bushido_man96

I think the best thing to do then is to dive right in, as soon as you feel comfortable enough knowing your kata, and get into competition. The first time is always an experience, because you take in so much in regards to how the tournaments are set up, how they run, and what you should do and are responsible for. Experience is a great teacher.

If you are just going to do a sparring atmosphere, it might not strike the cord you are looking for. Something more realistically based in self-defense might be a better attention grabber, but it needs to be based in effective self-defense, and not stylistic one-steps just to gain some oohs and aahs from the observers.

I've always been better at forms than I have at sparring. I never had much natural ability as an athlete, so sparring has never really been my strong suit. I always enjoyed the technical aspects of forms, so it was always more fun for me. Now days, if I have to choose one or the other, I would choose neither, and go straight for application based training.

I've had those days before. I'm not much for signing myself up for something like that, if I know its coming. I like to learn, but not to be so sore the next day that I can't get out of bed.

You're right, we can't change the past. But we can learn from it. I know I've made bad decisions like that, too. We learn, and we grow, and hopefully, we can spare someone else from the "could haves" that might not go their way in the same situation. Again, thanks for sharing that here with us. Very big of you to share it.

I tend to agree with tallgeese's approach here. He and I come from an LEO background, so we aren't speaking from a "mutual combat" point of view. I'm sure tallgeese would agree with me, that we aren't in the business of training those around us to prolong an attack any longer than necessary, and we need to exert our level of control on the aggressor as soon as possible.

It is a good idea to have someone to instruct you on the lifts. But, if you don't have that person, you can learn to do it with the help of a good instructional guide. I learned to squat, deadlift, bench press, power clean, overhead press, and power snatch from reading his books and watching his videos. Rippetoe does a great job of explaining the body mechanics behind the lifts, and how to do them properly. He also has a very important mantra for learning the lifts; "learn first, and then load; there is plenty of time later on to add weight to the bar." There is a sad amount of incorrect coaching out there, and a lack of coaching. But, what is important to take from this book is the programming, which is the most important aspect of weight training, after learning to do the lifts correctly. This book covers that very well.

I disagree with your disagreement, Bob! Can I do that? Anyway, I think that if the training is effective, then it will make the practitioner effective. Being talented and being effective aren't always the same thing, but a talented individual can make up for a lack of effective training with an elevated talent and skill level. But for those of us that don't possess that kind of talent and skill level, effective training will make for an effective practitioner. I hope that makes sense.

I like your concepts here. These give me some better ideas of how to place myself when trying to pass. I have a tendency when passing a closed guard to forget about a leg and then get caught in a triangle.

I think that's why I was so taken aback, I've never really thought of myself as a role model. I just turn up to train, if I can point someone in the right direction, I'll do that no problem. I chat and have a laugh with the kids too, I just never thought I could be a role model. Feels good though. Mo. Sounds to me like you'll make a fine instructor some day!

Thank you for sharing this experience with us, JR 137. I know there have been a few times, especially when I was younger, when opening my mouth when I shouldn't have has led me into issues similar to this. They really go nowhere, and nothing good comes from it.

That's an awesome story. Sounds like a great kid, and it sounds like you've been a great role model for her!

Sounds like you are doing the right thing, taking the high road, and removing yourself from the situation. Honestly, it doesn't sound like anything good could come of remaining on for the last few shows. Especially if this guy harbors this kind of ill will towards you. And judging by the way he is going behind your back with the threats, my guess is that if he would attempt to do something physical, it would be when you aren't looking, to get the drop on you and try to take advantage that way. He probably wouldn't come to you face to face, so its good to avoid that altogether. Sorry this incident had to happen to you, but its great to see how you are choosing to handle it. Kudos to you!

In a word, yes, they do have the right to make you wear a lower belt. That doesn't mean they will be stripping you of rank, either. They may just be trying to adjust to place you at the proper place in their school hierarchy based on their standards. They may also be evaluating you to determine if your rank should be higher than it currently is, based on your skill level. Keep this in mind, as well. At any rate, regardless of how this shakes out, what's important in the long run is that your training continues. And so long as they aren't removing you from the school, just keep up the training!

You are welcome. I think setting high goals is a good thing, but its important to set goals that are realistically attainable, and then its important to set a realistic timetable in order to achieve those goals. Again, I wish you the very best of luck, and please keep us posted with your progress.

