bushido_man96

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.

Welcome to KarateForums!

Hehe, yes indeedy, Baron!

I think that Aikido gets heavily associated with Kendo, which is a swordsmanship style, that uses the shinai (bamboo sword) to practice.

Funny that you mention the "Shotokanny" TKD forms. The style that I study is like that. I was also in the ATA for quite a while, and I liked their forms. They are very nice, technically, although they are not really application based. They are designed more to improve the technical ability of the student as they go up in rank. Regardless of what you hear, there are some good ATA schools out there, so keep you eyes and you mind open. I hope you find something that suits you.

Let's see...that was a while ago! We did all of our low rank forms, and one-steps, and sparring segments. We then did our own rank forms. We sparred all of the black belts present, and had to do our own impromptu form. Then, it was board breaks.

Congrats! Welcome aboard!

It is something that you should be proud of, Kerry. I hope you enjoy the teaching. You will be amazed at what you can learn by teaching!

Let us know how it went!

Yep, very true, Baron. Part of living the martial arts is in adjusting and adapting. Not many people that train at the age of 65 are training the same way they did when they were 18. Heck, I am 29, and don't train the way I did when I was 18!

On the streets, there are no rules. You just have to deal with it, too. It won't change. That is why it is so dangerous to street fight. There are so many variables that you have to worry about. The rules of the ring do offer a certain halo of protection. In the street, you get no such quarter. Look at this aspect, as well. Think of the nervous feeling you get right before you get into the ring of competition. Now, think of the feeling that you get when you get jumped, or when guys are talking smack to you, and are about to jump you. For me, these are two different feelings, and these feelings have a major effect on your ability to react and respond. They are not the same, and that is why street fighting is different.

I think that the most legitimacy comes through experience.

The unfortunate thing here is that you really can't hurry this along. Why the rush, anyways? Just get a program going, eat right, and hit the gym regularly. You will get stronger with time.

Bummer! I hope it heals up fast for you.

That's cool. I think that watching the Abu Dhabi submission grappling tournaments would be a blast, personally. Howerver, a lot of people just don't get into watching grappling/wrestling. You really have to be into the sport, and understand it, to enjoy it. Anybody can watch a slugfest and get into it, though.