bushido_man96

I don't think this is always the case. There are times when a technique and the target can "meet in the middle" and maximize damage. I'll demonstrate this often with hikite using a knife hand strike to the neck. Pulling the attacker into the that strike generates great power into a vital spot, the neck. We do this with the hikite hand holding one of the attacker's wrists. In Aikido we using a pulling hand quite often to aid in the completion of techniques. It isn't necessarily met with a strike all the time (although there are times when it could), but often times it will result in using our other limb to make contact to gain kazushi.

12/11/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Loosening exercises, basic strikes/kicks, back falls (3 levels), some brief internals. Then 5th kyu requirement technique work: Yokomenuchi sokumen iriminage: Omote is decent. I need to focus on the pull-through/twist with the hikite hand. For ura, I need to focus on staying upright in the tenkan. Katatatori kaitennage: we worked this to a shoulder stretch to cool down at the end of class. Unfortunately, the dojo is on winter break and going to Chicago for black belt testings and camp, so I'll be on video study for a little while to supplement.

For one, you should not give up any of your mental health. What kind of divisions and isolation are you speaking about? What kind of opinions are you bringing, in what kind of settings, etc? How many years of training do you have, and what rank do you have currently? By being a mindless follower, are you talking about certain organizations, or organizations as a whole? On a side note, have you seen how many different MA organizations are out there? Division is kind of a thing in the Martial Arts, for better or worse. I would say this; if you enjoy training, keep training. That's what I do. I'm splitting time in three different styles right now, each very different from the other, and I am enjoying it very much. I always see things that I don't necessarily agree with, but I don't bang my head against a wall to get someone to agree with my point-of-view. I take in what they say, work with it, play with it, decide if I like that aspect or not, and if not, I'll move on. If it happens to be something that's a testing requirement, so be it. It's just another thing. If you derive no joy out of it at all, then you should either stop doing it, or approach it like something that is necessary, like taking your medicine (if it is that important or you believe that it is so necessary for self-defense or something like that). For me, it was first and foremost to learn how to defend myself. As I've spent more time in the Martial Arts, I've learned that there is so much more to go along with it. I enjoy the physical challenge, the technical challenges, the camaraderie built between training partners, the community of a school, things like that. If you can make money doing what you love, then power to you. Something like if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life... So, speak to us about this. I'll propose these questions to you: What did you try to make that was different? What was your approach? Your thoughts on why it had to be different? What did you not like about what you were doing? How much experience did you have before you decided things needed to be different? Did you approach others with your thoughts on it, and if so, what was their reaction? Now, I will advise that answering these questions will bring about more conversation on the subject, and to be prepared for all spectrum of replies, as everyone has different experiences. But I think it can lead to a good conversation and help to flesh out your concerns more. I'd love to see this conversation open up. I'd love to see you continue you Martial Arts journey.

Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, and is done for the season. Hopefully he'll be back for the start of the 2026 season. KC definitely has some evaluating to do. They lost another OL today with Moore getting injured; not sure the extent of that injury. Now the bookend tackles are both off the practice squad. It'll likely be Gardner Minshew the rest of the way, and they'll likely have to elevate Victor Oladokun from the practice squad to backup. At least I think he's the practice squad QB.

Is it "playoff Mahomes" that beats him, or is it "playoff Allen" that loses...???? Only time will answer that question, I guess. This could be the year we find out. Allen doesn't have a great defense to rely on, and I'm not sure even he can carry that team through to the AFC title.

If Martial Arts become part of a school curriculum, then it takes the instructor's discretion away on a lot of things. For one, someone that probably doesn't know a thing about Martial Arts training is going to become an arbiter of what is or isn't taught, to what extent, etc, and things could likely get watered down. Then there is the issue of how to approach gradings. Insurance and liability become even bigger issues of concern. The instructor has less ability to control who he/she is teaching; it becomes available to all, especially if it's required. I like to think all kids can benefit from Martial Arts training, but there will be some that will take in the training for the wrong reasons. The idea appears appealing at first glance, but I think there are a lot of things that can go wrong.

12/10/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 10 rounds, 1:20/1:00. Alternated orthodox/southpaw. Rounds 1-4 boxing only. Rounds 5-8 added in kicks. Rounds 9-10 speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack.

