Sohan

Thanks for the tip, as I do most of my skipping barefoot on a concrete floor. I havent experienced any pain, so i assume you are talking about a long term sort of thing. Man, you must have some tough feet. Every injury I have ever had from rope skipping has come from either doing it barefoot or doing it on concrete, and you're doing both. But I'm just speaking for myself, though I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis. With respect, Sohan

This has been an issue for me lately, particularly following a recent seminar I gave on martial arts conditioning here in Atlanta, so please indulge me a moment. I will never understand why so many traditional martial artists fail to condition their bodies well enough to be able to utilize their skills in a real fighting situation. Many who do train outside the dojo usually waste their time with useless training modes, such as bodybuilding or long distance running, which do not give one the anaerobic capacity necessary for a struggle against a strong attacker. As a former amateur boxer, I decided a long time ago that training as a boxer was far more effective than any other for the fighting arts, because boxing and kickboxing conditioning programs comprise the elements necessary for optimizing speed, power, and stamina, which may make the difference between life and death in a real situation. Here are a few of the components of my current training: Heavy bag, speed bag, agility and reaction drills, run sprints, fartlek, rope skipping, plyometrics, sledgehammer, carrying sandbags uphill, training on an ab wheel, rope climbing, burpees, olympic lifts. I also utilize tons of wrestling drills to strengthen my legs for developing a strong base and avoid takedowns. Neck work is also an important component of my training. Also, instead of wasting time doing endless crunches, I do hanging or decline situps (upside down), situps with weights, slant board Russian twists, and plyometric situps, among others. And I shoot for quality reps rather than quantity. If I can do 25, I make it harder, usually with a weight vest. When I lift weights, I lift heavy, with low reps. I am not averse to occasional circuit training, though that is done intensely with a focus on quality training. When I do cardio, I spend my time on mostly anaerobic components, with intense interval training being the focus (many 2-5 min rounds of hills, speed, etc). My philosophy on cardio is that if I'm not getting out of breath at least half of the time I'm training, then I'm not working hard enough. Most importantly, I make sure I'm getting the right nutrition and rest so that I rebuild from these sessions. It's sad to see a black belt gas out after only a minute or so of hard sparring. A lot of times in training you can just wait the other guy out and then pounce when you see them tiring. I'd really hate to see these guys try to defend themselves in the ring, or worse yet, on the street. Some overconfident karateka may find themselves in trouble if their techniques and skills can't finish off an attacker in 60 seconds or less (not all street fights end quickly--many can be long, ugly struggles). I'd hate to see them going against a hardened criminal who has spent the last several years doing nothing but pumping iron, running sprints in the yard, and fighting other inmates. It shouldn't be this way. I know life isn't all about training (though I do love to train), but when it comes to being in shape for the fighting arts, many of us would benefit from giving our conditioning routines a more sports-specific focus. With respect, Sohan

I've been rope skipping since I was an amateur boxer and still do at age 40. It's a shame more martial artists don't utilize it as part of their training, since just 3-4 three minute rounds can do wonders for conditioning. Just don't ever do it in bare feet (I speak from experience). A $3 rope and AndrewGreen's $5 medicine ball and you have the workings of a very good cheap home gym. With respect, Sohan

I'm with Elbows on this. I respect Bruce Lee, but never understood the mystique around his conditioning routines. I have read enough contradictions about his feats of strength that I'm not sure what to believe anymore. But as far as his training went, it was fairly straightforward. He lifted heavy weights, was fanatical about his diet, and trained in MA daily. Do this, and you'll surely improve your physique and conditioning. One thing, though. Bruce Lee also had a habit of pushing himself beyond exhaustion both physically and mentally, and he once found himself flat on his back for six months due to an injury suffered during training. It's even been speculated over the years that his relentless training regime might have been a contributing factor leading up to his death. With respect, Sohan

They are, as a matter of fact. Best surface IMO is a hard wood floor rather than concrete or carpet. I do them as plyometric pushups, then I go do bag work after. With respect, Sohan

Shobayashi Shorin-ryu. Grandmaster Eizo Shimabuku. With respect, Sohan

The concept of receiving a black belt in ANY martial art in less than two years is absurd, IMO. I know there are exceptions (such as Joe Lewis, who received his in Okinawa in only 7 months), but most black belts I have seen who received their rank in that short period of time are usually comparable to advanced green belts in our system--so I certainly wouldn't evaluate someone's effectiveness based on the color of fabric around their waist. It is more important the length and quality of time one has studied a martial art, a sentiment expressed time and again on this forum. Besides, time requirements to receive dan ranking are highly variable based on individual schools. As for me, I am wary of any program that offers most black belts in less than 2-3 years or more than 7-8 years (BJJ as an exception). With respect, Sohan

Ah ok. We only do two of those, one in each direction at a 45 degree angle (and only two series of middle block double punch combo, the first of which doesn't have the kick punch following it). Then we swing into a horse stance (instead of an L-shaped stance)with an elbow smash, followed by a back fist....then pull back into a cat stance going back the other direction. Yep. That's a little different from ours. Guess that's what puts the "art" in martial arts... With respect, Sohan

