Sensei Tom OBrien

Is anyone watching the Golden Gloves from Madison Square Garden? I like to watch the Gloves because they are never boring. Unlike the pros the amateurs have only 3 rounds to do what they have to do. They have go out there and put everything they have into an action packed 9 minutes. They don’t have the luxury of ‘taking a round off’ like the pro’s do. It’s all action and they do it because they love it, not for money. Thanks, Sensei Tom

They are going to air it Sat. nite. I heard it was very close and they are already talking re-match. Thanks, Sensei Tom

Thanks guys. I posted some pictures of Steve in the photo albums. He really is a great martial artist and human being. I can't tell you how happy & proud I am after all these years. Thanks Again, Sensei Tom

Bushido_man96, Keep striving for that perfect side kick. I sometimes think about what I might do if, god forbid, someone (a bad guy) had a gun pointed at someone else and their back was to you. Let's say you saw them from a distance. Now there are a lot of things you could do. I would not count out the flying side kick in that situation. I mean you could try to sneak up behind them and yoke them around the neck and take them down that way. But it might take too much time to sneak up. If you ran at them and plowed them with a flying side kick from the back there is a good chance you would have to scrape them up off the ground with a shovel. Besides the flying side kick is so much fun to do. Thanks, Sensei Tom

I finally have someone who made it all the way to black belt after doing this for almost 30 yrs. Steve really deserves his Shodan. He has been putting up with me for 7&1/2 yrs. Steve is only 16 yrs. old but he is mature beyond his years. He can hold his own against the men. He has competed against black belts in the last 3 tournaments. Steve won a bronze medal in the AAU State Championships. He is consistent and never misses class. I am proud to have him as my first black belt. Thanks, Sensei Tom [/img]

french fri25 & norris197 sounds like you guys are getting ready to get your blackbelts. Good Luck. Thanks, Sensei Tom

To develop power in the side kick (yoko geri) I like the heavy-bag best. I like to swing the heavy-bag away from me and as it swings back I try to catch it when it is vertical. Timing is important here. You have to be careful because as you start to kick harder and harder you have to maintain focus because you can hyper-extend your knee if you miss. We also use shields and chest protectors to develop more speed and focus when hitting a moving target. The traditional way of side kicking from the front stance (zenkutsu dachi) is still one of the best ways to develop the correct alignment of leg, foot and body. It is important to turn your toes down a little bit to bring your hip into the kick more. We do the kick slowly and hold the leg up for about 10 seconds before putting it down. Sometimes we hold the leg up longer to develop the muscles that we use to do the kick isometric ally. It also helps balance. I like to use the lead leg because it is closer to your opponent. We use the slide-step whereby you move the lead leg first and slide the rear leg up behind it when you kick. We do this up and down the dojo many, many times. When you use the rear leg you have to remember to really pivot off the lead leg to get the power. The spinning side-kick is almost the same as the spinning back kick (ushiro geri) but it is a little bit easier to see because the back kick comes straight under where the side kick comes around a little bit more. But the spinning side kick is still a nice kick. The flying side kick (yoko-tobi-geri) is so much fun to do. I love to run across the dojo and jump as high as I can. It feels so good to smash into the heavy bag with that one. Occasionally we do the side snap kick (yoko geri keage) but mostly we do the thrust kick (kekomi). The thrust kick is just so much more powerful. The snap kick kind of comes up in an arc. In self-defense if you kick to the knees it is almost impossible to defend against. We once had a discussion on why they never do that in MMA even though there is no definitive prohibition against it. I do love the side kick as you can plainly see. Thanks, Sensei Tom

It was a good fight until Freitas quit. I did not see him hurt really badly he just lost heart. Diaz should get a lot of credit for having taken that heart away however. Whenever Diaz got hit he came back and gave more than he received. By the 9th Freitas had been worn down. They are talking Diaz v Casamayor or even Pacquaio. The 'Baby Bull' does look good. Thanks, Sensei Tom