12/2/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:30 - 3:00 pm. Some mitt work, that I actually got to do today, as opposed to just holding the mitts for someone else. Did some rolling, as well, with a big guy, working on getting to guard from under full mount. Also worked on a head-&-arm triangle from he mount position. 12/3/2015 Strength Training Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 65x5; work sets: 88x5, 101.5x5, 115x6. Assisted Chin-ups: 135x10, 10, 10 (supersetted with press). Lying triceps ext: 52x10x3. 12/4/2015 Strength Training Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 165x5; work sets: 201.5x5, 232.5x5, 256x9. Power snatches: 100x2, 100x2, 100x2, 100x2, 100x2.

This is probably the best I've heard it said. And its so true. Good advise!

Thanks, Alex. I'll keep working at it!

Yes, a variation of that. We haven't drilled it from the more upright position you've shown here, but its the same sweep. I was rolling with a big guy the other day, and man, that was tough, keeping him in guard. I couldn't lock the guard, so had to basically just dig my heels into his back. And trying to elevator on him was not really working.

I think you've got a long road to hoe here. To be honest, I don't think you are going to be able to start making the kind of money you would like right off the bat. Its going to take time to build a student base and getting the business going. I hope you can start hitting your goals soon, but getting a business up and running and supporting itself is difficult, let alone while trying to give a third of your profits to another cause. That said, I don't think its impossible, just that it might take more time to establish than you want it to. If you want to advertise on social media, like Facebook or otherwise, look for some area advertisers that specialize in such activities. If you want to give it a go on your own, start by creating your own FB page for your school, and share it with all your friends, and have them try to spread the word, as well. Some promotional ideas are allowing discounts for couples or families that sign up, or running a bring-a-friend promotion in which you discount your current students if they can convince a friend to sign up. Ideas like this could help you to get the ball rolling, and I hope it helps you out. Best of luck to you!

If you want to build muscle, the single best way to do that is to get on a strength training program utilizing multi-joint, compound lifts, like the squat, press, deadlift, bench press, power clean, and such. If this is new to you, I recommend reading a book titled Starting Strength, by Mark Rippetoe. He has the information you need on how to do the lifts correctly, on why you should do these lifts, he provides a basic 3-day-a-week workout program involving linear progression that will get you off to a great start. He also recommends drinking milk as part of the plan to gain some weight.

Nice regimen you have there, Alberic. I like seeing new and different approaches to training. Glad to have you here at KF, as well! 11/30/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 135x5, 165x5; work sets: 197.5x5, 228x5, 258.5x10. This was a quick run through at the gym today, since I had to spend an extra hour of my time in line getting my tags renewed. Taught TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and some sparring. I had a lot of white belt kids, and just a few higher ranked ones, so the white belts did lots of combinations, and went over the various sparring rules with them, along with having them work on some different things to make their combinations practice more purposeful. The two higher ranked kids got to spar a couple of extra rounds together. 12/01/2015 Strength Training Front squats: 45x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5. Power cleans: 127x3, 127x3, 127x3, 127x3, 127x3. Taught TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Prior to class starting, I was holding focus pads for the kids, and they all ran through working a combination: back leg front kick, land forward and reverse punch, step forward and lunge punch with the same hand, followed by another back leg front kick. They really got moving with it, too. They flowed well, all of them, and was the first we had done this particular combination. Basics, forms, one-steps (making sure all white belts got through all 7 one-steps), and sparring. More higher ranked kids in this class, so they did some more sparring.

Congrats!

Alex makes a lot of good points here. I don't think it would be the best option to have on the belt, I don't necessarily think it wouldn't work. These guys aren't going to be learning to twirl these like Bruce Lee did in Enter the Dragon. The methods they use will be much simpler, more like baton usage as far as striking goes, but with the added element of control it can offer. With that said, I do think the collapsible baton is a better option than these. I don't know how many departments actually use the nightstick anymore, but I haven't seen one anywhere I've gone. Collapsibles like the Manadanok or ASP have become the norm. As for the term "non-lethal," its mainly based on how the tool is trained. Try not to get too hung up on the terminology. Can a baton kill? Yes. Do we as officers train to kill with it? No. Most baton training systems are designed to subdue as opposed to try to kill someone, by training officers to not aim at areas like the head and neck, but at the fleshy parts of the arms and legs, or the joints. Although it can kill if need be, that's not the point of it, like a firearm. I don't know of any departments that train with firearms to shoot someone in the legs or arms. Training is to hit center mass, therefore, the tool is lethal.

These are all valid points to make in regards to LEO training. Our department trains monthly with firearms, either qualifying, or working some other aspect of proficiency, like Simunitions training or training malfunction drills, shooting from vehicles, etc. And this is not the norm for many departments. Monthly training is a great thing. Also, not every department has specialized units. That's a benefit of bigger, better funded departments.