Dobbersky

Totally agree, if as you get better you can use the speed bag for kicking too!!!

Punching Methods - Why? All I have used the Phrase "Karate Punching" but this goes along with any style that give a "Punch from the Hip" I would love to know why doe we practice "Karate Punching" when we go into Kumite (Sparring or Fighting) (especially when practicing Knock Down Karate and K-1 etc), do we not punch like this. I find it a waste of time learning to "punch" like this then when you have to punch you all instinctively punch like a Boxer! Karate Punching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwxff6c7sM Boxer Punching I can only see lack of protection for the Head, punching like this What are your opinions. Which do you teach/practice and why? _________________________

Totally agree, there is nothing harder than hitting a concrete floor from around 4-5 foot in the air! Judo to me is a hard style and it has "no" strikes in it!!!! But Not hitting at all means broken bones on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd strike if you've never been trainedto hit anything before, Even GoKanRyu specify in their "NON-Contact" style that Makiwara training is needed to acustom you hands etc to striking objects

Han Mu Do HMD, Looked this up, no Dojangs near me, Seems very similar to most TKD/TSD Dojangs (not been to a Hapkido Dojang so can't comment) The Wikipedia explaination stipulates it as a Softer than Hapkido in striking so your HMD Dojang must be "special" I definately need to stipulate for perfect Cross-training, A Grappling Art with A Striking Art is the perfect mix, if you are going to cross train , not mixing two striking arts unless one has kata/forms/Hyungs/Pomsae and one doesn't! too much differences. I know because when I have students who are used to doing a traditional style having to "change" striking techniques and stances etc to allow the "flow" of my style to come through.

I would go straight to Kyokushin or Ashihara or Enshin or even Daido Juku for using Karate to mix with your MMA. they are all FULL CONTACT and many World Champs UFC, PRIDE, K-1 etc use it as their core style. Kyokushin Notable practitionersTerutomo Yamazaki, the first champion of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships and professional kickboxer Sonny Chiba, actor and martial artists Jon Bluming said by Oyama to be one of his strongest student, who left Oyama's organization in the 60's and did not return, although he continued to teach a hybrid karate/judo style in his native Netherlands. Bobby Lowe, Oyama's first international student Tadashi Nakamura, founder of Seidō juku Hideyuki Ashihara Steve Arneil, in-charge of Kyokushin Branch in Great Britain, who broke away from the IKO of Oyama and started his own organization. Hatsuo Royama founder of Kyokushin-kan John Jarvis Yoshiji Soeno founder of Shidokan Peter Chong, International Committee Member (IKO Matsui) and Asia/Middle East Chairman Miyuki Miura Katsuaki Sato, first Kyokushin World Champion and founder of the Sato-juku style. Howard Collins Kazuyoshi Ishii, founder of Seidokaikan Dolph Lundgren Akira Masuda Andy Hug, the most recognizable K-1 fighter Michael Jai White[13] Sam Greco, Karate World Cup Champion 1994, K-1 World GrandPrix 1999 3rd Place Francisco Filho Hajime Kazumi Jacques Chouinard Glaube Feitosa Nicholas Pettas, Mas Oyama's last uchi-deshi (live-in student) Georges St. Pierre, Current and 2-time UFC Welterweight Champion [14] Mariusz Pudzianowski, 5-time World's Strongest Man, 3-1 in MMA Bas Rutten, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, 3 time King of Pancrase world champion Ewerton Teixeira Peter "The Chief" Graham, professional Australian kickboxer Glen Murphy actor, 1st dan Katsunori Kikuno, DEEP 2001 International Lightweight Champion. Jayson Vemoa World Muay Thai Champion 1998, K-1 trainer to Glaube Feitosa and Ewerton Teixeira Ashihara Semmy Schilt, 4-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, reigning K-1 Super-Heavyweight Champion Enshin Joko Ninomiya Daido Juku Minoki Ishihara, the karateka who fought Royce Gracie in UFC 2 had previously been a champion in Daido Juku Karate. Semmy Schilt won Hokutoki Championship two times (open-weight division, 1996, 1997). Yoshinori Nishi, who won Hokutoki Championship in 1984 and 1985 (open-weight division), competed in RINGS, and later founded Wajyutsu Keisyukai, an MMA school that produced Caol Uno and Akira Shoji among others. Kenichi Osada, who has participated and won seven years. Lee Hasdell, MMA pioneer from England who has fought in K-1, RINGS & Cage Rage. Ogawa Hideki, who has participated in all All-Japan championships in -230, always 1st place except one year 2nd place when he tried -240 bracket. Also -230 world champion 2001. Shamil Abdulkerimov, Champion of World in Kudo 2009 and 2011 years. Shamil is fighter of M-1 Global.

I have no issues for Students Cross training, but I do recommend that they are at least 1st Kyu before they contemplate it. If you are learning to different things at the same time you can not work on both things out side of class as you could doing just one. I used to do several arts art the same time but found since I have retreated into my own style that I have found that I could discover more in my own art. If I was to cross train again it would only be in Judo or Aikido, the reason why is my art is a striking art so why do I need to use contradictory methods of striking and body movement when I am already using a set form in my style (I had this issue in Wado - an art which I found absolutely awesome, the way the strikes were delivered etc weren't the same) in a similar aspect as anaerobic and aerobic exercise contradicts each other Choose a style which is not the same as your core style. I.e. Kickboxing and Jujitsu, Ashihara Karate and Judo, Shotokan and Aikido. These are ok because there is not much that can be merged into each other, its a grappling art with a striking art none of which will cause the practitioner to get "confused" as to "what technique and where" syndrome. Its when you start mixing say Wado Ryu and Shito Ryu or Shotokan and Goju Ryu etc as this is when Stances, Kata and other Techniques begin to contradict each other an they begin to "merge" into 1 which is ok at first but if you are looking at Black Belt where perfection is a must the incorrect technique in the grading will be marked down against you!

