bushido_man96

I believe that this is shared across the board, no matter the style. Having an open class is the bread and butter of most schools of the MA; it has been for me, as it was for my own Sensei. For us, its hard at times to justify separating the classes. We have separate classes for our 4-7 year olds, but otherwise, our classes are mixed kids/adults, because the classes would be so small otherwise.

Rank is arbitrary-skill is definite. Don't let the color of your belt define you and don't let your past keep you from enjoying the ride. Solid post!! Agreed, very well put!

I absolutely agree with you here. I think there are some good examples out there of Martial Arts changing some people, but I think those are examples of people who want to change, and that makes a difference, too. Agh yes BUT if we place so much emphasis on the parents what's the point. Why should we bother? Some parents simply won't. Parents can be the obstacle to children learning. There's no much can be done about it because....well....I'm not the parent! The best we can hope for is that the student follows the class protocols and obeys the rules in class. Outside of class, it becomes more difficult. I can preach and preach about respect and discipline in the classroom, but if the child isn't preached it at home, then the 2 or 3 hours I get to spend with him a week isn't going to be as helpful. The parents have to be involved. The best we can hope for is being a positive role model of how the kids should act, and hopefully they figure that out and try to emulate us. That is what I hope for.

To the bold above, I absolutely agree with that point. But here again, I ask the question, if you choose to teach some concepts and technical aspects you've learned in other styles, does it really mean you need to "establish your own style," so to speak? I don't think so. If you teach Tang Soo Do with some Hapkido blended in for self-defense, then great. But just say you teach Tang Soo Do with a Hapkido supplement, or heck, say you teach both curriculums if that's what you do. But there is no reason to come up with a new name to call it a new style. At least, that's my opinion.

There is lots of good advise already given here. Take a look around at what schools in your area have to offer. Its easy to say, "Kyokushin offers this," or, "TKD offers that," but you never really know what a school has to offer until you get with the instructors and figure out what they specialize in or what kind of classes they have to offer on their schedule. The best advise has already been given; search out a few schools, go visit, watch some classes, and speak with the instructors about their curriculum. That is going to be the best way for you to figure out what you should do. Happy hunting, and please, keep us posted!

Congrats, and well deserved!

With a good GM, its a blast. But time consuming...

Fumio Demura wrote books on just about all the Kobudo weapons. He has one on nunchaku that would probably give you what you are looking for.

I think Mike Tyson said it best, "I had a plan, then I got punched in the mouth."

I think they can have value for other styles. The key is experimenting with movements you do, and then seeing how they can apply to the wooden dummy.

No, there isn't, but I wouldn't hold onto the negative for too long. It isn't productive.

I absolutely agree with you here. I think there are some good examples out there of Martial Arts changing some people, but I think those are examples of people who want to change, and that makes a difference, too.

I think the answer will really depend on what each practitioner's goals are, and why they are looking at the styles they are meshing. Some styles will shore up the shortcoming of other styles. BJJ can fill the grappling void present in TKD. But doing Hapkido and Aikido together could just be convoluting to the practitioner. What one should do before doing this is evaluate what each of the styles has to offer, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and if there is a lot of overlap in the same areas, then it probably wouldn't be as productive for the practitioner to spend his or her time in those styles, and perhaps should look into others. Now, if someone just has the time and money to spend doing as many styles as they possibly can, regardless of overlap, then power to them. I know I can't afford to do that, so I'd need to be more efficient in choosing my styles.

I really think that by the time a practitioner reaches the 4th or 5th dan levels, they probably already have their own "style," or flair or approach to their Martial Art. This is only a natural occurrence, I think. And when they decide to strike out on their own, they like to give it a name and call it their "style." Now, I don't personally think that everyone that comes up with something original in their approach to teaching should necessarily rename what they do and call it a new style. Personally, I think it would be more beneficial for these folks to try to remain under the umbrella of their original style, and just teach their classes by incorporating their new ideas. I think that would be the better process.

Welcome to KF!

It would be just as challenging. Sure, he might be able to fall back on some experience, but by and large, its tough to beat a person who is in their physical prime.

I agree here. I think you are going to have a mix of some bare knuckle Boxing and some Wrestling. Some research into Medieval European tactics would probably lead you in the right direction. Good luck with the book!

No truer words have been spoken!

Thank you for the link. Looks like another TKD book I need to get! A programming note: back on pg 8 of the thread, I edited and added information on ATA 1st dan form Shim Jun and 2nd dan form Jung Yul, as far as new moves and techniques, and the forms' interpretations. They are in bold, for the most part.

Something to keep in mind is that longer stances are going to be less mobile than a shorter stance. A shorter stance will mean better mobility, which in turn can help you avoid getting hit more. Also, footwork helps you control the stance, and control how much you get hit, so if that is a concern, then make sure to work on your footwork a bunch to get it up to par.

Welcome to KF, and welcome back to your journey!

If you don't like to get hit, then I don't know why you'd want to try compete in an MMA fight. If an MMA fight is your goal, then I think a good Kyokushin school would put you on a straighter path to your goal than a kata-based Shotokan school would. But, there might be a Shotokan school in your area that does some good fight training, too. You would just need to do your homework on the schools available to you, and see where it gets you.

The technique Dan demonstrated is the one Royce taught us for the GRACIE defensive tactics course. Pretty much verbatim. In the book, its referred to as "umpa with swim and trap." We use that variation if the attacker is postured up and striking, and we have a variation that we use if the attacker is choking, but they are both umpa variations. Your version is not one I had seen before. I do have a concern with the umpa with swim and trap technique, though. Its a problem I have, but I don't see it with many others doing it. There are times when I will do the hip bump, but it doesn't get the desired result of knocking them forward and off-balance. I don't know if its because I have short legs, and don't generate the angle needed to get them off balance, or what, but I have trouble with it a times. I fix it by instead sitting up and wrapping my arms around their body, and then pulling them down onto their hands, and then swim and trap; I thank the head instructor at our DT club for showing that variation. My question to you, Alex, and anyone versed in BJJ, is what do you think is going wrong for me there? I loved seeing a glimpse of the drills you did, and seeing how they were used in class. I also love the compare and contrast approach you had in this video between sport and self-defense. Keep up the good work, Alex, and keep the videos coming!

I think that if this is the lowest point in your training journey, then you are going to do pretty well.

Yes I would have to agree about the way parents can be, I think this is often true add many sporting events as well. My kids are involved in soccer and cheerleading and I can tell you I see a lot of the issues with the Parents. I do however, disagree with not allowing the parents and for the children's class especially. As a parent, I would not be as comfortable paying for something I could not view to see what my kid is learning. I teach with an open door policy and I encourage parents to stay and view their children hard work and class material. I think this happens to be one of the key points that keeps us successful at keeping students. I also have seen parents that help their kids out at home, because some of the athletic techniques we do as adults are very complicated for children. It's a great way to give them something to do together. I'm definitely not cutting down your place for doing it, I'm just saying it would not be a preference of mine to do so and offering insight as to why, take care. I tell the kids who turn around and look at their parents. Question do your parents go to school with you? They all say no, so I tell them not to look at their parents. We are lucky at my school, because the facility is set up in such a way that we have a separate viewing room for the parents. Our workout room has a security camera in it, and in the viewing room, there is a projector and screen that the parents can sit and watch the class from. No parent feedback during class, and no children distracted by parents during class. I know this isn't feasible for every school, but its something to consider if the school can manage it.