bushido_man96

Respectfully, I ask how you know for sure Aikido will keep you off the ground? I've trained in Aikido some (not extensively, but some), and although I see the merit in the style, I don't see it as a grappling defense answer. Nothing is a guarantee but an accomplished Aikidoist would be extremely difficult to get on the ground. Most grappling arts deal with one on one situations for the most part and not multiple attackers. Not for an accomplished Wrestler or Grappler. I haven't seen to many take down defenses in Aikido that I have done, and very little actual grappling, other than pin maneuvers. Aikido is very much a standup style, with a focus of joint locking and throwing.

I think that trapping as a "range" certainly does exist as the "in-fighting" range. This is the range were elbows, knees and headbutts come in handy. It is tough to headbutt somebody from kicking range.(unless you are E. Honda) Yes, you may have to use other tools to get the fight to this range, but once there, the combatant who is the aggressor wants to keep it here. Headbutts, knees and elbows are better "fight enders" than punches and kicks IMHO, therefore i believe that if a combatant is proficient in establishing the fight in this range, he or she has a distinct advantage. I can see both sides of the coin you two are flipping here, and how it makes sense to each of you. I think tallgeese posted something up a while back in regards to "ranges" in combat, and how some of the thoughts to some have shifted in regards to the ideas behind ranges. That being said, I think the crux is the actual trapping, as opposed to the range it occurs in. I've done some trapping in Combat Hapkido, and transferred it over to some DT very nicely in some spots. I think what's important is not trap for the sake of trapping, but to do so with intent to follow up or gain an advantage of some sort. Just because you can trap, doesn't always mean you should trap.

I'm not sure there is an app like that. There are some Martial Arts apps out there, though. Just do a search in your phone's market and see what you come up with. What you could do is just right down some floor drill combinations you want to work on, and practice that way. If you reall want random still, set up some moves on a piece of paper, and number them 1 through 6, and then roll dice and see what pops up. Might be faster than flash cards.

Shotokai was a breakaway group from Shotokan. They claim to be the "true" version of what Funakoshi envisioned for Shotokan, I believe. Probably still more Japanese than Okinawan, though.

If its done right, it can be. After all, most demos are done in public, too.

Danielle, I am in a constant state of hunger. Probably why I have so much girth, too. But hey, I love me!

In a word, Bob is mean. Just kidding, my friend. But you did throw me across a room.... We do a semi-contact in class, with chest gear, head gear, foot/shin and hand/forearm padding. No kicks below the belt, no hands to the face. In tournaments, its supposed to be "trembling shock/body displacement" for point scoring, but it doesn't always go that way.

Whey protein is just another way to add the calories you need, and the protein the muscles need, when trying to gain strength. I'd like to see your scientific proof sometime. Thanks for sharing here.

I laugh when I see these adds implying that you can have a super body in 30-60-90 days. It is impossible and ridiculous. This stuff takes a long time and very few people have the discipline and patients to make it happen. I am sure you will. You are right. The journey to awesomeness is a long one.

In the past, I have used supersets many times, but usually for opposing muscle groups and when I was more into "bodybuilding". As a martial artist, the only reason I would ever do isolation exercises would be if there is a lagging body part. Also, you don't want to fry your muscles by doing too much volume. I agree here. Also, along the lines of Liver Punch's suggestion, using bodyweight circuits, like burpees and mountain climbers on a tabata format, might be more conducive to your Martial Arts needs.

