bushido_man96

I have done ukemi in Aikido, Combat Hapkido, and some in TKD. However, I don't think of it as one of the most important aspects of the Martial Arts. I think there are other sports, like tumbling, that teach it better. Aikidokas tend to get rather skilled at it, as a result of the energy they provide each other in order to flow with their techniques. I think having a good base in it is important and helpful, but not the most important aspect of the Martial Arts out there.

7/9/2014 Police Krav Maga Instructor Course: Day 3, 8:00 am - 4:40 pm. We reviewed choke defenses from all sides and angles, and went back into handgun disarms. Covered several angles, and even went to the floor with it. We also did handgun retention out of the holster, along with longgun disarms, and that was a blast. We finished with the zig-zag drill today, a nice way to top it off.

Welcome to KarateForums!

We practice the Chang Hon system of TKD forms. However, we don't have all 24 in our syllabus, and we have an extra form that our GM added as a high orange belt form. White belt: Chon Ji Orange belt: Dan Gun, Bo Chung Green belt: Do San, Won Hyo Blue belt: Yul Kok, Joong Gun Brown belt: Toi Gye, Hwa Rang, Choong Moo 1st Dan: Choong Moo (1st recommended), Kwang Gae 2nd Dan: Poe Eun (2nd recommended), Gae Baek 3rd Dan: Se Jong (3rd recommended), Yoo Sin 4th Dan: Choong Jang 5th Dan: need to check... 6th Dan: need to check... (I'm currently 4th Dan).

Kusotare and ps1 make good points here. He may be talented, but he needs to spend some time in the school, working alongside other students and becoming a part of the school. What is this guys goal? For you to test him to black belt, and then what? He leaves and opens his own club? Or leaves and forever tells others how he earned his rank? Some of this could come back on the reputation of your club, too. With all that said, its not uncommon to see someone graded up a bit if their level of skill and understanding warrants it. Understanding is the key. Good athletes can perform atheltic movements pretty well; its what they do. The understanding is the key. Make sure to evaluate that, for sure.

Nice video, Wastelander. Thanks for sharing those. Some nice applications there.

I tend to agree here. An accident shouldn't warrant a free shot like that, nor should it be encouraged by an instructor. I agree with ps1 here, that it is negligent on his part. With that said, the Martial Arts are, by there very nature, a contact activity. At some point in time, you will receive a little present like this again, and likely even from someone who has exhibited excellent control on a regular basis. The only response should be, "My, bad, you ok?" after the technique is finished. If they drop and cry, then stop your technique. Otherwise, finish it, and when you are done, mea culpa all you want. Otherwise, you get into a habit of stopping after you hurt someone; not a good habit. Winning nationals doesn't equal good instruction. There is more to being a good instructor than being a tournament winner. Being able to teach is a gift in and of itself, and not everyone can do it well. Now, I'm not saying he doesn't teach well, but if he tells you to take a shot back after an accident, it raises questions in my mind. Maybe he teaches well otherwise. But if this becomes the norm in training, then rue the day that you accidentally knick someone in the nuts....because who knows what's coming back at you, right? Just something to ponder.

7/8/2014 Police Krav Maga Instructor Course: Day 2, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. We opened with some review on combatives, with a bunch of striking the bags. We reviewed the choke defenses from the day before, and also did some new ones, being choked from the front and pushed up against a wall, and from behind up against a wall. From there, we did being choked and pushed backwards from the front and behind, with no walls, just being pushed. We also got into handgun disarms today, a lot. From the front, from behind, from the side in different positions, held in left hand, right hand, with two hands, etc. All good, fun stuff, and all very similar. Lots of reps, and lots of fun.

Five boards is an awesome break. Good job!

Nice explanation of the rituals in your dojo. I especially like you lining up procedure, with lower ranks being beside the higher ranks. I have always been in classes where ranks line up with highest to the front right, and next highest to their left, and on back, so the lower ranks are in the back rows.

It is a good time. Our instructor is setting a pretty intense pace, and I have been worn out since day one. I am so sore from striking the bags, getting out of bed hurts. My shoulders and core are pretty worked over. And we do lots and lots of reps. One of the officers in the class today said he was counting strikes, and we did around 600. We also did a ton of reps today on choke defenses and disarms. Loads of fun!

Ok, let's take the headline out of it. I don't think anyone would think the winner lost honor by dominating an opponent. I seriously doubt much would have been said about it. I watched Mike Tyson absolutely destroy a guy named "Bonecrusher" Smith. They came out, Tyson put him down, end of fight. Totally dominated. No honor lost there in winning. Had this tap out not happened, and the fight went on, I really don't think anyone would be questioning the guys lack of honor for beating an opponent put in front of him.

