bushido_man96

10/28/2025 Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. I taught this class tonight. Basics took a while, and we ended up cramming forms in. Having the other black belts there to help with that was a bonus. The lower ranks got their one-steps in. I really wish we had the full hour for the class. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. White belts did combinations, colored belts sparred. After some rounds I had them do some upper quadrant blocking drills for controlled blocks and keeping hands up "in the window." Finished with a mirror the instructor footwork drill.

10/24/2025 Personal Defense Seminar: 8:30 - 11:30 am. A friend of mine that I've been working with for years and who I came to know through several avenues (he set up the Defensive Tactics Club at our local college and he brought me in there, and he eventually promoted me to a black belt and teaching certification in the system he put together; he also had his kids in TKD for quite a while) invited me to assist him with this seminar at one of our local high schools for their senior class. Also assisting was another deputy from our department and a state trooper and his wife. The trooper worked for us before going to the highway patrol and he was also a collegiate wrestler here. I've had the opportunity to help with these in the past and they are always productive. He started off by talking about basic self-awareness and having a willingness to fight in case of an attack. I stretched the students out a little bit while he continued to talk, and then we went over standing up in base. The rule is from now in throughout the session, if someone doesn't stand up in base, then everyone does push-ups. We did a few sets of push-ups. After standing up in base, he covered the "three zones." Zone one is the "red" zone, which is basically standing in front of each other, squared up like a fight or a spar. This is not where we want to be, especially for women defending themselves against men. Both parties have all their tools ready to bring to bear, and this is what we would call a "fair fight." We don't want to fight fair. Zone two is at the sides, which is a better place to be; he calls this the "yellow zone." This is a much more advantageous position to counterattack from, and the attacker can be overwhelmed. Zone three is behind the attacker, and he calls this the "green zone," because "green means go." It's easy to disengage from here, and it's easy to put a hurting on the attacker from here if need be. After this, we get into some partner drills. Wrist grab abduction: attacker grabs the wrist with a thumb-up grip to drag someone somewhere. Defender drops into base (knee/hips/shoulders line up, looks like a back stance) to stop the dragging, then simply circle the elbow to their elbow, drawing a "smiley face" to break the grip on the thumb. For a two-hand grab, its pretty much the same, but they grab their own hand, bring elbow to elbow and walk toward them. When walking toward them, its important to step behind their feet, so as to be more to zone two, and can then push off and disengage. Yelling at the attacker is important in order to draw attention to what's happening and to try to get them to change their mind about the attack. For a thumb-down grip, the defender "hitchhikes" out, extending the thumb and rotating to break the weak link. Choke defenses: from front, side, and behind, all very much like our Krav defenses. Then we covered a rear-naked choke defense, bringing the chin into the V of the elbow, getting the hooks in to create space to breath, pick your feet up to drop your weight, step outside a foot, walk the other foot to put yourself at 90 degrees with hips in front of their hips to create a block, and then bend forward to throw them down. Bully choke: (on the ground) frame their head away with both hands, and try to throw a leg around the head to scissor them away. If the attacker starts to punch, hook the inside of their arm at the elbow, or hook around the outside of it if need be, hip out twice so more like 90 degrees with attacker, release the hand stopping the punch and windmill it around to frame on their face and and roll over until on all fours, arms securing the head in what a wrestler would see as a front headlock position, then deliver knee strikes straight into the top of the head. This pretty much covers it. At various points we work in getting into a decent fighting stance with a good base and hands up (fence position would be good, too), and also practiced elbow strikes on pads. It was a good session, and I'm going to be putting together my outline for teaching one of these, as the DT instructor is going to be moving and he's willing to hand things off to me. Perhaps I can get something going with some seminars here and there. Strength Training Leg Press: 245x10, 245x10, 245x10. Hammer Iso Bench (seated): 55x5, 55x5, 55x5. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10.

