bushido_man96

I think that a lot of people probably feel this way about their training, but how do you suppose that is happening? I think that body movement and power generation and other physical aspects that can help with self-protection are worked on, but they don't really focus on self-protection itself.

The story NightOwl shared above makes it sound like it is still around. Just fewer and farther between, maybe.

Oh, ok. Cool. I enjoy the sports programs at the smaller schools. My brother played football at an NAIA school, and I am a season ticket holder at the DII school here in my home town. I have an appreciation for these programs, and I think they provide great entertainment. Which NAIA school? My cousin coach at Western Montana, a NAIA school. I was recruited by a bunch of them up in that area. D2, NAIA, and D1AA are more competitive than people think. We are big enough to give scholarships, so we get everyone that just missed D1 programs- which can be some amazing talents, especially after developing. That is cool to hear that you support the small school football programs. He attended a very small, private school in the Kansas Christian Athletic Conference, Kansas Wesleyan University out of Salina, KS. He was a starter his senior year, and was a 245 lb. center. They won their conference his senior year, and they went to the NAIA playoffs, but lost in the first round to Evangel University over by St. Joseph, Missouri. They had a pretty decent team, but they couldn't really compete with Evangel, because the way that the KCAC conference is set up doesn't give a lot of support or scholarships for athletes. It is very much extracurricular for them. They had funds where they could get full coverage for some good position players, but most of the players only got partial scholarships. Even though, there were some great memories from watching him play there, and it was a good time. He truly enjoyed it. I hope that your Shotokan classes go well for you. Hopefully soon, you will be posting about your training experiences!

I would begin by speaking with the rec center about what you would like to do, and what you plan to offer. Come up with an intinerary and a sample class plan, and tell them what your goals and objectives are. The advice given above is good as well. There will be scheduling conficts to deal with, but they will work with you. There are lots of clubs around the U.S. that get their start this way, so think positive, and see what comes around. Good luck to you!

Does anyone have any experience with the AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association)? It is led by Grandmaster Hee Il Cho. I have heard of it, but never seen or talked with anyone involved with the organization.

Those sound like good explanations as well.

I don't really agree with this assessment. I think that BJJ gyms begin to look this way, because of the prevelance of BJJ in the MMA sports. However, if you read anything by Helio Gracie, he will tell you that he was not athletic, and he modified the moves of his brother's Judo to work better for him, since he was not a strong, overpowering person. We hear this kind of thing a lot with the Martial Arts in general; proclaimed to help the weaker person beat the stronger person. Now, we see what happens when strong people begin to do the training as well. I agree that being athletic will help; that will help in many endeavors. But I don't think that the gym survival is as universal as you describe.

You bring up some good questions there. I think that the hook and uppercut, in general, are circular, because the energy is coming around in an arc, although it may be a tight one. I think that the uppercut has a tight arc, but it is still there. The interesting thing about the jab/cross combinations is that the punches are linear, but the footwork that generates power for the punches seems to be circular in nature. Very good points to bring up!

If you do a lot of jumping, make sure that you are not landing flat-footed. Land on the balls of your feet first, and then let the rest of your foot get to the floor.

Oh, ok. Cool. I enjoy the sports programs at the smaller schools. My brother played football at an NAIA school, and I am a season ticket holder at the DII school here in my home town. I have an appreciation for these programs, and I think they provide great entertainment.

I am 29, and I have had the creaky knee problem, too. The glucosimine pills have helped a bit.

I have never had a problem with lint. I just wash it with other whites or light colors, and then dry in the dryer.

This is how I teach/explain it: start by doing a side kick, but instead of coming straight off the hip, you kick at a 45 degree angle, then, you rechamber it like a round kick, and I pull the heel of my kicking foot all the way back to my butt. I also make sure to drive the heel through the target, and finish with an exaggerated round kick rechamber motion. Hope that helps, and isn't too confusing. Pictures would help, but I don't know if I can do anything like that.

1. Perhaps you need to spend more time sparring with others to correct this problem. Is the sparring you do with your sifu a bit slower? 2. If you are sparring naturally, then I don't think I would worry about changing much, especially if you are successful. Just keep working on refining your technique in practice, and try to add one or two things at a time in your training, so you don't get overwhelmed. 3. When you talk about fighting in general, you are talking about trying to thrive in chaos. When you do this, you can't just bend every situation to your will, and then execute your perfect technique. I think that MMA tends to mimic this "chaos" rather well. Don't worry about looking good, just worry about effectiveness.

I have viewed an ICHF DVD called "Combat Throws," and the throws were all based on the lack of garment grabs to facilitate the throw. It was a very interesting DVD, but I have not worked with too many of them yet. I have done some throwing in which I don't use much clothing grabbing, but it is there in case I want to grab it. What does everyone think of the adaptation of throws to not using the garments?

I've heard that one before, apparently though its not true (click) and there is evidence for its use in Roman and Greek times. I had seen that similar story before as well.

That's not such a bad thing. I think those are interesting ideas that you point out. Do you think, however, that fighting inside/outside is due more to preference than style? For example, I have heard that there are Boxers who like to fight inside, and those who like to fight outside. I imagine the same is for some Thai fighters. Do you think this is true? Also, do you think that fighting inside gives makes circular strikes (elbows, uppercuts, hooks) more applicable, and fighting outside tends to lend itself to more linear motions? Just curious as to what your opinion on this is.

Cool. Thanks for sharing. DII, or DI school?

You may want to get your knees checked out, and begin taking glucosimine/chongroident. That may help.

Since I know little about TSD, both you and John have been very helpful, and I enjoy listening to you both. I still think you are a closet TSD practitioner you just don't know it yet BTW, anyone can call me John. When I get my MD, you can call me Doc if you want. But even if I get a 4th, I'll still be just John. Hehe, you may be right!!!

Yeah, you're right, he should try and do more equal work out on both legs to be completely perfect, uhh..even though I'm probably not as good as him, I do try and keep both legs even. Yeah, me too. I try not to be dominant with one side. It can make you predictable. That is one thing I did like about the ATA forms; everything got repeated on both sides.

I would think that spending time on those in class would be a focal point, especially if they are testing material. Maybe you can spend some extra time after the class to memorize them, working with some partners.

This is a good point. He did have his flaws, and when everyone mentions Bruce Lee, many people dance around the issues regarding his passing. I think it is important to understand these things as well.

ps1 has some good points. I too believe that he was a bit on the brash side, but he was a hard worker, and never settled for second best. I believe that the eventually would have wanted to act in a movie that was not Martial Arts based, and may have wanted to eventually take on an Oscar-worthy role. I too think he would have been open minded and receptive to this day.