bushido_man96

Thanks for sharing those pics. It is cool to see others at work.

Thats why its far more practical to be aware that the a-dump will occur and prepare for that rather than attempt to by-pass it, which is near impossible unless you have been involved in so many life threatening situations and survived that you no longer fear such things, even then the element of surprise is always present and can cause an a-dump. So for the average joe who cant spend 5 days a week training trying to by-pass the a-dump is far from practical. I agree, cross. However, even in scenario training, it won't be the same as it will be in reality. You can get close, though, and the closer, the better.

These are the fun kind of sessions you can have. When I was in JuCo, my high school had a foreign exchange student from Germany, who was Korean, and his father was the German National Coach. Working out with him was fun, and I even let him use the floor space in my school to give private lessons to a few students. He was a great guy, and I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him.

Quality can be seen in technique. That is the most obvious place to see it. It isn't the only place, but it is a good place to start. When you look at varying ranks, you should be able to see the difference between their skill levels. An even better judge of this kind of quality can/should be recognizable from watching a class of students that are not wearing any belts at all. One should be able to tell who is closer to which rank, by watching how they do moves, how they focus, and how their demeanor in the class is. What should not happen is this: two months in rank, then test. Two more months, then test again. The time spent in rank should be evaluated, per student, to see if they are meeting certain requirements as to their level of skill. Now, I am not saying that each one has to be a superior tournament competitor in order to be allowed to continue on. Some will be good in competition, and some will not. However, certain skills can be evaluated in order to see if they should be allowed to test for promotion or not.

I think that gzk has a good estimate. I would tend to think that TKD is probably at the top of the list as far as popularity goes, with the sheer advantage coming from the vast amounts of children's programs that seem to be the trademark of lots of TKD schools.

I think that striving for good technique is a great thing, and should be a focal point in schools. However, dishing out push-ups for performing a technique incorrectly is not on the right track. Everyone is different, and everyone is going to have different learning curves. Expecting a white belt to perform a move like a high rank, and then giving them push-ups for not doing so, is not the right way to do things, in my opinion. As far as being struck in a "corrective" manner for not performing a technique correctly...that is a very bad way of doing things. If I was getting struck for performing a technique wrong, I would be like to strike back, regardless of rank. I feel that I come from a technically sound school. When we go to testings and tournaments, I can see the difference between the way our students perform against others from schools in our organization. It gives you a sense of pride, and it challenges me to continue to improve. And we do it without assigning push-ups or anything like that all that often.

Good points on Tyrion, even the description. I felt the somersault was odd, as well, as he does nothing else like it again. You are correct on Ned's quote. As for Dany, I feel better about her as well. I have also softened my stance towards Jaime, too. It is weird, but I have to keep reminding myself what he did to Bran...

That is a nice idea, Montana. Not a thing wrong with that!

Way to go, Rich! Guess that shiner reminds you to keep your hands up, eh?

This exercise is very good for working on kinesthetic awareness. I should do it more often, as well.

Those are good points, cross. As I said, I don't disagree. I just think there can be more than one way to do it. Crossing the arms prior to blocking can be seen as a cover, as well. I know that Abernethy demonstrates it in this fashion.

7-13-07 Legs Phyio ball curls: 3x10 One-leg press: 113x10x3 sets each leg Calf raises: 126x10x3 sets Shoulders/biceps Push-up and row: 30x8, 30x8, 30x8 Dumbbell shoulder press: 30x10, 35x10, 40x10 45 Deg. biceps curl machine: 35x10x3 sets Forearms Wrist curls: 3x20x20 lbs. Grip machine: 3x10x20 lbs. Abs Physio ball crunches: 3x15 PAINFUL!!! Side raises: 2x20x30 lbs. Solo Workout 4:50 - 5:30 Back leg round kicks: 10 each leg, 3 sets on heavy bag Gae Baek hyung: 3 times, between above sets Front leg 45 deg angle round kick: 10 each leg, 3 sets on heavy bag Kwang Gae hyung: 3 times, between above sets Stretch: Front/side splits: 3x20 sec; Seated front/side splits: 2x20 sec; Butterfly: 2x20 sec; Reverse hurdler: 2x20 sec; Both feet forward: 2x20 sec.

Training with chambered arms develops muscle memory for chambering your arm, how that is useful i still dont understand. Weight training does build muscle memory as well. However, we don't condone the movements done in weight training because they do not relate to self-defense. I am not saying you are wrong, cross. However, we can adapt moves as we move along. It may be putting the cart before the horse, or it may not. You lift weights through a whole range of motion in order to gain strength through the whole range of motion. Performing the traditional moves this way helps to do the same thing. They can be shortened, but you do have to practice them that way as well.

...Do you always have to be right? (except for Currency converting lol) ...hes right. I am not always right! Believe me; not even close!

