bushido_man96

Today, 5-4-09, I set up some drills to help my workout partner with the side cutting that we did in class last week. We did some partner footwork drills, mirroring each other's footwork. Then, we moved onto doing the side cut with techniques on the Wavemaster. We did both punching exercises and kicking exercises, and got lots of reps in on the side cutting motion.

Very cool, Patrick. Thanks for sharing it with us.

5-4-09...got a really good session in today... Weights Bench press: 235x5, 6 fail Row: 190x6, 7 fail Military press: 125x6, 7 fail Lat pull-down: 160x8, 9 fail...move up Machine curl: 60x5, 6 fail Triceps push-down: 180x6, 7 fail Safety squats: 185x8 Leg extensions: 175x7, 8 fail Leg curls: 190x10, 11 fail Cable trunk twist: 80x10, 10 Decline crunches: 22 lb ball x 12 Knee lifts: 15 Cardio Bike: 5 min. @ 90 rpm; 5 @ 100; 5 @ 90; 5 @ 100; 5 @ 90; 25 minutes total. Stretch. MA Workout Aikdio: 9:00 - 9:10. I wanted to take time to refresh this stuff, since Aikido class is now finished for the semester. We went over our recent testing material, and I tried to focus on making the connection, and trying to flow a bit smoother. TKD: 9:10 - 9:50. Worked on side cutting again today, with a bit more focus: Partner footwoork drill: mirroring parnter with side cut motions. We did each side, side cutting and coming back to our set position. We finished with a side cut then step back instead of reseting, giving a bit more footwork. This got us warmed up a bit, moving around. Wavemaster bag work Footwork in front of bag: 2x10 each side, just moving around the bag. Side cut and reverse punch (cross): 3x10 each side. Side cut, jab/cross: 3x10 each side. Side cut, shuffle step to back leg round kick: 3x10 each side. Side cut, front leg round kick: 3x10 each side. We really focused on the body position during the side cut, and using the coiled position to unleash a good reverse punch/cross, or a good back leg round kick. With the lead side techniques, we would make sure that the side cut could still allow our bodies to bring power in the techniques. Stretch: 9:50 - 10:00 Good solid workout. Next time, we plan to do a little more bag work, and then do some sparring drills together to work the side cut more, and then into some counters.

That's a great story. Movie stuff someday, maybe.

Cool find. Thanks, Bob. I LOVE Dr. Pepper. Its the pop I drink the most of.

Wow, I would never have thought that improved TV technology would have an effect on old Atari games. That's pretty cool stuff.

That is pretty cool. It sounds like he might not have been there in person, though, which I can understand. Still the gesture is pretty cool.

Good advice, though!

When stepping to the right or left from a fighting stance, do you cross your feet, or choose to step with the foot of the side you are heading to? In Bruce Lee's Tao of Gung Fu, he talks about the foot work of Wing Chun. When in a right leg forward fighting stance, he states that when side-stepping to the left, the right (lead) leg should cross over in front of the rear leg, to protect the groin. The rear leg then follows to equally to re-assume the stance. To step left, the rear leg crosses behind the right. Would you use a cross-step like this, or would you step in the direction that you intend to go with the foot to that side? I ask, because I think some might worry about being caught "crossed up" and off balance with the crossed-leg stepping that Lee wrote of. I usually like Lee's ideas, but I thought I would see what everyone felt about this one in particular.

Yes, the KO kick was sweet.

Cool. Thanks, Killer.

Oh no, I'm glad I asked. Your explanation makes very good sense to me. Its just that in my mind, perhaps calling it a front kick that is side facing would tend to shore up any confusions as to calling it a side kick, and then having to guess which side kick it is you have to do there. Of course, doing and having experience with these katas will nullify these questions. But to the layperson watching, it may not.

23 perfect games! She NEEDS college competition.

It is different. Maybe its Wii's way of standing out?

They all look nice, but I'm happy where I'm at.

Some styles and schools will be weapons-based, like some forms of Japanese or Medieval Swordsmanship, or Filipino styles using sticks and knives. Others may have a few weapons to supplement what they do empty-handed. As the others have mentioned, look around and see what they offer. Everyone has a different opinion on weapons training.

To steer off the coversation here a bit, that was one HECK of a kick!

Congrats to Pac. I would love to see him fight Mayweather Jr.

I caught most of the Spartan episode of Warriors, and I rather enjoyed it. History Channel did a pretty good job.

Yes, its hard for me to do anything active in the early morning. The colder it is, the worse it is, too.

Mine is always fairly brief, but explosive, when doing forms. When we kihap during basics, where it tends to get a bit excessive, its just more of an audible exhalation.

Thanks for sharing this information. It is quite intriguing. When you discuss the quick exhalations in the advancing lunge punching example, is there a time to inhale after so many stepping punches, at which you have to break the rhythm, so to speak?

Michi, when we perform the kick in which the kneecap is up/horizontal, and hit with the ball of the foot, we call it a front kick, no matter if straight ahead, at 45 degrees, or to the side. When we do what we call a side kick, there are two specific ways of doing it (thrust, snap), and so it isn't confused with what we call the front kick. It's not semantics or a fixed idea; it's that we have these kicks that are executed differently, and it's necessary to give each of them a name to tell one from the other. Joe...mate, that's the point. "You" may call it a front kick if the knee cap is upermost even if the kick is performed to the side, but the rest of the karate world call any kick performed to the side... a side kick!! WNM If this is the case, then would it be incorrect to perform what we are calling a "side kick" at the beginning of this thread at the 0:36 mark of the kata link, where the "yoko geri" is performed?

This is a good idea, JusticeZero. Ok, this wasn't done today, but in last week's Thursday class, the instructor did a sparring drill to work on angles, and I got to assist in the session: With partners: 1. Clinching drill: just working on getting in close in a TKD clinch, and then breaking from it. 2. Side cut, clinch: from a closed stance, each student would side cut with the back leg, stepping in an angle forward and to the right (the "open" side, I'd call it), and then come in and clinch. 3. Clinch, then side cut away: Partners would clinch, and then situate the rear hand/arm on the outside of their partner's forward hand/arm, then side cut to the open side while using the hips to twist into the blocked arm and force them to turn away; step back into opposite stance, reset. 4. To simplify the side cut, each partner would put their lead hand stretched out, and touch hands. Each would side cut and reset to their open side, keeping distance. This was a good visual drill. When side cutting, it is important to keep the body bladed, so the side cut actually takes you into almost a front stance at a 45 degree angle. The shoulders are facing the direction the feet point, and the body is coiled for a back leg kick off of the side cut.

JusticeZero, I have been wondering about the handstand push-ups that are necessary for building the strength of Capoeira, and how you go about building up to doing a full one? I can stand on my hands to an extent, but doing a push-up is beyond me, right now. What kind of exercises do you use to build up the strength towards it? 100 Push-ups Week 5, Day 3: 13, 13, 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, 30 = 120.