bushido_man96

I don't think that the overall approach has changed that much...at least not where I have trained. Perhaps I have been fortunate. Personally, I'm too big on the Master, Mr., sir/ma'am stuff. I do it at school I train at, but I have seen at the Aikido club I train at, things are a touch looser. BJJ schools, from what I have heard, are all on a first name basis, too. However, I think you can still do things this way, but still demand the focus and attention needed to teach effectively. If you need to use the sir/ma'am approach to establish that focus, then I say go ahead and use it. Attention and focus are important for just about any kind of training, in my opinion. It sounds to me like the instructor there now is more interested in being everyone's friend, as opposed to teaching them.

Pads are nice for throwing and takedowns, but if you don't work on that stuff, then the garage would work well. You can do breakfalls on hard flooring; it just makes you learn that much quicker...

12-10-08 Push-ups: 15, 2x5 with my son crawling on my back. Those are fun. 12-11-08 Front kicks: 3x10 each side, back leg, not much higher than waist level. I focused on more of a thrusting kick, than a snapping kick, as I don't care for the snap kick as much. TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. We went through basics without as many rest breaks, which was nice, and although I get tired, I feel like I am still fairly strong. The last bit of basics, we got to do our own combinations down the floor, and the last set we did as slow techniques, which was a nice change. We then reviewed a lot of forms, which is always nice. I slowed down my form a bit, and broke it down to work on some things. I got to thinking about it so much that I miss-matched a section of it. That's ok, though...I fixed it. After one-steps, when class was over, we messed around with one of them, which has a takedown with a punch follow-up. One of the colored belts was asking about trying to put on an ankle lock after being taken down, and from there, we got into the resistance/fighting it game. The good thing about this is it makes you think about having to deal with someone who isn't going to just lay there. Since my ground game is rather non-existent, I would tend to revert back to strikes, but that isn't always good on the ground. My question is, how would I work to train this aspect with partners, to work into the more resistance stuff, and is there something in particular I should focus on?

Ed makes a good point there. Just go out and do it. I can understand that you want to set high expectations for yourself, but part of successfully attaing goals is in setting measureable and attainable objectives to use as stepping stones towards those goals. Maybe you are asking too much of yourself too soon. I think that if you just go out to do it for the fun and experience, then maybe you'll take some of the pressure off of yourself, like Ed suggests. Then, it just might come to you.

Very nice. I'd agree that putting the two together would be a nice mix. The ability of Judoka to break balance and sense and feel movement while standing would go so well with the BJJer's ability to do this on the ground. I imagine he has a pretty high level of sensitivity perception.

Thanks, John. I'll check it out, too.

Something I thought of tonight after class, when I was having one of those "if it were my school, I might try it this way" epiphanies...was what about doing a block training, like, say, take a month and work on knife defenses. Take a month after that to block off for ground fighting. Block the next month for something else. Doing this might also allow one to arrange for instructors that tend to specialize in different areas to be scheduled for appearances.

You gave us a brief overview of the differences between your junior and adult ranks, but can you give us more of an idea of what the junior curriculum includes? The adult curriculum? I'd like to see the differences.

You should send some money with him, and have him bring you some back.

This probably has to do with hitting the jaw properly, and leading to concussions. If you can jam a palm onto the chin, you can get good results. If you come at the jaw from angles underneath and upwards, you can get good results, too.

It sounds like they have a good cause there. I hope the event goes over really well for them.

I would say that Wrestling is just as physical as Karate is, if not more so. It just doesn't have the striking aspect, which is what public schools tend to shy away from.

This is a great idea for training, and I would like to see our school utilize it more in a sparring-focused class, even if it was focused on only TKD sparring. I know it would help me out more, because I don't have a lot of natural ability at picking these openings out all the time. But, we usually only spar at the end of a class, and rarely is it in a more cooperative way like this.

Thats a pretty manageable number, I think. A garage or a good sized basement would work, and on nice days, an out-of-the-way place at the park would be a great workout.

That guy looks pretty solid! Watching the throws into the submissions like that, does make them look quite effective. Is the uke trying to resist, though? Or is he playing for the commercial?

Dynamic Aikido was a good read, and I fealt that I could work from it, with the experience that I have gained thus far. It also allows one to do like John was suggesting, in picking a specific throw to work on, and then work some variations of it. It sticks to basic throws very well. Total Aikido is much more involved, from what I have read so far. I do like the text, and it covers a lot of the body movements that go along with Aikido. Not so much history, but very much into technique and performance. If you feel up to something more in-depth, then take a peek at it. I like them both. I'm pretty sure you would benefit from them, too. On a side note, I haven't found a text yet that really covers the Aikitaisos that the club I attend uses, but I am beginning to think that they must be something rather unique to that association.

This is a good observation, Joe. I would not have pieced this together, but it makes good sense. I wrote that stuff, not joesteph. Thanks though. Yeah, that was my bad. Sorry about that, ps1. I hadn't seen you in a while; you took me by surprise! Corrections made.

1st dans have the stripe around the bottom of the uniform top. 3rd dans have an instructor stripe around the collar. 4th dans and up have the stripe down the leg. Instructor and Master Instructor patches are optional for 3rd and 5th dans, respectively. Also, at our school, the head instructor takes a picture of us, and a copy of our rank certificate, frames them, and puts them on one of the walls in the dojang.

This is one of the reasons that I would tend to shy away from the junior rank, and it has bothered me in the past. I can't see a reason to test someone twice for the same rank. Now, if the requirements are a bit different, then I can understand things a bit more. But, if this is the case, then what is the difference between this junior rank, and an adult rank of the same requirements, that is a colored belt? Why not just make them both wear colored belts?

I agree with the general consensus here. I think it is good to train a technique like you want to take someone out with one shot. However, you have to also train to chain all of your one-hit-wonders together, just in case it doesn't work.

I don't quite understand what you are looking for in a tournament. If a tournament doesn't use a point system, then how do you judge the competitors? Tournaments are supposed to be displays of superiority of skill against others. If you don't go with points (in sparring), then you have to look into other avenues, which basically leaves the knock-out. That's about it. Perhaps what you are looking for is a seminar, or interschool workout, or something like that. People would be more willing to share information and work with you in a setting like that, as opposed to a tournament setting. Competitions definitely are not for everyone. Although I have done my share, they aren't for me. But I do respect those that can go and compete and do well; it is not an easy thing to do.

Well, I should be able to get an extra post in....

Man, that is quite extensive. I too feel that abandoned places tend to have an aura about them. It makes you think about the past so much.

Ah, thanks. That helps. However, I don't know where you could find the kind you are looking for.

I see what you are saying, Joe, but I still stand by what I stated. However, I see that you are vexed by the rules you have to spar with, and therefore mean kicking good within those parameters. I would not say that heavy lifting with your legs decreased your flexibility; improper stretching exercises (those not conducive to kicking) would have contributed to your flexibility. What I mean to say is that being a good kicker can translate to more than just a sparring medium. I truly think that you can be a good kicker, even if it is only in the self-defense realm of low-line kicking.