10/23/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Loosening, then panda rolls backward and forward. They are starting to make more sense now. Katatetori ikkyo/sankyo, ura and omote, with standing and kneeling pins. Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. I taught this class. I worked a lot with the white belts throughout the class, mostly on coordination. I did get some concentration kicking in before class started. BJJ: 6:45 - 7:45 pm. Three warm-up rounds. I think I worked through some things pretty well during these rounds. I tried to keep better pressure. After warming up we drilled guard from the seated position, starting with just keeping heels connected to hips, moving around, following the top player and reconnecting. We progressed to getting hooks in when the opportunity presented itself, then progressed to top player trying to pass (but not mount) and bottom player trying to destabilize. We finished working hooks with the top player kneeling, bottom getting connected to the body and pulling them over onto the hooks or use the hooks to push their hips away, then worked to destablize.

It seems like the bad news has just been rolling in this past week. Condolences to the Tagliabues and the Kneelands.

10/22/2025 Aikido: 6:15 - 7:45 pm. Loosening, aikitaisos, and some rolling. I tried to panda roll, but I still don't get how to do it on front rolls. Black belt demos were done today, and I was uke a few times. The rolling started to get to me after a while.

I would contend that it isn't always the way to do it. There are benefits to doing forms practice at all kinds of different intensity levels, depending on what you want or need to focus on. The best thing about it is that you can vary the speed and dynamism of the techniques from a Tai Chi style approach all the way up to full blast.

10/21/2025 Range: 8:00 am - 12:30 pm. Pistol, back-up, rifle, shotgun, bean bag qualifications. Didn't go as well as I'd like, but I'll keep working on it. Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. Basics were labored; short of breath and out of shape. Still some pain in the left knee. I did have a good stretch after basics. I didn't do my form today; we had a big group with lots of white belts in class. Did white belt and high green belt one-steps. 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Sparring. Several rounds of combinations with some first time white belts. Three other rounds with kids. I'm moving more, trying to stay on my toes more. One of the gym owners (the 3rd dan) and I spoke with a couple of college kids that stopped in after class. They pay the drop in fee so they can get some mat time grappling. They are brothers, and both wrestled and have some BJJ background. They play football at the college here and are from Oklahoma originally. They were nice kids, and said they be open to sharing some mat time. I also spoke with them about the BJJ school, and they may look into that.

Thanks for understanding guys!

Crazy that someone would train that hard to throw a fight.

10/17/2025 Strength Training Hammer Iso Incline (seated): 45x5, 45x5, 45x5. Hammer Iso Bench (seated): 25x10, 35x10, 45x8, 45x8, 45x8. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10.

10/16/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Abbreviated aikitaisos, focusing on rooting. Katatetori sankyo omote, then learned ura. Lots more footwork in ura. After the cut down, continue to apply sankyo downwards, then step behind/tenkan to takedown and pin. Katatetori kaitennage, done with same footwork as above, starts with a tenkan. Worked on panda rolls, which help me not get as dizzy.

Great conversation. In my typical experience with it in TKD, it was strictly structural and for "power development," because "every action has an equal/opposite reaction," which I've come to see that is basically a bunch of malarky. However, the current TKD organization I'm in has an example for its use in a one-step, where the hand secures the wrist of the partner and pulls back as we execute a knife hand strike with the other hand. This is the only application of such that actually shows up anywhere in our TKD curriculum, sadly. That said, from doing my own studies and research, I've come to see it as a pulling mechanism for technique applications, and I train it as such and explain it as such to our students when I'm teaching. If we get the chance to applications work, I make sure to show the application. I am seeing a lot of applications of the pulling hand in my Aikido techniques.

For right now, I plan to just continue to monitor and adjust, and keep a steady influx of ibuprofen going. I think the issue comes from constantly getting in and out of the patrol car at work, planting the left foot after opening the door and standing up on that left knee while twisting on the way. Repetition issue. Combine that with being a heavier guy already and adding the approximate 30 lbs of gear for the day, and the problem compounds. 10/15/2025 Aikido: 6:15 - 7:45 pm. Loosening, aikitaisos, internals, basic strikes and front kicks, followed by some forward and backward rolls and forward breakfalls. Lots of randori today, starting simple and getting more complex and dynamic with the drills.

10/14/2025 Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. Left knee wasn't as sore tonight, so I could give a little more in basics. Good stretch after. Forms were taking a while longer than expected so I got everyone lined up for one-steps while a brown belt was working through her form. Did white and green belt one-steps. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Kept focusing on the footwork. Sparred well against the 2nd dan, and he did tag me a good one. I doubled up quite a few kicks. Finished with a 2-on-1 match against an orange and green belt. I think I sparred 5 rounds total.

