bushido_man96

I have some teaching experience, and some learning experience. Fight experience, I'm short on. My tournament experiences, especially sparring, are by and large not good. I do have some work experience, but not to the extent that tallgeese would have. I do think I can teach my current system, and I do think that given the chance, I could put together a good system that would help out the students that would come to learn. I also have experience enough to tell them what I don't know, and where to find that stuff out, too.

Is there proof to these claims? You lose range of motion by not stretching. Guys with big, strong legs can still kick high; Van Damme comes to mind. Wesley Snipes and Michael Jai White are big guys, too, but they kick well. I'm sure there are many more I am missing, but you can see big guys compete in the old K-1s, and they had some big, strong legs, too. Still kick high and kick well.

I'm talking about movements that don't slow you down with extra bulk. Exactly. This is the biggest misunderstanding about weight training out there, and especially misunderstood by Martial Artists who are scared of becoming "slow." That, and the idea of "bulking up." One will not bulk up significantly without altering caloric intake. I put this in bold, because its the part of the equation that really has to change in order to add bulk. Now, it is true that lifting weights for strength will add some muscle mass. But the "bulk up" that most Martial Artists fear happening won't happen unless there is a change in caloric intake, i.e., caloric increase. There is a saying in weight lifting circles; "eat big to get big." Its true, and works, too. Now, as a practicing Martial Artist, if one does not adjust their diet to reflect their training, then that significant bulk won't be added, like is commonly feared.

3/13/2013 Solo Workout: Front leg kicking Front kick x5 each leg Round kick x5 each leg Side kick x5 each leg Outside crescent kick x5 each leg Inside crescent kick x5 each leg Hook kick x5 each leg TKD Forms class: 6-7 Bo Chung, Jung Gun, Gae Baek, Se Jong, and Yoo Sin. Then did some new 3-step sparring, while lower ranks did the kicking class routine. We did 3-steps 1-4, and there are 10, from what I'm told. 3/14/2013 3-steps 1-4, x5 each. Front leg kicks: Front kick x5 each leg Round kick x5 each leg Side kick x5 each leg Outside crescent kick x5 each leg Inside crescent kick x5 each leg Hook kick x5 each leg 3/17/2013 Push-ups: 3x5 Stretch Sit-ups: 20, 15 3-steps, 1-4 x5 each I really had trouble with the push-ups, and was a bit dismayed with how week my arm still is. The bicep tendonitis doesn't seem to have gone away, either. 3/18/2013 Taught TKD class: 6-7. Smaller class tonight, but its spring break here. Got through everything to get to some sparring, too.

That's great! Love it!

I think of pressure points as bonus points. If you get to them, and get the desired result, then great. But I won't plan an entire set of techniques or a strategy around nailing a pressure point. They are too easy to miss most times, and yield too little results.

Hehe, yeah, my wife thinks I should be a bit more "reserved" when I watch. She's wrong, of course....

Yeah, I get that. I think the interpretation is the thing that everyone makes their own.

I'd eat it. It really wouldn't have been a major decision, either.

A standard weight training protocol, like Stronglifts 5x5, Starting Strength, or Wendler 5/3/1, are good protocols to use to build strength. And all that strength will lend itself to fighting and the Martial Arts.

Kuma, good call on the twisting as pulling into the attacker.

Good job! Congrats!

I don't really feel this way. Someone comes into my house to do wrong, the gifts I have for that person will not be calm and collected. Swift and ferocious, more like.

This is a little off track, but the definition of "Martial Art" is one that tends to get interpreted the way the person describing it wants to interpret it. Many will lead to the fact that if they aren't doing a style as a "do" with all the spiritual growth or personal stuff included, then it isn't a Martial Art. I tend to disagree, and feel more like the word art was thrown on the end to complete the term. It wouldn't make sense to say, 'I do Martial.'

Nope, didn't get to do it. I've been doing some reading on it, though. I may start using my son as a training partner in these aspects, even though he is quite smaller than me.

3/11/2013 Dynamic stretches, 3x5, front, side, rear, waist, chest, head. Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:00. Didn't get to sparring.

I think that if a beginner sees that they are earning a belt higher than those of his peers, he/she will still be motivated. If not more so than before.

