bushido_man96

I'm not so sure that this is true. Have there been studies that show that rage=out of control? Are there studies that show that because one is angry, he isn't in control? I feel that I am always in control of my actions, regardless of the emotional state that I am in. If I hit a wall out of anger, I hit it because I want to, not because I am angry. Hell, I've hit walls when I am not angry, too. Am I out of control? I don't think so. Why should we have to? I respect what the great masters did, and how they did it. But, I don't have to copy their lifestyles and emotions verbatim in order to become a great master myself.

Something I was wondering about is whether or not there is a weight minimum for most sanctioned fights like that? I assume that he fought in the lightest weight category, but still, there had to be a huge weight descrepancy between the two, along with the height, reach, etc.

Its kind of a nice rundown. Thanks for sharing it.

I know, it is. The only point is that especially in boxing it is highly likely that you have seen your instructor put on the gloves and duke it out, for which you already have a better idea of what he can't or can't do ... I'm not sure that Boxing and Muay Thai trainers do a lot more sparring than the instructor on any other Martial Art does. Just being an instructor/coach demands so much time that it makes it difficult for an instructor/coach to find the time during class to spar and workout at the level that the students are working at.

It would depend for me what the reasons for the fight starting are. If the instructor is the obvious instigator, then I would probably lose some respect for him, regardless of whether or not he won or lost the fight. If these weren't the circumstances, then I wouldn't let it bother me that much. I have no illusions about my ability to lose a fight, so that isn't as big a deal to me. Neither do I see the relevance of whether or not the art is Boxing, Thai Boxing, or any other style. All are viable. And all can lose. Also, if I did see my instructor in a bar, I'd probably not go out of my way to avoid them, either. I'd just go say hi, and then do my thing. But I wouldn't slink around to let them know that I wasn't there.

That sounds like an interesting way to use a weapon. That would take a lot of skill!

That's cool. The Predator might like it. I'll bet she uses a lot of paint every time she parks somewhere new, though.

That's pretty cool. Do you know if the new Punch-Out!! on Wii has Mario back as the ref? I love the Futurama cameo. Nice touch.

I'm not so sure that I agree with you here. I think about the only time that weapons training will actually help you with weaponless combat is in cases like with the Filipino styles, that tend to use the same movements and strategies, whether they have a weapon in hand or not. From what I have seen, the movements done are essetially the same here, whether they wield stick, knife, or hands. I don't know that all Filipino styles are like that, but I have seen many that are. Now, when it comes to using a weapon like a bo/quarter staff, that has a long range, and really no movements that mimic what you would do empty-handed, then I don't see any relevant training cross-over here. You fight at a totally different distance, and the mechanics change quite a bit. I also feel that open-hand proficiency does not necessarily transfer to weapons proficiency or vise versa. I think that someone could be one heck of a swordsman, without ever having studied an open-handed style; I'll bet that tallgeese has probably seen some of this from his SCA days, although the style is a bit removed from true swordsmanship. Neither will being a 5th dan in Karate necessarily guarantee reaching that same level of skill with a sword. Of course, as always, hard work can pay dividends, but nothing is guaranteed. Just my thoughts.

But tallgeese, these are MA weapons...

I don't know if you are looking into a particular style, but if you can find a TKD tourney using the Olympic or AAU rules, they spar continuously for 2 or 3 minutes, for 2 to 3 rounds. They should have regional tournaments and qualifiers in that area, so you could give it a look.

I think that one can study their art to the fullest extent without having to delve into extreme levels of full-body conditioning. The human body is fairly resilient as it is, and proper technique can help to alleviate as many injuries as conditioning can. In fact, I would think that a body tool that has been conditioned to the point of losing feeling or sensation can lend itself to less than favorable technique, because you don't have to worry about hitting wrong; just hitting. One could also loose efficiency in this manner, because damage is what one may be seeking, instead of damage through proper technique. That could be a stretch to an extreme, but it is worth considering. I think that a natural and acceptable amount of conditioning can take place through the natural course of training. Punching the bags, moderate levels of contact sparring, and the like can help to condition the body to the point that it needs to be. Now, the other end of the spectrum is to ask to what extreme do you want to be conditioned? Do you want to be able to kick through 3 or 4 boards with your big toe? Is it necessary to have gnarled and calloused knuckles in order to be an effective puncher? Do I need to kick a bannana tree until it falls over (a la Van Damme in Kickboxer)? Is it necessary to be able to break 2 boards with a spear hand strike, when the likely target area for such a strike is the soft area of the throat or eyes? Each of these questions will be answered by the individual practitioner, and by what that practitioner's wants, needs, and goals might be. In the end, I don't think that the level of body conditioning determines the depth to which one has studied their respective art(s). Grapplers probably don't have much use for punching a makiwara, but to say that they don't have a level of "forged spirit" isn't fair to them, in my mind. Forging the spirit can be developed in many ways, from body conditioning, to physical exertion, to being placed in heightened adrenal scenarios, and the list goes on and on. Their are other things to consider when looking into body conditioning, as well, like career choices. One of the masters at our TKD headquarter school is a doctor by profession, so when he tests, the GM changes his board break requirements so that he breaks with elbow strikes as opposed to palm heel strikes or punches with his hands. The risk he runs in being out of work is just to great for him to risk that kind of conditioning. But, that doesn't have to mean that it puts a limit on how far he can go in the arts, either. Sorry for the ramble...I got a bit long-winded. I anxiously await the opinions and thoughts of others.

Welcome, Tony. I am from Kansas as well. Good to have you here.

I'm not sure what the most difficult would be for me. I'll have to think on it for a while...

5-6-09 Weights Power clean: 165x5, 4, 5th fail Dead lift: 205x10, 225x5 Safety squat: 185x8 Cardio Bike: 25 minutes, 90 rpm/100 rpm/90/100/90, 5 minutes each session. Stretch.

I can see what you are saying here. In some schools, forms can be just a curriculum requirement for testings. In other schools, a form can have much more focus above and beyond technical performance. If you learn a form, and then the bunkai, a form can take an indefinite amount of time to truly come to understand.

As far as conditioning goes, if that's your thing, then I respect that. It isn't all for me, though. Besides that, if you can wear a pair of steel-toed boots....

Thank you for the tip. I will walk through some of my lower rank forms and see what I come up with there. But, some of the lower ranked forms are pretty simple, with a block, then a step and punch, turn to block, step and punch again. Its pretty easy to set up the exhalation per technique.

I enjoy your insights here. Thanks for sharing them.

Very nice, and very good points made. Thanks for sharing it.

Very nice use of the carotid artery strike, tori.

The fact that it was a KO helps. The jumping kicks that he did prior to it I didn't care for all that much. Those two spinning hook kicks (what I would call them) were nice, crisp, fast, and with lots of power. I'm not sure good hands-up position would have stopped either of them. It was pretty, too.

DWx, from reading Lee's book, it doesn't sound like the cross step/side step is very deep, and the weight shouldn't shift from one leg to the other too much. During the step, I'd bet that Lee would adjust his position to be facing the opponent at a slight angle, but I'm unsure how much. Thanks for the replies so far.

Welcome to KF. Glad to have you.