bushido_man96

I would have to agree with tallgeese on this one. MMA fighters are sharp, and fast. They also wear gloves that are a touch thicker, so they won't do quite as much damage as the cloth pads that the Shotokai competitors were wearing. I practice what I consider to be a hard style, and we do all the hard blocks in every class. But when we spar, opportunities to use those blocks aren't that frequent. They work well against circular kicks and hook punches, but otherwise the zoned blocking that redirects more than damages gets used more. You could view video clips of the Olympic TKDers and their kicks, and think that they could dominate in MMA as well, but it just doesn't directly translate. Those guys, and those in the video above, might win some matches, but without the specialized training regimine that serious MMAers go through, they wouldn't get to a very high level of competition. Take Lyota Machida, for example. He has done a great job of taking Shotokan into the MMA ring, but do you think that he appears to fight like those of the video clip, as far as the speed and quick tagging goes? He has some similarities, for sure, but he has modified his training to fit the MMA mold, and has also supplemented groundfighting to boot. But, if he got into the Shotokai ring that those in the video were fighing in, he might not do as well as them in that venue, because he hasn't focused his training to it. I think that what your focus is will have a big impact on your sparring.

Must mastery=perfection? I don't think so. I think that it requires a high level of skill and experience, but I don't think that "perfection" has to enter into the equation.

I think that making the distinction between styles of Martial Arts is important, but it is moreso to those of us who have put a lot more time and energy into it than those who have not. So naturally, this kind of generalizing will strike a cord with us. I would think that by now, with the kind of exposure that the Martial Arts gets as a whole, that we would be far beyond this kind of classifiaction. There was a time when much of what came out of Korea was called Korean Karate, but as you said, much has changed since then, and even if TKD and TSD do carry Karate heritage, these styles have differentiated themselves from that. When discussing the semantics of Martial Arts, I don't take offense when someone refers to what I do as something that it is not because of some superiority complex. If someone mistakes what I do as Karate, I would not be upset because they called it Karate. I would just politely inform them what it is that I do, and perhaps what it does entail, should they inquire further. To be called Karate I don't view as an insult, just a mistake. I do think that it is tough to get too frustrated with the layperson when it comes to these things. However, as a journalist, I would expect that they might dig a little deeper into the research, so as not to cause this kind of misinformation to be presented. Why would this be important? Well, anytime you put that kind of time and effort into acquiring skill in some area, then you tend to become partial to what you do, and you like it to be recognized for what it is, and not generalized too much.

Congrats!

I think that the cornhole should come with a surgeon general's warning that death may occur after eating! As for me, I'm pretty much a ketchup and mustard guy.

I'm guessing he didn't do that with his teeth...cool, though.

I agree with you, Tiger. Too long or too short, and I would get curious. But, the main thing to consider is if the training is good or not. If the training is that good, then I'd stick with it.

I have had one tooth pulled before, and I don't remember having too many problems afterwards. But, it wasn't a wisdom tooth, it was an absessed tooth that was causing me a lot of headaches. I hear that wisdom teeth are different, and require a different procedure. Look at this little experience as a testing; get through it, and you pass.

6-30-09 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:30. Pretty much a regular class tonight, no sparring, which is probably a good thing, since I'm still nursing the sore groin. But, I was able to do more tonight than I did last week. I did round kicks and side kicks on both legs, but not too high or fast on the side kicks. I did work on Do-Kangs 1 and 2 with one of the 1st dans that will get to test soon, and I had him work on really using his hips with the movements. These two sets are all upper body strikes, so these are great for hip work. TKD orientation: 7:30 - 8:00. We had 4 total here, and we split off into groups of 2, because my 2 were fresh. We did some stance work, walking in stances, and worked a few strikes.

I usually tend to rotate my foot as I'm kicking. When we do our spinning side kicks, out butt is usually pointing at the target, like the video clip you showed demonstrates, so I would but that as a thrusting kick, for sure. When we do our cross-over stepping side kicks in basics, I think it might be more like the piercing kick. However, for a time, I was doing it like a thrusting kick, which slowed me way down, and really changed the balance and the way the power came on the kick. When I do a back leg side kick in our basics, I'm not sure which it would fall under. I get a good pivot, and and my leg up tight, but I don't think I get quite to the butt-pointing-at-the-target point. I bring the back leg up more like a front kick chamber, and then get it into the side kick position towards the beginning of the kicking motion. That way, I don't feel like I am "swinging" my leg around to do the kick. I like it to feel like my power is going forward. In my TKD training, I have never been taught a side "piercing" kick or a side "thrusting" kick. I have always just done a side kick. I've seen Choi talk of both in the Encyclopedia, but have never worried about distinguising between the two. So this has been somewhat enlightening to me.

Aches and pains come from doing any physical activity; MA practice is no different. There will be times when you will be sore. As you progress, your body will get used to what you are doing, and it will be more passing. I do agree with tallgeese, in that there should be some levels of contact when training in the Martial Arts. I can understand that you don't want to hit people you like, and I think that is a sound judgement. As a white belt, I don't expect that you will be diving into the type of sparring that your link showed. Your instructor will bring you along, as he sees you are fit to be taught. At higher levels, the sparring may get more intense, but that is ok; it shows you are advancing. Best of luck, and stick with it.

Ha! This reminds me of when we first met Pedro Sauer. Tony (my direct instructor) had been training for 9 years on his own and attending various seminars. He had a bb in JJJ. He figured that, on a scale of 1 to 10, he was about a 7 or 8. After Pedro...he realized he was more of a 1 or 2. Since then, he's just exploded. Now he's a bjj brown belt that regularly beats tough black belts. But he says he owes it all to getting in a good BJJ program with Pedro. With this in mind, do you feel that the time spent with JJJ has been a boon to the time in BJJ? Or do you feel that jumping into BJJ would have been more beneficial to you?

