bushido_man96

After looking at the clip again, I feel that part of my ackwardness may come from the foot that I move after seizing the elbow. In the clip, the instructor moves the same side foot. I have been stepping with the opposite foot. I also tend to feel too far away from uke when doing the technique, like I have to reach for him. I'll ask the instructor about which foot to step with. The more I do this technique, the more trouble I seem to have with adjusting to the incoming grab, as opposed to letting the grab happen. Also, our prep stance isn't done with the hands in the typical positioning that I have seen in the Aikido books I have been reading, which really bothers me. I don't like my hands hanging down at my sides, and then having to react from that position to intercept the grab. I may start holding my hands up in a more ready position; not doing so just feels unnatural to me.

Well, I don't see too much difference between the Real Aikido, and other Aikido that I have seen. But, that my limited experience talking, as well.

I see what you are saying here, and it is a valid point, but I do feel that the art does need the person more than the person needs the art. All of the philosophies, concepts, and techniques that you mention are layed out by those who practice the art; Kano laid his foundations, and then passed them on, as did Funakoshi, as did Choi, and the list goes on. Even people today continue to leave their marks from their own beliefs. The arts tend to evolve as we do, and I think the practitioners are the heart and soul of it.

I agree as well. Don't worry about the testing time cycle. There will be other opportunities if you miss that one. I also agree that you just look around and see what is offered when you get to college. There are plenty of opportunities out there, and most colleges have either clubs or even MA classes available as credits.

Our interpretations of Kata are only limited by our imaginations, but, are they effective?!?! Only time, training, and experience will tell for sure.

Bingo... Abernethy never claims that ground grappling techniques exist in the katas. In fact, in his books, he has stated that the katas do not contain any grappling (as far as ground fighting goes). To your knowledge, WNM, does Abernethy abandon what you describe in your posts as the essences of Wado? I don't know what his class layouts are, so I don't know the answer to that one.

That's a great one, Bob! I am still smiling over that one!

6-12-09 Weights Bench press: 235x5, 6 fail Row: 200x6, 7 fail Military press: 125x6, 7 fail Lat pull-down: 170x8, 9 fail, go up Leg extensions: 175x10 Leg curls: 205x12 Machine curl: 60x6, 7 fail Triceps push-down: 180x6, 7 fail 6-13-09 DT session: 9:30 - 11:00. Covered defenses against single and double leg takedowns. Then worked on passing guard. We had a couple of gals in the session this day, and I worked with them a few times. The instructor made the point that it is important to work with females as well as males, and that a common problem when attempting to control a female in the LEO business is the tendency to "lighten up" because they are a female. The gals I worked with were very scrappy, and they could squirm and move, and really make life difficult for a novice like me. It was a pretty good session, but I wish we could have gone on a bit longer.

Thank you too Bushido.. I was doing that at first but I was talking to a friend he said the same thing. One thing I can't get down is the kick where you jump up with one leg lifted up and then extend your knee and kick.. I'm not sure what it's called.. Any tips on how to do it? That sounds like you are trying a jumping front kick. Bring up one knee, then switch and bring the other knee up, placing the other foot down. Keep practicing this by switching again and again, concentrating on getting the knee up and high. Once you feel good there, bring up one knee, and use the rising motion to gain momentum and bring you off the ground. Then switch the knees in mid-air, and kick.

I agree with Joe's assessments here. It will depend on how it is taught, and to what ends. Some Tai Chi isn't taught much different than a slower version of Cardio Kickboxing, and some is taught with the impetus of self-defense in mind.

All I can offer for advise is to break it down. Break it into the component parts, and work each, adding the next dimension as you feel more comfortable. Work the crescent kick to the hand a lot, and then work into the lift-off phase. Once that feels good, work into the landing, and putting it all together. Also, slow down at first, and make sure you get everything placed out right. This should help your standing after landing, too.

I agree with tallgeese's asssesment here on the time involved. I do think that seeing applications early on can lead to improved technique, especially if it gives the practitioner something to visualize during practice. I also like some of the approaches taken to blocking in accordance with what guys like Abernethy and Anslow have done. It gives a good feeling of what the body mechanics involved with the motions is supposed to help accomplish, in my mind.

The AJJ practitioners didn't have any qualms about actually blocking an incoming technique, and the takedowns were much more direct. From my limited experience in Aikido, there is less blocking, and more of the circular and spherical type of body movement to avoid the attack, and use or create the momentum of the opponent to make the throw happen.

Your right bushi... I do tend to get caught up in my own little Wado world. No excuse, but actually the author of the article in question is from a Wado-based group! WNM This is true, but even though he has found some different ways of approaching things, does it make what he does less than Wado?

I'm a hardcopy kind of guy myself, and one of the best things about finding something on the internet is printing it out! I've got a 3-ring binder myself, that has my more focused content in it. I also have my Combat Hapkido curriculum packet that has become littered with notes in the columns, so much so that I have began to write things out in a more organized and formal format. Maybe someday, I'll get to teach my own class for it. A good quote my dad used: "There's two ways to do things; right, and again."

Although I haven't seen the video yet, in The Taegeuk Cipher, the author talked extensively about what he called the defensive entry, which appears to accomplish a task similar to what you have mentioned here. A good strategy to practice for self-defense, I think.

So, if no MA helps, then why are they still around? What good are they, then?

I like the scene. But, I don't often interject how real it seems, especially when I haven't studied much of the sword beyond what I read.

Man, that sucks. I hope it heals up soon. Maybe the massage is the way to go.

Sounds good. Having just one holder would be better for multiple breaking stations, as well.

Agreed. Whatever it is that you feel you are weak at, just start doing some focused practice to get better, stronger, faster, etc.

Extreme, yes. But, to an extent, it is just another part of what there is to consider in the studying the Martial Arts.

Hell, I'm just going to go have a burger or two. Thanks for the suggestion!

It sounds like you're looking to divide Karate into various teaching models. You could make as many or as few classifications as you like, depending on how specific you would want to be. I think you would want to make as few classifications as possible, and go with that. That in mind, you could look into something like this: 1. Sport-oriented styles. Your kickboxing would likely fall in here, and the knockdown style of Kyokushin may overlap here, as well. 2. Hard-styles. These could fall into the harder styles like Shotokan, that took the route of being a type of physical education/self-defense style. Your typical kata/kihon/kumite based systems may fall in line here. 3. Self-defense styles. These could be systems based soley on searching out the self-defense applications inherent in their styles, be it through forms or other ways of applying strategies and tactics. 4. Softer styles (?). You would have to check with Wa-No-Michi and some of the other Wado/Goju guys on this one, because I think that styles like Wado and Goju have a bit of a different set-up than the likes of Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, etc. But I could be wrong. At any rate, this could give you a start on a break-down. Also note that schools may have a certain focus, with some overlap of the others contained. It won't be hard and fast, so some shades of grey may intervene.

I love seeing the old pictures of grappling depictions. Ancient Greek potery has been seen with similar markings. Indeed, it is a deep, rich part of many cultures.