7/7/2014 Police Krav Maga Instructor Course: Day 1, 8:00 am - 4:15 pm. What a blast! We started out with warmups every session, and we did lots of striking today. Punching, hammerfists, palm strikes, elbows, knee strikes, A-frame kicks (front kicks of a sort, striking mainly with the bottom area of the shin), and defensive front kicks, basically a stomping push kick to an oncoming attacker. We also did some striking while kneeling, and some kicking from being on our backs, getting up tactically. The standup isn't much different from the way we get up in base in the GRACIE system. Just an extra step, getting to a knee first, then standing. After the striking, we started putting things together. We would "attack the attacker" by moving in to strike, and work to a clinch position from the side, then striking with knees, and separating from the attacker by striking. After doing this, we went into standing choke defenses, and this clinch translated right into these defenses, as well. We covered front choke, side choke, rear choke, bar arm choke, and carotid chokes. Each move is basically the same, from different angles. These foundational concepts makes picking up the system very smooth. I've done very similar defenses for the front, side, and rear chokes in our DT club at the college, but there are just some tweaks enough to change it up. Training is pretty intense, and a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we did what the instructor called the "zig-zag drill." There were basically two lines of "attackers," and everyone was designated an attack to perform, or was holding a bag for the defender to strike. There are 16 in our class, so there were 15 stations to get through, combining all the striking and self-defense techniques we learned today. Good fun, and I was spent. I need to seriously reconsider my outside training routine. I'm woefully out of shape. I'm liking what I'm doing so far, and expect good things tomorrow, as well.

7/7/2014 Police Krav Maga Instructor Course: Day 1, 8:00 am - 4:15 pm. What a blast! We started out with warmups every session, and we did lots of striking today. Punching, hammerfists, palm strikes, elbows, knee strikes, A-frame kicks (front kicks of a sort, striking mainly with the bottom area of the shin), and defensive front kicks, basically a stomping push kick to an oncoming attacker. We also did some striking while kneeling, and some kicking from being on our backs, getting up tactically. The standup isn't much different from the way we get up in base in the GRACIE system. Just an extra step, getting to a knee first, then standing. After the striking, we started putting things together. We would "attack the attacker" by moving in to strike, and work to a clinch position from the side, then striking with knees, and separating from the attacker by striking. After doing this, we went into standing choke defenses, and this clinch translated right into these defenses, as well. We covered front choke, side choke, rear choke, bar arm choke, and carotid chokes. Each move is basically the same, from different angles. These foundational concepts makes picking up the system very smooth. I've done very similar defenses for the front, side, and rear chokes in our DT club at the college, but there are just some tweaks enough to change it up. Training is pretty intense, and a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we did what the instructor called the "zig-zag drill." There were basically two lines of "attackers," and everyone was designated an attack to perform, or was holding a bag for the defender to strike. There are 16 in our class, so there were 15 stations to get through, combining all the striking and self-defense techniques we learned today. Good fun, and I was spent. I need to seriously reconsider my outside training routine. I'm woefully out of shape. I'm liking what I'm doing so far, and expect good things tomorrow, as well.

I just finished day 1 of a Police Krav Maga instructor course. I am having a blast, too. We did a lot of striking today, combative stuff, and moved into self-defense against various chokes. I've got a nice looking handbook to go along with it, and will be thumbing through that as I go this week. The instructor, Mike Davis, really kept us moving today, and I am tired and will be sore tomorrow. I'll update here and there on this thread, and answer any questions anyone might have here. I'll be posting more of the content in the Martial Artists' Training Log thread. So far, lots of good training. There are some new concepts I haven't seen, as well as some familiar ones that are just slightly different. I think I will take a lot out of this course.

There is a lot of mention to Bushido here, "The Way of the Warrior." I think we need to be careful to compare what fighters in a ring do, and what warriors out there really do. I do agree that this fight should probably not have happened. Too much could have gone wrong. Of course, in MMA, it only takes one punch, too. Perhaps it should have been played out. As for beating the weak....this guy is a fighter, too. I don't think he's weak. Neither of them are. Weak people are the sheep that get attacked by the wolves on a daily basis. Neither of these guys are sheep. But, to the facts at hand. I'm not going to say that the fighter did the wrong thing. Its his choice, and I respect that.

There is great wisdom in your post! I've reread it many times - thank you! The line above sums it up perfectly as I share a very similar perspective with regard to MA. Interestingly, my approach to the same conclusion has been different. For reasons I won't bore you with I started in non-traditional MA and trained this way for many many years. It was not until recently that I switched to a traditional MA - again for reasons I won't bore you with. An unexpected result is that I believe that I have a strong appreciation for the traditional because of my non-traditional roots. And I'm really enjoying putting it all together. My journey in MA is far from over ( I HOPE! ) but if I had to do it all over again from the start I wouldn't change a thing because it's been an excellent approach FOR ME. In some respect one could say that there are many paths to take as a MA'ist, the important thing is to take the one that suits you. Thanks again for your most excellent post ! I think to experience both is a great thing, to see how each side does it. From their, its only natural that someone will fall to one side or the other. On the flip side of this, I think many "traditionalist" tend to have an aversion to change, or seeking anything different. It happens on both sides. Perhaps its loyalty to a style or instructor that causes this, but it does happen on the other end. Some "non-traditionalists" may view doing forms as a waste of time because they believe time could be better spent partner drilling or working some other aspects of self-defense. There are pros and cons to doing it both ways. The problem is that many times neither side takes the time to slow down and listen and learn from the other side. Bob, this is a great topic. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. In what ways did you experience this "aha" moment during your testing cycle?

