bushido_man96

Um, moving slowly I suspect. j/k My mother did Tai Chi for many years and even taught a few classes, she enjoyed it very much. Keep it up, it really helps you learn balance. Oh, that's bad!! Come on, now!!

Good point, Steve_K. Another factor would be the opponent's postition in regards to where you are standing at the time as well.

One thing is for sure, he gasses out early. Cro Cop didn't look like he was too concerned with his size, but he did keep away from him quite a bit. Nice punch, too!

That is kind of cool. You normally don't think of Tai Chi as a fighting art. I worked out with a guy a few times who seemed to have kind of a Thai background, but he said his dad taught "Combat Tai Chi." Maybe so, huh?

Huh, I have not heard of this style. Heck, I didn't know there were multiple styles of Tai Chi! Oh well, learn something new everyday, huh? I hope you enjoy the clinics. Let us know what you find out.

Officially, Bruce Lee died of a reaction to a prescription pain-killer that caused brain edema (swelling). However, he had collapsed a couple months prior to his death, nearly passing on then, and it has been long speculated that overwork may have been a contributor to that. Guess we'll never know for sure, though I know an extremely fit guy who died of mysterious causes this past summer at a Masters swim practice. Not an ounce of fat on him. He trained 6-8 hours a day as a professional triathlete, and was supposed to be the fittest guy you'd ever seen, but some say he pushed himself way too hard at times, to the point where he was urinating blood. That can't be good for you. With respect, Sohan Yikes! Not good. It's scary to think that doing something good for you can end up being bad. I guess it comes down to knowing the body's limit. The body is built to work, but it does need recovery time.

Yeah, this, IMO is an issue. In our classes - bjj, judo, muay thai and capoeira - you will spend 30 min - 1hr sparring each session. this is great conditioning also. every round, switch partners, so you get to spar everyone in class. the general format for classes is warmup - skill training - sparring. That is nice; I like the idea of skill training. I don't know that I would call our basics skill training, but it is a good warm-up. However, I do want to spar more. It isn't kickboxing, but we kick a lot, and when we put on the chest protectors (blah), we get a little bit of contact going.

I have a question for you, Sohan. Do you think that there is a way that the typical karate/taekwondo MAs could augment their training to make it more like what the boxers receive, as far as conditioning goes, but still maintain the more "traditional" aspects of their styles? My big beef at my school is that we don't spar enough, in my opinion. However, when we start class, the basics just kill me. Then forms kill me. By the time we get to sparring, in the last 10 minutes of class (only an hour), I am so tired that my sparring suffers. Sparring, in my opinion, would be a great way to condition ourselves. I also feel that we lose out on self-defense training, because we always focus on the curiculum aspects for testing. My problem at tournaments when I spar is one that you point out: tiring out soon. There is no boxing gym near where I live, so it is not an option available to me. I would love to do some of it, but there are people in my school that would not. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I think things can always get better, and I try to keep an open mind. I think that karatekas and other 'traditionalists' can be good fighters, but it is the training that needs to steer us that way.

That's good follow-through, there!

I just target the side of the head with my backfist. I don't worry about the small target areas.

Great. What was the training like? What did it consist of?

That's probably a good call. Also, you want to keep in mind if you have friends around, that can tell your side of the story for you, because the more people you have to go to bat for you, the better off your chances of minimizing the amount of trouble you get into, if any.

What are the Yudansha forms? I have never heard of them.

I think swords tend to be the most popular.

I just had a thought....if eating was an MA, I would be like a 27th dan or something!!!

You could just use a heavy bag to develop full power in your technique.

I had heard something similar to that as well, Sohan. Trained himself to death, some would say.

Maxed out on bench the other day; moved it up to 305.

I like the workout I get from skipping rope, but I am not very good at it yet. I try to work on one foot, and then the next, but it is coming along slowly. I have been doing it between sets when I am at the gym.

You make a good point, Sohan. I have had a lot of doubts about the way I have been training lately, and I feel like it could be better. I agree that boxers and Thai boxers have some of the best training there is, and you can tell from their conditioning. I do believe that all martial artists could benefit from conditioning training. I wish we did more sparring in my classes. We only spar at the end of class, after I am worn down from basics, forms, and one-steps. Then it is hard for me to work on anything that I want to, because I am so tired. I like your sledgehammer exercise, by the way.

Another thought on the side kicks. If the two fighters are close together, then chambering a tight side kick will look like a push. But, from a distance, it won't be pushing. It may look like it, because of the chest protectors. I do know that when I break boards, it isn't with a push!

Well, then at least you don't have to hold any more!

We have 2 month testing cycles, and then we get time requirements at black belt level. I do think the cycles should be longer, but hey, it isn't my school.

This is the same way I experienced it as well. It is enjoyable, no matter what the color around your waist is.

If I have to defend myself, I won't think about forms movements. I will probably think of low line kicks, punches to the face, and simple moves like this.