bushido_man96

To help build your speed, build your explosiveness. You can do this with plyometric exercises for upper and lower body. You will want a good base of strength before you start, so if you don't lift weights, you should start.

I have class two or three times a week, and I lift 4 days a week, usually in the morning or mid afternoon. To help with endurance, you should do about 30 minutes of cardio every day if you can. As mentioned previously, swimming is great. I don't like to run, so I use the elliptical machine. It is easy on my knees, and I get a good sweat on it. Start out easy, and work your way up. Don't hit it too hard all at once. You could burn yourself out if you do.

Welcome to the forums, we are glad to have you here! Hope you enjoy your training with your son.

Drunken style is not one I have really seen much of. I am sure it could be very useful, depending on how much time and effort is put into the training. You also need the right kind of training for self-defense applications.

A short list: Gichin Funakoshi Myamoto Musashi George Silver (English swordsman) Hee Il Cho Chuck Norris Joe Lewis Mas Oyama Angel Cabales (Cabales Serrada Escrima) And of course...Bruce Lee

I really haven't fought much. My senior year in high school, I had some problems with an underclassman. He followed me one day after school until we got off school property, and he shoved me. We started circling, and he hit me a few times in the face. I was so angry, but I couldn't bring myself to go after him. The adrenaline was through me, but I never did like the feeling of it. I like to think I have gotten better with that feeling over the past few years. Here's the funny thing. Even though he hit me a few times, I never felt it. Nothing at the time, and nothing afterwards. No bruises, no pain, nothing. It was wierd, because I don't think I really have a high pain tolerance level. Maybe the adrenaline was doing something for me.

My school has board breaking requirements for the brown belt levels and above, which are just below black. Usually a hand and a foot technique. Adult males break two boards at each station. Women do one, until black belt, where they do 2 on a side kick.

Yes, very good points. I like to think that I am helping someone improve themselves in some way when I am teaching. I never liked seeing students go.

yes! i currently practice three different bunkai for the basic karate 'lunge punch' oi-tsuki found in kata, and none of them use the movement as a punch! Okee dokee, maybe you guys can give some suggestions then. Chon Ji hyung, my white belt form, starts with a down block to the right with the left arm in left front stance, and then step and right punch. I can think of a block to a low kick, and then punching, but is there more I could do? Like simulate a takedown? I just am not very creative.

By this, do you mean a competiton-based class? That sounds like a good time to me!

Oh, yes, it is possible, and they could mix well. Just make sure to take your time with both, and don't try to hurry along too much.

they're fillipino. i'm not sure if fillipino is related to spanish, but i know 'esgrima' means fencing in spanish. I think that I saw something about some early Spanish influence or settling in the Phillipines at some point. I think that is where it comes from.

If we started out full contact on yellow belts, we'd have no orange belts!! You may want to keep in mind that we wear point sparring gear, so the "anything goes" is a little more kosher than "anything goes and you'll likely bleed all over my mat". The lack of restriction is fun, though - you don't have to continually pause and go, "Wait, am I allowed to do that?" like I continually have to remind myself in TKD tournaments (not bashing TKD! I love it! Seriously!). Haha...I felt so bad for this poor guy I lost to in my first black belt TKD match...he kept kicking high, and my instructor is really big on groin shots when the opponent hits high - and the guy wasn't wearing a cup. I almost got disqualified, and he won partially because he was better than me, partially becaue I felt so sorry for kicking him in the crotch three times, and paritally because my errors gave him two points. Random tangent...sorry... I hear you on all of this here. Gotta bring the low ranks along easy. And, I understand your TKD story. Sometimes hard to change to a different rules style. If it would have been me, I would have started blocking. But, I tend to block more than counter, anyways.

Try a google search of Indiana Martial arts. You should come up with a directory. Good luck!

That is interesting. Something like that happened with the second Spider Man movie, with some of the shots having the World Trade Center in it, so they had to some production juggling with that one, too.

Welcome to the forums! Glad to have you here. If I were you, I would scan the yellow pages under Martial Arts instruction, and also so a Google search for your area. Something should turn up. Good luck!

Welcome to the forums!

You should do a google search on some of these styles, and also search your area, to see if any schools come up. They can be very good styles, but they are weapon based, as opposed to empty hand based. Good luck finding your style.

Welcome to the forums, Myth! Glad to have you. As far as your training questions go, I think cross training in judo would not give you too much trouble, as they cover different aspects. However, there is a lot of other good advice given here, so think about it, and decide on what you think is best for you. Good luck in training!

Well put for someone who does not practice bunkai. I would agree completely. I am hoping to perhaps start developing some of my own bunkai for the forms in my system. Surely I can come up with something. I am not overly creative, though, so I may need to get a brainstorming group to help out. Different takes would be a good thing, I think.

I love this dew commercial with the Temple and hand slap game set up. I get a kick out of it (no pun intended! ). Remember the Bruce Lee/Karate Kid commercial from several years back? That was a great one, too.

Both of these are good grappling styles. I think judo is a little more restricted in some aspects, as it tends to lean toward competition. It probably depends on the instructor, though. BJJ is a nice style as well. I think judo concentrates on throws more than BJJ, where as a lot of BJJ randori will start from the knees. I think Judo randori starts from a standing postition. I think it would be great to try both, and do a live comparison. I would love to learn throws, but also like all of the locks and submissions of BJJ. Boy, I think I would do both if I could. Of course, if I had a say, my weekday schedule would look something like this: Monday AM: Tang Soo Do Monday PM: Tae Kwon Do Tuesday AM: Judo Tuesday PM: BJJ Wednesday AM: Shotokan Wednesday PM: Kyokushin Thursday AM: Muay Thai Thursday PM: Boxing Friday: Ah, take the day off. Of course, I would lift everyday as well. Too bad I work for a living!

I was stating similarity in how I approach fighting and/or sparring, not necessarily techniques or strategies. Sorry for the confusion.

I do have a book on Cabales Serrada Escrima, and I liked what was in it. Looked like they did all hands on type stuff. I wish there was a school here for it.

I like the progression of the rules through the ranks here. Very nice. I also like the high rank rules. May have to try them out!