bushido_man96

I've always had luck through university classes as well. Not only are they usually cheaper, you can use them for credits and can use your financial aid to pay for them. I agree! In my time at college, I have had 6 semesters of Martial Arts classes!

It's just another option to consider. I mentioned it because they do allow hard contact, and you can win by knockout. There is nothing to say that you can't use your hands, you just may not get scored for them. That said, you can still really wear down a TKD guy by jamming in on him, slugging him a bunch, and then as he clears aways, deliver that roundhouse to the head.

That all sounds great! Everyone gets into the arts for varying reasons, and it sounds like your wife and daughter are doing well. Since they are goal-setting, that will help them as well, I think.

Not necessarily. You just have to make sure you can devote the training time to be serious about it. If you can't win, then you won't be employed for very long. The best money you will make will be in hard contact events, like organized kickboxing, Thai boxing, MMA, San Shou, etc.

I guess it could be. However, it is still a sport, and some form of sportsmanship should follow, one would think. I am not arguing for or against the fact. The reason that I ask is because I read an article in which the author felt that it was starting to fall that way. I just wanted to see what others felt about the situation as well. I can see it going that route, but at the same time, there are those that still show respect, etc.

No, I don't think so. There are trash talkers, sure, but there's plenty of the qualities you mention. See GSP, Royce, Randy, Anderson Silva, etc. These that you mention do come to mind. I have always liked Courture, and I always felt that he was a stand-up guy. The others, as well. But, do you think that some of today's upcoming fighters are beginning to go the route of the WWE type of show? I really hope not. I think that if UFC and Pride can continue to put out quality fighters, then they can avoid going the route of all the pomp.

Do you think that the tenents of budo, like integrity, respect, and sportsmanship are beginning to disappear from the MMA competitions that we see? Do you think that they are beginning to look more and more like WWE events, with trash-talking and all that goes with it? There is no doubt that the fights are entertaining, but does it come to a point where we can do with the just the fighting, and not the hyping? What does everyone think?

This will probably be easier to find throughout the country as well! TKD is huge! It is very popular, but make sure you look into the rules sets when checking. If you can find and AAU tournament, or a USTU qualifier around your area, they should have the Olympic style rules. Oddly enough, when I watch the Kyokushin guys fight, I see a lot of similarities between their sparring style and the Olympic TKD style. The differences seem to come into play with the strategies and the point scoring systems.

Well done, Matt! How did it feel to you? Did the break feel good?

Hey, Menjo. That all makes sense, now. Thanks for clarifying. I wasn't really offended by the post. I just feel that there are many people out there who think that the Japanese Samurai is the end-all, be-all of the combative swordsman, and that no other warrior class in history can compare to them. Many people don't have a clear idea of what the European Medieval warrior was like; their training, skill level, etc. So, I took it upon myself to try to break up some of the old stereotypes of the European Medieval warrior.

Good for you! Keep at it!

First of all, you have to analyze a few things about your martial arts training. If you do a lot of tournament fighting, then that could be a route for you to go. If you are looking into being a bouncer/security type of person, then you will want to make sure you have a background in restraint/control tactics of opponents. Your first option in this line of work won't be to hall off and deck someone. You will also find out really quick how much sparring in class is different than these situations. It will depend on your goals and your training as to what you want to do. In the LEO and security jobs, your martial arts will be a supplement to your job, along with other aspects as well.

A simple answer to your question is that the game of the MMA competition has evolved and changed into what it is because of what is sucessful under the rules set. All of the fighters are more balanced because it helps them to combat what they will see in the ring.

I would workout in a variety of different clothings, so that I can get a different feeling each time I work out.

I think that this would work well in with my Combat Hapkido training. Thank you for sharing!

You could look for some Olympic style TKD tournaments as well. The rules set is a bit different, but you can fight to knockout, and need body displacement to score points.

It sounds like you may be on the right track, here. There are a few things that I don't believe coincide with rank, like head kicks. However, there are some things with technique that should be pretty universal, and just walking someone through doesn't do the person any favors. I would say that reaching brown belt in 2 years is not unheard of. I got my black belt in just over 2 years. However, everyone has different outlooks and opinions, even instructors. In your case, you have done well by just planting that seed in your friend.

It sounds like you have a great instructor there, french fri25. That was a very generous act by him, and I think you have done well by him.

We had the same thing going on, and then, it froze. It set things back a bit, but things are looking up, now!

Good luck!

Thanks for sharing those, James.

You can even supplement the free weight exercises in the circuit with body-weight exercises, like push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc.

Thanks for the explanation, James. 4-20-07 Today, I did Combat Hapkido with my brother in the back yard from 5:00 - 6:00. He and one of his roomates is going to start coming over on Fridays to do it regularly, which I think is great. I love to do martial arts with my brother, and I want him to get back into it so bad. The Combat Hapkido will be right up his alley, too, because he has always had a knack for that kind of style.

I'm not too sure what to ask. My main motives for taking up martial arts are: - for the exercise - and to release anger and aggression in a controlled and acceptable manner. A friend once recommended Kyokushin, though I haven't thought about it for a while. My main concerns are: - time and money is scarce because I am a uni student - I have to get myself contacts I would like to commit to martial arts but I have to deal with these two issues first. These are excellent questions to ask. Why? Because they are relevant to you, and the instructor will want to help you out in any way that he can (if he is a good one). Other questions that you could ask include: What is your teaching philosophy? Do you require tournament competition? Do you teach self-defense, or sport? Anything like this, that may be relevant to what your wants/needs are, will be good questions to ask.

Man, ps1, that is freakin' awesome! That is what is so cool about the MA's, I guess.