bushido_man96

I am glad you got things checked out. How long for recovery?

Your description makes it sound as if punching after being punched is a bad thing. When you state that it is revenge, it sounds, I don't know, like you don't like it, or agree with it. I am just curious if that is what you feel. Thanks in advance.

I agree with you here. It is one thing to say you will "block and counter," when in actuality, you may not have the chance to see the attack coming.

Those are some of my sentiments as well. I will have to look at the article again later, and I will list the items for each.

All of those components that you listed would be involved. I am not saying that all of them would have to top-tier, but all would help.

Heheh, not exactly how I meant it!

Do you do any different types of sparring early on in order to get the students geared up for the harder sparring?

Do you think that the term "defense," or even "self-defense," is the terminology of a victim? If you think about the conotation of the word(s), I can see where this perception could come from. As many of you may have seen, I am a proponent of the pre-emptive strike. Many would not associate the pre-emptive strike with the terminology of self-defense; many would consider it an attack, an initiative. I think that attacking in the initiative, if you can sense the threat, is the best option, when the time comes. If self-defense is deemed reactionary, then do you think the term is also related to the term "victim?"

I read an article recently discussing the level of importance for the average Martial Artist training for self-defense. There was a list of needs listed for two different Martial Arts types; the MMA fighter, and the average practitioner, wanting self-defense. In the lists, the priority for conditioning and endurance was rated very high for the MMA fighter. Obviously so, in my opinion. There are several reasons why I couldn't compete in an MMA ring at this time, and those are two of them. However, in the list for the average self-defense minded stylist, physical fitness was not on the list (albeit the lists were only 4 items in length for each). I am not really sure what to make of this. I don't think that the fitness level of the typical MMA fighter is mandatory for every Martial Artist training out there to have, I do feel that some level of fitness is of great importance when it comes down to defending one-self. For one thing, the body wears out fast after the adrenaline dump, especially if you have never experienced it before. Also, being in shape in order to deliver resounding strikes would have its benefit as well. What does everyone else think of the importance of physical fitness for self-defense? I don't think that the article was denouncing the importance of fitness altogether, but I do think it to be important enough to make the 4-item list.

A Game of Thrones: Arya Although there aren't a lot of key events that happen in this chapter, we do learn a little bit about a few people. This is our first real encounter with Arya, the nine year old sister of the Stark children. She looks more like the Starks than the Tullys, and she always felt somewhat alienated for it. For this reason, she always felt close to Jon. We learn that Sansa is the perfect young lady; she is pretty, and does things elegantly, like sew, write poetry, etc. She seems the stereotypical queen-to-be. Arya is rough around the edges, and wants to do more of what the men do, than the ladies. She even expresses an interest in learning swordplay. This figures in later. Key Event: Arya goes to watch the boys fight in the yard. There, we learn some things about Prince Joffery's attitudes. He is arrogant, pompous, and likes to belittle people. Apparently, he and Robb battled for a time, and it seemed that Robb got the better of the Prince. The Prince refused to spar again, unless it was with live blades. Ser Rodrick Cassel, the master-at-arms of Winterfell, refuses this, for reasons of safety. Joffery continues to poke and prod at Robb, which gets him angry, and Theon Greyjoy restrains him from taking after the Prince. Of the men attending Joff, his personal guard, Sandor Clegane (known as the Hound), adds fuel to the fire with his words. Arya makes note of Clegane's terribly burned face. Anything to add, A-Train?

Hmmmm, I can't be sure, then. I don't think it is anything that I have seen; or if I have, I just don't recall it.