That's just the nature of the NFL market. Next guy up is going to get more, possibly more than what others would consider to be the best, just due to the salary cap going up. That's an NFL issue, not necessarily a Cowboys issue. You could be right about him being overpaid, but in my opinion anyone making more money than Mahomes is overpaid. The supporting cast isn't really a good argument, though, because he has a top-tier receiver in Ceedee Lamb (all-pro a few years ago), they just brought in George Pickens, essentially putting to WR1s on the roster. They were able to afford re-signing Micah Parsons, but that all was just a really weird ending due to the way Jones handles things. Their running game could use some improvement, but that can be addressed in future drafts or free agency. Here's a pretty interesting read on comparing Dak with other top QBs in the league: https://insidethestar.com/the-cowboy-way-dak-prescott-vs-top-nfl-quarterbacks Again, if the only thing that matters is Super Bowl titles, then there are several other QBs in that comparison that would be "overpaid" as well, and thus a detriment to their teams and their ability to win a Super Bowl. I'd also lend the example of Andy Reid. He was long considered one of the best coaches in the NFL, but he just couldn't win the Super Bowl, and only made it to one before his time with KC. He just couldn't get it done...until he did. Just because Dak hasn't been to a Super Bowl yet doesn't mean he can't make it to one. I'd also go back to my previous question...what's the answer? Tank in the hopes of being able to draft Fernando Mendoza? Maybe a Ty Simpson if he comes out? We have absolutely no idea what they might be able to do in the NFL. But we do know what Dak can do, and that's what the Cowboys keep leaning on. Anyways, I think I've beaten this dead horse enough. I'll return to my regularly scheduled Chiefs rants!

Congrats @wagnerk!

@DarthPenguin, the other problem is evaluating what a rookie QB might or might not be. If you let someone like Dak go, who's shown that he can compete in the league, to take a chance on a QB that has never played in the league before, it's a pretty big risk. Especially when a coach might not get 2 years to prove he can put a winning team on the field. The issue with tanking is I think the NFL has some rules in place to prohibit that. Besides, look at a team like the Jets that has spent a number of years at the bottom of the league, and had a number of early first round QBs drafted, all for naught. I also think that Cowboys have enough draft capital that they wouldn't necessarily have to tank in order to move up and get a QB if there was one they liked.

Ok, then, what's the solution? I hear lots of people say these kinds of things, but what's the solution? Only one team a year wins the Super Bowl. Do you let a guy like Dak go and take a chance on a rookie? Or go get another veteran that also hasn't won a Super Bowl? Only 2 QBs have won a Super Bowl in the last 5 years. Go get one of those guys? Nope, they're already signed. So now you look at the next tier. Josh Allen? He's won as many as Dak has, but can the Cowboys get him? Doubt it, he's signed for the long-term, too. Joe Burrow? Signed up to be in Cincy. Matthew Stafford? Looks like he could play til he's 40...with the Rams. Lamar Jackson? Not available. You see what I mean? Easy to say, hard to do. Those resources are limited. So, I ask again, should Dallas cut Dak and try to find the next best thing?

I think it would be an interesting criteria to add to an existing testing to see what the student can do, how it would differ, what the focus would be, etc. If they asked for something like that to replace the testing, I would say no. To do it as a supplement to the same test, sure. Seeing how students grow and evolve is the fun part of teaching.

12/1/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 8 rounds, 1:20/1:00. 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus. 2 rounds speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack. My last round of southpaw came after the last round of kicking focus. I thought I got the two rounds done, but I saw I still had an odd number of rounds left. I must have left it out, so did it after the kicking rounds were done.

Thank you @wagnerk!

That's interesting that your hands are in the guard position in your katas prior to striking, yet you use the pulling hand in the two-person drills. I do think the applications make more sense in the two-person drills, and if you are constantly grabbing and pulling on someone, the need to explain it is kind of moot. But to not see it replicated in the forms is interesting.

The problem is, there are only so many "tip tier" QBs out there, and they're all signed. Dak is good enough to lead a franchise for 10+ years, which he is doing. If you can get a QB like that, then you have to and you have to run with him. I think the ownership is more of the problem than the QB. Worse QBs than Dak have won championships.

Not terribly unlikely for the Cowboys to beat the Eagles. It was a division game, and playing a team twice a year, sometimes things go that way.

I'm thumbing through The Odyssey again.

11/22/2025 BJJ: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Open mat. I don't know how many rounds we rolled today, but we did a bunch. There were three of us and we did round robins. A younger guy I hadn't met before showed up. He was quite a bit lighter than me. I did have a pretty good hip throw takedown. I don't recall if it was from an underhook, or if he tried to step behind me to take me down and I was able to keep a base and wrench him back over. I do recall I was really deep with my hips, behind both his legs, and when I threw him I was worried that one of his legs stayed planted and twisted his knee up. Thank goodness that wasn't the case. I also pulled up on the finish so it just wasn't an absolute slam. During a few of the rolls with this kid I was able to get a couple of Americanas going. Didn't quite get them finished, but I was getting close; I know time ran out on at least one of them. The kid was really lanky, too, and had a pretty sticky guard. The other was one of the coaches, I guy who's short and stocky like me. I always struggle against him. He just keeps moving and framing. I need to keep my legs more active. When they stop I lose what decent position I had gained and end up getting sucked back into a guard of some kind. The coach would stop and briefly discuss a few things here and there, but by and large we kept the rounds going, which was great. At the end of the class, he did cover some details on mount and moving up to high mount and isolating an arm.

