bushido_man96

12-31-08 Went running again this morning. This time, it was outside, and I took the dog with me. He had a good time, but I think he was wishing I was a bit swifter. I wasn't able to do a whole mile, but did what I could. When I stopped and walked a bit, I would then do shorter running burst, but at a higher speed. Either way, I'll get better.

It depends. I don't really concentrate on whether my hand is open or closed so much, as I make sure I position the arm so that the shield isn't smacking me in the face.

Well, I'm relatively sure that the WTF doesn't think that every participant is going to be Olympic caliber. So, the idea is to saturate the coffers, sort out for the talent, and then snatch it up. I think that is probably what they try to do. Its up to individual schools and clubs to decide whether or not Olympic sparring is the focus.

This is a tought situation to put to people. I don't think people want to be dishonest, but for the most part, they want to be nice. As mentioned earlier, they may fear some kind of retribution, or worry about not being looked at as a nice person, or just upsetting the status quo. Now, when you do have the person that will hold nothing back, and be completely honest, then they may be looked at as a jerk or something like that. Of course, I may be wrong.

So, if I practice the "haymaker," and spend hours mastering it, then will it "become" an MA technique? If so, then why wouldn't it be ok for the "street fighter" to call it an MA technique?

My question is, how much actual scientific evidence is out there to support that these are actually "killing" techniques?

I'm of the opinion that most here are, that size and strength is not something that can be overlooked, or downplayed. Technique is very important, as well. Now, if we look at the techniques that actually go into most of the kinds of fights that many of us will ever be in (excluding competitons), much of the technique that we will see is fairly simple technique. We all stress the idea of "keep it simple, stupid" when it comes down to smack time; someone with no formal training is most likely going to do simple stuff. Their technique may not be exact, but the increase in size and strength can greatly play to their advantage, and may be enough to overcome their lack of technique. In the end, along with learning Martial Arts technique, it is also important to supplement MA technical training with strength training and conditioning.

I think you should look into including "strategy" and "tactics." I'm not sure what category you would put them under, though; perhaps mental. Each is a big part of the Martial Arts, as one's approach to strategies and tactics will determine when/how/why certain techniques are employed.

Yes, congrats, ShoriKid. Good picking!

Looking forward to the new season. The more, the merrier!

Congrats!

12-29-08 Chest/triceps/biceps Vertical butterfly: 115x10, 130x8, 6 Overhead triceps press: 70x10, 80x8, 85x6 Barbell curls: 70x10, 80x8, 85x6 Abs Cable crunches: 105x15x3 Cable trunk twists: 70x15x3 Treadmill: A little over 15 minutes, went a mile, and jogged most of it. I started walking to warm up, and moved into the jog, and was impressed that I could keep it going all the way through. My knees are a bit stiff, but I may try it again. 12-30-08 Defensive Tactics: 8:30 10:30. Warmed up with some rolling/breakfalling, and then moved into some stick work. After about 30-45 minutes of stick, we went into the arm-wrap stuff for my partner's DT class coming up. With the stuff we are working on, it is so easy to take just a small piece of it, and work on its variations and applications. I kind of like it, because I can take a skill or movement, and really take a chance to isolate it and work on it, along with various applications of it if things happen to change on you. TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. We got to do a bit more of sparring drills tonight, which was nice, because we slowed down and worked on some reaction stuff. I need more of it, because I kind of stink at it.

I want to pick up a bit on my Hapkido training this year.

If I am buying an Eastern style wooden weapon, I'd go with the red oak, or just plain oak (I'd like to have and use an oak quarterstaff, of the Medieval European variety). Rattan is a good material too, for sticks.

That's some pretty cool stuff. Maybe we should all start carrying a deck of cards for protection?

I like this idea. I think I'll give it a look-over, and give it a go.

If I did that, I'd have some terrible gas during comps. I'd have to throw out an extra kihap to cover up a fart!

The conditioning that WTF players usually have is awesome. Taking that conditoning and focusing on more of an SD aspect, would benefit them greatly.

Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle is fun, too.

These are good books, and gets you into the history of things really nicely. Gives you some background on the LOR stuff, too. I had heard that he had passed on. Is that the case? Did he finish out the series? I am a big fan of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. It has kind of a Rated-R LOR feel to it, but the rich history seems to come in a simpler fashion. Good books, and the series develops characters very nicely.

I don't have a lot of experience in this area, but in the Ground Defense class that I did put on by the KLETC, this idea was part of the training. We would work on a sweep from the guard, and then work into transitioning to the mount, or something. After we had a few different things down, one guy would start on the bottom, work his way out, and the other would then work to something. He called it a "series," but it pretty much the same idea. I'd love to get more of it in.

Although you mentioned that your thought here was rhetorical, I'd like to address it anyway. Calling it a waste of time won't necessarily be true, especially if it does hold value to you, and especially if you do enjoy doing it. As I mentioned earlier, I do enjoy doing forms. Its fun, and provides a challenge for me. That said, although forms are fun, I don't think that they are the most efficient vehicle for propogating self-defense. With that said, I still will do them for the enjoyment and challenge of them. ...And that's what is important, isn't it?

I think this situation brings up another good point. The section I placed in bold is what I want to discuss: these ideals tend to be most popular in Eastern Martial Arts; Karate, TKD, Tang Soo Do, Aikido, etc. So, my question is, can tradition only come from the East? We have Western traditions, so why can't a Martial Art that has Western traditions in it be considered a "traditional" art, as well? Another point to bring up is how a tradition comes to be. Basically, it has to be a habit that becomes established over time. Therefore, how long does this habit have to be in place before you can determine that is a "tradition?" I hadn't considered this, but it might be worth considering, if the MAs really need one more sub-division. Can you elaborate more as to what it would contain?

Welcome, Kuma!

This ain't no joke! Any kick above the waist goes pretty much out the window (not that I would have tried one, anyway). But even low level kicking motions can be hampered with all that gear hanging off of you. Rolling is a different matter entirely. Its a lot harder to shrimp and roll half to one side when you have a gun, or a TASER, or cuffs, or a radio blocking your motion.