I've broken boards in the past, I like to break Snooker/Pool Ques at the moment, only because I can't justify spending £X on a baseball bat just to break it. i tend to get my Ques free as they've lost their tips etc>

Rank is man's way of measuring things to me Rank just means you've been here longer and taken more tests Knowledge is being able to instil everything you have learnt into everything you do, it becomes one with you and a true test of knowledge is when you have to teach, infact you only really start learning something once you begin teaching it. Experience, this one is awkward but it is related to time, time to work on everything that is within your arsenal. Being able to know what works and what doesn't. The ability to apply techniques in various situations without the need to question it as you "know" what fits best into which situation. It also feeds from knowledge. Finally, Knowledge and experience are intertwined, as they feed from each other. Whereas Rank is man made to give a hierarchy notwithstanding power to the founder creator of the school

JudoBrah You will find that true martial artists do not boast about "Street Fights" as although we train to protect ourselves from attackers in the street aswell as other arenas, we tend to only use our skills only when there is no other avenue. not too sure how long you have been training or your age but you will find the older you get and the more senior up the grades you get, this will no longer be an issue for you. Just relax and enjoy your chosen Martial Arts Styles!

The least you could do is give him a few leaflets for Martial Arts around the area. "NOT MY BUSINESS!!" well that's why the world is the way it is today because too many people use this to not get involved! I had a student who was attacked by 3 others at his school, he did his best to defend himself. BUT his "so-called" mate who is a "self-proclaimed" hardman stood and watched without giving him the support a Mate/Friend should give, I told him with friends like that who needs enemies!

Totally agree with all the advise being given If you want to "test" your fighting skills in a "safe" enviroment, then there is always the "Cage" there are plenty of events going on around the place you just need to find one in your area. ask your Instructor he/she might know how to get you enroled. Good luck my friend.

This is solid advice too. Not sure you are assuming that I am a minor, I'm 32. I've been told that I look young for my age, but not 14 years younger.....lol When I was your age.................... Totally agree, standing up for someone who can't fight back is a great honour. but trying to disperse the incident rather than escalating it into a brawl would be even better

I would love to add to this but everyone has added such excellent explainations. The only thing I can add is stop looking at the twig when that is just part of the tree it come from Bruce Lee covered a small spetrum of Martial Arts Training. What you must look at is forget about having to think about technique and just do the technique. This is not to do technique without contructive training but to do the technique until it becomes as natuaral as breathing - If you do not have to think about the technique during an attack its 1 less thing to think about

Sojobo-san, lol, in which one of the styles that you practice is this statement aimed at hehehehehe

Just to add. It would take a absolute minimum, if the minimum time between gradings was observed 17 years to go from white belt to 5th Dan. so if they started at 1 year old the youngest would be 18. anything less than that is a shambles

Well done my friend!!! In which style???

An Adult Black belt to anyone below the age of 16 is stupid and proves "belt factory warning" If a belt is all you want send me £400 and I'll send you one with a certificate and you won't have to do an ounce of training!!!

How can anyone study more than 1 style for a substained length of time without them merging into one by the individual. I at one time studied Ashihara Karate, Muay Thai, Tang Soo Do, Jujitsu and Aikido all at the same Time!!! i found that many of the styles had overlaps so I started to "drop" the arts 1 by 1 depending on what I felt was necessary. I practice 1 style, my style, which is now a hybrid of everything I have done before. Does anyone else feel the same or does anyone practice mutiple style WITHOUT any issues or "contradictions in the techniques or Kata/Forms Thanks

Definately the same name, pm me you gym location I'll pop in to say hi

my Lineage goes to ME!!! I am the founder of my style lol I think I put a thread on here about lineage before

DITTO With everyone who has responded, do every technique slowly and with perfection. to build speed a heavy bag is excellent. When I was fighting I was hitting the bag 1000 times a day plus 10 miles run plus weights session every second day Try Pyramid kicks/punches/etc have a partner hold a thai pad then them shout 1 upto 10 then back down again. 1 side then the other. the point is to get the strikes of a quick as you get them. excellent for stamina too

My only view of Jeet Kune Do is "forget" about the founder and concentrate on the skills of the Instructor teaching you. Too many people have Bruce Lee as some kind of "demi-god" who they believe was able to fight and have the same skills in real life as he did in his films! Muay Thai in the Western World is just Kickboxing.but it just includes Thigh Kicks, Elbows, Knee Strikes, etc. Real Muay Thai/Boran will only be found in Thailand. For Muay Thai also look at: Bokator Lethwei Muay Lao Pradal Serey Sanda or Sanshou For JKD also look at: Doces Pares Escrima Penkat Silat Daido Juku Krav Maga

If I could throw a "Rep" your way I would, PM me your K4L name and I'll rep you there, OSU

Basic Kata is what it is a BASIC KATA. it gives the karateka the roots of all kata that follow throughout the life, the way of the style you have chosen. My Taikyoku kata are completely different to these, I'll film them add them on Youtube then give the link here

That is precisly what JKD is, borrowing from other styles and taking what is most effective. Very true In fact if I had to choose between JKD and Krav Maga, Krav Maga would be the style I would pick hands down, without any second thoughts