bushido_man96

Mine is a tough one but I would have to say....The Incredible Hulk for number 1. I just love the way he gets mad, and then look out! A very close #2 is Superman. Just as strong, but with more emotional control than Hulk. These two actually run very close in my book. Almost a tie. And a very high #3 for Batman: This guy deserves a ton of credit....NO super powers. Everything he has he owes to his martial training, and his resourcefulness. When all else fails for the super guys, Batman can still figure something out. Yeah, he has gadgets, but that is part of the resourcefulness aspect.

Spiderman.

I think he fought Chuck Liddel, and got beat pretty soundly.

I agree with you 100%. I always like the ATA forms, and still try to freshen up on them from time to time. I guess it was the TSD forms that they allow, and not the ATA forms. What did you think of the point sparring? Did you enjoy it? The adult student that went from our school enjoyed it, but he said he got blasted with some hard contact right off the bat, and it wasn't called, so he just went right after him. I like the idea of the head contact. My instructor said we were going to start doing more of it in class, but we haven't yet.

Replying to Traditional-Fist's post above: The points that you make are still generalizations, and unsafe ones I feel at that. I have never been a proponent of something like the "three hit knockdown guarantee;" I just don't feel that anyone can make a legitimate claim like that. Sure, you are talking about vital areas to strike, but things can change in a heartbeat in an encounter. And just because someone doesn't drop after 3 "perfect" hits, does not say anything about a fighter's skill, or lack thereof.

Is this the Korean long bow? I have heard that it is very ritualistic.

I think the answer to your question is in your own post. It is all about credibility. It is like going to college to get a degree. Or a mechanic. Your dad may be the best mechanic in the world, but he can't get a job in a garage without ASE certification (or something like that). The MA schools can still be opened without a certificate, but the fact that there are those out there that have them makes them look more qualified. It sucks, but it seems to be the way things are going.

Just practice your current forms with palm strikes replacing your regular hand strikes. Also, try bag work with palms. Quite an interesting experience. You have to alter your strike a little.

Did you see Shamrock's last fight? I think he is done. He had a good run, but it may be time to hang it up. He is still in great shape, but I was not impressed with his last fight.

I hear what you are saying, I had a kid in class tonight who just was not with it. It is tough, but you have to let them know what you expect of them. If you let the kids slack all of the time, you don't gain anything. And then there are the kids who work their butts off, but just aren't quite as good. But you reward them for their work. It helps to make the kids' class more fun, but sometimes you just have to grind it out of them. Personally, I am going to make sure the kids are ready if they plan on testing. If they are not, and look bad, and ill-prepared, then that reflects on me. I am going to give them their money's worth if at all possible.

Use fast, snapping techniques if you choose to kick. Don't leave anything out there for them to grab. Kicking high may induce them to shoot and take you down. Not a good idea either. If they shoot, try to side step and land some punches. And like elbows_and_knees said, sprawl.

Is that better? Yes, thanks. So, the difference between your opinion and mine is target area, essentially, right?

You are going to need to translate that for me, as my Japanese is a little, well, non-existent.

Huh, that's funny. I could have sworn I saw that somewhere. Oh, well, I have been wrong before.

congratulations!

I think what your were feeling was anger, not KI. I don't do any meditation, or internal contemplation, or anything like that, right now, but I do get to feeling like you described from time to time. When I get angry, I get hot, sweaty, my blood pressure rises, I grit my teeth, and feel like unloading everything I have into the nearest inanimate object. When I get done, I feel drained. I honestly think you felt anger, and not KI.

I can understand what you are saying, but two wrongs do not make a right. There are a couple of things that your sensei could try to do. One possibility is that he could take the students who are serious about karate, and try very hard (not to be confused with skill level), and just take them to workout in his backyard/garage/community center, and drop the rest. If he owns a club that is small, he most likely not using it as his primary source of income, so this shouldn't be a problem. Another option is to introduce some new grading ideas, like adding stripes to the belts, or adding more belts, if you have room for them. This will make more work for the kids to do, they will have to test more often, but will hopefully make better gains, and show more improvement. You say your sensei is a good instructor. If so, he should not worry about the quantity of his students, but the quality that he can put into each one that he has. Eventually, by passing out belts, it will come back on his reputation. Have the sensei talk to the parents about what his plans for the kids are. Most likely the parents will agree, and the kids will have to shape up. Good luck to you and your sensei. I hope things improve for the both of you.

They do have simulator things kind of like this for Law Enforcement Officer training. My dad was telling me about one he was playing around with. No, it is not a substitute for all other officer training, but it is a good supplementation.

The problem that I have with kicking the knee is that, although it is a good target, is the possibility of a lawsuit being thrown your way.

Congratulations on your rank! What a sign of gratitude.

cogratualations on your accomplishment. Those testings are quite different than mine.

1. By the top knuckle, do you mean the standard knuckle for making contact? If so, evaluate your technique as compared to your right hand, to see if you are doing anything different. Also, try focusing striking with the index and middle finger knuckles, and not just one. Otherwise, it may be just a matter of conditioning, and will improve with time. When it is sore, rest it. 2. You can increase your dumbell weight at steady intervals. When you feel that the weight you use is too light, bump it up five pounds. Make sure that whatever action you are doing (like if it is punching) doesn't overstress the elbow joint, shoulder joint, or whatever you are working on. 3. You need to set a bedtime, and stick to it. Not 9 one night, and 12 the next. After some time, your body will adjust to the schedule. Also, if you nap for any excessive amount of time during the day, you may have trouble getting to sleep at night. My wife is an exception, who can get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and then take a 4 hour nap in the afternoon, and then go to sleep at 10 . One more thing...don't worry about making long posts . We like 'em!

I also have a question -> Is a Kip-Up another name for a Shoulder Spring? I would say most likely they are the same thing. I can do the kip-up, but not the spin-a-rooney.

Loren Christensen has a book called Speed Training. Find it, read it. That said, there are several things you can do. You could do some work with weight training at lighter weights with more reps, and push the reps out fast, but don't pop any joints. For kicks, practice bursting exercises, in which you burst your leg up into a chamber position, like for a front kick or side kick. Burst up as fast as you can, as high as you can, and then put it back down quickly. As the ball of your foot hits the ground, burst back up immediately. It takes time to develop speed. And just because you are big, it does not mean that you cannot be fast.

I am not sure I would try to clinch with someone if I knew his buddies were around, or take him to the ground. Something about being attacked when I can't see them, and while I am on the ground. Maybe it is different if you have more ground fighting experience, but I would not feel comfortable with it.