bushido_man96

I agree. Anonymous is the way to go. People will be more open that way.

You could have them roll from section to section as well, if you practice rolling or breakfalls. Forward roll to one station, back roll to the next, etc. to shake things up. Have a blocking station, a target pad station for hand techniques, a blaster for flying kicks maybe. The possiblilities are quite endless.

10-2-08 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. Two classes a week feels pretty good. Tonight I got to do quite a bit of sparring work. We did some technique drills that work on endurance and targeting, and then sparred, when we were good and tired. A high school kid that is a 3rd dan made it back to class after some long hiatus, and we got to spar. He was tired out, like I was, and I couldn't get any kicks on him. So, if reverted to punching, which worked rather well. I made it a point to target the patches on his uniform, and we had a pretty good time with it.

I think that not locking out is the big key here. Punches tend to be the worst culprit. Ridge hand strikes to a bag can also be a culprit. Always focusing on technique first is the way to go.

9-30-08 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. Tonights class was pretty good. We did a lot of extra basics, including a combination that contained two spinning kicks, consecutive. After busting out the first 3, I really started to sag afterwards. I obviously need a bit more work, as far as physical fitness goes.

9-29-08 Chest/triceps Dumbell bench press: 60x10, 70x8, 75x6 Triceps push-downs: 105x10, 120x6, 135x4 Back/biceps/shoulders Shoulder press: 95x10, 8, 6 Lat pull down: 96x10, 10, 10 Arm curl machine: 45x6, 5, 4 Legs Leg press: 263x10, 274x10, 286x10 Leg extension: 95x15, 15, 15 Leg curls: 160x15, 145x15, 15 Hip abduction: 100x10, 10, 10 Hip adduction: 100x10, 10, 10 Abs Decline crunches: 3x15 Combat Hapkido: 10:30 - 11:10. Worked on red belt curriculum again, and it is getting better. We also finished up with a bit of our Aikido stuff, too.

I think the only reason the Kukki exists is to provide dan ranking certification for Olympic competition purposes, along with training officials, and setting up the competition requirements.

I agree. I fall into this school of thought as well. Striking first helps to seperate the mind from the body, allowing you to procede with the technique.

It sounds to me like you have quite a dilema, KCshuffle. If you can't meet the testing requirements for a rank in an organization, then you most likely won't be testing. You may have to take some time to adapt your sparring if that is something that you really want. However, couldn't you test for the rank in one of the knockdown styles that you practice in? That might be the easier way to go.

I agree that focus on bagwork can help to improve your power. If you have good hip motion, then staying relaxed to enhance your speed, while tightening at the end of the technique may help.

I focus on the chest and shoulder area, as well. I try not to zone in, but to just keep my eyes there, and see everything around moving, too.

I think this is a good summation of these styles. If you really dig into the systems, you can find bits and pieces of practicality that are usable for today. Or, say you have a broomstick to defend yourself with...it can be used in many ways that a sword can, when it comes to parrying attacks and counterstriking. The practical uses for today are much more limited, though. It really isn't much different than the study of bo, kama, sai, etc.

Yeah, like 14+ years of TKD = my knees hurt a lot....

I think this is true of wrist locks. As my instructor has had us go into them more, I've realized counters that the supposedly controlled opponent can utilize quickly, turning the tables on you, meaning to me that in a real-life situation, I'm not going to control through the wrist, I'm going to break it. Taking this a bit further, I prefer the term joint manipulation as opposed to lock or break. When you attempt to manipulate/control a joint, like the wrist, then it is up to the person who is being manipulated to go along with the controller, so as to not cause a break. But, as the controller, you always have the option of breaking, should you get them to the proper spot where they can no longer move with the manipulation to relieve pressure.

By and large, however, the MMA realm has done a very good job of regulating their fights, from the rules put in place to the training of the officials, and there haven't been a lot of terrible things that have happened in MMA. We see professional football players get paralyzed every year or so. Nothing happens in the MMA with as much regularity.

When you use the string hanging from the ceiling fan as a round kicking target.

Looks like there are good possiblilities there. Might have to check it out.

Shoto4life: is this the first time that you feel that this instructor affected a testing result of yours? If it is, then why do you suppose he has it out for you?

This used to be something that happened more often in the West. The old man would take the kids out in the yard, or the basement, or into the garage, and teach them the "basics" of fighting. Keep your hands up, punch straight out, etc., etc. I believe that this used to happen more, but doesn't really happen so much anymore. Did your dad ever teach you how to fight? I remember when I was younget that my dad would spend some time with us on different aspects of defending ourselves. I think it is something that should be rekindled, too. I hope to do the same with my son.

I think the more venues they can get into, the better. It sounds like they have the makings of a great card there, too.

As far as striking goes, I think those PKA guys could hang with most of the MMAers out there today. The grappling aspect would be another story. However, if they would have spent time on it, they would have a shot. It was cool to see a few spin backs in there. Its a good kick, if you can work your strategy to land it.

I hope that I get the time to watch. I'll be looking forward to watching Slice fight. He's fun to watch. I also like Arlovski.

Hehe, no joke. I still have two more vehicles to clean out. I have been working out this week, but I keep forgeting my notes at home. I'll get them posted up soon.

Yeah, I post my workouts and observations of training over yonder. Unfortunately, last weekend was Octoberfest weekend, and here, that is a big deal. So, we didn't have class, as both the Sensei and the Sempai were out of town. I'll get back to class this weekend on Saturday morning, though. I did order a few books on Aikido, though, and have been thumbing through them. I work some of it in when we have our Hapkido sessions, too.

Keep us posted, Dobbersky. I hope all goes well for you.