Ah, what I think that you are talking about is the hakama. You should be able to find them on about any site that sells MA merchandise, like Century, AWMA, etc. If you need to search in sections, check the Aikido, Iado, or other sword sections. They should be in there. Is this similar to what you are looking for: http://www.karatedepot.com/un-ke-13.html

7-25-07 Solo Workout: Kicks on heavy bag Crossover side kicks: 10 each leg, from a sitting stance Step-behind side kicks: 10 each leg, from a sitting stance Front leg side kicks: 10 each leg, from a fighting stance Back leg side kicks: 10 each leg, from a fighting stance Push kicks, alternating legs: 3 sets of 20 Jab/cross/back leg round kick: 10 combinations on each side, from a fighting stance. Punches were to the body, as was the kick. On the side kicks, I tried to concentrate on the chamber positions, and making the kicks powerful, fast, and penetrating, and not pushes. I did this workout from 5:00 - 5:25, followed by a quick stretch. Taught Orientation from 5:30 - 6:00.

Great article! Lost of good points for those aspiring to teach.

Heh, no joke! My youngest son is going to be 2 this year (October), and my daughter is starting middle school!

Were they wide pant legs, or tight pant legs?

One thing you have to consider is the consumer mindset in the U.S. Many consumers have a "get what you pay for" mindset. If you have several schools in one are, and one is free, and the rest charge, then they may wonder why one is free. I am not saying this is always the case, though. As for instructors who offer free classes to some, but not to others, may show favoritism; this may offend actual paying students. I do understand that at times there are exceptions made for special students. However, there is something to be said about consistency, too. If an instructor does favors for one, and not others, it may brew hard feelings within the school. In the end, you have to be professional, as well.

Those are good drills, DWx. I do slow round kicks on the wall, 5 seconds out, 5 second hold, and 5 seconds back. I do the same with side kicks sometimes, as well. As for the slow turning heel kick; I have had no luck with that, yet. However, I will try a few times, here and there, for fun. It isn't a form that my school does, but I do like it. Really, it is just about muscle control. If you do a lot of fast kicking, and never try to "lock out" the kick (hold it in place for an instant), then those muscles that you use to hold the kick slowly won't develop as well.

I was reading an interesting article on Arnis/Escrima (can't remember which was stated), and the article discussed a series of exchanges that was done as a two-man drill. What was the most interesting (to me) about the article was how the drill was transitioned from being done with sticks, and then with knives, and then with empty hands. The movements, for all intent and purposes, was the same, and the translations flowed very well. Anyways, I was kind of caught up in looking them over, and really checking them out, and I thought that it just made a lot of sense for the style to be inclusive like that. Then, I noticed while reading one of my new Medieval fighting manuals, that the same type of equal transitioning took place in many places of the various weapons fighting, especially involving the guards when using different weapons. This idea just makes the art simpler to learn and convert into being useful, I think. Is this an overlying factor when it comes to most Escrima/Arnis styles? I am just curious. The Phillipino arts have held my interest for many years, and anything that anyone can share will be thuroughly enjoyed by me!

You have some good points, Salus. However, I do think that low line kicks can be trained with ease, and can serve a purpose. I do think that higher level kicks can be a bit risky, though, and tend to agree with you there. However, a good swift kick to the common peroneal nerve on the side of the leg can have great results, and this can be achieved from various positions (including the clinch). But, the point at hand being a kick to the body, I think that it would be tougher to pull off, and perhaps not worth the energy, or the risk.

Is it full, hard contact? Or are there contact limitations?

I may try to find the link to it a little bit later. I just don't remember much of a comparison being done. It could be just me, though.

So you are saying that repetitous technique practice is "chi" practice, and therefore, any style reaps the benefits of chi from it?

I don't believe that training in the U.S. is as watered down as many would have us believe. Look at MMA training, for one. Boxing would be another. I have been doing TKD training for now on 14 years, and have never trained at a school that cost $100 per month. I pay $60 per month now, and that includes both school and gym memberships. The reason that you don't see MA practices going on for free in the U.S. is because the U.S. is a different culture. If you look around and watch kids play, you may see them wrestling. As we grow older, we tend to reduce the amount of these things that we do, and replace them with other activities.

Hey, cool. Thanks for the response. I wonder how often the headbutt figures into the fights? I remember a vid being posted on the subject a while back, but I don't remember too much comparison study.