Here is my personal experience with becoming an instructor. When I earned my first degree in the ATA, I began helping, and eventually became a trainee instructor. It was required to log 900 hours of assisting before qualifying for instructor certification camp. I met the requirements as a 2nd degree. A few years after getting certified, I took over the running of our academy. In hindsight, I was probably not mature enough at that time. But, the ATA did do a good job of preparing black belts to become instructors. I learned a lot about running and managing a class, and those lessons have stuck with me to this day. In the TTA, I reached the rank of certified instructor when I became a 3rd degree. I had been helping teach before that, and all the prior experience helped build what I became as an instructor. However, I don't think the TTA does nearly as good a job of training instructors, and reaching 3rd degree and being 21does not make an instructor.

7/3/2014 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:10 pm. Taught again. Hit basics, lots of reps on their own forms, plus some review, one-steps, and some round robin sparring. 7:10 - 8:30 pm. Orientation with a new 10 year old student.

Congrats, Archimoto!

Happy 4th of July, Patrick! And everyone else! Let freedom ring!

Thats pretty cool! How many have you met now from the forums, Patrick?

Ok, I have some matches from a few takedown tournaments that Kendall was in over the past month. Its been nice to have him still Wrestling in some form, with baseball season going full swing now, too. These takedown tournaments have different rules, so I'll explain them as I go here. The divisions were basically put together once the kids showed up and were weighed. Age groups were Pre K - 12U, weight was 78-89 lbs, so you didn't know how old a kid you would get. Showdown at Sundown Takedown Tournament, Hill City, KS, on 6/20/2014. They got 2 points for a takedown, and if they took their opponent down and straight to their back, they could get up to 3 back points, and a pin of they got it. If you got them down and took their back, you got 2 points, but if the opponent bellied out and got to their base, then both were stood back up to neutral position. The goal is to work the takedowns. Three 1 minute rounds, 10 point separation was a tech fall. Match 1, part 1: This was against a kid from our club, and Kendall wrapped him in a headlock really tight, and got a pin.Match 1, part 2: Since it was quick, they let them continue to wrestle a while, which was nice. Kendall shot in, but didn't quite get low enough, so it wasn't a very clean takedown, and he had trouble getting the back points this time. They were stood up, Kendall shot again (he is wearing the maroon singlet), but got sprawled on. But he worked some weird headlock again, and saved his position.Match 2: He starts the match by shooting, but he has to learn to close the gap more before taking the shot. But he gets the takedown, takes the kids back, and they stand them back up. The next shot is better; he closes in. He gets him down, and tries for the pin, and really churns his legs to try to get there, but they get stood up again. Third takedown was even nicer, got good lift and drove him down, and got good cover to get back points, and gets a pin.Tiger Takedown Tournament, at Fort Hays State University Tiger Wrestling Camp, Wednesday, 6/25/2014. The rules for this tournament were similar to Hill City's, but no pins. A takedown was worth 2, a 5 count on the back got them 3, and then stood them back up. I'm not sure if there was a tech fall rule or not. He weighed 89 lbs (up 9 lbs since the end of folk season!). Match 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CoNSBKADFY My iPad stopped somewhere through the match, but I got most of it. Kendall has faced this kid in folk tournies before, but only a few times. He nailed a nice double leg to start, then followed it with kind of a duck-under single to get the back. Next, he got put in a headlock, and got taken down and held for some back points. Then he got into a funny takedown where the kid rolled him over, but Kendall twisted and got good position. They went a bit longer, and Kendall ended up winning. Match 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqVnpJmpQDI This match was against a fellow club member we faced a lot this year. He got the first points, but it wasn't very clean, but they count. Shortly after, they got to tusselling and actually turned his back, which I talked to him about not doing. He cleaned up a bit, got a takedown, but keeps getting rolled, something with some balance. He got another headlock takedown after a bunch of dancing and goofing. He learned some good tieups at the camp, but he still doesn't use them well yet. Then they got into grabby-grab phase, and the match ended. Kendall won, but he needed some work there. The camp was a great experience for him, and he learned several things that he showed me and that we add to our workouts. They should be helpful for him next year.

Why don't you get your son into Wrestling? When he goes out onto the mat, its just him and the kid across from him, and the loser has to be accountable to himself for why he lost. There's no punching or kicking, but it doesn't lack for the comptetive aspect.

Please keep us posted and lets us know how it goes. Especially if you get a televised fight.