PNF is tricky if you don't have a partner, but not impossible. If you have or can set up a pulley system, you can make it work with just yourself. If you can wedge yourself split towards a wall you can push against the wall for that resistance. Just some thoughts. Also, as a variation to the concentration kicks, you can do what I used to call "doggy kicks," by kneeling on all fours and doing the kicks. The side kick and hook kick you can do straight out behind you, and round kicks you can do to the side. Build the strength and not have to worry about the balance so much. Floor kicks are also good, laying on your side, propped up on an elbow, and do the kicks of your choice at the speed of your choice.

10/12/2025 Martial Arts Cross-Training Seminar Day 2: 2:30 - 4:30 pm. BJJ. We worked from standing/bottom seated guard. Bottom player tried to get hooks and destabilize, top trying to keep a foot inside their legs; if bottom player destabilized the top player, switch roles. We then moved to working an outside oshi to destabilize from the same position; then we moved to an X-guard. After those rounds, we advanced to both players seated, one in the outside oshi and controlling the leg for a heel hook/knee lock, the other trying to escape (smash pass, etc). We eventually progressed the drill to trying to get a submission. For free rolling, I made the conscious decision to start in that seated position for two rounds. I did 2, 2 minute rounds this way, and ended up spending 4 minutes on my back getting smashed, hating life and BJJ. I had felt pretty good about the drilling sessions, too. Bottom side control is my jam. 5:00 - 6:15 pm. Round table. We sat around and just kind of nerded out on Martial Arts and talked shop. Myself, our CI, and the Aikido sensei talked some about Bruce Lee's "punch is just a punch, kick is just a kick" quote in regards to different things, and how the fundamentals make that happen. Mainly, how it's important to learn to work within a structure/framework so that eventually you can learn to work outside of the structure/framework. It kind of came up in referencing the front kick Steven Seagal taught Anderson Silva. I also talked about some of my DT approaches and worked we did partner work on some of the concepts involving utilizing the startle-flinch response. The Shuri-Te stylists taught us Kihon Ippon and the first part of Naihanchi shodan and we worked some bunkai with each. This is really a great group we work with, and these sessions are a highlight of my training year.

That's good advice @DarthPenguin. I'll keep those in mind moving forward. Some lifting days I missed posting earlier: 9/26/2025 Squat: 45x5, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 185x3 (felt some knee slide on rep 1). Bench Press: 45x5x2, 95x5. Got very light-headed and had to stop. 10/10/2025 Dumbbell Incline Press: 20x10, 25x10. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10.

Strength is an important aspect that often gets overlooked. Most people think flexibility is the problem, when the actuality is the leg isn't strong enough to take advantage of the flexibility that is there. It looks like you're covering a little bit of that with the weighted exercises you describe. Good old barbell squats and deadlifts are important, too. One thing I would consider working on is what I call "concentration kicks." You could do them a few times a week to start out, and lots of variations on them. Basically, you use a wall or chair or whatever for balance, and work the four parts of the basic kicks: chamber, execute, rechamber, and return. Then fun part is that you can leave the return out of it more as you progress to get more intense work done. Here's an easy way to start, using side kicks: 1. Chamber, and do some of them slowly from the ground. 2. Execute the side kick, slowly, over the course of about 5 seconds to full extension. 3. Hold the kick for about 5 seconds. 4. Rechamber the kick over the course of about 5 seconds. 5. Return the kick to the floor, shake the leg out a little. You can either switch legs back and forth, or you can do one leg for all reps in a row. Start with 5 reps on each leg and see who it feels. You can do round kicks and front kicks as well. Now, the fun part is when you start repeating kicks instead of putting your foot down. So one rep could be 2 slow side kicks, out and back, before setting down. Then you can add to it by "pulsing" the extended kick, by making slight up and down movements with your leg to raise and lower your foot about 6 inches either way. Then you can make little circles with your extended foot. There are really lots of options. A big key for the side and round kicks is body alignment; make sure that upon extension of the kick that the heel, knee, hip, and shoulder all line up. Another exercise to add, if you can get a partner, is some PNF stretching. You can use the wall and get into the side kick position, and your partner holds your leg and stretches you up as high as you go. Hold the stretch for a while, maybe 20 or 30 seconds, then have your partner resist while you then try to pull the side kick down into him. Do that for 10 to 20 seconds or so, and then relax just a little, just a few inches. Then, take a deep breath, push it out slow, and have your partner shove the leg up just a little higher than it was for the initial stretch. Then, you can finish by having your partner walk out from under you and you try to hold the leg up as high as you can for a few seconds before putting it down. Or you can skip that last part to start. Again, body alignment is important. Hope these help out some.

