bushido_man96

I agree, set up is key for any technique. I also feel that the back leg round kick to the thigh is a great kick, and it can be quite debilitating. A back leg front kick into the knee can be, as well.

Make sure to get warmed up really good. If you aren't doing a MA class that night, get on a bike or a treadmill for 20 minutes. Then, work spits to the front and each side. Also work seated stretches, with one leg extended, and the other tucked to the inside of the stretched leg. Butterfly stretch is good, too. Standing with feet together, and bend at the waist, try to touch your toes. These are just a few examples. Hold each stretch for around 1 minute if you can, and do 3 reps of each.

That's cool. Sometimes it is good to revist something that you haven't done in a while, like a board break. Have fun training at your new place!

A little is an understatement, I'm amazed he made it as far as he did. Thank god the UFC is starting to get some good fighters, and not just poster boys like Lidell and Franklin. his form is very intentional. He teaches seminars on how to throw those same punches. he uses an unorthodox overhand. Not a big deal. When it comes to fighting, results are far more important than form. When you get into the mix, technique is likely to slip some. When two people are moving around, the other trying to avoid getting hit by you, then you have to make adjustments, whether it be in technique, strategy, or whatever. Bad technique or not, his success speaks for itself.

In some reading that I have done on Muay Thai, I had come across the fact that they don't bob and weave much. They parry and move side to side more and slip. I guess that would be the way to go.

I would jump at the chance to learn BJJ. I would go check out the orientation, and then ask about price again. I have heard that it is quite challenging physically, and should fit your needs as far as that goes.

That is a good quote. I have read about Teddy Roosevelt, and we was kind of a rough-houser. He actually moved some of the funiture aside in a White House room once so that he and a friend could have a cudgel match together! He also had a black belt in judo, I believe.

I think I would even go so far as to say that Pankration was the original MMA.

Yeah, there isn't much behind those punches. Apparently the only requirements were to make contact with a closed fist. I also agree with you and Ed as for the aerobics kickboxing; when they say they do it, they should say that it is aerobic kickboxing/boxing.

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?