bushido_man96

I would tend to agree with tallgeese. If you plan to train that long, then watching intensity levels and how tired the students get will be very important. Also, planning the classes will be important, as you will want to handle highly technical stuff early on, when the students are fresh, and work more on conditioning or whatnot toward the end. Could you do a class during the week, after 8:00 pm? That might be a better solution to one 4 hour class. Then, you can have two classes.

Ok, back to training. My neck problem didn't seem to go away with just rest, so I think I need more focused attention on it. So, if it hurts to train, and it hurts to not train, I decided to go with training.... 4-13-09 Weights Bench press: 225x6, 7 fail Row: 190x6, 7 fail Military press: 125x4, 5 fail I just can't seem to get over the hump here. Lat pull-down: 160x7, 8 fail Leg extensions: 145x12 Leg curls: 190x12 Machine curls: 60x6, 7 fail Triceps push-down: 180x5, 6 fail Decline crunches: 20, 10x22 lb ball Cardio Bike: 20 minutes Martial Arts Aikido: 9:50 - 10:00 We warmed up with technique work, doing Lapel grab Ikkyo, then cross-wrist grab Kotegaeshi, then cross-wrist grab Kokyunage. We did one on each side, then moved onto the next one, and did that for about 25 minutes. We worked on Aikitaisos (basic movements) for the next 15 minutes. This little spot helped me to gain some better understanding of some of the things we do in the classes, and I was glad we focused here a bit. For the last 30 minutes of our session, we spent 10 minutes focusing on each of the techniques listed above that are required for our testing.

I'm sure you can find some kind of planner on the internet, but if you got with a trainer or coach, and laid out some goals and objectives, they might be able to help you line out something specific to your needs. As for me, when I track my progress, I just get a little wire bound notebook, and write down what exercises I do, how many reps, sets, and what weight, and put the date at the top. Of course, you can fancier if you wanted to, and if you can run Xcell worth a hoot, you can probably design something pretty impressive. So I just take my little notebook and a pen to my workouts with me, and flip to the day before to see what I did with an exercise, and I'll make notes to myself if I need to go up or down in weight. Pretty simple.

Speaking of books, here are a few on the subject of stretching: Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Artists by Sang H. Kim. Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training by Thomas Kurz. I have the Kim book, and it is informative. I don't have Kurz's book, but I have read some of his material, and I have heard good things about this book.[/url]

I saw Joe post an article where Joe Lewis blocked a lead leg side kick with a "pendulum" block, and then turned back into a cross to the body. It looked like it had some interesting applications, especially with spin kicking, since the body is already half-way turned.

If you look to the right resources, you can find some of the applications of TKD forms.

What, in your view, is the intended larger purpose for practicing katas?

I like most of the choices there, except for Croft; but, I never played them much....maybe she did have an impact. For Nintendo, I think I'd have Mario, MegaMan, Zelda, Samus Aran (sp?). For overall video gaming, I think I would have to go with Mario, Master Chief, Ryu, and I guess Sonic.

Cute.

Yeah, I think that they could do something more informative as opposed to comparative. Now, if they wanted to get into comparing actual battles in history of different cultures, then I am cool with that; it actually happened. But an Apache vs. a Samurai wouldn't be very adaptable, I don't believe.

That would be a good approach. I think that even though the game itself would violate any laws, you have to think about cerfew violations, if applicable, and how the game would look to passersby....they may view it a suspicious behavior, and call it in. If that did happen, and you followed JusticeZero's advise, then I think nothing bad would come of it.

Good show, WNM. I'd say we are on the same page there. I do like the term "block" when speaking in generalities for learning a form, as it simplifies things.

I'm not a throwing expert, but I think that the ones listed in the article kind of comprise a set of basics that allows one to build into other throws. Like Joe mentioned, you get an inner and an outer leg tripper, and the others give you variations on entries, depending on what is presented by the opponent. I think that they make a good starting point, and may be enough to be sufficient for self-defense purposes.

Thanks, Throwdown. The idea behind the drill is pretty basic, and once you understand the setup, you can really apply it to different techniques on both sides. Experiment, and see what you find...

That was a nice comparative video. Thanks for sharing it. I'll dig up that bit of information when I get a chance.

Nice usage of the bag to find your answers, Joe.

I agree with JusticeZero. I would only strip a rank if something very, very bad happened in a class, or wtih a student outside of class that reflected heavily on the school and myself. When stripping it, I don't know that you could keep it, but what you do is make an example of them in the class. That is where the lesson lies, I feel.

That was....brief.

Here you go: http://www.earthworks.com/martialart/canes/ And for a more European flavor: http://www.elite-fighters.com/library/rarebooks/fighting_cane/cane_fighting1.htm

Thanks, everyone. I'll keep you posted as I go along. I plan on really hitting technique hard these next few weeks, to work out the kinks.

Joe, you've got a good attitude for training there. Its good to see that you consider what means to be at the rank that you are at, and that you don't concern yourself with being ready for the next testing in the cycle. I do think that in many styles today, the idea of preparing for the next test supercedes other criterea of the Martial Arts, like self-defense skills and applications. I have to admit that the TKD school that I attend tends to be like that. Now, there are some good things that come out of that mindset: our instructors are real sticklers for technique, as am I. I have been very lucky in that all of my instructors have been very technical instructors; they like the techniques to be done right. That is in no way a bad thing, because proper technique develops proper power and efficiency. But, my TKD school consists of doing basics, then forms, then one-steps, and then sparring if we have time (which don't tend to have a lot of time for). We hardly do any kind of self-defense applications, aside from our one-steps, which will work out great if we ever get attacked by a statue. So, as it turns out, our students are usually very good at technique, and thus good at forms. But there are several in our school that don't like to spar, and I know why; they don't get much sparring drills, but just get sparring. Those that aren't as naturally aggressive as others tend to fall by the wayside here, and come to dislike sparring, which is more benefical than the one-steps are, in my opinion. Good technique is a great thing, but we must learn to apply that technique, and stress it a little, to get good at self-defense, which is what I think the Martial Arts are really about.

No but I'd imagine a 50+ year old blackbelt would also have a hard time doing it. Bruce Lee was an advocate of a Martial Artist being a representative specimen for his age group. An old man may not be able to hang with a young man, but an old man MAist should be able to shine against the layman of his age group, as far as being in physical form goes.

I'm not sure if I like the versus setup. You end up looking at different spots in time, different technology, etc. In some cases, it would be like sending in 300 of today's Marines, with modern weaponry, to fight in the battle of Thermopolae. I think there would be different endings there.

Yeah, and then get charged with obstruction...

Thanks for the clarification.