bushido_man96

I think of lots of floor drills and basics drills, sitting in a horse stance for 15 minutes at a time and not moving or risk getting a tongue lashing from an instructor. Only four belt colors and no kids allowed in class. Not that it's right, but that's the picture that forms in my mind. Like Wastelander mentioned, the "blood and guts" era.

1/24/2020 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 250x1, 280x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 125x5, 125x5, 125x5. 1/27/2020 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 265x5, 265x5, 265x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 185x1, 205x5, 205x5, 205x5. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10, 130x10. 1/28/2020 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 250x1, 285x5. Lat Pull-downs: 135x10, 135x10, 135x10, 135x10. 2/3/2020 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 185x1, 207.5x5, 207.5x5, 207.5x5. Lat Pull-downs: 140x10, 140x10, 140x10, 140x10. TKD Class: 7:00-7:30 pm. Made it to black belt class, but late. Got through some forms: Yul Gok, Jung Gun, Toi Gye, Hwa Rang. Afterwards, reviewed some Ho Sin Sul.

Thanks, Bob! It would be easy for me to jump on the bandwagon that is the talk of lots of sports radio, wondering how many championships KC could win with Mahomes at the helm. In actuality, though, just getting to one is a huge accomplishment, and next year is promised to no one. I'd love to see them go on a run and establish a dynasty, but that just can't be predicted (ask Dan Marino). I'm so elated they've got one now, and here's to next year, defending the title!

1/20/20 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x2, 255x5, 255x5, 255x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 185x1, 200x5, 200x5, 200x5. 1/21/20 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 250x1, 275x5. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10. Stretch: kick stretches. I started using a "frog stance" on the deadlift; getting my feet closer together and thus getting my grip closer together. This seems to help out on the work sets, and I'm able to get my belly down between my thighs better for the lift. 1/23/20 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 260x5, 260x5, 260x5.

Keep up the good work, and congrats on your testing promotions! It's great to hear the progression in understanding on how things work!

Thanks, Bob. I wish I could get some videos up, but I'm unsure on the process with the camera I'm running right now. Kendall had another scramble last Thursday evening, but only had two matches. He won both, though. The second one he won rather easily with a pin in the first period. His first match was a knuckle-biter, though. He went all three periods, but won it, 3-2. Really low score, and really tough match. Much to my chagrin, he was placed on bottom to start the second period, and did manage to get out and away, which was good to see. I was pretty hacked about it, and he initially wanted to go on top, but the coach put him down. It worked out this time, though. Put I'd rather see if he can start working on top, and get the kid into a pin instead of working a whole period to get out and get a point. The most satisfying aspect, though, was is that he won against the kid who beat him the previous week, so that's a great thing to me!

You are definitely correct in that you don't get to choose your attacker. And attackers like that are typically predators, and they seek out certain prey; those who seem vulnerable, which, at times, these attackers misconstrue as being someone smaller.

Well, things worked out this weekend! I really wanted KC to come out and dominate the game, instead of it being another nerve-racking, come-from-behind win, which was really stressful for me. It looked like the 49ers defense really did what they could to keep in the passing game in check, until the fourth quarter where Mahomes finally started to open some things up. It's been a long, tough haul, being a Chiefs fan through some good times and some bad, but this really makes it worth it all. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this team! Go Chiefs!

So, as some here know, and as others may have surmised by my avatar, I'm a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan (long-suffering, one might say), and I am so stoked that KC is finally going BACK TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!! I have a Super Bowl party at my house every year, regardless of who is playing, just as a reason to get the family together and have a good time. But this year, it will mean just a little bit more, and I am super nervous about it this time around. I've waited so long, and am hoping for a win! Anybody else having a SB party/get-together?

Good points here. What you might consider is kicking the bag for as long as you can stand it, and when it hurts too much to continue, put on the shin pads or some light kicking shoes and go at it some more. Like Wastelander said, your body will adjust, and eventually, things will be tough enough to last a long bout on the bag.