Could be several reasons. Perhaps there are only a few things an instructor would be willing share with only the most dedicated students, those that are willing to spend years studying under him or her. Perhaps the instructor just doesn't see the value in something and therefore doesn't bother to teach it. Perhaps something better was figured out and that is passed along instead.

11/21/2025 Heavy Bag/Forms Workout: 8 rounds, 1:20/1:00 (first round got interrupted by a phone call). 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus. 2 rounds of speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack. Floor drill: I worked on the "side kick" segment of Choi Yong, focusing on balance on the reverse side kicks. The segments are back to back in the form. I found that if I do a higher side kick chamber on the reverse side kicks as opposed to "buzzing the knee" I tend to keep my balance better. When I chamber and turn into the one-legged stance, I try to bring the knee directly up and across, not let it circle out in front and then come back; trying to make it a good chamber position, and make it sharp. Sitting stance, knife hand block/punch, hands come to hips (come set) and chamber for side kick in one-legged stance, turning the body side on; side kick, then advance to x-stance and reinforced middle block; uncross back foot, reverse side kick, land back stance knife hand strike. Then step up to sitting stance and repeat the segment on the other side.

11/20/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Just me and sensei today. Started with some meditation, during which time I prayed, and then some okinage breathing. Meat of the class was working with the jo, which I had not done in quite some time. We did the 4-hi, 4-low, 8-high, and 8-low two-person drills, then did a few reps of jo kata 1 on both left and right sides.

It sounds like your approach to the Pinans is the same as it was originally, for the youth. I agree with your assessment that if the applications can be found in other kata, then the redundancy just isn't necessary. I'm not a fan of curriculum for curriculum's sake.

Today marks the 24 and a half birthday for KarateForums.com. That is quite a landmark! The fact that this community has lasted for so long is a testament to its members and how we all interact with each other. Sure, there have been ebbs and flows along the way, but by and large, it’s easy to see why this community has stayed active for so long. It’s because we are a community. KarateForums.com is so much more than a collection of random usernames floating about the ether of the internet. Amid a collection of newer members and longtime members, one can see that this is a community nurtured by caring and respect for others. Upon first glance at our community, it would appear that martial arts brought us all here, and one would think that martial arts is what binds us all together. I think it’s much more than that. Martial artists are who we are, and who we are is why we are martial artists. The drive, the determination, the perseverance of sticking with something and making it not just a hobby, but a lifestyle, says something about who we are. And that “something” is also what continues to build this community. All martial artists experience the highs and lows, positives and negatives that come with a lifetime of training in the martial arts. This community, KarateForums.com, has been a pillar of support for those of us who continue along this journey, because community members come here to laugh, cry, exclaim, and gripe about our training, knowing we are coming to an open and honest community that will back each other, guide each other through, and support each other as we navigate “the way.” Whether one has been a student for 30+ years or is a brand new white belt just donning the gi for the first time, KarateForums.com is a collection of like-minded individuals that all share a common set of interests, and I truly see that each and every one of us genuinely cares about everyone else here and the goals that we have. KarateForums.com isn’t just another website; it’s as much a part of my martial arts journey as practicing the martial arts is. I truly believe I am not alone in this. The longevity of KarateForums.com is good proof that this is the case for many others as well. Happy half-birthday, KarateForums.com! Let’s keep it rolling!

If the Raiders want to move on from Carroll, I'm fine with that. They'd be foolish to do so, but I'm ok with it. They apparently don't want to establish any stability, and hiring a third head coach in as many years would help increase their instability all the more. I will say this; I'm not sure Geno Smith was the answer. Maybe it's just a bad year and he can get back to his Seattle form with another off-season of work under Carroll. They are looking at a high draft pick right now, but I'm not sure how many QBs will be available this year. Several of the top college QBs are going to be returning to school next year, mainly because the NIL money is so good. From what I'm hearing it could be Mendoza and Simpson that enter the draft, but even those two could put another year in at college in an attempt to win a championship, and both Alabama and Indiana will probably pay them more for that year than they would make in the first two years of their rookie deals.