How is Karate "quicker" to learn than any of the others mentioned?Generally, Beginners starting to take Martial art training with Karate and I also feel that it's easy to learn Karate moves. Jiu-jitsu training is tricky business to learn so, I think that Karate can be more quicker. I think I would have to disagree with you here. I work on teaching kids all the time in TKD, and see how much work it can be to get some of the more technical aspects of body motions down. Side kicks are especially tough to iron out from a technical standpoint, and the coordination of two moving arms in most hand techniques takes some time, as well.I also have a son who Wrestles. Now these kids get on the mat, start reviewing techniques, like takedowns, reversals, stand-ups, etc, and after going through the motions for some reps, they start working the reps with partners, then Wrestle live. Things move a lot faster, and they get more productive reps, and I really think that helps them pick things up faster. Now, I am not saying that grappling is easy to pick up. I do think, however, that most grappling environments are more conducive to a quicker learning curve.

First off, work on rechambering the kicks fast. Kick hard, and pull it back fast. Aside from that, if your leg gets caught, then you need still need to rechamber hard and fast; only this time, you will hopefully pull the attacker in towards you, or you will hop/slide in towards your attacker. Close that space, grab onto them with both hands, and work from there. Perhaps, if have the knowledge, attempt to jump onto them and pull guard of some kind. It may not be ideal, but it beats getting thrown to the ground on their terms. Once you get grabbed, you're moving to grappling at that point, anyways, so you best initiate it. Hope that helps. I'm sure there would be some more knowledgeable insight from those with experiences greater than mine. On a side note, I did have my brother catch a round kick to the body of mine once. I jumped and wheeled around a hook kick with the other foot. Now, this was fun sparring, not a real fight, but the kick did its job, and he let go. I'm not recommending it as the best option. But it did work.

That is a fantastic article, Alex. Thanks for writing this.

Welcome, Needle Mouse!

Ok, here we go. 6 and Under State Championships, Salina, KS, 2/24/2013. Kendall is in the maroon/yellowish and white side down the singlet. Probably should have cleared that up earlier.... Match 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU_IfBzRM2w This was a tough draw. I watched this kid Wrestle his first match, and he looked stout. Crisp, clean, strong, fast...he looked like a 6 year old with 8 year old experience. He was just an animal. Kendall was fighting from the bottom the whole way here, and although he held off getting pinned until the tail end of the 3rd period, I really thought he held on well. This kid ended up winning the bracket, taking first. Kendall was really discouraged after this match, and was crying a bit. Still working on that. I told him not to let it bother him, and that he fought a tough Wrestler really hard. Match 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K85bSrzLcz8 Kendall is on the 2nd mat from the front. Kendall won this match, 12-5. Still getting to concerned with tying up in a headlock, instead of keeping a low center and shooting. Did lots better with positioning, though, and stayed aggressive. Match 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BguJiYFyG7g Kendall is the on the 2nd mat again, the far side Wrestler. Kendall won this one, 4-0. Tough, tight match, with a buddy of his from our club. Kendall knows this kid sprawls well, so he gets reluctant to shoot on him. But when he gets on top, he can control him pretty well. He started 2nd and 3rd periods on bottom, and it was tough for him to get an escape or reversal. Match 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG2JxVbs7Fc Kendall took a loss in this match, getting pinned in the 3rd period. He was doing pretty well against this kid, and was leading in points, and doing a good job of controlling him. But in the third period, he got tangled up high again, got put in a headlock, got flipped over, and got pinned. This kid did the same thing to the kid he Wrestled the match before; was down in points, but got the kid into a headlock, and got him pinned. This kid also did what they used to call fleeing the mat. Every time he was on bottom, he made a mad crawling dash to the boundary, but the refs never called it. He did the same to Kendall. Also, for the first time ever, Kendall was really hacked off about a ref. He was pretty convinced he had the kid pinned in the 2nd period, but the ref didn't call it, and the period ended. After the match, Kendall came to me crying and mad as all get out, saying the ref missed it, amongst other things. I got him calmed down, and told him he still did a good job, and that sometimes, these things will happen. What's important is to handle the things you can control, like trying to maintain good positions and what not to put yourself in a good position to win. After he calmed down, we talked some more, and I think I got some good points across to him. After all that, he took 4th place, which I thought was a good showing for him. Maybe could have taken 3rd, but 4th was great, and he got to stand on the medal stand to get his medal. The other kid from our club got 5th, too. All in all, this tournament was what I wanted it to be for Kendall; a test against different Wrestlers, and against some good talent. I think he did well.

Ok everyone, all the links should be fixed so they can be viewed now. I'll have more coming soon!

It just depends. Right now, I'll do some easy walk-throughs at times while at home. At class, I'll do some prior to starting for warmups. Sometimes, if I work the afternoon shifts, I'll spend an hour a day or every other day working hard on forms.

That's putting things into perspective and context quite nicely, Bob. Well said.