bushido_man96

You bring out some good points there, Bob. But, I tend to be a bit simpler of a man...I feel that the person grabbing has a degree of control of whatever it is they have grabbed. Now, that doesn't mean that the person being grabbed doesn't have options. Like you said, the person that has been grabbed may have a free hand or two, or two free feet. However, is said person grabbing me is a skilled Wrestler, Judoka, Aikidoka, or BJJer, I may very well be screwed, regardless of having a free hand or two. Just playing a bit of devil's advocate...

Well, it was the only school in town when I started TKD. I have liked it since, and have stuck with it. I got into the Combat Hapkido when my current TKD instructor introduced it as a supplement to what we were doing in TKD. I have stuck with it. I had heard about the Aikido club, and the highest rank student at our TKD school had gotten into it. When they had a free weekend seminar roll around, and went to check it out. I had a good time, and thought I would give it a serious look.

Thanks, tg. 4-27-09 (geez, is April almost over???) Weights Bench press: 225x8, 9 fail; time to go up maybe. Row: 190x7, 8 fail Military press: 125x5, 6 fail Lat pull-down: 160x9, 10 fail; time to go up. Leg extension: 160x9, 10 fail; go up. Leg curl: 205x10, 11 fail; up. Machine curl: 60x6, 7 fail Triceps push-down: 180x4, 5 fail Ab wheel: 2x10 Cardio Bike: 5 minutes at 90 rpm; 5 minutes at 100 rpm; 5 @ 90; 5 @ 100; 20 minutes total. Stretch. Martial Arts workout Combat Hapkido: 9:10 - 9:50. Since we tested in Aikdio last week, we let it go for this morning and took some time to focus on Combat Hapkido. We did a review of the yellow and orange belt material, and then I worked on my red belt material. I am a bit rusty, and I will be spending some time focusing on the siezes and entries, so I can make my transitons smoother.

Yes, I agree, tallgeese. Those mats work really well for our TKD and even our Combat Hapkido stuff, but I have found that rolling around on them without full-leg gi pants on can really rough up the knees. The MMA guys that use our gym to roll around some have brought in a few of their own Wrestling mats for that purpose. I don't blame them at all!

I usually tuck it in, but at times, I fail at that, too. I like the way that Cho does his non-kicking leg, but a serious range of flexibility is required to do it that way, I have found. So, I don't always get it when I do it his way. I have found that by doing it the way that GM Cho does it on the reverse/spinning side kicks, it is easier to keep from over-rotating the kick and missing the target, because it tends to snap your body to a stop at the appropriate time.

Its not being hit that bothers me; I can trade blows without a problem. What bothers me the most is taking that side kick that keeps me away from being able to trade blows. That sucks.

I wonder if he will continue?

I think that this is a common thought, but I don't think that it is a practical line of thinking. Why would one want to put oneself behind the eight-ball, and allow someone to strike first? Here is a simple drill that anyone can try the next time you are at the dojo, or, even at home with someone that has no MA training at all: The Towel Drill 1. Face your partner, and hang a towel from your shoulder, letting it drape down so that half of it is to your front and half to your back. 2. With your hands down at your sides, tell your partner to "attack" you by trying to take the towel off of your shoulder as fast as he can, without warning. Your goal is to try to stop it. How did it work out? I've done the drill before, and I know that it is not easy to keep the towel from being taken. In fact, most of the time, the "attacker" ends up holding the towel. 3. Now, alter the drill a bit by putting your hands up in a fence position, and letting the "attacker" take the towel whenever he feels ready to try. Getting the hands up makes your defense quicker, for sure. But still, after analyzing the data, is it a chance that you want to take, to put oneself behind the reaction curve like that? Not me.

Yes, I could see it as a jabbing kick. I think that in sport kumite or something like that, it could be useful. For SD, I would rather just hit with the heel, though. Very good points, though.

Thanks for the introduction to Wado.

That would be great. I loved the Predator movies, although I still haven't seen the latest, AVP Requiem. I need to get it yet.

I think that the "Cocaine" drink marketers would have thought out the naming process a bit more.

I still got a bit nervous with my Aikido testing coming up. I didn't feel anything up until the day of testing, but as the hours wound down, I started to get a bit nervous. I'd imagine that I always will, too.

Thank, Danielle and Patrick.

Congrats on this section of the test, and best of luck as you look forward to the finish.

Very true.

Hmmm, I wonder how much it would end up affecting the cost, then? If it just tacks on a huge shipping cost, then I would be better off from ordering otherwise. Still, if I can save a buck or two.... Thanks for the help, and I'll try to look into it.

I don't question his heart, but I don't see how he won't take a beating. It appears that he has Wrestled, and claims that he can protect himself in some way. I wouldn't want to short-change anyone on their dreams, but this one worries me a bit. I wish him the best, though.

I think doing a side kick with the ball of the foot loses its usage. When impacting with the heel, you have the heel, knee, hip, and hopefully the shoulder of the kicking side of the body all lined up, putting a lot of power into the heel. Using the ball of the foot loses this impact power, I think.

We never had one, but my daughter has a DS Lite. I like it a lot.

Hello, and welcome to the Forums.

Ok, testing was on Thursday, the 23rd. It went well, and the sensei told us all that we passed our tests. I was pretty pleased, and have been feeling a lot better about all the stuff me and my training partner have been spending time on. It has really paid off. The testing started off with warm-up stretches and a few Aikitaisos. From there, we did some rolling exercises and some knee-walking (shikko) as a group. Then, we got into the testing. Me and my white belt partner went first. Before the techniques, we demonstrated what is called kokyudosa, which was an energy sensitivity drill where one uses the other's energy to get them knocked over and into a pin. It goes from the knees in seiza, and is done by grabbing the wrists. I had not done this in class officially, but seemed to do ok. Then, we did the techniques. I got to be nage (thrower) first. We did each technique about 4 times each, enough that the sensei could see that we understood the principles from each side. I felt like I moved fairly smooth, accept for the hitch I've been having on Ikkyo, but it will get better with time. My partner went next, and I got to be uke (receiver), which I think gets looked at as well, to see how well our falls and rolls are coming along. Two girls testing for 3rd kyu went next, and they had a ton of techniques, with several done from seiza position. They also did bokken kata 1, and then some jiri waza (?), where uke attacked continuously and nage demonstrated different defenses. Last was the high ranking student testing for 2nd kyu. He did a lot of standing and kneeling techniques, as well as a randori against 3 attackers, which was fun to watch. After everyone tested, we did a circle and had a few students demonstrate different defenses from some standard grabs for the audience. I also got to be a demo-boy for sensei, who led me around by my head for a little bit, which was fun, too. Overall, I enjoyed my first Aikido testing, and look forward to more and more. After we were dismissed, and some folks were talking with the sempai, they commented on my flexibility. They said I was quite flexible, noticibly moreso than the others in the class. That made me feel kind of good.

Man, I'd panic, too. I'm not built to run like that.

Sorry I'm late, its been busy at work. 4-23-09 Aikdio Testing: 7:30 - 9:00. Testing went well. We started with a bit of warm-up, doing some Aikitaisos and some stretches, then did some forward rolling and some Shikko (knee walking). Me and my white belt partner got to test first, and I was Nage (thrower) first. We did our three techniques, and I think we did pretty well, considering our rank. I've got a pretty good handle on most of the hand poistions and whatnot from Hapkido and DT, but the "flowing" aspect is a bit tougher for me. After testing was over, the Sensei told us all that we passed. I was pretty pleased.

I tried looking for U.S. shipping info, but couldn't find anything. Maybe I'll contact them and find out.