bushido_man96

First off, welcome to KarateForums. As far as your concern goes, everyone has to start somewhere. Those brown belts walking around doing everything so easily weren't always that way. It takes time, patience, and practice. Try not to compare yourself to what they are doing, or their experiences. Your own will come in time, and you will improve over time. Some practitiones don't start until they get into their 40s or 50s. Be secure in yourself and what you are doing, and don't worry about the progress of others. Doing so will only inhibit your own progress, and take away from the enjoyment of your own experiences. Have fun and be yourself!

Chiefs win against the Bears, but can't put together two in a row, and fall badly to the Jets. No conistency at all, and the O-line is pourous.

Good luck!

I agree with Montana. You could have advised the instructor upon joining that you had prior experience. If he feels you are ready for more advanced stuff, he may move you along.

Very cool. Congrats! Great to have that confidence, too.

Let them come! Between them, and the zombies, this should be a fun frickin' fight!

I think society has placed on many of us a pressure that if there is not any kind of a degree to a person's name, then they aren't legitimate. This just isn't the case all the time. I do agree that going through the "university" learning process can be very beneficial, but, its not the end-all, be-all. If someone is a prodigy at the piano, then they are, and call them what they are, they are GOOD. Those who spend years to get degrees, only to find out they aren't as smart as they thought, or find others that are smarter in their field, but with less "schooling," should not be bitter or jealous. They should take the opportunity to learn. Just today on FB, a friend of mine was being interviewed by a parent looking for a place for their kid to train MMA (I think they were a teenager). After asking my friend if they had a college degree, and my friend saying no, the parent said they wanted their kid to learn MMA from an instructor with a university degree, and would look elsewhere. Now what kind of sense does that really make? How many MMA degrees are running around out there?

I don't fear cows. I try to eat them as much as possible! Seriously, after my work in LE, and being in county, at times, I am forced to work with cattle outside of their fences. I get mad at them, and I sometimes think about Mas Oyama....

I'd just try to get some interested people into what I have to offer, and get started. After a while, if your stuff is good, word-of-mouth will kick in, and growth will begin. Growth in the MAs is hit and miss at best, I've found. More and more, I wish I had a place paid off that I could do workouts in, and not worry about paying the bills so much as getting in good, serious students. But such is life.

I chose "other," and here is why. Every situation is different, and I would need to know the circumstances that led up to the "knockout" before passing judgement on the kid. Now, I've been bullied in the past, and I wouldn't want anyone else to go through that. I also plan to teach my children that if they have to fight, and it has to be a good reason, then they should do so, and I would take care of any reprimand from the teachers or school. No one should put with a bully. And by trying to ignore the behavior, or avoid it, then I think we end up enabling the behavior in the end. I don't condone fighting, and will tell my students, and children, such. However, there are times when it can't be avoided, and it must be dealt with. At that time, it becomes a learning experience for all involved.

Um, no, I did not. But I was jealous; that hand's form looked somewhat shaper than mine...

I have this book: http://www.amazon.com/Boxing-American-Martial-Week-Course/dp/1880336820/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323752795&sr=1-1 I enjoyed it, and thought it rather helpful.

Well done, Bob. Well deserved.

Ah, yes, he was. Great minds think alike, eh guys?

Some things to look at is seeing how the school's black belts and other high ranks perform. Does their technique look good, crisp, powerful? Also, does the school work actively on self-defense? Is the instructor a stickler for technique? Some things like that might help you along your way. Welcome to the Forums, as well.

I agree. That said, I will say this much about sitting in seiza; it sucks. I hate it. There is a picture on the website of the Aikido club I went to that shows a row of people sitting in seiza at a seminar. I'm on the far end, but I'm sitting up taller than anyone else in the picture, and I'm not a tall person. I just can't sit really low in seiza, like the others can. Nor can I set there for any extended period of time. So, if Mas Oyama, being a bigger guy, adjusted his seiza to sit more comfortably, then I can understand why. Because sitting in seiza sucks.

