bushido_man96

Welcome, Paul!

Welcome aboard!

I don't think they should have to teach. I do think its a valuable learning process that senior students should experience, though. If anything, it will make them appreciate the teachers more.

I can't really think of any one moment that stands out over all the others. I've had many small moments that have made all the time spent teaching worth every moment of it. These are the small rewards I keep looking forward to as I keep moving forward.

I haven't seen any of the training apps out there. I may have to do some checking around and see what's there.

I would be less concerned about your take on the language and culture of the styles you observe and more concerned with 1) what you will be learning as far as self-defense goes and 2) whether or not you are going to actually enjoy your time in it. The language and all that will come over time as you get more familiar with things. Its good that you've got some goals in mind, too. That will help you to focus on what you want out of a school. Now, make sure you go check out the schools in your area to see which fit your wants and needs. I say this because you may have some preconceived notions about what an Aikido school or a Kung Fu school will be like, but every instructor is different, and you might be surprised by what you see (pleasantly or otherwise). So that's my advise to you; go check them all out, and then make your decision. Good luck to you!

Yeah, I'm under ATA with Master Lee. I also do Wushu though. And Sorry about not putting up the video, I'm such a slacker like that. I'll try and get one up soon. Ok, which Lee? There are a few around the ATA, hehe. Soon Ho should be in Little Rock, and I'm not sure who would be out of Arizona.Master Thor used to be out of New Mexico, I think. Is he still around? He was a guest judge for our school once, and I had worked with him in a few seminars. Fun guy, and I could relate, being short like him.

Let us know what its like. I have not heard of it before, either, so I will be interested in hearing your observations.

I don't like the idea of kicking with my toes, but I have broken boards from time to time with the instep, just for fun. The most I've been able to do with the instep is two. I tried three once, and my foot just bounced off...and then hurt for a while...

Bingo! Also, how many of these masters followed the "go train then drink sake all night" vs the "keep the body a temple" philosophy? Putting up an average age does not mean there is any correlation. I agree as well. I don't think there is enough data here to make draw that kind of a conclusion. There are just too many other variables that aren't taken into account to determine whether one activity caused them to live longer or not.

I agree. Contracts aren't necessarily a bad thing, and just because you hear the word "contract" doesn't mean you should not consider the school. When I was at my first TKD school, my instructr did contracts mainly because he didn't want to be a bill collector. And that doesn't bother me as a student, either. I have an ongoing contract at my current TKD school. I know I'm not going to quit anytime soon, and I'd rather not have to worry about getting a check in on time every month. The amount is withdrawn automatically every month, and I don't worry about it. Its a good tool if used correctly.

I do agree there is a systematic difference. I wouldn't necessarily say that Kung Fu styles "flow better," but instead tend to flow differently, and an observation I would make is that they appear to have more continuity between techniques than do some other styles.

I would just check with the instructor of the school I would be attending. Take both, and if you don't get to talk to them prior about it, just don't put a belt on until you talk to them about it.

I've never put a form together for that kind of purpose before. To be honest, I don't think I could put a form together like that. My mind just doesn't really think that way, I guess. I'd just rather have a partner to work on the stuff with than make a form to practice on my own. There are plenty of other forms already out there, and I really think there are better ways of transmitting that kind of information now than there were available at the time when forms transmission began. Not a bad topic, though. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has tried it, and how they decided to put it all together.

I'm confused as well. I'm not sure where you will be able to find a bunch of like minded individuals who like to beat the crap out of each other with no rules involved. As mentioned, there will be some level of rules around for sparring purposes. You could look into a Boxing gym or an MMA gym. Perhaps Muay Thai? Those might be up your alley. However, they do have rules to their sparring, as well.

Hehe, I guess in Tae Kwon Do, at least you get what the name implies; way of the hand and foot. Nice summary, MasterPain. I'll ditto your shenannigans.

The problem is figuring out where the information is actually coming from, and who or what claim those putting it out there have to do so. I could start a blog or something like that, but it wouldn't likely have as much clout as one like Iain Abernethy's or some other published guy or gal. It would also be the difference between just a guy blathering about his classes and a guy who has done some research and experimented with different training ideas. In the end, what makes for "good" Martial Media (nice term, but the way) is going to depend on what the extent of you knowledge is, your style, and whether you want to learn or be entertained. In my mind, I'd prefer to be gaining some knowledge on whatever subject matter I'm looking for at that time. Also to consider is the quality of the production itself. It has to be well put together as well as informative.

Thanks for the link, ps1. Good read, indeed. Lots of good information in there. I like the idea behind the Gracie combatives, and it sounds great for those who aren't really looking to get into any kind of competition. The explanation of Helio's philosophy is helpful in there, and relating how he used it to beat "giants," the sparring scenario with the blue belt lady, and how he talks about the scenario of fighting someone like Lesnar. Very good stuff. Thanks.

Have you got that video up and going yet? Also, are you currently under the ATA, or in a different school? If ATA, who is your instructor?

Well, its that time again. The BoSox got off to a bad start, but have since put things together. The Indians are surprising, as have been the Royals. Maybe the AL Central will be up in the air this year. How is your team doing?

Bruce Campbell rocks. Hail to the king, baby! Shop smart, shop S-Mart! I really am looking forward to seeing this movie. A bit different from all the other alien movies, I hope.

I'm not sure we can help you, Bob. Just kidding. Now, what you need to do is just get yourself to a NASCAR race and get all desensitized.

I watched Hellbound a while back on Netflix, one Chuck Norris's straight to video deals. I had seen it before, but wanted my family to experience it, too.

In our school, the senior students, usually those who have just attained black belt rank, usually teach the orientations for new students. At times, they'll be asked to cover a class if need be.

5/11/2011 SL 5x5B Squats: 150x5x5 Overhead press: 50x5x5 Dead lift: 100x5x1 No day of rest in between, but I wasn't going to get 3 days in this week otherwise. We'll see how the legs feel tomorrow. I'm really liking this Stronglifts setup.