Making money in the MA is not the problem. The problem arises when instructors and school owners care more about the quantity of the bodies that they put into their classes and tests, as opposed to the qualitiy of those that they are teaching. When everyone tests, even though some are not ready, and the like...those things bring down that image.

That sounds great. Have fun!

I can see the issue here, and I understand the frustrations of those attending and paying for the head instructor's knowledge. The head instructor needs to realize this, and try to find a balance to make everyone happy. Students and parents should also realize that the head instructor is not likely to be around forever, and therefore, in order for things to carry on, and eventually to phase in changes, these things have to happen.

What exactly are you referring to? Do you mean the most popular styles around today, as far as attendance? Or are you referring to something else? I like the quote in the signature, by the way!

A Game of Thrones; Jon We get descriptions of the Stark family, and the Baratheon family. Starks: Robb, Rickon (youngest, 3), Bran, Sansa (12), Arya. We also meet Benjen Stark, Ned's younger brother, and a Man of the Night's Watch. We also meet Theon Greyjoy, the ward of Ned Stark. Baratheons: Joffery, Myrcella (nearly 8 ), Tommen. All are blond haired, blue eyed, like the Lannisters. Lannisters: Cersei and Jaime (twins, Jaime known as the Kingslayer); Tyrion, known as the Imp. Short and deformed, much like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, is the way I view him. Jon describes each of these as they walk by, and he is very observant, reading into each as they walk and act; even his own family members. Benjen notes that Jon is keen, and says he would be great on the Night's Watch. Jon expresses his desire to go, but Benjen expects he doesn't know what it really requires, the duty of the Wall. Jon does not sit with the rest of the family, but he does not mind. After speaking with Ben, he is flustered (and has drank too much), and leaves the hall. Key notes/events: Jon meets and speaks with Tyrion. We learn that Tyrion is not shy, but is brusque, and also perhaps as observant about things as Jon is. He knows who Jon is, as well. Ghost, Jon's direwolf pup, is leary of Tyrion, and may be just as observant as the two of them are. Also...during the feast, Jon makes note of a singer he can barely hear, up near the front of the hall. This is a prominent figure...

A Game of Thrones; Eddard Robert and his court arrive in Winterfell. With him are Cersie (Robert's wife) and Jaime Lannister, twins, and the younger brother, Tyrion. Eddard and Robert have a hearty reunion. Ned notices that Robert has put on much weight since the last time they were together, putting down Balon Greyjoy's last rebellion, upon which Balon's son Theon became Ned's ward/hostage. Key events/notes: Upon arrival, Robert asks to be taken to the Crypts of Winterfell, where he pays respects to Ned's sister Lyanna, who apparently died as a result of something Prince Rhaegar Targaryen was responsible for. Robert defeated Rhaegar in battle at the Trident. Lyanna and Robert were to be wedded. Brandon, Ned's older brother, was also ordered put to death by the Mad King Aerys Targaryen, while his father Rickard was forced to watch. Brandon was betrothed to Catelyn; Ned wed her in his stead. Jon Arryn's death set on quick and mysteriously, and Lysa, Arryn's wife (Cat's sister) and her sickly son of 6 fled to the Eyrie. Robert asks Ned to come be the Hand of the King in Jon's place, the highest office of the land, next to King. He also asks to betroth Ned's daughter Sansa to his son, Joffery.

I see the points that you are making, cross. All the maneuvers that RBSD instructors do and teach are very well and good. However, that doesn't mean that other options are not every available. In the post where I describe the hard block, I am not describing it in the traditional MA manner, so to speak. I am describing an arm movement that originates from the "oh, crap" position (which is, I think you will agree, the position that most confrontations originate from), and then moves to stop the attack. It does not necessarily terminate in a "high block position" or a "middle block position;" it just terminates. This could be a jamming move, as well. It doesn't have to be attack specific. It is just a modified movement, similar to other hard movements. In the Close Quarter Combatives that I have trained (an RBSD style, for all intents and purposes), many of the defenses originate with the block/pass/pin drill. This is what I see as a very shaved-off traditional type of block; as much as it can be after the modification.

I think that I may have seen that clip before. It looks like a good time!

I agree with you. It is just going to depend on the person. Everyone is different, and their attitudes are affected by their goals and ideals.

TKD, 14 years. Combat Hapkido, maybe a little over a year and a half. Close Quarter Combatives, around 6 months, maybe. SCA Combat, around a year.

I was not thinking like a Boxer (although, that may not be a bad thing). I thought that the way I described the process made it sound like the block was a very hard motion, terminating in a solid position, intercepting the attack in a very solid manner. The off-hand does stay in Boxer-like guarding position, however, that is where the Boxing similarities end. The reason that I stated the original position of the hand the way that I did is because when you get jumped, you are not likely going to be able to start from your standard MA class fighting stance. Therefore, your hand starts from where ever it is.