bushido_man96

I've been under the impression that many of these katas were originally learned as a complete fighting method, each in and of itself. If that is the case, then the need to learn more is just to supplement the training. I feel that as Karate styles have changed over the years, especially with the grading systems and syllabi, forms tend to be done more for rank requirements as opposed to what they were initially used for. But I could be wrong, here.

I like seeing the contrast in approaches. Clint's did seem a bit more involved, but I liked his approach at breaking the grips, and having sole control of you, and not letting you control him.

With my limited BJJ experience, this one seems pretty complex to me. I'm sure our Wrestlers could probably pull it off, but it would take me some time and work to get through this one. I don't mind turning the back to them like you do, because it appears you take appropriate steps to prevent the two worst things that can happen to you: the choke, and the hooks. And like you say, you don't stay there for long. Again, though, this would take some time for my simpleton grappling mind to wrap my head around for use.

Look at the video again in regards to the leg checks...notice alot of them not only block his kicks, but also protect Sensei Lindseys groin, while at the same time making his opponent lose balance. The change of body (side stepping) is taught in many systems, but in all honesty I've NEVER seen these other systems use it in refereeing about 20 years of tournament sparring. I competed in only 1 tournament (my students guilt tripped me into it) and I used it alot. In every instance I nailed the guy cleanly coming in, yet not once did I get a point from it because the judges didn't see that his technique missed, and mine connected. However, my opponents each time touch gloves with me and stated "You got ripped off man...". or words to that effect, becuase he knew I had him cold, but the judges didn't see it. No biggie..I still won 2 of my 3 matches in single elimination, heavy weight black belt division. One thing I've never liked about sparring is that it often has seemed to me that even glancing blows tend to get scored, and a block that absorbs or redirects most of the power, but may still glance, gets scored. The strategies of point fighting and useful self-defense are often miles apart.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing it with us.

To the bold above, I say, try to put that behind you. There really is no use in dwelling on the past. Live life through the windshield, as opposed to the rearview mirror. It sounds like you've had two different instructors with two different ideas of what and how to teach. Don't let that grind on you. Keep you head down and keep moving forward. That is all that anyone can do. After all, its a journey, right? Keep working hard, and don't sweat the small stuff. And as my dad once told me, "it's all small stuff." Keep up the good work!

You're welcome.

Yes, very welcome, indeed. You've earned it!

We do burpee pyramids on our Saturday AM long workouts...this old guy is up to a total of 25 (1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1) so far. Been good to get back to running, up to about 22 miles/week (4 days, each run 5.5 to 6 miles). Want to be faster than I was last year, but I have to be careful to not mess up on running form and get injured. With Karate workouts the other 3 days (2 regular classes and long class on Saturdays) I don't have a down day, but so far that's been OK. I commend you man, on both the burpees and the running. Running has never been my cup of tea. Vomiting isn't either, so I stay away from the burpees. 5/22/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 155x5, 180x3; work sets: 230x5, 235x5, 235x5. Funny story here, I was rummaging around to load on weight, and had to track down the 5 pound plates. I found one, put it on the right side, but forgot to put on one the left side, for that first set. Needless to say, that first set felt noticeably heavier on the right side... Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5; work sets: 103x5, 103x5, 103x5 Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 165x5, 195x5; work set: 295x5 Curls: 17x15, 45x15, 45x15. Done with a straight Olympic bar. Lying Triceps Extensions: 27x15, 27x15, 27x15 We are looking to do some extra exercises, and I think next week we will do some Pendlay Rows as the last exercise.

Nice video. I was surprised at how much/how often he went to one leg, but leg checking kicks makes sense. It keeps the hands available for use, which he did with all the striking and locking. The side stepping was pretty subtle, too, and I also found some of the side stepping stances having the feet close together interesting, too. Thanks for sharing it, Montana.

Thanks again, everyone! I'm so very greatful!

5/21/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 2:30 - 4:00 pm. Reviewed and repped Americana and arm bar from the mount; we even used a grappling dummy we have now to work on the nuances of getting into position for the arm bar. Then we did our full mount reversal/guard pass to Americana/arm bar series as a mini-rolling series. Then we did a mount maintenance "game" that Royce had us do in the GRACIE training course. One guy starts in mount, and the goal of the person in mount is to try to maintain the mount as long as possible, with no striking and no submissions. The goal of the person mounted is to work a reversal, or use the elbow escape to get a knee out and one leg around. If the person on bottom succeeds, then they switch roles. After that, we touched on the elevator sweep, working off the video that Alex posted in this thread: Closed Guard to Elevator Sweep Video: [/url]

I used to play quite a bit of 2nd edition, and then a little 3rd edition, but got out of it when other priorities took over and I just didn't have the time to put into it. I also played quite a bit of Magic, The Gathering, and really, really enjoyed it. I still have a bunch of cards and decks, but just couldn't keep up with the production of the sets to keep putting money into it, especially as a casual player.

