bushido_man96

I'd take out one day of bench, and add overhead presses or push presses, to round out the shoulder muscles a bit more. OHP is a great exercise. I've recommended this eslewhere, but you might consider looking into Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program. I understand it is a great program for those active in other sports, and he has setups for 3 or 4 days a week training. Here's some info on it: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength

I'm coming in a little late here, but I agree with Master Pain here. The human body is really quite resiliant. As far as being jumped by a gang goes, you could probably articulate fear for you life pretty well, and thus justify deadly use of force. Self-defense rarely happens as it does in the movies, either. Its cool to watch guys like Van Damme kick guys off motorcycles, the hoods of cars, and other cool things like that, and make it look easy, but self-defense rarely is (I know I made an extreme case there, but I wanted a chance to reference my favorite Van Damme movie ). The final thing to think about is when it comes to using deadly force, it isn't something that most of us can just decide to do. Think to yourself right now, "Am I willing to kill someone if I have to?" If you answer yes, then you have to take it a step further, and think about what that is going to be like. Can you force yourself to visualize what its like to snap a neck? To squeeze a throat until someone stops gagging? Can you hear that gagging in your mind? Can you visualize yourself twisting a knife into someone? I think many people easily resolve themselves to the fact that they would defend their life by taking another if they had to. But I don't think many think about what will actually take place there. It is very much a mindset thing, and just saying it to yourself doesn't really make it so. Then, there's the aftermath to deal with once the deed has been done. That's a whole other discussion there.

Yeah, I've seen that as well. Trying to stack up the bad guys is the way I try to go in class. The problem I have is that since the contact is very severe, no one is afraid of trying to run through and around your techniques, making it all fall apart.

I've always wondered about how useful any type of "conditioning" on the part of any one who trains using the tap out might work in self-defense. If someone slapped a choke hold on me some night while I am working, and am caught in a bad way, I may try to tap out, just to see if they will release. Who knows? It might work.

All schools will teach differently. If your instructor seems to be a kata only guy, then you may want to find a different school. If he is doing new things, see if he sticks with them, and then make your choice. As for "secrets in katas..." I don't buy into that. The only reason there are "secrets" there is because he either doesn't realize the applications, or just doesn't teach them. And its fine if he doesn't know them. Not all styles or instructors have that knowledge. In the end, where you train and how you train is entirely up to you. If you are enjoying the training you are getting now, then why not stick with it? If your sole reason to train is to be an effective fighter, and you are not gaining the necessary skill set in training, then search out a different school. Either way, it is your choice.

I think that using full range of motion weight training and things like plyometrics will benefit a lot more than isometrics. I think isometrics might be more helpful in spot training incidents where you are looking at trying to improve strength through a sticking point or something like that. But, to each his own.

I agree. There is nothing wrong with having some reference books lying around. I've got books on styles I've never even studied, and reference them for ideas from time to time. The two you mention sound like they might have some promise. You may have to bite the bullet and purchase one of them, and see how you like it. What one lacks, the other might contain.

Welcome to KF!

I was just getting ready to ask what kind of proof there was out there to susbstantiate that the vertical fist was faster than the horizontal fist punch. I'm not sure how the speed is affected by altering the angle of the fist.

Check with your instructor about it. I've done TKD my entire Martial Arts career, so I never knew about bunkai until I found this forum. I'm not sure at what rank it is typical to incorporate bunkai into the classes, and I'm sure every teacher has a different approach.

Sounds cool. Stomp kicks sound nasty. I do have an FB account; maybe it was because I wasn't logged in to see them.

