bushido_man96

Bench angles work different muscles. Your buddy probably has a stronger upper chest and maybe shoulders, whereas you likely have stronger lower chest and maybe triceps. How do you compare on the decline? I don't do the decline, really. I did see a guy in the gym the other day doing 225 lb. reps on the decline. I thought to myself, "what a friggin' animal."

I know that one, I have a really heavy clutch and boy do I feel it good sometimes after training It's like needing a DD to get home from a tough workout!

What is included in your colored belt curriculum?

Yep!

I like the idea. Hopefully they can get a school on the west coast and one in the Midwest to offer similar programs. Imagine your job interview with "BA MMA" on the curricula vitae. Hehe, that would be cool. If there could be one here in the Midwest, I would be willing to give it a go.

This statement makes it sound like you have an awful lot on the table at once. Honestly, I don't think it would be necessary to study three styles at once right now. I would pick one and stick with it. As for the problems you have at your current school, I would say if you really don't like it, then try to get out of it. Go check out some other schools, and see what all they do differently. They may do things that reflect the goals that you have. Have you father go with you, so that he can see what you are trying to point out to him, and perhaps he will notice the differences as well. Best of luck to you!

Martial, by definition, means war. Most of the techniques that are taken from any fighting style, are descended from moves that worked directly in defense of life, country, family, etc. Included in these techniques are the "cheap tricks" like hair pulling, eye gouging, biting, groin kicking, etc. If you are defending yourself, and skip an opportunity to do something that you consider "cheap" because you feel that is not the way it should be done, then you end up doing yourself a disservice in the end. Especially if it ends up in your defeat. Whether it is pretty or ugly, fancy or brutal, a fight is a fight. Just my opinion, though.

I finished this book not too long ago, and I rather enjoyed it. It is kind of like a history lesson in the martial styles of feudal Japan. It covered many different aspects of the martial arts, and their relations to different social classes of Japan as well (not just the bushi class, either). It described various methods of weapon combat, including spear, sword, fan, bo, and such. Different schools of Jiujitsu were discussed as well, along with Karate and Sumo. It also delved into the various aspects as to why the warrior class adopted Zen and Buddhist beliefs to fit into their fighting methods. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it was very informative. It even made use of the occasional MA anecdote, and is illustrated with some nice drawings, although I don't think they lend much to the reading itself, aside from breaking up the pages and saving the eyes a bit. Overall, a good read.

Hey, you're welcome. I hoped you could understand all that mumbo-jumbo I threw at you! It so much easier to show it than type it, sometimes! I like this medicine ball work. I would like to do more of it, but I don't have a steady partner, or a wall I can throw one against. 2-12-07: Chest and triceps today. Chest: Bench press: 145x10, 185x6, 204x4 Incline barbell bench press: 115x8, 125x6, 135x4....these frustrate me. I bench more than the guy I work out with, but he can kill me on the Incline bench. What's up with that? Cable crossovers: 50x10, 60x6, 70x4.....the last set was not good form. I will drop the weight next week. Triceps: Triceps pulldown: 80x10, 90x8, 105x6 Skullcrackers: 70x8, 80x6, 85x4 Dips: 2 sets of 5. Abs: Decline abs: 3x10x10 lbs. plate Side raises: 3x20x25 lbs. Hanging knee raises: 3x10 No Combat Hapkido work this afternoon, and class was canceled for tonight. This is probably a good thing, as I have come down with that crud that is going around. Hopefully, I'll get back to MA classes on Wednesday.

Don't forget about the multiple Godzilla attacks!!

Well, I was close. I was thinking of space as hard drive space. I didn't think of the space bar. Good pick up, cathal.

I just think that the concept of mushin is taken too literaly at times. Let me put it this way; we all train a little differently. The basic idea behind most of our training, however, is reaction to a stimulus. We are taught: if the attacker does this, then do this (or try to, anyways). However, the attacker will not always correspond with what we want. When we are conditioned, and the attacker has time to figure it out, then we can be baited. Then, our concept of mushin must change, because our instilled reactions are not working. You have to change it up. In order to do that, you have to think a little bit. Now, check this out. Just because you are thinking of a strategy, it doesn't mean that it is slowing you down that much. You want to side kick, but you are thinking of how to make it happen. You still know how to do the kick (you don't have to think about that part=mushin). I think mushin is great, but it I don't think it is the end-all, be-all of fighting. It is just another concept, to be used, adapted, and experimented with. One could even argue that mushin=natural reactions. I don't know, what does everyone else think???

And wearing street clothing and such. Yes, definitely.

Yeah, but Chan is like twice Li's age, too.

The drawback of these boards is the same thing...you keep hitting that center line over and over, and it starts to wear after a while. Pretty soon, you start to lose the resiliency of the board, and it doesn't guage the breaking that it represents as well. I still have one of those re-breakable boards! Nasty. I think it punishes you even if you do break it!

What does your colored belt curriculum consist of?

That was part of the advantage he had with grappling so well. He knew that he wasn't going to go toe to toe with those guys, and by taking them to the ground, he took away their weight advantage.

Ah, yes, the knee strike is a good idea as well. Which do you prefer, the roundhouse type of knee, or the straight in, front knee?

1. Practice your forms facing all different directions, including facing the corners of the room. Many times, people will get comfortable with the class surroundings, and then be troubled and confused when at a tournament. Practicing with eyes closed is great, too. (Best if done by yourself, though! )

That is a cool concept. I kind of like that idea. When I had my own school, I made notebooks for all of my black belts. They could use them to take notes, write down class planners and ideas, and whatever else they thought necessary. Taking notes periodically, or even making a training journal, are very good ideas, in my opinion.

Certainly, the weight alone adds a whole new dimension. Footwork and mobility is limited and any kicking technique apart from stomps and low line knees goes out the window. Very true. I know that the Defensive Tactics that most street officers learn uses a low roundhouse kick, like the Thai kick. Other than that, if you go to kick anywhere else, you had better be able to justify it. They maybe have a push kick as well. That stated, doing the roundhouse, even low, is a different challenge when wearing a duty belt full of gear.

If that is the case, then I think being sick really took him out of his fight.

I agree that there are a multitude of drills like this in the traditional arts. However, many times, these drills are not the focus of the training. It is often times overshadowed by forms training and self-defense training (which is different from MMA fighting). As I said, I am not trying to take anything away from the fighter you mentioned, or the art of Shotokan. I just feel that most of the Shotokan schools out there, much like the TKD schools, Kenpo schools, etc., don't focus their training on the MMA genre. That could be...I knew he had a traditional background, but couldn't remember which. Thanks for clarifying. Who is the current fighter that claims the TKD background? I agree with you here, on both points. However, instead of being a Judoka while standing and a Karateka while on the ground, I would probably keep my mind fairly transitional while doing both.

A computer!!

Welcome to KF!