Boy, I've done a bad job keeping up here! The new tournament season is under way, and due to some family issues and my work schedule, we've only gotten Kenneth to two tournaments this season. His first tournament, he went 2-2, and got second place. He struggled with two kids that had several pounds on him (one he really could have beat, but didn't), and another that was more aggressive, which Kenneth needs to work on a bit. The two he beat were under his weight, and he wrestled them a lot better, and did some good things in the matches in working for turns and pins. His second tourney was a tough one, with some real studs turning out. Bigger, more experienced, and he went 0-2 at that tournament. Kendall's middle school season kicked off, and he went 2-1 at his first scramble. He's weighing around 218, and is wrestling with the heavy weights, so he's giving up some weight and size. His first two matches he won with pins in the second periods, and in the third match, he got pinned. He couldn't get out from under the bigger guy, and really should have started the second period in the top position, and he plans to do so next time, so as not to give the other a chance to ride his full weight on him. Now, to just shore up Kendall's State Tournament from last year really quickly: he ended up taking 5th place, placing in the State Tourney for the third time now. Although it wasn't his highest place in the State Tourney, I think it was one of his best tournament runs. He had to come from behind in two matches, winning one with a pin in overtime, and winning the 5th/6th place match while being behind in points and pinning his opponent (in the second period, I think). He won his first match of the tournament, and the second match he lost to the kid who ended up taking the title (and incidentally, was the kid he beat in the 3rd/4th place match the year he took 3rd at state). His other loss was to a kid he had been wrestling from one of the near by towns in middle school the previous season, and that kid ended up 4th, I think. So, that was a good run for him, and he did some really good things on the mat, and even got an atta-boy from some guy watching from behind me when I was recording one of his matches...the guy referred to him as "the little guy," and he high-fived me when the match was over. I can do a more detailed rundown if anyone really wants it, but I think that does it all justice pretty well, and it gets me caught up here. If anyone else has a kid wrestling, feel free to post about it here, too! I love the sport, and would love to hear about anyone else's journey through this Martial journey!

I know tallgeese used to say this a lot, and he's right on about it; pressure point attacks are another tool to add to the toolbox. They can be useful, but shouldn't be the only thing in the toolbox.

I'm of the opinion that size is one of many factors to be considered when dealing with a self-defense situation. It is a factor that does matter, like all the other matters. I think we tend to try to box things up, to make them nice and neat and easy to point out and compare. Things like size, speed, strength (which is not always the same as size), mentality, and training. The fact of the matter is that in any situation in which we might have to defend ourselves, we would be remiss to dismiss any one of those factors, and probably more I'm not thinking off. It was an interesting thing when the UFC started out, for sure. I think we tend to forget who started the UFC (Gracies) and why it was started (put their style out there to the world). Fought in a cage, on a mat, and some wore gis, and some didn't. At the end of the thing, we tended to only thought about who won, and not about those who lost along the way (originally being a single elimination tournament). The one's that lost along the way weren't necessarily bad fighters, and it's important to remember that. Yes, all valid points (except the round-robin aspect; it was single elimination). This, I believe, was a business decision more than anything. If the UFC was to survive as a venue, these changes were inevitable. It's also important to note how MMA began to evolve as the sport matured. Fighters realized that they had to at least learn how to defend on the ground, and ground fighters realized that they had to put together some semblance of a stand-up game. I honestly believe that whether or not the original rules had changed, this change would have occurred, just because most competitors are smart and realize what adjustments have to be made in order to stay competitive. And this is where the rubber truly meets the road. When the talent levels of the athletes start to get closer and closer together, and the UFC matured into more of a professional venue, the addition of weight classes was really inevitable. If you watch any competitive combat sport for any length of time, you see why weight divisions become necessary. Now, to cover the whole "does size matter" question from the aspect of self-defense... What we have to take into account is the difference in goals between a UFC/MMA fight and a self-defense situation. In an MMA fight, the goal is to stay in the ring for the duration of the fight (whether it goes the time/round limit, or ends due to KO/submission/stoppage), and most importantly, to WIN. The goal of self-defense is to, 1. never get into a situation to begin with, and 2. to defend yourself successfully so you can get away, get help, call authorities, etc. We hope that self-defense doesn't last as long as a UFC fight does, at least I know that I do. I'm a simple man, not blessed with the time to train as much as UFC fighters do, nor do I have that youth anymore. And if I have to face up with a 6'6" 260 lb dude that wants to hurt me, then my train of thought isn't to "go the distance and knock him out." I'm going to cheat, a lot, and do what I can to get out of the situation, and hopefully not go to jail. The two things have two entirely different goals, and two entirely different ways of achieving them. Yes, we should teach these things. We just can't teach them in the same way as a UFC fight takes place. Yes, absolutely. Just not like a UFC fight. This is the same thing I tell my boys. My wife and I are not tall people, and the likelihood that our boys will be tall is not good. 5'10 or 5'11 would be awesome! When they complain about someone being bigger, I tell them they just have to get over it, because it isn't going to change right that instant. This is just different for everyone, and for those it affects, it's a mental hurdle to have to get over. I've trained with you, Bob, and I'd consider you to be a big guy yourself. You're taller than me, and have strong hands, broad shoulders; I'd consider you a good sized dude to have to be in a fight with. It's just something to think about. This topic has come up before, but it is always a good one when we have it! Great topic, Bob!

