NightOwl

Me too. But I knew there were tons of differences there (having a BB in Aiki Jujitsu). However, I never knew there were differences in the way Aikido was done in the past and the way it's done now. I found that very informative. On a side note- what was training in Aki-jujitsu like? I don't know too much about it but I find it interesting.

right, or even just stepping into him. Of course this doesn't defend you from knees or take downs, but by that point you should be attempting to apply some of your own.

Greetings

Hey-!

There was an epic discussion on this topic awhile back: http://www.karateforums.com/the-uselessness-of-kata-vt28539.html Personally I don't think that they are needed since the whole point was to shadow box by yourself/ preserve a move set. But if you train in a gym you shouldn't have to practice by yourself so much, and paper and literacy (not to mention video) is common nowadays so you don't need to rely on kata to preserve moves anymore. Add in that many moves in kata have not been practiced in so long that they've been forgotten/ left up in the air, and I think that overall kata are a nice cultural tradition if you are into that but otherwise are way too overemphasized in many systems (why not just train the move instead of only seeing it in a kata?). Plus there are many more efficient ways to build streangth or muscle memory. As far as having it in a system- I think that you just have to suck it up and do it- maybe try and find out what the moves were originally for with you dojo friends and reanimate some of martial art's 'forgotten' moves.

I'll I can say is welcome to the world of martial arts. A place where in the name of humility, you get people arguing that they are superior because they are more traditional and respectful. A place where most people go to for a sense of confidence but don't really want to have the chance of doubt by having their skills tested. A place where anybody can be a black belt/ expert in the system, as long as they show up to class and pay their dues...and the only place that I can think of where here you can claim to be a master in something you've never actually done. To be frank, the majority of martial artists could not handle themselves in a fight situation, and it takes a lot of soul searching and humility to realize that just maybe, you wouldn't be able too either. Of course, its never MY school that is that way- or is it? You may have seen the demonstration with a critical eye, but the layman usually can't. Likewise the mother wanting her children to be able to protect themselves, or the kid who gets picked on at school, or even the guy next door- all of them can be given the feeling that they are invincible, and get some exercise and a place to hang out included at the same time. I too went down this road, and let me tell you it wasn't easy starting over from scratch. Minimum effort with precieved maximum payout is what sells, and tough training that leaves you bruised and tried isn't what the average person is looking for. Thus, these kinds of places flourish.

salutations

howdy

Exactly. While I usually have a pretty clean mouth (maybe sometimes a little bit too harsh of a sense of humor), I live with college guys and am used to hearing some crazy stuff. The point wasn't that I was horribly offended, but that dropping a four letter word for every noun, verb, and adjective in an attempt to explain why your sport shows 'class' seems a bit silly to me. And on the uniform thing, they could still put ads on it- think NASCAR (even though I do not like the sport)

At the same time though, if the guy is big enough that you can't hold him in guard for long, a more dynamic guard (such as the spider) may be a better bet. But apparently this is not the case? Hm, I say change the rules

The problem between choosing one for its better takedowns and submissions is that both of these grappling arts specialize in one of those areas. While they both train in either field, for standing takedowns Judo tends to be better while BJJ has perhaps the best submission work of any grappling art. Try both and see what you like best...if you have the money and time training in both will give you all the grappling skills you should need.

Nah, I don't think so- I ran into these kinds of things when I was in middle school. The Principle actually agreed that I probably was in the right (especially seeing how I lost the fight haha), but I got a minor suspension as well. Really, the kinds of kids who will bully aren't too concerned about whether or not they are breaking the rules, and it won't stop them. The only people it will stop are those who need to defend themselves for the most part.

Bob, weave, and a good throw never hurt anybody

While I think he was right to ditch them...as one commenter mentioned it is a bit ironic that he throws them out for giving a bad image yet his every other word is censored. Regardless, I still do think that the UFC needs to loose a lot of its image and look a bit more professional. Uniforms? (as opposed to swimtrunks, not a gi per se) On a side note, the only time I ever pulled off a submission during my very brief time with Bjj was from hanging upside down while holding on to dear life to a big guy while he stood up. Fortunately he didn't stack me while I managed to get him in an armbar, but he was also a beginner so I think I was just lucky. There's a lot to be said with sticking to stand up grappling and striking when you don't have a mat beneath you.

