bushido_man96

There is no harm in learning and trying. And yes, there is a difference between "learning" and "mastery," but one can never master if one never learns.

I have this book, and am in the process of reading it now (although my diligence in reading through it has faltered a bit as of late). Its a great historical reference, and from what I can tell so far, that is all it is; a history book as opposed to a training manual. The book is LOADED with information on different Karate masters that contributed to Karate in different ways, but Shotokan is the main focus. Although pricey, I am so far pleased with the product.

I think those are more along the lines of the typical throws they learn in Muay Thai, as opposed to being "Judo" throws.

I liked the way the throws were set up. Getting to practice something like that would be a lot of fun. On another note, I wasn't impressed by his celebratory actions after scoring a point. How is that different than from what many run down MMAers for doing? Anyways, back to the topic at hand.

I used to just got to the local lumber yard and get some #1 white pine, have them cut them into 12"x12", and go smash some wood.

I do think that most of the grappling that comes out of Karate is stand-up, like sensei8 mentioned. Finding extensive grappling systems seperate of Karate would be better if you want to learn grappling, I think.

Be that as it may, it still does not change the truth, that most modern Korean MAs came out of Japanese styles.

We do jo and bokken.

I think all the points that have been made are good ones. The sparring ideas are right on. Those should help you in figuring out where you are.

I wouldn't say that kata has no benefits. I've written an article on the benefits of forms training. What I would question is the relevance of forms training to self-defense training, and whether or not there is a better way than forms training to train in self-defense.

One for each event...smart-alec comment, I know, but I don't do math. I'm not in the mathematically elite 3%, thats for sure. As for the OP, I'd say 3% is probably right. Its that way in all things, from kids playing sports up through high school and college, businessmen that you mention, teachers that become great teachers, and on and on. I also think you nailed it with the thougths people have of missing out on certain things. Teenagers, I think, are especially subject to this, and I think most of it comes from peer pressure and the want/need to be accepted by their friends. Great thread, with lots of good things to think about.

The best way to prep for it is to get to the mountains two weeks early and start acclimating yourself to the thinner air. Other than that, perhaps up your cardio and intensity, because that altitude can drain you fast. Good luck on your test!

Whew. Good thing I'll be sleeping then! j/k.

That's a good point, Bob.

I think that if you have some distance, bouncing is good to help get you moved into position. Once you get inside, the bouncing has to stop or lighten up a lot, or you end up off balanced and swept.

Oh, nothing that complex. More of the sweeping motions, and things done in the clinch, more up high.

Any time you can overwhelm an opponent with a barrage of techniques, you give yourself the upper hand. Sounds like a good plan to me.

8-23-10 Weights: push day: bench and incline, got some jump-rope in, 4 sets of 50 jumps each, and did some leg press.

Hey now! This is not a baseball thread!!!

I've played a Japenese version of Super Mario Bros. 2, called The Lost Levels, which is set up like Super Mario Bros, but Luigi jumps higher and takes longer to slow down, and Mario is about the same. The levels are different, and you can warp forwards or backwards, depending on where you end up, and the stages are different. Also, in spots, Luigi can jump the pole, and get to a warp zone and such. Pretty cool.

I know that when I started, I wanted to advance as fast as I could, because I was excited about training, and wanted to learn more and more. I think that is part of it. Its like a kid trying to be patient for Christmas...its just hard to do! Parents, maybe, but I don't know how much more so than the kids themselves.

Muay Thai does have some takedowns and throws, but I don't think they happen too often in matches. I could be wrong, though.

Thanks Brian. How different is yours from ours? Thanks in advance! The blocking hand starts up by the ear, palm towards the ear, and the reactionary hand is up high as well, crossed on the outside of the blocking hand. This is basically a protection for the head...the outside hand stops the movement, the inside arm reinforces this, and then the inside arm can move down to strike, intercept, or whatever.

Bouncing is not bad, but it needs to be controlled. It helps with initiating movements, and "keeps you on your toes" so to speak. Some people bounce too high, and it can be a problem.

In the end, what seperates Boxing, Wrestling, and Pankration, is a rule set more than anything else. Basically, that is what ends up seperating all Martial Arts...its the rule sets they abide by. Because everyone is different. If I never throw a high kick, does that mean I am not TKD? If I choose not to practice forms anymore, but still train on my own what I have learned from TKD, aside from the forms, am I no longer TKD? I don't think so. Its just that I have found a way to do my TKD training without the forms. Take, for example, what Iain Abernethy does with his training. Whether you like what he does or not, would you say he is not doing Karate? I'd say he still is. He just does it differently. Granted, kata is a BIG part of what he does, but it is the opposite of what I am getting at. He adds a lot more to kata training than what most schools would do as far as applications go, but I think I make my point here. One could take away the kata/forms training, do only the applications, and still accomplish the same goals of the style.