bushido_man96

Welcome to KF!

The more that you spar, the better that you will get at it. By doing so, you will learn to read the telegraphs, and that can help you out a lot. Welcome to the Forums!

Quite funny!

If you are learning to use a sword, then there should be no misconceptions about what the moves you do with the sword are designed to do, or what the weapon itself was designed to do. It is a killing implement, and it was meant to be used efficiently. Iado, for example, isn't just the art of drawing the sword, it is the art of drawing and slicing/cutting at once, resulting, in the eye of the warrrior, in death.

Way to go!

I agree. Many people just assume that if they claim "self-defense," that they can coast out of some charges, when in fact, you have to be very careful. You don't want to be tried by 12, and then sentenced for 5!

Make the students do things that force them to think. Create new combinations of basic techniques and drill them in multiple directions and with variations etc. If the student is busy thinking what they have to do all the time this will not only be a huge benefit to their training but also wont give them enough time to get bored. Don't give them too much time to figure the combos out either. Show them once quickly then make them do it. It's the basics so they should be able to figure it out without much help. Then when it looks like they've just about got it, jump to another one. It'll drive them nuts and keep them paying attention because they'll know they don't get much time to get it down. Those are both great ideas. Especially jumping to new combos quickly. I always enjoyed classes like that.

Good advise. Rest and re-evaluate constantly.

NASTY!!! "Hey, Chuck, punch me!!" Good one! Thanks for sharing!

I love that old video. Very nice.

I think that is kind of cool. If I ever get the chance to move to a city, I am going to seek out a BJJ school.

I think that is really cool, too, guys. I am not sure that I can trace a lineage like that. I can get to my GM through my instructor, but I don't know much about his training. I would love to sit down and interview him, though.

I think it is great to offer recommendations. But for an instructor to tell a student that they can't train in another style, is a bit intrusive, I think. As far as gaining experience in one style prior to going into another, that has its pros and cons as well. I think training in a striking style and a ground style at the same time would work pretty well together. Training in two striking styles may be a bit more counter-productive, but if a student chooses to do so, then that is great. If a student would choose to train this way, and he was having trouble in a class I was teaching, I would just slow down his advancement. If he isn't ready to test, then he won't test. However, if he chooses to do this, then who am I to tell him what path his journey through the martial arts is to follow? After all, it is his journey.

Well done. Its good to hear that you had a good time, too.

Keep working with your instructor, and ask him for advice. He may know some of your opponents, and may be able to give you some pointers. Keep things simple, and don't try to change too much. If it has worked so far, keep trying it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Now, that is not to say that everything that you do will work. Some won't, and you may have to change things up. Overall, this will be a new learning experience for you, so go into it with that in mind. Good luck!

Great information. Thanks for sharing.

6-1-07 I finally got to do something this week! Today, for about an hour, my brother and I worked on some knife combat exercises that I have read about in my recent Medieval Combat manual. We worked only on covers, and focused on getting lots of repitions in, to get the muscle memory down.

I agree. What you should concern yourself with is 1) is it effective, and 2) do you enjoy it. Those are the only things that should concern you, really.

I don't know yet; I still haven't opened them! On one of them, the cover has the picture of Benicio Del Toro, from the movie The Hunted. I am very interested in the Philipino Arts, so I can't wait to get to that article.

This is the politics of the Martial Arts world. It really depends. I say, do what you feel is right. Sit down and talk to the instructor about it, and see what he has to say. Is there a reason for the split? Is there bad blood somewhere? Discuss these things with him, and see what you can work out. I can see why you would want to stay within a system that is already somewhat established, and may be accredited. Perhaps, after you get your black belt, you can rejoin your instructor, if that is what both parties are willing to do.

I was cleaning up my basement, and organizing some newly accquired book shelf space, when I stumbled on some Black Belt Magazines that I had, and they still had the plastic on them! They were from 2003, and I don't know why I hadn't read them. Crazy, though. It was finding a nice surprise! Now, I have reading material for the next few weeks at work!

Things I finished up this Memorial Day Weekend (and week): The bookcase in my son's room. Hanging the crown molding in my daughter's room. Hanging up a coat hanger. Hanging up a key hanger. Hanging up a decorative shelf in our living room. Thanks go out to my dad and his power tools (mainly, the compound miter saw )! Now, onto more projects!

Beautiful. On the money.

I wish I could get muscle to just "appear" like that!

Yep, it is just a different tool. I think that when it comes down to self-defense, you will be more likely to find yourself starting in a stance more like the walking stance, and then transitioning into other stances as you move from technique to technique.