I agree. Do this. Learning forms in segments has always been the way I have done it, and it works better than anything, for me, anyways.

Wow! What a freak deal. I hope he recovers, and they can reconnect that somehow. I check the pic, too. I've seen some pretty nasty stuff so far just being in law enforcement. That one ranks right up there.

Taking up BJJ would not "corrupt" your TKD knowledge or skill at all. If anything, you'll begin to figure out where and how you can mingle the two together. I'm in the same boat you are, being a TKD practitioner, with no ability to fight on the ground. I've spent some time at a DT club that does considerable ground work, but not enough to get too good at anything, yet. One of the problems I have is time management, much like yourself. Work full-time (rotating shift work, no less), family/kids who do sports, etc, makes it all tough. What I would do, is by a datebook or calendar that you can carry with you for, say, two weeks. Write down everything you do in your day in the time slots appropriate in the datebook. At the end of two weeks, look at what all you do, see what you can cut out, and then see when you can work in your new BJJ time. Let us know how it all goes.

This brings up an interesting point in regards to which can you do, both being viable answers, and which should you do. Everyone is wired a bit differently, so everyone will have a different tendency. The scenario could be broken down to elaborate on each of the different options, and which is the best based on different critirea. As an instructor, I think I would definitely tell my students that the goal is to get away, not be a hero.

Here is a clip of the fight that happened at the end of the Cincinati vs. Xavier college basketball game the other night. The game was called a few seconds early due to this fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgbvdFW5qoQ&feature=related Here it is. The chaos of combat. Not romanticized in any way. Any thoughts, comments, etc. Lets open this up. For me, I can see how easy it is to get dropped to the ground. What you don't see in this clip is that the guy that fell to the floor got kicked in the head while he was down there, too. Bad stuff all around. The post game interviews were somewhat enlightening, as well. I don't necessarily condone what the players said, but it gives an idea of how a person's background effects the way they view violence.

I agree with you Groinstrike, about the side kicks. Lining up a target in front of you for a side kick can be quite the trick; the kick takes a lot of body movement to set up. But kicking someone to the side or behind you, doesn't require as much shifting. I also agree that The Pricess Bride is a great movie!

One thing the ATA has become good at over the years is marketing their product. Watch out for this. The ATA does some good things, but I think often times the instructors get caught up in "the ATA way" and don't branch from it. The Tiny Tigers program, if the instructor is good at having the kid's attention, can be a great program. As mentioned before, building discipline, character, etc should be the fore of the program, and the techniques aren't always going to be sharp coming from kids this young. In time, they should develop, and you should see improvement. The "Karate For Kids" program should focus more on kids age 7-13, I believe. However, things have changed a lot since I was in the ATA, and I'm not sure I'd go back to it. The ATA does run on two month testing cycles, and it is only a 9 belt system. However, I'm not sure if the Tigers do a different system then the regular belts, or not. With all that said, don't be surprised to see young kids walking around in an ATA school with a black belt on. It happens a lot there. If this gives you a wierd feeling, then you may want to find a different school later on for your child.

Thanks, tallgeese. Of all the lifts so far, that one has come the farthest, and has been the most fun. 12/9/2011 Deffley C Squat: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 225x3, 245x2; work: 295x3x5 Overhead press: warmup: 45x5, 75x5, 95x3, 115x2; work: 140x5x5 Seated good mornings: 110x3x12 Hip thrusts: 3x8 Glute-ham raises: 5x3 (OUCH!) Stretch: standing quads, front/twist/side kick bar stretches, toe touches, chest/tris/bis. 12/12/2011 Deffley 3x5A Squat: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 225x3, 245x2; work: 300x3x5 Bench press: warmup: 45x5, 135x5, 155x3, 185x2; work: 220x3x5 Barbell rows: warmup: 75x5, 95x5, 115x3, 135x2; work: 155x3x5

Good job to everyone! Well done!