bushido_man96

Putting on mass is going to be directly related to how much calories you take in. If you up the caloric intake, along with lifting, then you will add some size. If you don't up your calories, then you will probably not put on as much mass, but along with that, you won't gain as much strength, either.

Refence the bold above, I agree. As a Martial Artist grows and matures, what they are seeking often changes. This article would be great for rehashing at differen points in an MAist's career.

I think one of the advantages that Wrestling has is that its so offensive minded. Wrestlers don't train from their back, because you can't win from there. And although that can hurt them at times, especially when one tries to belly out after a takedown, which gives the opponent their back. Not a good strategy, but given a little training time, a Wrestler can learn some nuances that allow them to work from their back, and get back to the dominant position. I think the overall training mindset of the Wrestler is very advantageous for them.

Thank you, Danielle. I do think the ATA tries to do the best job it can in preparing its black belts to teach. Some of it is over-marketed, but a lot of their concepts and principles are right on target. The thing with personal approach/individual contact is to make sure its not too much, and not too little. The key is to be appropriate, which most people are, anyway. As an instructor when I correct technique, using appropriate contact to get a punch in the right place, or a kick chamber positioned properly, etc, helps really register it with the student. What's important is that no physical contact should last more than a second or two, really. It sounds to me like things are a bit over-regulated for you over there, Danielle, and its too bad it has gotten that way.

Its great to be able to get together with a few of the people that you know you can really get to expounding on the Martial Arts. Its easy to get carried away, too. An instructor has to constantly check himself with the audience he is speaking with, and make sure he isn't going over too many heads. Save the real good stuff for those that will appreciate it.

Solid post!! React to ANYTHING!! That's should be the jewel of the MA, any MA, imho!! When working off specific attacks for specific defenses, this can happen often in Hapkido or Aikido classes (the one's I've been involved in, anyway). Uke gets confused or loses track of what is being focused on. Its quite humorous. I often visualize Jim Carrey saying "you attacked me wrong!" On a side note, having principle-based responses are very helpful to minimizing these funny moments.

Kids, between 45 minutes and an hour, if you can do a focused kids class. Adults, hour to hour and a half. I like to go hour and a half anymore, to get in all the segments of the class. Kids younger than 8, really only need about 30 minutes.

What is this course you are doing? Sounds very interesting. I was also curious if you had a system you use for handgun or long gun disarm/retention for your department. Do you have one system you use for DT, or a few things pulled from different places to round it all out? I agree, weights are great for squats. But everyone is afraid of them. But the same people who are afraid to squat due to back and knees have no qualms with putting 300 or 400 lbs on just their elbows. Kudos to you for doing all that squatting! I'm trying to get myself back into it, as well. I can see the importance here. But, I also see how it can be important to burn out once in a while; just not that regularly.

I've never made any style transitions, but I have done TKD in one facet or another for over 20 years. Right now, I do more of an Olympic style of sparring, whereas before I did the ATA point system of sparring. Within the TKD styles of sparring, you can see lots of different methods. In point systems, you can see more lead leg kicking, without putting the foot down. In Olympic style, you see more rear leg kicking and combinations and counters, because there is no stopping to call points. Some will be counter fighters, and others more offensive. You just never know what you are going to get. I'm not sure if that helped you out at all, but I'd be willing to try to answer any other questions you'd have.

I wish i still kept many of my old belts. Alas I was young and didn't think of keeping them. But hey what can I do, lesson learnt! I'd have to do some digging to see if I still have all of mine. I did keep the certificates, though. Most of them, I keep in clear page holders in a notebook. The bigger ones I have framed.

Great article. Very thorough, and a great guide. Happy Birthday, Danielle!

Congrats!

So it is your national association then for all styles? That was my question, as well. How many different styles can you test for, and how does that affect the judges that sit on the panels?

Congrats! Very well deserved!

Happens a lot i find. When it is the same style people decide to train in at 2 different dojo's baffles me and i don't know why they do it. If I went to train in another style of karate then i would check with my sensei first, then I would tell the head of the other school of my training in the other style. But if it is a different martial art, I would still tell the owner of that school so that they are aware My question is, why? I think its the student's choice as to what they consume as a customer, isn't it? As an instructor, I really don't think I have the right to know which stores they shop at, or if they learn Martial Arts elsewhere. My only job is to mark their progression through the style I teach them, and make sure they are doing things the way we do them in our gym. That's really my only job as an instructor. If they have the time to devote to training multiple styles, then kudos to them. Take advantage of it, because it won't always be there.

I think the only way is if I just fall apart physically, and can't do them anymore. Even if that ever happened, I would still keep coming here to fulfill my Martial Arts needs.

Well, if you have lots of wall space, you could frame each certificate for each belt, and mount the belt below each frame. But that would take quite a bit of wall space. You could also minimize that, and just have all the belts hanging below the certificate of your current rank, having the lowest rank belt at the bottom, leading up to your current rank, with your current rank certificate above them.

I concur with Brian. In that, I've never really like the line-up protocol because the lower ranks can be overlooked in the back row, and I do understand why the protocol is what it is. I can see the use in both ways. The way we do it, the low ranks in the back get to watch the higher ranks go first in basics, so the lower ranks can then either mimic or reference how the higher ranks do the techniques. But on the way back down the floor, the lower ranks go first, so they have to take what they've seen and apply it accordingly on the way back. So they only get a reference going one way. I do like the idea of lower ranks having a reference going both ways.

Thank you for all the thoughts on this, everyone! Great responses.

We all have the floor in common. The question is, do we venture from the comfort of our own floor from time to time and experience what others offer on their floors. Thanks for the addendum, Bob. As always, its great!

Great article, Danielle. Love the ideas! Thanks for sharing them.

I loved this article, Alex. Great use of videos in making your points, and adding to the clarification of your article, to boot. I also don't feel that Wrestling gets nearly enough credit for what it has to offer as a Martial Art. Thanks for putting this out there.

Please do. I've done a review of it in the Martial Arts Research Library thread, as well, on page 18 of the thread: http://www.karateforums.com/martial-arts-research-library-vt8082-170.html

I love reading the history of stuff. Thanks for sharing all this with us, Bob.

Thank you very much, Patrick!