4/20/2012 Texas Method-Intensity day Squats: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 225x2, 245x2, 265x2; 280x5RM Bench press: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 185x2, 205x2, 225x2, 245x2; 255x3RM. I was shooting for a 5RM, but missed. Power clean: warmup: (hang clean) 95x5x2; work: 115x5x3 Forms Yoo Sin x1 Se Jong x2 Naifanchi x1 Poe Eun x1 Stretch 4/23/2012 Texas Method-Volume day Squats: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x2; work: 255x5x5 Overhead press: warmup: 45x5, 95x5, 105x3; work: 110x5x5 Dead lift: warmup: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3; work: 375x5...and then I was gassed. Barbell curls: 71x2x3x10 My right shoulder really doesn't like me. Pain when pressing, and when grabbing the bar for squats. 4/24/2012 Aikido Weapons class: 8:05 - 9:05. Did some basic strikes with the bokken for warmup, then spent a bulk of the class doing bokken kata 1. I think I've got it down, and I've got a video of bokken kata 2, so I should be good with practicing these at home. At the end of the class, I got to go through the form 2 times with the actual katana. Good fun. 4/25/2012 Texas Method-Recovery day Squats: warmup: 45x5, 135x5; work: 205x2x5 Bench press: warmup: 45x5, 135x5; work: 205x3x5 Back extensions: 5x10 bodyweight Assisted pullups: 3x10 Now I know there is something wrong with my shoulder. Bench pressing the lighter weight here was extremely painful. Saw the doctor, and she thinks its a tendonitis right now. She did some rotator cuff checks, and that seemed to be ok. So, now that I've started a different training regimen, its time to take a few weeks off to rest the shoulder. Sigh....heavy sigh....

I think it has more to do with people just not understanding how fast they can become a victim. I'm not calling them naive, but I think most times people don't realize how often dangerous people are actually around them.I came to realize this when I started working in our local county jail 5 years ago. Then, you start seeing people we've had in jail out in public; at Wal Mart, at the grocery store, at public events, coaching kids in sports. Not everyone is privy to that kind of experience.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the Forums!

Wounded hand and wounded pride, eh?

Video review would be your best bet, I think. If you have it on video, then you can review it, then set up a training scenario where you have someone else set up that ridgehand, and you can react to it. Work in slow speeds first, then pick up speed and train for it. If you don't have video yet, then get some at the next tournament of this person sparring you or anyone/everyone else he spars.

I'm not sure this is true or not. There is so much junk and bunk floating around out there. However, in order to gain muscle and strength, you have to work on a caloric suplus, which will put on weight other than muscle. How much muscle mass one can gain in a year, I don't know.

When I see kids wearing them, I don't mind. Not every location has a place where folks can change before and after classes. For parents getting kids to training, the parents many times have to help get the younger ones ready; its just easier for them to do that at home, then come to class fully uniformed. And I know parents have tight schedules, and if a parent has to take a kid to the grocery store in a uniform, I'm cool with that. With adults, on the other hand, its a different matter. I would tell adult students to arrive early enough to change at the school, if facilities allow for it. At most, I'd suggest they put on the bottoms at home, then put the top and belt on when they arrive at the school, to not attract too much unwanted attention to themselves.

Yes. Last summer, actually, sensei8 actually came to visit me, and he showed me some of his Shindokan, and even taught me Naifanchi kata, which I still practice. I've also trained in Combat Hapkido, Aikido, and Defensive Tactics. No. Yes. Its ok, but I prefer training indoors. No, never that hard. I've had dreams about fighting. No. No. Yes. No. Not that I can think of. Not that I can think of. Maybe at work, maybe.

Very nice little piece. Brief and to the point, hits all the important points. Thanks for pieceing this together. Very helpful.

And if that doesn't work, keep shooting, then throw your gun at it. and then scream like a little girl? No. Empty all mags, then retreat to truck to retrieve AR-15. When that is empty, retrieve shotgun. Backup should have arrived by then. However, if what Bob is describing is like an offensive onslaught of some kind, then working an angle to get an advantage, and then commencing one's own offensive onslaught would be a way to start. Easily said, though.

I think everyone is going to have a different mindset here. In the past, I was more passive when sparring. It never really served me well. So, switching and becoming more aggressive has taken me some time, but it has worked out better for me. I think each is going to be different, just depending on their personality and mind set. There is something to be said about the best defense being a good offense. Whereas Montana feels comfortable waiting for a strike, I don't feel comfortable with that at all, and would not teach others to wait for one, either. Action is faster than reaction, and I don't want to end up behind the 8-ball in an encounter.

Most Korean versions of weapons aren't going to vary much from the Japanese/Chinese counterparts; they are all pretty well linked. A standard sized bo should serve you fine.

Agreed.

I drive my improvised weapon every day.