bushido_man96

When me and my few training partners get together to train our Hapkido, I wear one of my old brown belts, because that is my rank in Hapkido. No need to wear my black belt from TKD.

No offense taken, Kuma. I just don't think that kind of reaction is something that coaches or teachers tell their students to do when they get a point. I see it a lot in Olympic TKD, and I think it is silly. I spar with those rules myself, but would never drop my guard or turn around in the middle of a match. Its just a bad idea.

That's a good question. Is it? I don't know for sure. Another question is, does it matter if its taught the way Ueshiba taught it? I'd imagine that many would say that no, it isn't the "traditional" approach. However, we always wear clothing, no matter what we do, so should it be relegated to the attire as to what "tradition" is? Here is another point: Ueshiba changed his Aiki-jutsu to his Aikido. If he made changes to a "traditional" style, then how can his style be "traditional" itself? It can get confusing.

That is crazy. RIP

That is why I prefer monthly payments. Usually, they can tell if they won't be around much of the month. But, things do happen. I agree that you have to take care of your students. After a time, I would give a courtesy call, just to let them know that we miss them at the class.

I think that a monthly fee would be the way to go. I do like the class block idea, but I wonder how well it would be received. Best of luck to you! Those prices are high.

I hear you there. I hate needles, and don't like shots, blood draws, etc. No way am I volunteering for acupuncture!

That's a good drill. Learning to see the openings, and decreasing the time alotted for reaction. Nice. I have always liked Christensen's drills.

No, but in battle, I wouldn't wear a white gi and no shoes, either. In my judging days, I never had a problem with it.

The problem with WTF sparring, in my opinion, is that it has created a shell of itself, and no one comes out of it. No one punches, and the gear is a pain in the butt, in my opinion. WTF TKD sparring would be a lot different if that punch was hitting the chest without gear on, than standing right next to each other and trying to figure out how to kick the guy in the head.

I like that idea. So, is it all about sparring, then? Are there any different technical requirements other than sparring adults?

That was a nice fight scene. The striking and kicking weren't nearly as nice as the throwing, but it was a good scene.

This is my deal; if you want to relax, then why not just go to sleep?!

Good points guys. This one makes me think: So, the idea/definition is going to be dependant on the technology and fighting methods of the day. Today, terrorism is looked as more of a legitimate threat than it was 10 years ago, so it may be taken into account as far as the training goes today. It kind of makes you wonder if Medieval knights considered the training of the day "modern combatives," doesn't it?

This is an interesting thought. I would think that many "traditionalists" (I'm not saying you are, just saying) would probably have a problem with this. Perhaps others with an opinion could chime in, but I don't think it would be looked upon favorably.

This shows the point that you'll do what you've trained, not what you think you'll do. Its important to evaluate things like this, because if no one ever presents a knife to a grappler in a training scenario, then they may just never consider it. Point fighting doesn't teach this; silly reactions of elation teach this. Even if one score's a point in a point fight, one can still be disciplined enough to keep his hands up, and his eyes on the opponent until someone calls break. Even keep fighting until they hear break. I don't think that is a bad habit of point fighting; its a dumb habit that someone picked up on their own.

I can see how, to the kata practitioner, that this can look like "reverse engineering." The kata practioner will train the kata first, and then look at moving into this kind of training. Whereas, like tallgeese has demonstrated, the non-kata practitioner will break down scenarios or situations, and look at the options from that standpoint. I agree here, too. I just don't see how the arguement holds water. Even if the rule set is a bit more limited, higher contact levels prepares one for that level of contact that can be expected in a confrontation. I enjoyed that article, what I read of it. There are some nice points to consider in there; like how things can tend to get "romanticized." Also, there were some nice analogies of Karate and baseball, as well as sports in general.

I think that this is what is important; being able to motivate your students aside from rank promotions. That is how you get around joesteph's question here: I think that this is part of the problem with the rank system. It is a good system to use for setting objectives and goals, because it is something that tends to be measureable. However, students get too caught up in attaining rank, as opposed to what it is they are learning through their rank. I think that it is part of the responsibility of the instructors to help the students understand that rank isn't the end-all, be-all of the Martial Arts. Its what you learn, and what you know, and most important, what you take with you as a practitioner. That stuff can't be taken away.

I think this ties back with the original purpose of kata. You learned a new kata at a higher rank because that is when you were supposed to learn those new moves (again, going off off old JMAs as a reference). I was under the impression that originally, kata was taught, and then applied, and the number didn't matter; some masters only focused on one kata. Didn't Funakoshi do Tekki for 7 years or so, before he was even taught another kata?

That's a good mantra, Joe. I think it holds true, for the most part. That's why I wonder about the types of movements and principles in this system. I'd like to see demonstrations of it.

I wouldn't have guessed this at all. I would think that gi chokes with clothing wouldn't work as well, because of less resiliance of the clothing as compared to a heavy duty gi. Have you seen this demonstrated?

At this point, it just depends on the day. My DT partner has some certification levels in Close Quarters Combatives, so he'll put different things together on different days. We often review and refine what he is teaching in his DT classes for the police department, so most of it is job-related for me. We work into controls that either become escorts, or cuffing positions.

So tallgeese, what are your requirements for firearms training, as it concerns achieving black belt rank?

We watch some Spider Man, when we catch it. Just depends on what time we get home and settled in.

That just sounds crazy. I can't imagine why the parents would see her being able to do less than other students, but then receive more. Its too bad, but I guess these things happen. My worry is that if have parted ways with her temporarily, then she may not return, ever. But, what can you do? You can't change everything for one person.