3/15/2012 Held pads for the kids to do some kicking. My 6 year old did some inside crescent kicks pretty well. I just have to get him to quit flapping his arms around when he kicks. My 2 year old did some front kicks, and had a good ole time. I got some side kicks and round kicks in while outside, across the yard. Testing: 6:30 - 7:45. For the first time at this school, I got to be on the judging panel for testing. It was a pretty good testing overall, and we have a few getting ready to test for their 1st degrees. Stretch: straddle and butterfly. 3/16/2012 Deffley C Squats: warmup: 135x5, 155x5; work: 235x5,5, 275x5,5 Overhead press: warmup: 45x5, 95x5, 115x3, 120x2; work: 126.2x3x3 Push press: 166.2x3x5 Hang clean: 126.2x1,1,1, 166.2x1,1,1 Front squats: 160x3x5 Weighted crunches: 32.4x3x12 Seated good-mornings: 145x3x12 Assisted pullups: 3x10 Back hyperextensions: 35x3x10 3/19/2012 Deffley A Squats: warmup: 135x5, 205x3, 225x3; work: 245x3x5 Bench press: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x2; work: 250x3x3 Incline bench press: 160x3x5 Barbell rows: warmup: 135x5, 155x3, 175x2; work: 192.4x3x5 Weighted crunches: 33.6x3x12 Back hyperextensions: 35x3x10 Assisted chinups: 3x10

Couldn't view the photos. But its sounds like it was a very productive session overall (minus the jaw dislocation). I think these are great ideas for coming together and learning from different people with different approaches. Kudos for putting this together and pulling it off. What kind of stuff did you take away from the other stylists showing up?

Maybe its just more like "replay" than flashback. Perhaps it replays because something about the whole thing nags at you, like the way you mentioned how it started. Just use that as a tool, evaluate it, and then work on fixing it. Let it be that gentle reminder.

I agree with Zaine. Something like that, you want to have more accurately measured at a sports science lab of some kind, where they can measure PSI of a strike, or something like that. On a funny dad with a daughter side note, our cinema had an arcade thing like that, and my daughter was there with her "boyfriend" at the time, and they were running and taking wild swings at it, getting scores of not quite 1000. I put in a quarter, took my stance, did a simple right cross, and ratcheted it up to over 1000 pretty easily. "Boyfriends" eyes got nice and big and round. Accurate? No. Fun to intimidate? Abs-frickin-lutely.

Its a demonstration of the ability to perform a technique with power. You have to have good technique, set up things properly, and execute with good focus. No, you will likely never get the chance to set up the perfect technique in defense like a board break. But that doesn't mean its useless. Material breaking can kind of fall into the same arguement you get with whether or not forms are beneficial for training. To some it is, and to others, its not.

Weight training is very beneficial. Power lifting is great, and you won't "bulk up" unless you try to intentionally increase your caloric intake, i.e., gain weight on purpose. I've read that Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program is a great power program for those involved in other sport activities regularly. I think he has set up programs for 3 days a week or 4, depending on the time you have to give to it. Check it out and see what you think.

I'm not sure when it clicked for me. I think it may have been rather gradual, and now, its just part of what I am, the way I think, and what I do.

Well done!

3/12/2012 Deffley A Squats: warmup: 135x2x5; work: 230x3x5, 245x2x5 Bench press: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x2; work: 255x3x3 Barbell rows: warmup: 135x5, 155x3, 175x2; work: 191.2x3x5 Inlcine bench press: 155x3x5 Weighted crunches: 30x3x12 Back hyperextensions: 35x3x10 Assisted chinups: 3x10 3/13/2012 Aikido 8:05 - 9:05 - Weapons class. Did pair work, doing some rollouts from takeaways, and some paired counters with the bokken and jo. 3/14/2012 Deffley B Dead lift: warmup: 135x5, 225x5, 315x3; work: 365x5x3 Romanian dead lifts: 195x5x5 Weighted crunches: 31.2x3x12

The thing is, once you start fighting, unless you have a spear or a gun or something, you are in close-quarters. Why deny that? I tell that to my students when doing Combat Hapkido. If you're already close, why try to run? Use the closeness and bring the pain. Finish, then back away, when its safe.

I agree about the cultural aspect of katas, xo-karate. You don't see it in the sport-oriented styles that came out of the west, such as Boxing, Wrestling, etc.

I agree with tallgeese. How many incidents have you "heard" of where someone fell and died hitting a curb? A handful, maybe, in how many years? And how many confirm that as the cause of death? And the fall is from how high up, and with the weight of the persons body dragging them down. A downward elbow strike is going to be different. I've punched my brother in the back of the head, right about that base of the skull/neck area, and I hit him really hard. He was down on all fours, as well. Didn't kill him. He got up and laughed at me.

I think only if you are not used to using your hip all the time. We hold our hands higher, to our ribs, instead of on the hip, but we still use good hip movement to engage power.

:lol: