tdiedwards

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So will this be like Magic the Gathering with you playing a nameless avatar or will each player represent a Muay Thai fighter such as Baukaw or Sanchai?

Each player represents a fighter. You can create your own fighter, with his own strengths and preferences. Then let rip and see if you can make him win.

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I'm trying to make one that reflects the scoring, rhythms and strategies of the sport. My research has opened up some fascinating insights, especially regarding how fights are scored. I've got a few ideas on how a fast, gritty game might work - but nothing too solid yet.

Before I go any further, I thought it might be wise to ask some fans and practitioners what they think.

My question really is simply this: What would be cool for you in a game like this?

Thank you very much for your thoughts!

interesting thread for me. a KM school has JUST opened up near me (only days ago). i was interested, but have not been along yet. is there any particular lineage to look out for as an indication of good instruction?

As far as I know, it would still be allowed. Has it been universally abandoned by the athletes forever?

I certainly think drilling with the instructor is important, as you don't want to end up accidentally practising a slightly incorrect execution. Safety issues not withstanding, it's the sparring that lends itself more to homework than the drilling. ideally of course you do it all during the class where you can get feedback. This discussion reminded me of a) the way my fencing instructor opperates and b) the way I was taught to instruct in ESL classes. 4 phases (all monitored by the teacher - although the 4th less intensively)

a) form - form is demonstrated. students repeat form, form is corrected

b) practice form (drill) - students repeat the technique - corrections made (eg in pairs, a specific attack and a specific defence of that attack)

c) controlled production - students use the technique in an activity that REQUIRES them to use it, but they produce it autonomously - not quite like a drill. (Eg students use the same attack and defence techniques, but unlike the drill it's competative - but MUST stick to those techniques)

d) free poduction (sparring) - just try to win and perhaps you'll find a time and place for the techniques just taught. or not.

i'm sure this forms the basis of most people's martial arts classes? but i really think it's a wee bit misguided to see "drilling" as a waste of class time.

I have heard of the chocolate milk claims, and I don't need much coaxing to get another serving of chocolate into my life. So, if it is even recommended, then I'm right on board there...

damn right. that's the best news i've heard this month!

and furthermore, i am going to ignore any future study that might negate this

I have heard of the chocolate milk claims, and I don't need much coaxing to get another serving of chocolate into my life. So, if it is even recommended, then I'm right on board there...

damn right. that's the best news i've heard this month!

Are you in a fighting stance? How far away from your body should you throw it?

I use it in a fighting stance, mainly for footowrk. Seems like they're not very popular on this forum, but I have found it useful. As far as footwork goes you can treat it like shadow boxing, but with an unpredictable element to which you have to respond. Just chuck it to land a punch length in front of you...however, you will find you may have to lunge forward, retreat rapidly, or react with a feint to the side.

Of course, actually catching the ball isnt' the skill, but the movements you need to put yourself in position to catch it are the real exercise. If you use it at the end of a workout, you will find youself having to dig quite deep to make the sudden explosive movements to grab at it.

It was actually my fencing instructor who introduced me to it. it really little to do with catching skills. It's all about reflexes and lower body movement

Hi, i have just discovered a great new toy...

Get a reaction ball. they are great fun. Throw it up in the air, adopt your normal stance (whatever it is) and try to catch the ball on the first bounce. keep proper footwork and it's really useful.

Also, play with weights until your arms are like lead. then get the reaction ball out and play. if you force youself to focus on correct posture and footwork, i think it's a brilliant drill.

have fun!

A broken humerus from arm-wrestling, followed by terrible surgery by an insane Jakarta doctor has left me in rather different circumstances from those in which I began MA (Silat). I had to quit Silat because the arm is damaged beyond repair. I still try to continue comparatively gentle training of a type. The way I have adapted my (now unsupervised) training is by

a) avoiding sudden lateral movements (no more hard karate type blocks)

b) focusing on straight punches (esp jab, coz the left arm is still happy)

c) no more back-fists. that would put me on my knees in pain

d) trying to regain kicking skills - but a long period of being sedentary has allowed old muscle rips to rear their ugly little heads)

e) the most important and difficult one - trying to stay positive and not get depressed

I run 3 times a week - about 2 miles. I also do it carrying a 5kg dumbell in each hand. I don't know if it's a particularly good idea? I just had them lying around so decided to incorporate them.

It certainly makes your cardio work hard. It also makes running VERY pleasant when you decide to leave them at home for a change!

I just did my strength test after week four... 39 isn't great but it is a good mid range result. I think I'll stick with the first tier though even though the chart says I should be doing tier 2.

i don't know about you, but I found the initial test doesn't quite reflect the tiers. i've started doing in - got 31 on my initial test, but there was no way i could do the suggested sets. i'm doing tier 1 on week 3, but twice a day - morning and evening. that feels about my level. good luck with yours!

When people offer self defense advice i often hear: "if the confrontation cant be avoided.... do this".

Im interested to know at what point people consider a confrontation "unavoidable", because from my experience most confrontations can be avoided right up to the moment where the other person throws the first punch.

Thoughts?

My thoughts are: I wish I lived in your town, because it seems like you have a polite class of thug. I have just spent the weekend in hospital after 5 lads decided to break a bottle over my head and give me a kicking. Nothing avoidable about it. There was no reason for them to do it, and so no way I could reason my way out of it. I was unable to run because I was surrounded. I think I tried to talk my way out of it, shortly before the bottle landed...