I agree. Its great to see that man's Boxing skills have stuck with him through the years. Its good to see justice here, too.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir......................Lesnar Georges "Rush" St-Pierre vs. Thiago "Pitbull" Alves...........St. Pierre Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago.............................Fitch Dan "Hendo" Henderson vs. Michael "The Count" Bisping.....Bisping Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan "The Talent" Belcher..............Belcher Mark "The Hammer" Coleman vs. Stephan "The American Psycho" Bonnar.....Bonnar Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller.........Danzig Jon "Bones" Jones vs. Jake "Irish" O'Brien............O'Brien Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim vs. TJ Grant..............Kim CB "The Dobberman" Dollaway vs. Tom "Filthy" Lawlor...........Lawlor Matt "The Real One" Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty.............Grice

RIP Such a great personality.

Respectfully speaking, and only going by what you have said here, if I was your sensei I would not advance you either. It is one thing to know what attitude you should have but another to actually have it. You may be letting this show in class and sensei is waiting for that to change. A shodan should already understand this and always come to class with an empty cup. Well, I don't know. I don't think that there is too much wrong with having that kind of outlook, and I don't see a problem with having these questions in mind. That's what we do here in the west, isn't it? Question the status quo? On a side note, many people tend to refer to schools that pass quickly as McDojos. However, could it not be viewed the same by dragging out rankings, gradings, and the lure of the black belt for years as doing the same thing? Many won't think so, because we think we are all too impatient for that. But, its just a thought. I do wish you luck on your testing. Let us know how it goes. One other thing I would consider with this whole scenario is what you learn in class. Do you feel that what you are learning is in line with your progression? Do you feel that you are being held back, and not learning important aspects of self-defense, because of the slow progression in rank? That is something that I would consider, as well.

6-26-09 Weights Seated row: 115x15x3 Seated chest: 130x15x3 Lat pull-down: 102x15x3 Shoulder press: 84x15, 15, 12 Barbell curls: 55x15x3 Triceps push-downs: 80x15, 14, 15 Gripper: 25x15x5 Upper body stretch. 6-29-09 Weights Seated row: 115x15x3 Seated chest: 130x15x3 Lat pull-down: 102x15x3 Shoulder press: 84x15, 78x15x2 Barbell curls: 55x15x3 Triceps press: 120x15, 129x15, 139x15 Gripper: 25x15x5 Decline crunches: 22x10x4 Upper body stretch.

Thanks for the descriptions, Tony. When I do a back leg side kick, which would be the side piercing kick you describe, I usually try to get my base leg pivoted so that the heel points at the target. I don't know if that changes the total kick or not, but "side piercing kick" is not the nomenclature that I use; I just call it a back leg side kick. Our spinning side kick is our version of your side thrusting kick, as near as I can tell. Let me know if I am off here at all when comparing descriptions, though.

That's cool. I think things like that tend to happen when you go into a different venue. Let us know how it goes for you, too.

Here's another spot from The Book of Earth: I feel this is in regards to paying attention to the basics, as Musashi also describes the importance of building everything from the ground up, in one stage at a time. Thoughts?

I have found that the little bit that I have done here recently has been very helpful. I'd love to get to do it on a more regular basis, because I have never been a good ground fighter.

This is an interesting point to consider. Every school and instructor tends to do things a bit differently, and students can be impatient at times. However, at the same time, I do think that an instructor should not approach every student as the same, and a good instructor should be able to recognize those who are ready to move on, and absorb more, and be willing to give them the extras to bring the along. Regards, Tony

6-24-09 Weights I changed my workout up now, working on more muscle endurance. I did each of these as a circuit, moving from one exercise to the next. I really got good bicep work out of this, too. No leg exercises because I am still nursing the groin injury. Seated row: 115x15x3 Seated chest: 130x15x3 Lat pull-down: 102x15, 15, 96x15 Shoulder press: 84x15, 12, 78x12 Gripper: 25x15x3 Barbell curls: 50x15x3 (does anyone know the weight of a standard Olympic barbell?) Triceps push-down: 80x15x3 MA workout Combat Hapkido: 8:50 - 9:00. We didn't work very long, because we were both pretty tired after the night shift. We did run through the 2nd half of the red belt material, since we were there anyways. 6-25-09 Morning Combat Hapkido: 8:40 - 9:20. We did all trapping drills today. While doing these we explored how the movements with the traps gets us to the flank of our opponent. We explored shots to the ears, back of the head behind the ear, to the ribs, etc. I see lots of possibilities to work with there. Evening TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. I had to take it pretty easy tonight because of the groin, and so I changed a few things up during basics. Just getting back in and moving was good, though. After doing one-steps, we got to work a few of the techniques on the kicking shields, working on various elbow strikes. It was good work, too, because we don't make conctact with the techniques during the one-steps. It was good to get that feedback.

A very nice article. Thanks for sharing this with us. This is a very good point. I have never really thought about it, but you are right; the longer you try to hold someone in a lock, then the more of a chance you run of them beginning to squirm out of it. Even if it does hurt them some, escape may be their priority. It can also get tiring to hold a lock for a prolonged period of time. I found this out the other night at work, when I had to work my thumbs out for a while before I could even write with my pen again.

Story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529080,00.html?test=faces RIP One of my favorite movies of all time is Cannonball Run.