bushido_man96

lol yeah, its like a Boy Scout badge collection, where you can say "yeah, i got this bruise for....." they're like mini trophies telling you you did good. Hehe, badges, that sounds good! The only thing about them is that since they wear off, we have to keep re-earning them!

I think that $130 per month is a little extreme. I would not pay that much. However, $28 for a belt test is decent, compared to what I have seen in the past. One thing you can do is search out other schools in your area, and watch and see how things are done. Compare the schools, ask questions, and then narrow your choices down to what you think you will like best, and go from there. If this is the only place in town, then you may be stuck.

This is interesting. I was in Songham TKD a number of years ago. But what is this "Side Kicks TKD?" I am just curious.

Well, I can't help you with Sensei Koyama, but I can welcome you to the KarateForums! I hope you enjoy your training!

A-Train makes a good point. Tell us some of your interests, and some of hers, and then we could help out more.

I love the tonfa, but they take a little while to get the hang of. You can strike, punch or hook with them. You can also use them as a leverage tool for grappling. As for the kama, I wouldn't put much stock into the flashy "twirl and toss" katas, but they still look like a lot of fun. Have you seen the tonfa-like weapons that are used in Krabi Krabong? They looked very nice, and seem to be a bit longer than the tonfa, and much wider. They are called the mai sok.

Congrats!!! That's a pretty good jump. Your instructor must be very impressed with your performance.

Thats fine, but unless your Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, or fighting under the same conditions they do, then him being able to stomach kick people in a ring doesnt do a great deal to prove the effectiveness of body kicks for self defense purposes. If you are that big and that strong, then you might get away with throwing one on the street. However, professional athletes are more often than not the exception, rather than the rule.

I agree with you here, and one of the things that the show has done a good job with is searching out various "sub-styles" that are in the same line of the style headlining that week's show. Like for Muay Thai, they also sought out some Krabi Krabong, and some other sub-style as well. For the stick fighting, they looked at a few different of styles there, as well. I think that for the Karate episode, they will look into a few popular styles, and maybe 1 or 2 more obscure styles, and then go from there. I want to see the big guy get into a match at the end of one of these episodes soon! However, with his background being in wrestling, he may get used more for the grappling stuff.

I was reading an article in my latest Black Belt Magazine, and one of the articles was talking about kicking, and stated that rear-leg kicking should never be done in fights or in training. This kind of took me off guard. I do believe that kicking with the back leg is sound strategically. The key, I think, is choosing the right kick. A back leg round kick to the thigh is a very good kick. A back leg front kick to the low-line levels can be a great kick, too. Now, a back leg side kick may be a kick that takes too long to get going, and I can understand not wanting to use a kick like that in self-defense. However, some kicks can generate quite a lot of power from the back leg position. I think the key is smart training, and to not be overly elaborate when defending yourself.

These are some of the thoughts that I have had, myself. Being fit definitely improves quality of life. I also think being strong helps in self-defense a lot.

I do enjoy both shows. However, you are correct in stating that TUF is much more dynamic. I enjoy the all-encompassing feel of the MMA style of fighting, and the public has taken very well to it, as well. I can appreciate both, however. Not everyone is like that, though.

I think that, historically, Zen principles were added to training later on. The training was there first, and then some Zen principles were added to it, in order to mold the warriors. Which I think is a good thing, but, it shows that the fighting principles where their first.

I do like the ball of the foot. The only problem that I have noticed when striking with the ball of the foot, however, is that some angle is usually required with the target in order to strike solidly with the ball. I notice this when board breaking, but it may not be as tough when striking a surface that is not as flat as a board.

This is where professional fighters have an advantage...they can almost always get some footage on their opponents, or they can scout them out some way, and then modify their training accordingly. That advantage just does not exist for the street. Unless you fight the same people over and over again.

I thought that Ong-Bak was about Thai Boxing? Or does it contain both?

Its not just about how hard you can hit, its knowing where and when to hit. He had great timing and strategy, as well. He was a good fighter, and actually contended for a time. You make some good points here. However, buy getting stronger and faster, then you technique is rewarded even further. Being strong, and having good technique, will benefit over just technique.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately, and I have also been doing some Close Quarter Combatives with an LEO friend of mine, and I have to say that I have discovered that the use of the palm is very universal. There are lots of purposes that it serves. I still like the punch, but I definitely respect the uses of the palm heel now, too.

Summed up very well. I think it has to do with the fact that we do something that not everyone else is willing to subject themselves to, and only we can really understand what these bruises mean to us. In a way, they are also like feedback from training!

Not to mention it allows you to practice your techniques and get a good workout at the same time... Martial arts multitasking? Haha, there ya go!!!

I agree with a lot of what you said and am now asking you: what are you going to do to fix that? I ran a school in a local park for about 2 years and did not charge anyone. I even promoted people in rank there and did not charge. Are you willing to do the same? bat If I started to teach in an organized fashion, I would charge. I feel that if I am going to offer services, then compensation would be the reward. Now, I don't think I could charge enough to make a living, but I don't think I would teach for free, in my own school.

This is how I see it done, too. It can drive those of us who are technical about these things crazy, but they are just doing it for the exercise, as you mentioned. Tae Bo is bad about it, too. I have done exercise like this in the past, and I have always felt that my workouts benefited much more than the others, because I concentrated on using my good, proper technique, as opposed to the sloppy stuff. It sure does make you tired! However, when the techniques are done right, you tend to be more efficient. Therefore, they could work out longer.

One of the hosts did make metion as to how the weapon moves translate to empty hand, and I kind of liked that. Very useful, with a weapon, or without.

The ATA sparring that I remember was always light contact.

I would buy into this idea, but there are fighting styles, concepts, principles, etc., that came from and have existed in other parts of the world for as long as history goes back. Fighting didn't come from Japan alone. Therefore, I don't feel that only Japanese terms (or those of another language) are the only way to explain a principle.