bushido_man96

That's why I think its good to be concerned with both. And I don't think that one has to be the strongest out there at all, either. I think that in the end, its a total package. Good fitness levels, along with skill levels, to make you the best that you can be. I'm with you on the "overweight instructor" bit. I'm only 5'8", and weigh in at about 240, and I'm not cut, by any stretch. I carry around the spare tire, and I can't run very fast, nor very far. But, I do what I can to improve my fitness levels, both for my MA career and for my work.

Ah yes, very good one as well.

I don't know about that for certain; an example would be a guy like Kimbo Slice. His fitness levels accounted for the brief level of success that he experienced in MMA. People are also fond of saying that "there is always someone stronger," but there is often always someone that is more skilled, as well.

Welcome to KF.

Welcome back.

No worries, Kuma. I guess when I spar at my gym, I see more parallels because we don't have as many of the fancier kicks flying around, and the sparring is a bit more straightforward than most Olympic sparring. About as fancy as we get is a spin heel kick or spin side kick.

Well, I'm having trouble following. Pictures truly are worth a thousand words, especially now, I feel... I'll have to see if I can find any clips that might give some clues to look at. I appreciate you trying to explain it, though.

I agree. They are both important components to consider, especially for self-defense.

There are a lot of interesting points made here concerning Oyama's 300 man kumite. I do think that it is a great feat, just being able to continue fighting for that long. I don't have any feats of my own to list, unfortunately. Perhaps someday...

It is interesting to hear the reactions that different folks have to the unique injuries we may experience now and then. When I did my SCA fighting, I would come up with some very interesting injuries. Explaining them was always fun.

I think that developing speed is an important aspect in the fighting arts. "Speed kills" is a popular saying, and it is a very good point. I don't think it is the only thing that makes or breaks a Martial Artist, though. I think that if you can work good strategy and timing, then what speed you have can be maximized.

Congrats, guys.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

7-9-09 Weights Seated row: 145x11 Seated chest: 120x12 Vertical butterfly: 130x7 Leg curl: 220x6 Leg extensions: 145x10 Barbell curl: 90x5 Triceps press: 215x10 Shoulder press: 95x10 Lat pull-down: 115x10 MA workout Combat Hapkido: 8:30 - 9:30 30 minutes of trapping, then 30 minutes on second half of red belt material.

It was going well, but right now it is on haiatus, until the next semester starts. I do have an Aikido training partner that I have been working with, though, so that we keep up on our material. I do enjoy it, and feel like I learn something every time I go.

You should be able to check with an association to find out where the various schools and clubs are located. That way, you can kind of get in mind wherever you may end up, what might be there for you.

Kuma: I was simply stating that there are some similarities in the two styles, not that they were the same. This was not my intent, and I am sorry if I made it sound that way. I have seen clips of each, and I know that the sparring styles are vastly different from each other. I do think, however, that a TKD sparrer could alter his game a bit to spar with a Kyokushin fighter using that ruleset, because many of the rules are similar. You are right about one thing, though, and that is the lack of interest in punching in WTF TKD. This bothers me, too. You are also right in stating that the protective gear of TKD does change the dynamics of the sparring. No questions there. I just felt that the two do share some things, even if the sparring is different.

Yes, that was it. Thanks!

If you find a Krav Maga school to train in, you'll find a very reality-based setting. Probably not a lot of formalities, either. The DT instructor at the college here has time in Krav Maga, and from what he's shown of it, I have liked.

Well stated, ps1. As sensei8 would say, "the proof is on the floor!"

Thanks for this layout, DWx. Very nice.

Congrats on the promotion.

If rank is your main concern, then I agree with finding an international organization to go with. The bigger it is, then the more likely it is to find a club wherever you go. Not guaranteed, though. You could check into an army team or some such thing. Maybe there is a TKD team there you could look into? That way, when you do transfer, you might find another team at the next station. Just a thought. Also, I second the thought about checking out the schools around. I'd go with knowledge gained over rank retained any day. Your rank may change, but knowledge is the more important aspect, in my opinion.

It looks somewhat like a Boxing style headgear, but not as thick. I think I'd second the mouthpiece, too. But, using both wouldn't hurt, and that headgear may help protect you from a knockout, as well. Quite pricey, though.

Mas Oyama was looking to popularize his own karate style, Kyokushin, so I'm pretty sure he refused as he didn't want any part of it. Mas Oyama wanted Kyokushin not to become like a lot of the other mainstream arts of the day and by going to TKD he would have to adopt their sparring style, which goes completely against his idea of jissen kumite and his reasoning for creating Kyokushin in the first place. When I look at TKD sparring (especially Olympic) and Kyokushin, I see several similarities, but most of them are as far as the rules go. Neither does head punching. Both can compete to knockout. I think the major difference is that Kyokushin allows lower kicks. If I am wrong, let me know. Granted, Choi wasn't promoting at that time what we now see as Olympic style, but I think that the two show some similarities in their sparring rules. The differences pop up in the stylistic points; TKDers obviously kick a lot more, and emphasize speed and set-up kicking to get the knockout, which usually ends up being some high, spinning or jump/spinning kick. Kyokushin perfers the knockdown or knockout, and will score punches, where Olympic TKD tends not to. Overall, though, I'd call Kyokushin the harder style. Just some thoughts to ponder....