bushido_man96

Ouch! Not cool!

The only one I've really done is the rear naked choke.

But this can change dependent upon the scenario, positioning, height and weight? A boxing instructor will tell you how to throw a perfect hook punch, but not everyone that gets KO'd via hook punch is hit with the perfect form. Often it will be the one that connects that makes execution proper, not following strict technique. Im not saying that we should not train for and strive for perfection in technique, but effectiveness to me encompasses adaptability. You are not wrong, yamesu. Being able to hit increases effectivness, and adjustments have to be made at times. However, training proper technique will help to assure that when you have to adjust, its an effective adjustment.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the Forums!

Taking a class off to give your body time to heal is not a bad thing. It sucks missing training, but sometimes, its a necessity. If you keep going back, and you don't heal, you don't do yourself any favors. So train smart, and listen to your body. There is a difference between being sore, and being hurt. Rest yourself!

Sounds like an awesome opportunity. 9/16/2013 Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Basics, focused time with white belts. Forms, had white belts focus on footwork/stances, and hand chamber positions. Orange and blue belts I had focus on being strong, and showing more desire. One-steps, focused on orange belt kids, not lollygagging around and working through the one-steps more quickly. Extra, did kicking on the Powerline bags, focusing on side kicks and getting technical feedback from kicking the bags.

Welcome to the KF black belt club!

Good luck!

9/12/2013 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, worked on my foot speed in stances and knife hand speed. Forms: Chon Ji, Dan Gun, Joong Gun, Hwa Rang, Choong Moo, Yoo Sin. One-steps, white and lo-blue. Sparring, tough, felt tired and heavy, and took some shots to the body.

I would go with effectivness. One could say they go hand in hand, but I don't think that is always the case. A properly executed technique should be the most effective means of performing that technique.

I would confront the instructor, and there is also a good chance I would talk to a law enforcement officer about it. Where I live, we call that battery, and abuse of a child. Maybe this guy thinks he's an "old school" instructor from the "school of hard knocks," but that is just unacceptable behavior. I respect the fact that you acknowledge that your son was in the wrong to begin with. But, a different form of punishment would have been appropriate, like witholding him from sparring for a time, or some other means. But not physical punishment like that. If one of my instructors did that, I would probably get rid of him.

I'd call "heart" the desire that a practioner has to keep getting better, to stay motivated day in and day out for the life-long journey.

I don't know if "traditional" training would be good for all styles of Martial Arts. Take the makiwara training from your example. A Boxer won't benefit as much training there, becasue they are going to be more concerned with making their punches work with their footwork. They also strike with big gloves on. Knuckle conditioning isn't a big issue for them. I think you'd also be surprised at the amount of power they generate with a simple jab. Sure, on could train jabs on the makiwara, but for a Boxer, punching a bag gives more of the feedback they want. As far as accuracy goes, they train that with their focus mitts and speed bags, which have the added benefit of moving while striking.

9/10/2013 Defensive Tactics: 1:45 - 3:00 pm. Worked on the system that they teach for self-defense, including a review from the previous week, along with a rear choke defense involving a cross-hand trap/reach over grab the ear, step around to secure arm to shoulder/arm lock; a hair grab defense into a standing arm bar (I had some trouble getting this one lined up right), and a headlock defense from the ground that was a lot like one we did at the GRACIE course. 9/11/2013 Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring. Had 3 new white belts in class, so I slowed a few things down to break things down for them here and there. Also got a good chunk of sparring in.

I'm not a fast person by any stretch. I went with slow, I guess like a machine. I try to be deliberate and not waste time throwing things that won't land.

I've seen my share of "going through the motions." I think the main issue is that we all view the Martial Arts as a life-long pursuit, but most kids don't. Their attention spans tend to fold after a few steady years, and they just end up in that holding pattern. How to fix it, I'm not sure.

I think some kids just get to the point that they are either burning out a bit, or have done something so long they fall into a rut. They need a jolt, something to wake them up again. And some kids do just "go through the motions."

I think for the majority of people, its tough to display aggression like that. Keep in mind that 90% or better of the people in the world lead peaceful lives minus physical confrontation, and most of them are perfectly happy for it to remain that way. So when you ask a sheep to turn into a sheepdog or a wolf, its tough for them to do so. He may also be afraid of the reaction, too. I think the answer is more time and exposure to this kind of training, to bring the students around. I don't think its necessarily a disease of the dojo. Its the way some people are.

I think the McDojo title gets tossed around a bit much, and I think that there are probably more quality schools and instructors out there than there are McDojos. I was an ATA member early in my career. I felt that the training I received and the instuctors I had were very high quality. And yes, the school/club did try to make money. Its easier to stay open that way. Its well-known that the ATA has its own tournament circuit, too. Its a decent circuit, and its all kept "in-house," so to speak, with the use of a "Top Ten" points system, and regional, national, and a worlds tournament held yearly. Tournaments can be a great money-maker for a school or region, and also a great advertisment in and of itself. Now, all that said, I don't think the desire to compete is a bad thing, and I don't think an instructor should limit a student's ability or opportunity to compete in tournaments. Tournament desire can really push one to work hard and understand what it takes to set reasonable objectives towards obtainable goals, and how to set about doing this. These are good skills to learn. Now, it is the job of the instructor to make it understood that there is a difference between tournament competition and self-defense, and the relevance of tournaments should be kept in check. I don't think that "traditional" styles will die off. However, I do think that they can benefit from some changes. I know that no body wants to hear that, really, because the traditional training style is what has been done for x years, and all that. Most likely, changes have been experienced along the way, but they've been so few and so far back, they are accepted as the norm, when they might not have been. I think cross-style tournament competition could be a great training experience. Learn how a DT instructor would teach things. Another thing "traditional" styles need to realize is that since there are more training options out there, the "traditional" style won't always be the first choice for someone. A Wrestler who just got out of high school, with no college prospects, may gravitate to a BJJ school or an MMA gym. There are more choices available now, and if a prospective student doesn't like the stricter atmosphere of a "traditional" school, but prefers the looser atmosphere of an MMA gym or some BJJ schools, that will affect their decision, as well. So, there are a lot of factors at work in the world of MAs now. I think it will constantly cycle, ebb and flow. And generate concern in equal cycles.

And then we have to add in things like endurance, tenacity, the ability to take punishment, toughness, etc.... This could go on forever...

I have to rescind my previous statements on breathing, and provide different data due to my more recent lifting experiences. I was doing a 3x5 or 5x5 lifting plan, and it the method of breathing taught by some of the biggest out there is the use of the Valsalva maneuver. Basically, hold breath during the lift (both down and up), then take a short breath between reps if needed, and hold during the lift.

Congrats! Nicely done!

Kudos to you on completing these courses. I know I'm not in nearly good enough shape to pull one of these off. I'd have to start with plain old 5ks, and work up from there.

Its interesting to think about. Perhaps it was just something someone liked a long time ago, linked themselves to it, and it stuck? Wolves tend to run in packs, accept for the "lone wolf," which is an exception rather than the rule. Maybe its an allusion to this lone wolf mentality.