The side kick (yoko geri) is probably one of the most powerful kicks in karate. I have used it and seen it used in MT but not very often for reasons already mentioned. If you use the lead leg and step in with it you can throw your entire body behind it and generate a lot of power. Using the lead leg is faster naturally because it is closer to your opponent. I have witnessed more than a couple of broken ribs from this kick. You should strike with the side of the foot near the heel. I have been trying to do the perfect side kick for over 35 yrs. I keep trying. One way you can defend against the side kick is by 'jamming'. Once you get inside the opponents range where he can't extend the kick you can just knock him down by smashing right into him. If that doesn't work then punch him on the way in and you may knock him down that way. You should practice jamming by timing your opponent as he tries to side- kick you. Be careful because if he is quicker than you think he can catch you coming in and then it doubles the impact. I mean ouch! Thanks, Sensei Tom

Thanks Bushido man, I also got him a really nice plaque that he will be able to keep for the rest of his life. I will try to get some pictures of the promotion ceremony. I will try to get pictures of the belt and plaque. Thanks Again, Sensei Tom

In Vee-Jitsu we use a plain black belt until Godan (5th deg.) and then they use a red and white striped belt. This Wednesday night I am going to promote my first black belt. I have been teaching for over 30 years and I have never had one person go all the way to black belt. His name is Steve and he has been coming for seven and a half years. I have posted a couple of pictures of him. He has never missed a class without a legitimate reason. He has been consistent and serious about his training all these years. Steve has fought in the advanced or black belt division in the last 3 tournaments. He took a bronze medal in the AAU State Championships. I am really proud of him because I never had to water down the training for him. I have lost about a hundred students over the years because I teach a tough system called Vee-Jitsu in a very military style the way I was taught. I never quit my day job so I don't depend on teaching MA for a living. I don't do it for the money I do it because I love it. Thank, Sensei Tom

It sounds like a great book. Where can we get it? Thanks, Sensei Tom

It's a pretty good punch. We do it in Vee-Jitsu in one of our kata. I did this kata last Nov. at the FIMA Fall Classic and took 2nd pl. You actually wind up in kiba dachi facing to the left if you throw the right. Thanks, Sensei Tom

I am sorry to say that Melvin tested positive for cocaine after the fight with Joe. I think it is important that people know what Melvin did. Here is a new sport they are trying to get accepted into mainstream sports and someone comes along and does something like use cocain to give MMA a black eye. Maybe this is why Joe was able to beat him so quickly and easily. I can't believe someone of Melvin's caliber would go and do something like that. I hate to say it but I think they should come down hard on Melvin because this infant sport is struggling to be acceptred by the public and they can't afford this kind of publicity, it can only hurt the image. Sensei Tom

obiwansbane, congratulations. Keep up the good work. Always use the kiss system in competition and on the street. Use a backfist (uraken uchi) to the head (jodan) and blast the body with a reverse punch (gyaku zuki). Thanks, Sensei Tom

Here is the card & my picks: Mirko Cro Cop vs. G. Gonzaga – Mirko (are you kidding?) David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida - Lyoto Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic - Mike Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum - Andrei Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo – Assuerio Terry Etim vs. Matt Grice - Terry Junior Assuncao vs. David Lee - Junior Victor Valimaki vs. Alessio Sakara - Alessio Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin - Jess Edilberto Crocota vs. Paul Taylor - Edilberto Thanks, Sensei Tom

OK, I'm a Yondan (4th deg. black) in Vee-Jitsu, Nidan (2nd deg. black) in Nisei Goshinjutsu & Likha Tatlo (brown belt) in Arnis from Remy Presas. I trained for 6 yrs. in TKD under Master Cha, Ridgewood, NJ & 2 yrs. in Shotokan under Sensei Takahashi, Mt. Kisko, NY. In 1981 I was rated 4th Nationally by the AAU in kumite. Basically I'm just old but I still compete in whatever I can. It's still a great ride. I never gave up my day job, 35 yrs. with the Phone Co. but maintained a small humble, garage dojo, the Ronin Martial Arts Club for about the same amount of time. Did most of my competeing in Brooklyn & the other 4 Boroughs of NY. The martial arts are wonderful. Thanks, Sensei Tom