Right. In Bjj, a BB represents mastery, while in Judo it represents a knowledge of the techniques and an ability to use them but not an 'expert' per se (depending on Dan rank). A black belt Judoka is roughly equal to a blue or purple belt in BJJ time and experience wise. Anyhow, I think that this is highlighted more by the way they rank in Japan where I hope to train soon- just white and black (with some places having brown). Depending on how much time you put in on both the mat and class (plus results), a BB can be attainable in 3-4 years.

how about crowding?

Haha oh yes- I've noticed those things too. Did anyone else catch it when they mentioned the "pushing the nose into the brain' myth on one of the earlier episodes? Now that the honeymoon period of seeing an actually well put together martial arts show has passed, the in-laws are moving in and I've been starting to notice some things in the series on the whole that are getting a little thin. Mostly its over dramatic comments made and so forth, but also it seems that every single time a technique is explained they HAVE to put in an analogy (the side kick is roughly 200 lbs of force- enough to squash a bowling ball sized watermelon). But still...I am enjoying the series. The Krav maga episode was alright- although sometimes I feel krav maga is billed as a bit too THIS IS REAL LIFE (if that makes any sense?). It was interesting to see the distinction made between training for competition or self defense made though, and I liked to see the resistance knife disarming- even if I am a bit skeptical of those gun disarms. Anyhow I liked the final challenge and I am looking forward to this week's episode.

White- sometimes black looks ok and blue is nice to have in tourneys. Otherwise I wear my usual stars and stripes gi

The former, although this article: http://www.ellisaikido.org/isaikmart.html addressed the issue a bit better since the interview has a great deal to do with just one person s life. Anyhow the issue I was trying to push was that many early practicioners of Aikido were accomplished martial artists, and how aikido as usually practiced may have stemmed from the ideas of its founder as he aged and taught more along the lines of what is seen today. Either way I don't have any problem if you do something like aikido, wushu (although I don't want traditional KF to be lost), Tai chi, etc. Aikido looks like it could be fun to do, and I could see how people would have an interest in pursuing it. What I don't like however is when a style which isn't really meant for conflict is billed as something that will enable you to throw attackers in the real world just as well as your uke.

But that's the thing- if you soften it then it looses a lot of its potential, not to mention that you can give a kid a lot of dangerous self confidence. Sure, these guys could probably take on ANYONE their age, but the average 10 year old black belt is not going to be able to handle bullying (not to mention that as soon as he starts mentioning his black belt challenges are bound to pop up... and at that age the ability to brush it off might not be there). Plus, since most martial arts places make their money on kids and not very many adults, many times you have the kid's program spilling into the adults one which softens it up for everybody.

I got mine after roughly a few months

Sorry, can't directly link because the site uses frames but: http://www.ellisaikido.org/ check out articles and the interview with Sensei Ellis...an intresting look a comments. Also check out the article here: http://www.ellisaikido.org/isaikmart.html

At the same time, at that age how much power can you generate to break bone? Also, they wore helmets which helped prevent excessive head trauma. This however, goes back to ONE of the reasons I don't think martial arts are for kids (as they usually are presented): to get good training feedback, its gotta be a bit on the rough side. At the same time, how much more prone to injury are you if you do football? Not to mention (at least once you get to high school level) many wrestlers are pressured to loose weight at an unhealthy rate and means, many times through not eating. I remember a friend of mine in high school who was on the team (we had one of the best in the state) hadn't eaten anything all day to meet weight, and in the end it's a bit crazy anyways because the other guy ends up doing the same thing and you get no advantage.

09=05=07 Walked in crazy humid weather....does that count?

First thought: Don't take those kids' lunch money Second thought: Great, great match. Seriously, that was on the quality level that I have seen in mma. Definitely if both these kids keep it up, they could be real contenders. Also, it was nice to see a chinese style going at it ...nice throw (although I couldn't help but notice that if the karate kid had taken some ground training, he could have set up a leg lock early on in the match had it been allowed). Hm, I guess this is a divine test against my 'anti-kids' policy....