1/8/2020 TKD Kicking Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Lots of kicking on the bags, and then had the black belts work on doubling up kicks on the targets. Finished with some slow kicking drills on the wall. 1/9/2020 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x5, 115x5, 115x5. Stretch: kick stretches and quads. 1/10/2020 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 250x1, 280x5. Barbell Rows: 135x8, 135x8, 135x8. 1/15/2020 Strength Training Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 120x5, 120x5, 120x5. TKD Kicking Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Worked a lot of basic kicks on the bag, using front leg, back leg, and then stepping and using front/back leg, and spins. Stretched.

In our school, we don't teach the really young ones any forms. The curriculum they do is based more on developing coordination, balance, self-control, and the like for when they are ready to move on to the regular classes. You might find a way to have them do moves to a beat, with a drum, or some music, or something like that. I've seen instructors do variations like "forms in a phone booth" (kid's won't know what that is, so might not work), you could do a memorization game where kid's have to sit down if they forget a move, and the ones who remember keep going, and see who the last one standing is, and things like that. Those could help to make it more fun.

It's difficult to determine. All we can see is your side of the story here. It could be your instructor has his own reasons, and he feels they are justified. Or he might not have any good reasons.It's been said that "fair" is what you pay a cab driver (I know, not the proper spelling, but you get the point). What you have to take with you is that although someone may take your rank, they cannot take your knowledge. You have to lean on that to carry forward.

That sounds like quite the unique weapon there, norse_dragon. I'll bet it gets even trickier when you start doing weapon on weapon work. But it's lots of fun to explore new things like this.

First off, welcome to KF! I find this to be a very interesting topic. I do have a question about the following: How do you plan to approach this idea? Do you plan to be spending class time to cover some of these "academic" topics, or adding time that students would have to put in for these subjects? I think most students are looking for the training, and are willing to study up on other aspects of the Arts on their own time. I'm curious as to how much time would go to this extra curriculum, and how it affects the rest of the student's training time.

I agree as well. When it comes to MA training, I would think that purist would be likely to settle on what is proven and practical for self-defense purposes. Perhaps a better term would "theoretical?"

Sounds like a good class, and a good school! Keep up the good work, and that soreness will go away in no time!

We have white, orange, green, blue, brown, and black, but at the colored belt levels, they are divided into a lo and hi belt, except for brown, where there are lo, middle, and hi designations.

Sometimes it's nice to see a different perspective on things. Getting to train at different schools provides that. It can really open your mind up to some different ideas and approaches, and is a great opportunity.

This is great news! Keep us posted on your progress!

Catching up.... 12/23/2019 Strength Training Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 175x1, 200x5, 200x5, 200x5. Press: 45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 130x3, 130x3, 130x3. TKD Black Belt Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. With the Christmas break approaching, classes were hit and miss, and it was just me and the 3rd dan. We did Do-Kangs 1-4 with just a short break between each. We worked on a few forms, mainly 3rd and 4th dan forms, and then went through the first 4 three-steps. Finished with a stretch. 12/30/2019 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 185x1, 200x5, 200x5, 200x5. 1/7/2020 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 250x1, 275x5. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10. Stretch: Kick stretches and quads. Really focused on the "squeeze the chest up" cue on the deadlift, and it really seemed to help out.

As long as there has been humans, there has been warfare, and therefore, that's how long the MA's have been around. People had to learn how to fight, and eventually, training rolled around to help people learn how to fight more efficiently, or in more military fashions in regards to defending the homeland or such. Some cultures started to codify and record it more than others did, and I think the cultures that did this tend to be the ones we think of as the "progenitors" of the Martial Arts.