bushido_man96

Great post by Alex. All solid information. Another option, being a smaller person, is to consider some kind of what Alex would refer to as a "force multiplier;" carrying a bladed weapon, or looking into training for conceal and carry. Something to give you a bit more of an edge.

Its important to look into these kinds of statistics, and then work on ways to deal with them, and work on consistent tactics that help with this and other attacks in similar ways. Thanks for sharing the video with us!

She stays away from anything with a high iron intake. She can't take any vitamin C supplements, because it promotes the absorbtion of iron. She has also cut out a lot of soda, especially store bought stuff with high fructose corn syrup. Some little things like that.

This is all solid advice. Use a wall or chair for balance, and work on these exercises a few times per week, along with your stretching, and you should see improvement. The key, as mentioned, is making sure that chamber stays at the same level, i.e., making sure the chamber doesn't "dip" between kicks. Also, as you improve, do some focus mitt work to go to different targets. Do consecutive round kicks, mid-high, and also hi-mid. They both affect the body differently, so its important to do it both ways. Good luck to you!

1/20/2014 Taught TKD: 6 - 7:30 pm. I started out the class going through some of the upper body basics along with them, just to get some work in. I also extended basics a bit to give the students some new stuff to work on. I added a jumping round kick, and had the brown belts and up work on a flying side kick, as done in our form Choong Moo. The ones below brown belt did our double punch, round kick, spin crescent kick combo. Then we made it through forms, working on some timing and stance issues on several, and then one-steps.

I had done some in the past, but I'm not a big fan of it. It is nice for some variety, and if you only have limited time to workout, its a nice package put together.

Especially if MMA does make it into the Olympics eventually.That just might happen because the UFC's a major brand, and it's had it's 15 minutes of fame, so to speak. The IOC is watching MMA; I'm sure of that. Oh, yes, I'm sure they are watching. And if the IOC likes ratings, and they see the ratings of the UFC and other MMA events, then I think they will eventually see the possibilities in the ratings for Olympic MMA.

True; but also true for all kicks, even a simple roundhouse. He is not practicing these kicks for their combat effectiveness. They are to test his athletic ability. This guy can already kick well (as shown by his many other videos) so why not try to push the boundaries and train to do something most people can't? I agree. That has always been one of the challenges I've enjoyed in my years in TKD; the physical challenge of performing the kicks.

Go check it out and see how they run things. Give it a few months, and see how you like it. You can always move on if you don't like what they have to offer.

I enjoy Hapkido, and have trained in the Combat Hapkido system. I really enjoyed it, and hope to continue my training through it soon.

I agree. Learning to close and make space when needed to work to the goal takes time and practice. Good drilling is hard to replace. That is something that forms training can't really give us. We can try guage the space required for a certain technique by looking at how we do it in the form; i.e., we can see that an angle punch in Yoo Sin is tighter to the body than a front stance lunge punch, leading us to believe that the angle punch technique is one performed when closing with an opponent. But, without having someone there to work on this with, doing it alone won't teach us much.So, the big factor in learning how to close and open space when necessary is through realistic training drills involving at least one partner, if not more. Sparring can be a great tool for training it, but its important to keep the context of the type of sparring each of us does in mind, and how it would relate in regards to actual self-defense.

I guess the question is, what is the "core?" If the core is physical, then I'd say yes, because there are only certain ways the body can move and bend. Its different when you start talking about philosophies and ideals.

How so? Fighting has been around a long, long time, and not just in the East. This is not the case. Traditional styles shape traditional styles, not all styles. Boxing and Wrestling were not shaped by any traditional styles.

I think what it has lead to is the fact that the full resistance that is achievable through grappling practice is of increased value in training, providing skill improvement under pressure. I don't think it leads to the view that it always wins. But, there is something to be said about the effectiveness of the training method. What's wrong with continuing to seek rank after a sensei has passed, though? I think we can all agree that the farther we get into our Martial careers, the more important self-evaluation becomes. I think most of us also agree that the higher dan ranks have more to do with things done to perpetuate the Martial Arts (not just the one or two we study) and teaching, and are not soley based on physical testing requirements. So, why is it so wrong that if someone after some careful self-evaluation, determines that they have perhaps surpassed their previous rank, and decide to bump themselves up? Now, I'm not saying that everyone takes these steps to do this with themselves. Some feel a need to do so in order to appear like the high ranking head of a new organization, or because they part ways with a different organization and try to prove a point. My point is, there are varying reasons and approaches to take when it comes to high ranks, and how to achieve them. And they all appear selfish because no one is promoting them, and they are promoting themselves, or seeking a group of peers that acknowledge their self-promotion in an attempt to justify it to the masses that, by and large, won't be accepting of it anyway. It will be an endless debate.

Welcome to KF!

By all accounts, they should have, too. But, that's why the play the games, right? So, who do you have for Championship Weekend? I think the Seahawks and the Patriots.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing!

You need to not be concerned with winning. You need to concern yourself with escaping and surviving. They are not the same thing. That is what I would have you focus on.

1/16/2014 TKD class: 7 - 8 pm. Basics, Yoo Sin for forms, then I got to begin work on my new form, Choong Jang. Finished with a few bouts of sparring, and then some stretching.

Good advice here. A piece of advice I would offer is that as you progress in your lifting, I think you might do your body better in recovery by attending classes on the same days you do your lifting. That way, your off days from lifting are off days from other activites, and you get your full recovery in.

Ouch! I agree with the others to get it checked out. You could check it by holding the finger out straight, and then tapping the fingertip with the palm with the finger straight. My mom told me when I was a kid that if I didn't pee my pants after that, then it probably wasnt broken. But, to be safe, get it looked at.

I wish you recovery here. My wife has been dealing with some rheumatoid arthritis, and it can be painful. She has made some changes in her diet, stays away from certain things, and has been feeling better lately. I hope it goes well for you, and you are able to keep training.

That would be cool. The obstacle to that is finding which part to make safer and which rules to impose or restrict from the regular UFC.Actually, I think it would be safer than Olympic Boxing is now. They don't take as many blows to the head with all the gear that it is believed to help make the sport safer, when in fact, they just encourage more slugging to the head. Of course, not many will actually view it that way, or take the time to research it properly to see which is safer. I think that by and large, the IOC would probably view it as too barbaric as is to allow it into the Olympics.

Mystery solved!

I agree, that's exactly what I saw in those kicks. Such great body control. I'd love to see some attempts at breaking.