That's my best guess, anyways.

"Success is where preparation meets opportunity." Learn the material, know the material, practice the material, and apply the material. Then, when its time to test on the material, your only doing what you've already done. That is also my definition for luck. I've also heard the saying that "Luck is the residue of design." Very similar.

I think its always important to tell others that no matter what they are doing, they can get better at it. Its important to motivate others in this way.

5K's Bob? You're a better man than me! Nice work!

Very solid, very wise advice, sir! I agree as well. It is true that in most Martial Arts that teaching becomes a responsibility as one gets higher in rank, but it usually isn't until the colored belt ranks or 1st degree black belt.Talk with the instructor, like mentioned above, and see what you can do to get back into a class setting a couple of times per week at least. After all, if you still pay dues, and you have to teach for the CI and get no class time for yourself, that sounds like a ripoff in any language.

That's really good stuff. I think that vast majority of the approach to bullying is to walk away and/or ignore it, but I think this is so much better. If we don't teach the kids to stand up to it early on, then they will have real trouble with it later on. I think its a great approach.

No one here is saying that. UFC is for elite fighters. And elite females are always going to struggle against elite males. As they do with every other sporting activity. Self defense or general fighting is a different thing. I think you are confusing a few things here, Bob. I think the vast majority of us as Martial Artists or MA Instructors are teaching our students to learn how to defend themselves, which I not necessarily the same as winning a fight. Self-defense = survival. Getting out of a situation in which one had to defend oneself from an attacker has nothing to do with wins and losses. We teach our male and female students to attack directly to vulnerable, vital targets quickly and powerfully in order to facilitate what???....to facilitate the chance to get away, get safe, and call the authorities. Not to "win" or "defeat" the opponent in a "fair" contest. I do see the point you are getting at, Bob, but I think its an entirely different point you are thinking of.

If this is the case, then I think something is wrong. If the head instructor isn't perceived as approachable to the students, then that seems odd to me. We send our kids to schools in a society where we expect them to be able to approach the teachers and ask them questions, and I would expect the same out of the head instructor of a Martial Arts school that I would send my kids to.

I agree. I think that phrase "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none" gets throne about too much in reference to learning Martial Arts, and especially when cross-training. Someone can be great at several different arts. Learning how to grapple will not make one worse at TKD.

Happy birthday, Danielle!

7/21/2017 Strength Training Front Squats: 45x5x2, 95x5. Squats: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3. Press: 45x5, 65x5, 95x3, 115x3. 7/25/2017 Strength Training Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 65x5, 95x5; work sets: 120x5, 120x5, 120x5. Squats: 120x5, 135x5, 185x5. Lying Triceps Ext: 45x10, 45x10, 45x10. 7/27/2017 Taser Training: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Yearly recertification, pretty basic stuff. TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring. Things are coming along a little better, but my knees are pretty sore, and I just can't do things like I used to do them.

Its great to hear your back to class! Listen to your body as you train, and remember, it isn't a race, so take your time and let it all come back to you!

Ok, I know this is an old post, but in my opinion, the best time to start weapons training is right after you choose the weapon you want to train with.

Thanks, Alan.

Silence is a good thing. Its nice at times to sit and read a book with no background noise in the house. But, we live in a noisy world, so its important to be able to focus through the noise, and learn to attune our senses to what is important and what may not be.

Groin! Always go for the groin! Or eyes and/or throat... those are acceptable targets, too. ALWAYS, re-stomp the groin!

Yes, it did, at the time. It also kick-started a training revolution, and everyone and every gym that was serious about training for MMA-style competitions started revamping their training programs. Over the course of time, it became much more focused, structured, and professional, and better athletes started showing up with serious focus on training. Its also important to not forget that the early UFC competitions were a launching pad for the Gracie's to display the skillset of BJJ, which it did marvelously. Things have changed, training is better, and fighters are better.

Speed is related to explosiveness, and a large part of how explosive we can be is based on our genetics. Aside from Bruce Lee being all that he became, he was an incredibly gifted and explosive athlete. That said, speed drills have value for everyone. Working on timing is also a way to improve others perception of how fast you are, along with reaction time.

"Success is where preparation meets opportunity." Learn the material, know the material, practice the material, and apply the material. Then, when its time to test on the material, your only doing what you've already done.

This becomes the problem in traditional styles, pulling rank in regards to what seems to be some perceived slight. Who knows what happened in his mind here, but it seems like it must have been pretty minor. I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if it isn't outside the realm of what you usually do. Let it pass, and see how things go moving forward.

Yes, but its not UFC, and these aren't UFC-caliber fighters. My comments are in regards to the pinnacle of the sport, the UFC. I knew there had already been some male vs female MMA fights, because there are just people that have no scruples out there willing to promote it. In my opinion, no good will come of it.

7/17/2017 Strength Training Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 65x5, 95x5; work sets: 122x5, 122x5, 122x5. Lying Triceps Ext: 42.5x10, 42.5x10, 42.5x10. 7/18/2017 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x5; work sets: 205x3, 205x3, 205x3. 7/20/2017 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring.

Yeah, those will break ankles.