bushido_man96

It is ok to kihap, but you don't want to do it too much. Just to emphasize a technique. I know a lot of sport TKDers like to kihap on everything. It gets old after a while, and I would just prefer to save my breath.

Here is a counter question. Why not learn to use weapons by fighting with them, against other weapons, or against empty handed multiple attackers? Now, I like to watch weapons forms from time to time, and I appreciate those that do them. They take lots of time to learn and perform. The way that I prefer to learn to use weapons is to actually use them in a combat scenario, against other weapons, and through drills.

Most TKD schools that I know of take about 2 years to achieve black belt. However, most that I have been associated with are very strict on technique, and I have not been involved with one that is strictly sport oriented. Why the differences arise in how TKD and Karate go about their grading, I don't know. The schools I have attended run on two month testing cycles, and usually have 9 colored belts leading up to black. If I ever run my own school again, I have considered using 3 month cycles for testings.

Yeah, and what the hell was with him going to town on the ballistics gel with the samurai sword? I mean come on guys use your heads- this they do immediately after showing someone who holds titles in sword cutting (which means he obviously knows how to swing a sword). Then we go and have a korean stylist swinging a japanese weapon...... go figure Yeah, and I also thought his bo staff demo on the body replica was kind of different. They made comments about the weapon breaking....it broke because it was designed for competition, not because he was swinging it hard. If he would have used a good solid oak bo, with some thickness to it, I don't think it would have broken.

How many punches was he throwing there? I can never tell, with youTube. As for 50, I would have to see it.

Can I ask who Patrick McCarthy is?

Welcome to KF! Glad to have you. As far as learning Ninjitsu, it seems that if you can't find a school, you may be stuck. I don't recommend books or videos as a beginner, either. You can learn too many bad habits that way. I would look around at all the schools in your area, and see if you can find something that you like. This way, if you ever do get a chance to do nijitsu, then you will have a little MA backing to help you out; kind of give you head start!

I took my wife with me when we went looking for rings. We found a very nice ring, not too gaudy, and fairly decent priced. I didn't spend over $1500 on it, and you should be able to find a very nice ring for around that price. Oh, and congratulations!

me too and Buhhidist monks use Bo's cause its easier to hold back killing someone I think the monks used the bo because it was a cheaper weapon, not because it wasn't as hard to maim/kill with it.

I hope everything is well.

First of all, welcome to KF! As far as competitive jiu-jitsu goes, I think that it is mainly a ground game, minus the kicking and striking. But I could be wrong. There may be organizations out there that combine them. I think that it may be more along the lines of the comment you made about competitive judo with chokes and joint locks. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitions compete this way.

Welcome to the forums, Shaolin_Dragon! Glad to have you. As far as learning from a video, I would not recommend it. As the previous posts mention, it is a good way to get hurt and start bad habits. Do a Google search of your area, or go through the phone book, and see what schools are available to you. You may not find Kung Fu, but you may find a style that does interest you, and then you can get started. Good luck on your journey!

Hey, cool deal. Good to see some stand-up guys make the transition. Welcome to KF, by the way! Glad to have you, Black Belt Teacher!

I am sorry to hear this. I hope you find what you are looking for.

To add to this stretching drill, when you get your leg as high as it will go, hold it for 15 to 30 seconds. Then, when on your command, the partner resists while you try to push your leg down against them, contracting the muscles. Hold this position for about 10 to 15 seconds, then release. Have your partner lower the leg a little, then stretch it up more, and you should reach a little farther. I believe this is called PNF stretching. Don't start it out right away, but give yourself some time to gain some flexibility. This will be helpful when you notice your gains in flexibility are slowing down.

Kind of like being a gentlemanly fighter.....is there such a thing? Here's a phrase I heard once: "The only guy that says he got hit by a 'cheap shot' is the guy who lost."

Very nice pics. Thanks for sharing!

Combat Hapkido is specifically designed with self defense on the street in mind, using distraction techniques and other ideas like ground fighting and finishing techniques. I suppose these are all available in traditional HKD, but Combat Hapkido emphasises low line kicks and breaking the initial grip.

Usually a modified spear, referred to as the javelin, would be thrown. Most spears were 6 foot plus in length, and would have been a bit awkward thowing.

You might Google it. I think there are several companies you can find on-line. Also, I believe the AAU provides insurance to its member schools...might be a route you could take.

Just finished a 44 oz. bag of peanut M & M's today. I love chocolate!

I was just thinking this....took the words right out of my mouth!

Wow, that jumping technique was crazy! I would like to learn that! A big guy like me jumping like that would scare some people!

Wrist grabs are great to learn some of the basic ways that the body will move and react when joints are put under pressure. The likelyhood of your wrists being grabbed in this manner, as others have said, is not high. However, what is learned from the wrist grabs will apply mechanically to controlling the wrist when other scenarios arise, like the lapel grab. From the lapel grab, you can manipulate the wrist of the hand grabbing the lapel...it just happens from a different starting point. You can also manipulate the wrist after parrying a strike, etc. My conclusion: great for training, not so great as for practicality.

TSD also teaches the naihanchi (tekki) and bassai forms. Hmmmm, that's interesting, these are Japanese forms. Does anyone know where the crossover between Japanese and Korean content occured? The crossover occured during the Japanese occupation. Korean masters learned Karate in Japan, where they were usually educated. When Korea broke away, they wanted to start a nationalistic movement, and TKD became a catalyst. Everything Japanese about the art was deleted, and all of a sudden there is the existense of this Korean style, that is very similar to Karate. In order to seperate the two, the Koreans "discovered" their 3000 year martial heritage, and made it Korean for good.