I like in Birmingham, UK

Well when I was a kyu rank my dad would pick us up and we might go to the dinner inside the mall where the school was located at the time. There was also occasions when we would go get Chinese food afterward. I would normally wear my gi pants and a tshirt to these places, occasionally I would leave the gi top on if I had nothing else.

The rule there, and my rule no, is NEVER wear your belt outside of the dojo. I have always put a heavy emphasis on "I practice karate" and nothing more, to wear your gi says that, to wear you belt tells people you are an instructor etc.

I equate it to how officer hide their rank when there are reports of snipers. It is REALLY hard to hide that you do karate when you walk into a dojo, but you shouldn't let the whole world know your status because many people (more so on the teenage level) will pick fights because "o he doesn't know karate he just wears that black belt".

Just my 2 cents

i would never wear a Gi in a chinese restaurant. the risks of looking like a kung-fu movie are just TOO high!!!

It seems I have a problem with my front kick and I would like to know if you guys have any idea on what exercises I could do to help correct it.

I can not fully extend my leg when doing a front kick. Just in case not everyone does the front kick the same way, we do it by lifting the knee to waist level or higher and extend the lower leg.

My sensei tried to support my leg and lifting it horizontally and I did not feel any stretching pain either in the back of the knee or the butt area. Then my instructor said that it was probably my muscle that lift my leg that are not train / strong enough to support my leg standing horizontally and allow it to extend.

What type of exercises would be good to help strengthening those muscles? Or maybe you guys have other idea on why I can not do it.

If any of this not clear, do not hesitate to ask.

i had the same prob. Agonising but effective exericise was to use a chair back (a low one to start with) and perform the SLOW movement (raise leg - extend) over the chair WITHOUT touching it - and return the leg SLOWLY and with form. repeat until your legs buckle. and do it every day. even if you can only do 1 or 2 reps, it's good. most important thing is not to sacrifice form. move onto a higher chair when you can.

good luck. my silat instructor used to destroy me with that exericise at regular intervals throughout the session. could hardly walk home. i loved it though. hehe

I was reading about the training methods of the ancient Spartans. From what I have read, they went a month eating nothing but honey. Now I can understand that this could really make your pancreas hate you and it could cause insulin levels to topple. Was it a different kind of honey? Maybe because it was unprocessed they could do it. What would be the health benefits and could it be done today?

As a student of ancient history, I recommend you take with a pinch of salt everything you read about the Spartans. Those old Greek guys really liked to mythologise and romanticise them. Also, a pinch of salt is what you'd need to survive that diet!

not really a distraction technique, but when i used to do silat competitions some guys used to STAMP to good effect - they often seemed to recognised when i got into that very focused state. a well placed stamp, and i could feel all the useful tension drain out of me, and become that bit less tuned into the fight and that bit less reactive, if you know what i mean? basically, breaking my concentration i guess....anyone else done that or had it done to them?

never try to pull yourself free.....do the opposite and go INTO the animal

if a dog takes hold of your arm, move TOWARDS the dog instead of pulling away from it. push your arm as though you're actually trying to force it down the dogs throat. totally counter intuitive, but that's the point. the normal reponse in nature is for the prey to pull, and anyone who's played tug-of-war with their pet dog knows that dogs LOVE this response. they pull back, shake their heads, etc.....

if you do the opposite and move INTO the animal, they are forced to walk backwards, which confuses them, and trying to push your arm down their throat really worries and confuses them

i was given this advice by someone with regards to big cats once (never needed to use it) but next time you play tug-of-war with your pet, you'll see how effective it is. it's a bit mean because although you "win" the fight (even the most tenacious dog will release the toy), your dog will look at you like you cheated.

untested with attack dogs, but i'd think it's better than trying to pull yourself free.

mate, some of this advice might be right but.....it might also just be genetic.

Maybe it's within nature's normal range for everyday life, but it manifests itself as a problem when punching.

sorry - made a hash of that last post. this is the comment i was responding too, RE flexibility and fists, etc

tdiedwards wrote:

mate, some of this advice might be right but.....it might also just be genetic.

Maybe it's within nature's normal range for everyday life, but it manifests itself as a problem when punching.

----absolutely. it is a problem when punching - and it is fairly normal. my point is that it *might* not be possible to onvercome it with flexibility training, so don't push things too hard. sometimes you have to accept that your body shape will determine fighting style to a degree. don't damage your hands in an attempt to make a "normal" fist.

how do u get ur fingers straight when punching?? my fingers always seem 2 b sloped liket diagonally when i clench my fist so i have 2 punch with my wrist going down and i always hurt it. what excercises can i do to change this??

mate, some of this advice might be right but.....it might also just be genetic. both my brother and i have that kind of fist. maybe that it can be compensated for with flexibility training. not sure though - neither of us has been able to conquer it after years of karate. the solution really might be to punch "carefully" and kick a lot

- good to know there are other weird-fist chaps out there! thought maybe only my family was weird. hehe

the quiz says i am The Flash

i'm happy with that

The chanced of fight tree persons at the same time are very slim.

If they attack realisticaly and the 3 at the same time, you dont even have a chance.

One attacks you, and the other 2 just grab and try to hold you.

There would need to be a huge skill diference for someone to defeat them.

I would play avoidance game, like children play catch.

And run from them.

to avoid them within the confines of the dojo will also need "a huge skill difference". also i assume the aim is to put up a fight rather than just survive for a period of time. i don't think most judges would be impressed with the avoidance game, even if you could manage it. which i think would be difficult unless the 3 opponents have the brains of pacman ghosts! hehe (hope springs eternal)