bushido_man96

The future that I see for MMA is fighters coming straight from MMA gyms, not claiming any base "style." It will be much like the old Pankration would have been. When they trained, they trained according to the rules they would be fighting under. Now that MMA has been established, and leagues like the IFL have formed, people go to the gym to learn the MMA style. Sure, there will always be the guys that come into the gym after spending years training in another style, like Karate, or Wrestling, but the other will become more popular as well.

The speed in the kicks is all about the training methods. Doing plyometric drills, running sprints, and doing target work and reaction drills. I used to compete against a guy when I was in the ATA that won the Colorado state USTU qualifier, and qualified for nationals. You might know who he is: Jody Horn. I think he may be a 4th degree by now. He was always very good...quick, flexible, and TALL. I despised point fighting with him. However, we was always a nice guy to me.

As far as "internal" styles go, I don't have a lot of experience with them, and I don't think I would enjoy them. I don't get into meditation and the clearing of the mind very much. I would rather be drilling, but that is just me. Also, as for circular or linear. I really don't think you can have one without the other. Both are beneficial, and I don't really believe that linear movements are harmful to the body. The two compliment each other very well, and learning both is important. I see this in swordsmanship a lot; the arguement of the cut over the thrust. Both are beneficial, and both have their place.

I have been side kicked in the nose, in a tournament. It didn't hurt a lot, but frustrated me. It was a good thing that it was the last point in the match, because I then headed to the bathroom to bleed for a time.

Thanks, my bad. I would include rugby as well. I just didn't think about it.

Congrats! Well done!

That is what I would guess. My younger brother was short and stocky (heavy), but he could do the full splits at one point, and I couldn't. Losing weight won't make muscles any looser. I am heavier now than I would like to be, but I am still fairly flexible, too. Any gains in flexibility that I have lost is directly proportional to the lack of time that I have had to spend on stretching; not my weight.

This is a great idea, and I have done the same thing. Make sure to chart on the paper what the focus of the class was, if it went into specifics. That way, you will have a variety of classes with different focuses, and if it rolls around like that again, you can go to a specific section, instead of looking randomly around in a huge notebook.

If you are not as sore as last time, change the exercise that you do. If you do leg lifts one day, do the ab roller on the next day. On another day, do the hanging knee raises. On another, do the Roman chair. By changing the exercise, you will confuse the muscles, and I think that you will get the results that you are looking for.

Even though Bruce would be giving up weight in relation to Liddell, his striking power was still amazing. His speed is what made him so dangerous. Could he have out-struck Liddell? Possibly. We can't know for sure. However, Bruce was known to be a heavy hitter, too.

That does make sense, Baron. I can see where it would be much easier to do that way.

It gets harder and harder for me to watch every time I see it. The hands down drives me kind of crazy, and the howling form of the kihaps is a little much. There used to have to be body displacement to score points. Now, if the round kick slaps the chest protector, the point is scored.

Sometimes you have to supplement your dreams until you can make them come true.

I was not aware that there were two versions of Koryo. Where did the first version come from?

The self-defense aspects of most arts are best determined by talking with the instructor of the style where you will choose to train. The instructor will be able to tell you his philosophies and methodologies on training, and what he likes to do for self-defense applications and such.

I study TKD, which I consider a hard, external style. However, a friend of mine is pretty adamate that most styles, at their roots, are circular in many ways.

First of all, just for clarification, do you mean American tackle football, or futbol (soccer)? Not that it matters, I am just wondering. The way you talk about it, it makes me think soccer. Second, the fact that you are interested in another sport is not a bad thing. I think that if you allot your time correctly to both of these sports, then you can become a success in both. It will prove difficult, and it may cut down on some of your social time, but I think that it can be done. Here is something to consider, though. Should you get very good at both, and wish to start pursuing careers in them, they may not overlap well. For example, let's say that you sign a contract to play football. If you do that, they may have a clause in the contract that says that you cannot compete in full contact fighting, because you are too valuable to them to get injured doing something else. That is really the only negative thing that I could think to happen. The cross-training that you do may transfer well from one sport to the other, with the extra training, the footwork, etc. Best of luck in your endeavors.

Welcome to KF! It is always good to see another KS local come on board. Or are you from KC MO? Either way, I hope you find something that you are looking for when you get back. A google search may find something for you. Welcome!

Just because someone is obese, does not mean that they can't be flexible. It has more to do with how much you stretch than with how much you weigh. Many Sumo wrestlers are quite flexible. You can be heavier, and make your moves fast, too. It is all in how you train. Don't get me wrong, though. Identifying a problem like obesity and seeking to fix it is a good idea.

That is all great to hear, Baron. If you have questions, let us know!

I agree, and I would never try to convince anyone otherwise.

Your judgement has not betrayed you, Bill. They are actually called "walking stances," and they are just as you describe them. When General Choi designed the Ch'ang On system, that stance did not exist. However, the WTF created it for their new forms system. It is simply that, walking. In later forms, you don't see it quite as much, but in the early forms, it is very prevalent.

I am not surprised. "Tai-Sabaki" as a principle, is inherent in most styles of combative martial arts. It may be applied to achieve different objectives, but at some stage all fighters will almost certainly use it. This is true. Other styles just call it different things. In Medieval Combat arts, it is called voiding.

That is a tough situation. I have the same problem with getting my brother interested as well. In the end, if he is not going to enjoy it, then it isn't worth pursuing. As for yourself, I would continue, since you enjoy it. You may suggest that he try it again, if only for a few months, and then give him the opportunity to make a decision to stay or go.

After browsing the list, I didn't see Kwon Bup listed, which was an ancient Korean style, if I remeber correctly.