I have been in the martial arts for about 33 yrs. now. I have been a Yondan in Vee-Jitsu for almost 25 yrs. My Sensei Prof. Jim Powers and his Sensei Prof. Florendo Visitation passed away. I have a Nidan in Nisei Goshinjutsu. I have a Likha Tatlo (brown belt) in Arnis from Prof. Remy Presas and unfortunately he passed away also. I took TKD for 6 yrs., Shotokan for 2 yrs. and I have maintained a small humnble dojo, the Ronin Martial Arts Club for almost 25 yrs. I have felt like an orphan for a really long time. I spoke to a 10th degree black belt a couple of weeks ago though and he commended me for not going off on my own and proclaiming rank. He and my Sensei, Prof. Jim Powers were senior students of Prof. Vee. I would be glad to accept rank from him. I am just glad to feel grounded now. I feel connected, like I belong somewhere now. That is more important to me than the rank. Thanks, Sensei Tom

Here are the results: Matt Serra Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:25 in the 1st round by punches. Roger Huerta Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Josh Koscheck Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Yushin Okami Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Kendall Grove Wins by Submission at 4:42 in the 2nd round by choke. Heath Herring Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Thales Leites Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Marcus Davis Wins by Submission at 2:57 in the 2nd round by ankle lock. Luke Cummo Wins by Technical Knock Out at 2:45 in the 2nd round by punches. I wanted Matt to win but I did not believe he would. Well Matt made a believer out of me. He not only won, he dominated. I was also glad that Josh won. Thanks, Sensei Tom

We have another thread on the Fight Nite results. Thanks, Sensei Tom

Joe Stevenson Wins by Submission at 0:27 in the 1st round by guillotine choke. Justin McCully Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Kenny Florian Wins by Submission at 3:57 in the 3rd round by choke. Drew Fickett Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Kurt Pellegrino Wins by Submission at 2:58 in the 1st round by ankle lock. Kuniyoshi Hironaka Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round Wilson Gouveia Wins by Technical Knock Out at 0:39 in the 2nd round by guillotine choke. Roan Carneiro Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Thiago Tavares Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . I really didn't think that Joe was gonna beat melvin. He dominated from the start he hit Melvin with a strong jab that knocked Melvin out of his game plan. The rest is history. I'm glad Joe won. Thanks, Sensei Tom

dancingsteve, Good luck in June. I will be doingt the same thing up north in the AAU Karate Regionals on April 14-15 and then in Winston Salem the end of June for the Nationals. It's always good to get back into competition from both sides. Everyone always blames the oficials but they don't have an easy job. And the pay is not too good either. Thanks, Sensei Tom

Diego has been training with Oscar DeLahoya to improve his boxing skills. Josh has improved a lot since he last fought Diego. Matt has had the Gracie gym for himself because he & GSP both train there but Matt has been there longer. I think that was very sporting of the Gracies to give Matt the preferencial treatment because of seniority. The Gracies are always a class act. True to the arts. GSP has not been sitting on his laurels either. These are going to be some great fights. Thanks, Sensei Tom

I can't wait. There are some good fights on this card. Thanks, Sensei Tom

This Thurs. nite at 8pm EST on Spike TV Here is the card: Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard - Melvin Justin McCully vs. Antoni Hardonk - Antoni Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs. Kenny Florian - Kenny Keita Nakamura vs. Drew Fickett - Drew Kurt Pellegrino vs. TBD – Kurt Forrest Petz vs. vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka - Forrest Seth Petruzelli vs. Wilson Gouveia - Seth Roan Carneiro vs. Rich Clementi - Rich Naoyuki Kotani vs. Thiago Tavares - Thiago Any picks? Joe is a tough kid but Melvin has more muscle packed on that frame than anyone else I've seen. Melvin is just so athletic overall. I have to go with Melvin in what should be a great fight. Joe has a heart as big as this country. Thanks, Sensei Tom