bushido_man96

I feel that wrestling is a martial art, along with boxing and Thai boxing. I don't think that just because the competitive aspect of these acitvities is at the forefront to the public demeans their value as fighting styles. They all have something to offer, and no style is complete.

You are very welcome, Havoc88. As for back exercises, you can do supermans, where you lay on your stomach and reach out forward, like when superman flies. Then, you raise your arms, chest, and legs off the floor all at once, flexing the back muscles. You can do it in reps and sets, or hold for a time period.

It's not the art, it's the teacher. That is a good point, ninjanurse. I think the problem lies just as much with TMAs as it does with MMA athletes.

This is very well said. Everyone has different abilities, and a good instructor knows that not all of his/her students are going to be Bruce Lees. It just won't happen. But, they can all train as hard, and put forth the effort. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I think that Lee could probably weather the storm for a while, but he was fast enough that he would've got his shots in on Sapp as well. The main thing would be Lee's fight experience vs. Sapp's. Advantage, Sapp.

That's typical of Sapp. He doesn't have much in the tank.

I have heard that either is correct. Without gloves, the first two knuckles will be the contact points.

Not very many TMAs have a lot of experience against full speed weapons encounters, either. MMAer may be at a slight disadvantage due to lack of training against weapons, but they will make up for that with their athleticism, conditioning, and experience. My dad told me about when he was a kid, he watched his dad (my grandfather) take a gun away from a guy and proceed to wipe the street with him. He had NO martial arts training whatsoever, but he did have some fighting experience. So really, it just depends on the person.

One thing I would mention: once you get in on a tall person, and start going, DO NOT STOP!! Gaining territory on tall people is hard enough as it is, you don't want to give it up easily. Think of it as aquiring ocean front property. You both want it, but you have it, so keep it.

That's it. I found it on DVD recently. Love that movie.

As has been said, grappling is a good idea, to take away the height advantage. Working angles and getting in close is good, too. Taking out the legs, as has been mentioned, is helpful. When sparring, you have to cut to the side and try to evade the techniques while gaining ground, that way you get into his territory.

Ok, we got the Cardnals at Arizona this Sunday. I think the smaller, more athletic defensive line for KC may be able to give Matt Leinert some fits. I hope the Chiefs get the newbie "rookizised." I watched them do it to Ryan Leaf many years ago, and it could happen again!! We shall see...... Also monitoring Larry Johnson's season. So far, not as impressive as last year, but when you lose two pro bowl blockers in Willie Roaf and Tony Richardson, the dropoff isn't as bad as it could be. Now, we also have to see how Damon Huard keeps it together. No interceptions last week, but we'll see this week.

Cool. Send us some pics!!

Tough to call that one. Lee was an animal, and unbelievably fast. However, he didn't do a lot of competition, even though his body was well conditioned.

That had to make you feel good about yourself, didn't it? A little bit of a personal victory there. Definitely. But it woulda felt even better to see him fall. Oh, sure! No question there!! How often do you fight, competition wise?

I was looking at my fanatay football webpage, and noticed that I am second in my division, at 2-2. Hooray!! And I did win this last week against my brother. Thank goodness Brian Westbrook didn't play for the Eagles. Also, I knew I could count on gunslinger Farve to throw at least one the defenses way. It paid off. A sad note for me: I am a supporter of my hometown's college team, the Fort Hays State University Tigers. Unfortunately, they are 0-4, and have just moved into one of the toughest NCAA Division II conferences in the nation. But, I am a fan, and I will continue to support them in their efforts.

That was great! I had seen the backflipping nunchuck guy before. Still hilarious!

I see. Very interesting. I kind of like that idea. I have seen that Savate has kind of a rank indication by the color of the gloves that the fighter wears. I thought that was kind of cool as well.

You actually fight with real blades? isn't that alittle dangerous. afterall , someone could mess up and die Forms, not sparring... We've also cut tatami(soaked bamboo mats stood upright on a stand.) No, we wouldn't actually spar with a live blade... that would be silly. But you could fight with blunts!!

I like the use of the word "overskill." Very nice.

Cool. You could also use some tape on the floor as a barrier as well, eh? Cross it, and do 20 push-ups!! I also like cathal's close quarters drill.

I am not for sure, but you may have developed some arthritis in your knuckle from using it to strike so much. You might have a doctor look at it. Other than that, try a few motrin before class.

Unfortunately for me, I have a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family and I have the body type that carries all my weight in my stomach, so it's actually vital for me to loose the weight while I'm younger and it's easier to do. It's part of why I put tai chi on the shelf for a while and took up karate.(that and the weapons of course ) I see. I hope you are able to meet your goals. Family history like that can be tough. Me an my brothers are all pretty stocky as well, and I lift and do TKD to try to drop some poundage as well.

Your enthusiasm is great, and we love to hear about it. I just want to throw out one warning. As you train, you may hit some tough spots and plateaus. Don't let these areas of training get you down. Stay motivated, and know that you will get through them. Think about new things you can do to push through, or find some good martial arts books to read, and just do some mental studying as well. It is all part of the learning process. http://www.natkd.com/shotokan_katas.htm This site has some diagrams, and some of the katas also have videos. The early ones do, so this should help.

See, this is where it is different in TKD. The kick still retracts back to the chamber postition. We rotate our hips over during the course of the kick. Also, if I want a side 'snap' kick, I just try to kick faster, and don't follow through quite as much. Different strokes for different folks, though.