Maybe this will start off the Universal Monsterverse?

No matter how bad one of the other is, the Chiefs/Raiders game always seems to be a tough one. Hopefully KC does the job this week and puts them away, but it could be a close one.

This doesn't make sense to me. There's supposed to be a cap on what rookies make based on where they're drafted. Unless they extended him already?

Martial Arts Cross-Training Seminar Day 1: 9:00 - 11:30 am. Taekwondo. The school owner did started this segment off doing some of our basics but in different stances with the goal of working on power generation from these stances. For the second half of the time I taught my Choong Moo flying side kick class. It went over pretty well I thought: 1:00 - 3:30 pm. Aikido. Did lots of connection exercises, one person leading and the other following/reacting, then smoothly working techniques in. Started by strong two-handed grab, and using movements like squatting to get body position and circle to weak points. This led to the connection/leading drill, to blending more. After a break sense discussed the "do" aspect of harmonizing with others and our religious outlooks with that. We finished with transitioning from armbar to nikkyo to sankyo. 3:30 - 6:00 pm. Shorin-Ryu. We did kihon the way they would approach them in their classes. They had some nuances that I liked. We did blocking drills with partners. Then we learned the first part of Pinan Shodan and experimented with different bunkai. We finished with kaki drills, I which I had recalled doing with @sensei8 years ago. It was a great first day!

The association covers schools in multiple states. There are no regional HQs.

Ok, got to make a correction here. I'm 6th kyu, not 5th. I'm working material for the 5th kyu testing, and that confused me on the numbers. I'm actually 6th kyu, working 5th kyu material.

10/9/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Loosening movements and aikitaisos, along with front kicks and their basic strikes. My balance was off while kicking. Katatetori sankyo omote: 5th kyu technique, same side wrist grab. Taisabaki just like ikkyo, and we actually get to ikkyo to start the technique, then transition. It felt really smooth; cleaned up transition on footwork, and taking slack out of the sankyo lock. To do this, I need to start the lock low, then manipulate through the elbow. We added the cut down, to the takedown, to the pin. We finished with 5 minutes of seated breathing working on posture. Sat on some pillows to help get the proper pelvic tilt. Taekwondo: 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Traditional Class. Left knee was bothering me again. During basics, while doing the punch/side kick/spin side kick combination I had to really deliberately turn, pause, then execute the spin side kick due to head swishy-ness. I had a good stretch after basics. I didn't do my form due to other students learning their new material. Did white belt one-steps, then three-steps 1-6. Sparring: 6:30 - 7:00 pm. Working with the white belt former karateka, I focused on my footwork and distance. Sparred the 2nd dan and did ok. I kept my distance better, and set up a side kick with some feinting punches. Someone had left their chest protector earlier in the week, and the CI talked about "buying it back;" the student who forgot it would have to do 10 pushups. Turns out it was mine. So I took my medicine, did my pushups and hopefully set an example to the kids. BJJ: 7:00 - 8:15 pm. Class start time has actually been moved up to 6:45, but I hadn't realized that, so I was a little late. Working from guard now. From inside guard, worked on posturing up, securing a wrist, and stepping up on that side. While inside guard, I tried to work on "crawling up." Top player was trying to escaped, and the bottom player was trying to sweep. When trying to escape, I could easily see the transition to the camping position. I did roll a few rounds, and did ok. It seemed like I was doing better, but I think the instructor was just letting me work. With the other instructor, I almost had an armbar, but I rushed it too much and lost it. There was also a guy there from New York who is there at the college for a class. He was really good and worked me over in drills.