bushido_man96

I don't think it has anything to do with being popular but everything to do with being effective. All any striker had to do was watch UFC 1 to realize this. Some TKD guys looked at this and said, "Hey, we have a great systme for striking and kicking. But look what happens if we get taken down by a good wrestler. We need to do something about this." So, they decided to intergrate some ground fighting into the system. I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to get better.

When it comes to material, I just work on what I need to know for the upcoming testing, and then worry about new material for the next belt. Less confusion that way.

I would disagree here. I think that you can take something from each. I also wonder how much different a TKD punch and a Karate punch would be. Maybe one chambers at the hip, and the other at the rib, but in the end, you do the same punch. As for the kicks, there may be different chamber positions, but the leg will still go out and back; you just might start it differently. In the end, I think you still have the same basic component parts.

That does help. It makes think of what I have heard called a "snapping" kick as opposed to a "thrusting" kick. Would that be a good analogy? I also understand what you are saying about the importance of the chamber position when kicking. Most of the kicks we do have the chamber position, except for the spinning heel kicks, and some people choose to do the crescent kicks straight legged. I prefer to chamber them, however.

Thanks for the videos. That looks like a crazy kind of choke!

Very nice. Maybe I can get some help there from time to time. My grappling really stinks, and needs some serious work.

That sounds like a great training opportunity. That is great. We don't get many opportunities like that through my area.

Accomplishing this is just so hard to do in general. You can get a little bit of it by using yelling in your training, grabbing and pushing someone around, and some other little things you can do here and there to "liven" things up a bit. A friend of mine and I work with Hock's system, and he really likes it. I am beginning to like it as well. One of the main themes behind the RBSD systems is keeping everything as simple as possible. Not a lot of complex moves, but lots of gross-motor movements and the like. That is why they can get people to go for a 4 hour seminar once every 4 or 6 months, and then come back and work off what they had before. Now, it doesn't always work this way, but for the most part, it is the aim. Now, what you say about the MMA gym training I also tend to agree with. Being able to fight like that will give you a distinct advantage in self-defense, too.

That would be a great idea. With the set-up you described, it would probably be a good opportunity for you and your school. You would also show something else to the people watching, something that might make more sense to them. Challenge them to a duel? If he did that, he would have to join their organization first.

I don't know that I would say that they specialize in working with children, but they do have programs that are geared towards children in particular, and they seem to be the most popular age attracted to the ATA schools, because of that reason. They do have some very good adult programs, too. Another thing that would stand the ATA out from GKR is their system for certifying instructors. In the ATA, you have to be at least a 2nd degree, I think, and you must complete a certain amount of hours as a trainee instructor before attending certification camp to become a certified instructor.

That's where I met my wife! However, when my wife and I started dating, it took the instructor about 2 weeks to figure it out, and he didn't figure it out in class. He saw us at the local bowling alley together one night, and that is how he found out. I think you are right, and the sensei should have probably mentioned something to the couple about their demeaner while at class.

There is actually a DVD set out that has the whole franchise on it. I have looked into it, but haven't bought it.

When you start making these kinds of assumptions when going into a fight on the street, you are setting yourself up for problems. You have to be willing to do what you have to do to get out of the situation. Discounting a technique because it could be viewed as "dirty" or "dishonorable" can likely leave you on the bad end of the stick. Most likely, your attacker is not holding such compassion or upholding such ideals for your sake.

I would start by interviewing some local law enforcement officers on how they view fighting in general. What they see when they arrive, how they approach the fighters, interview processes, etc. Then, I would ask some attorneys questions involved with defending someone who defended themselves. Understanding the use-of-force ladder will also be handy for your paper, as well. As for cases on the subject; I am of no help there. Talking to some attorneys may help you to find some, though. Good luck with your paper!

By lowering the weight back down slowly, it recruits more muscle fibers, thus working the muscles more. The more fibers you recruit, the more explosion that you can develop. Doing the motion slow is not going to make you slow. However, supplementing this kind of weight training with other explosive exercise training can help you get the results that you are looking for.

I remember a long time ago seeing a book that talked about making homeade MA equipment. I can't remember the title, though. I'm sure you could find it on book sites if you just look long enough.

I think that Tae Kyon was mentioned as the style used by the Hwa Rang warriors, but whether or not the style of today and what was trained in then is the same cannot be stated for certain. There is so little out there about the ancient Korean styles that it makes it hard to determine what was actually trained, and what has been fabricated to try to seperate TKD from the Karate that most of the older masters (Gen. Choi included) learned.

When I was still in the ATA, they had ground fighting through the Protech programs. I think some of the instructors that they had researching and setting up the grappling program went through the Gracie System, but I am not for sure. I think it is great that they make this a requirement now. I would love to see how it is run, though, before I jumped into it. What do you cover in the ground fighting?

In TKD, the "whip kick" that I have seen is what I have called a hook kick in the past. What does your version look like?

It sounds like you got to have some fun, anyway. Perhaps ps1 is right, and you can work something out with training with them. I was wondering, though; what exactly is the gogo-plata?

The ATA tends to get a bad wrap a lot of the times. Most of this comes from their kids programs and promotions, and the contract signings. However, you have to evaluate each school on an individual basis, before making a decision. As for the other school, I had not heard as much of them. I think I have read about them briefly, but have never seen anything else on them.

That would be a great idea. With the set-up you described, it would probably be a good opportunity for you and your school. You would also show something else to the people watching, something that might make more sense to them.

Yeah, that is pretty much what I was thinking, too, Montana.

The high kick is another tool. It can be useful, as some have mentioned, but timing and opportunity are important in the situation. Being able to do both is a good thing, I think. You just have to be careful and pick your spots. A high kick is much easier to grab and stop than a low kick that is outside of the reach of the arms.

You should look into the Concealed/Carry courses around. Also, talk with local law enforcement about doing something such as this.