Never really did much leg press. Have squatted and deadlifted over 600 in competition in the 181 and 198 lb classes as a teen. Clean and jerked 315 when I was 25. With respect, Sohan

We use knees in a couple of our kata, Passai Sho and Pinan Yondan, but not in much else. I throw in knees from Thai boxing as much as I can just to annoy my partners, and I frequently get called out for not providing a "defensible" attack. Duh. With respect, Sohan

Not to mention, injured areas have a tendency to get reinjured frequently. Just ask my shins. With respect, Sohan

After the third middle block-punch-punch-kick-punch series, you sit back in an L-shaped stance pulling back with the hand that just executed the reverse punch while performing a middle block with a scraping action with the other arm. That's the best way I can describe it. One of the bunkai for the move is for dealing with someone grabbing your punching arm. With respect, Sohan

I find music pretty helpful in setting a high-intensity-workout frame of mind. The harder the better, especially for bag work or sparring. With respect, Sohan

I've actually just begun training in Seisan, and haven't yet learned Kusanku, so I wouldn't know about them yet. However, I know Ananku very well, but I'm not sure what your referring to with "sit and pull". The only stances that we use in Ananku are front stance, cat stance, and horse stance. No L shaped stance. Of course this could just be due to different teacher's or Shorin Ryu styles. I do know there are some L shaped stances in some of our Kobudo kata's though. I think Tsuken Sai has some....I have to think harder on it though as I don't practice that kata often. I've seen various versions of Ananku practiced. The way we are taught it in my style is somewhat different from some other styles I've seen, as we end the kata with a series that includes an identical "sit and pull" series that is done in Seisan. You may be doing it differently, as I've seen some versions that do not end that way at all. With respect, Sohan

If you're just starting out, 3-4 times per week of skill training and heavy bag and sparring work will be enough for you. When you can make it through your sessions fairly easily, then put some energy into outside weight training. Weights are great for increasing speed and power, but a beginner needs to be working the skills they are learning more than trying to make up for their lack thereof with weight training. I've recently cut back my weight training and have gone to the heavy bag much more, and my weight training is more functional and power oriented. I do more dumbbell clean and jerks, dumbbell snatches, burpees, lots of core, and less of the bodybuilding moves. As far as cardio, I limit it to 3x per week now for only 20-30 minutes each of 5-8 three minute intervals with 1 min slower running in between for recovery. No long slow stuff anymore. Remember, conditioning outside the dojo or training hall is to make your boxing/karate/BJJ more effective, but does not substitute for your sport-specific training. A lot of guys become conditioning freaks who just don't have the skills because they don't put in the time. You need a balance of both gym work and conditioning training to be at your best. With respect, Sohan

I agree with you. I kind of feel the same way about those who use running a certain distance as well. I agree too, but instructor always right so ask no questions I think that the instructor is always right thing is stupid because its not true, just cause someone ones good at martial arts doesnt mean theyre perfect A somewhat crude way of putting it, but I actually agree with your sentiment. IMO the instructor is NOT always right. I've found that the "don't question the instructor" philosophy can be harmful to the growth of the martial artist because it stifles innovation and creativity. HOWEVER.... At white and green belt level one needs to question less and follow more, because a martial artist at that level is what he is: a beginner. Without the so-called "empty cup" one may find himself rejecting valid training simply because he doesn't understand it. But at brown belt level (and better at black belt--depends on the system and time spent training) we have a better foundation in our art, which gives us more perspective for questioning methodologies. With respect, Sohan

In Shorin Ryu the back foot is either straight forward, or 45 deg's to the front. I'm not aware of any Shorin Ryu stances that have our feet in the L shape. When I did a little Aikido training it was very hard to get my feet to do that after training in Shorin Ryu. Tough to break muscle memory lol. I can think of three instances. The "sit and pull" in Seisan and Ananku, and the "grabbing the stick" phase in Kusanku Sho. Each of these utilizes an "L" shaped stance with different foot placements. With respect, Sohan

Better late than never. Congratulations! With respect, Sohan

I watched the movie United 93 today as well as catching the entire replay of the 9/11 CNN broadcast this morning (took the day off), and afterwards I decided I wasn't really in the mood to make practice this evening. It seemed some things were a little more important, such as hugging my kid, telling my wife I loved her, and remembering what a lucky guy I am. Wherever you are, and whatever your nationality, I hope you have done the same today. With respect, Sohan

Glad to help! With respect, Sohan

Cathal, I found a video of him teaching at a seminar. It's about the 9th link down on the list, I believe (look for Guru Manny Bueno). I think this is your guy. http://www.integralcombat.ca/links.html With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Cool thing is that Rocky won't need to wear a mouthguard for his fights since he lost them all a while ago. I'll also be curious to see if Paulie feeds him Ensure between rounds. Seriously, I'm looking forward to the film, regardless of its cinematic quality. I just like the series, cheesy as it has become. With respect, Sohan

Funny! With respect, Sohan

We have a "gentleman" in my class who often comes to class after a dinner consisting of what must be entirely garlic cloves. By the end of the first hour, I feel like I'm being gassed with a biological weapon. Thankfully we have a BIG dojo to space myself out from him. With respect, Sohan