To the bold, I don't think so. Even the general public understands that most people providing a service have some sort of system in place that ensures they are learning from someone with some adequate experience in the field. I think most people will seek out this information, even if they don't know what it means. Not to be argumentative but what about the MMA schools? I have seen a few where the owner was a fairly young guy without much experience. I think it may depend on who is looking and what they are looking for. Some of the schools I have seen are more of a work out gym that does MMA or BJJ but are not really MA schools, I think in those cases people don't care about instructor qualifications as long as they seem like they can fight. I think also that in these cases the students are just looking to fight rather than learn MA and everything that goes with it. Quite possible that these places attract some of the "undesirable" students being discussed in another thread right now. I'm guessing this is more the exception rather than the rule, but that's just me guessing. Some people are just looking for fitness, and they will find it. And there are some "fight clubs" out there, too. But I think the high percentage of the places out there have some legitimate credentials, even if they are not elite credentials.

Ok, I got my sword hung up finally. It's in my basement right now, on my computer desk, for the time being. I hope to finish my basement some day, and find a really nice spot on a wall to hang it. But for now: http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/bushido_man96-sword-display.jpg http://www.karateforums.com/img/photos/bushido_man96-sword-display2.jpg That belt has been hanging there for a while, and I thought it would be a nice touch.

Well said, and I couldn't agree more! This is the best place to discuss Martial Arts anywhere. Keep up the good work, Patrick!

To the bold, I don't think so. Even the general public understands that most people providing a service have some sort of system in place that ensures they are learning from someone with some adequate experience in the field. I think most people will seek out this information, even if they don't know what it means.

I've been lucky in that I haven't had to do this. The head instructor of our DT club does his best to vet each potential member before teaching someone a skill set that is meant to help and protect others, not harm those we try to protect.

We all get older as we train, but that's a painfully obvious statement. Father time is undefeated. I think it is unrealistic to think that I will always be able to perform my techniques the way that 16-18 year old kids can perform their techniques. There are quite a few techniques that I can still teach the mechanics of, but can't perform them the way I would like to. This is what makes good instructors good, and separates them from those who don't quite have the knack for it.

To hell with burpees! 5/20/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 155x5, 180x3; work sets: 230x5, 230x5, 230x5 Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5; work sets: 102x5, 102x5, 102x5 Power Clean: 75x3, 75x3, 75x3, 75x3, 75x3 We got our fractional plates set, and put them to use today. I am going to love them, and they will be a great help for Kendall's progression.

I think the style of the technique, like many techniques, has changed over time due to the emphasis that has been placed on the aesthetics of forms performance, and not necessarily the practicality of the technique. For example, while the first few examples posted by DWx show the technique in a way similar to the way our school does it (we straighten the arms all the way back, and use a big twist for power), I don't think it is necessarily as practical a way to perform the technique, especially in applications. I think a better application is more along the lines of DWx's third video, but rather with the arms crossed at the chest or head level, for blocking and seizing purposes. The first section of this video displays a bit of what I'm talking about:

I think forms competition can be more appealing to a different kind of athlete than sparring is. Both require athletic ability, but sparring I dependent on a different kind of timing and reaction skill set than forms competition is. It takes a really good athlete to excel at both. Adding in forms-focused competition can only be a boon to the WTF.

I said to Heidi earlier in the thread I thought it odd that competitors were split only by age and not by dan rank also and that competitors had to learn all poomse. ITF tournaments work a little differently in that the ages are split off but dan grades are all separate categories too: 1st dans vs 1st dans, 2nd vs 2nd and so on. You also have to perform your form from your grade. I wouldn't say it's uncommon to see the higher dan forms at our tournaments. I agree with Danielle's assessment here. When I was in the ATA, they were always good about having tournament rings divided into appropriate age and rank categories. One thing the ATA also did was start their "Top Ten" black belt rankings, where competitors would score points for placing in regional and national/the world tournament. I don't recall what each placement scored, but if you double placed in tournaments, it was good for helping your score. It also helped tracking results for each age/rank group. I think other systems could benefit from this kind of setup, as well. I think that's why ATA students always got a bad rap, especially when others would claim that they only compete in their own tournaments. Really, they gain more within their organization to do so. They have a standardized rule set, trained judges, and their own sanctioned tournaments, so why not? Its not that they were not allowed to compete in other tournament systems; they definitely could, and I know of one instructor that used to be in Colorado that actually competed in some old PKA fights. Some ATA students compete in MMA now. But for those that like the ATA tournament circuit, its really one of the aspects of the ATA that is setup the right way.

I'd agree with your assessment here. I know I've got a book on various Karate kata at home, and I'll look into that and see what information I can find. But I just don't recall a weapon component to it.

Agreed... Picking and choosing which "battles" ("spare time shenanigans", as you put it ) to engage in is the key. (And, D&D has become an "odd" thing, too, IMO... up to 5th Edition; our group sticks with a blend of the old 1st and 2nd Editions...) I played 2nd edition and a bit of 3rd edition under a great GM. If it just wasn't so damned time consuming...