ShoriKid

No, not really. A sheepdog that looks at the sheep with contempt/as tasty won't last long. At some point that inner voice wins out and they try a bite of sheep. At which time the owner puts them down, ie. the bad cop is put through the criminal justice system just like any other criminal, sometimes facing harsher sentencing. The sheepdog is at worst, neutral toward the sheep. They have a job and that job is protecting the sheep, that's their deepest instinct. In the fabric of their being they are protectors who are usually friends with the sheep even if they have to bark at them for their own good now and again.

Something I've noticed from basically the time I started training until now is a bias toward arts with both an Asian creators and those who's start was at least 60 years ago. It seems quite common that a western practitioner of martial arts, even one with decades of training, who founds a style is questioned as to their validity in doing so. Their skills and lineage are closely examined. Often new styles are derided as made up and inferior to what came before. What I guess I wonder is the why of it. If someone has the skill and the knowledge to formulate their own approach, and they cannot do so within their old base style, why is this a bad thing? All of the styles we look to as "traditional" these days were founded by relatively young men with good training and the idea of how martial arts should be trained and applied. Was there a resistance to their new teaching or "styles" when they were still young and teaching? Where they told by the older martial artists that they shouldn't be doing their own thing? I feel comfortable saying that they would in the current day and age. Do we see only those founders at the turn century up until the middle of that same period as some how more legit than martial artists of today? If, as Sensei 8 is fond of saying, the proof is on the floor in both physical ability and ability to teach, is going their own way always going to be view these days as a bad thing?

Does taking a bad roll while being the demo dummy in kids class count? The kind that results in miles of taping and a limp for a couple of weeks? Because that's what I managed to do last night. Foot stuck on the mats, popped my ankle and knee and got to line up, bow out and dismiss class from flat on my back.

On Violence? Good read, as is On Killing. I'd be very interested in one of his lectures as well. Sheepdogs aren't just capable of violence, but willing to commit violence in order to protect society. Anyone is capable of violence. Many are capable in a capacity to protect another. However, the number willing to carry out violence in defense of not only themselves or those they know and love, but a stranger is not so great. And while many martial artists are capable of violence due to their training, that does not make each of them sheepdogs. However, those who have taken an eye toward practical defense and are willing to take steps when needed to act in defense of not just their immediate circle, but people at large, when called on can be categorized as sheepdogs. There is a dividing line there and it should be recognized. While I don't hesitate to put those in military service and law enforcement there, not every martial artist fits Col. Grossman's description.

The answer to that Wastelander would be...yes. Some of the people working on reconstructing old fight techniques have backgrounds in judo/jj/wrestling etc. Some do not. It really depends on the individual study group. And you'll see a mix of prior experience and no experience in a lot of groups as well. European martial arts is sort of in a wild west period right now. There isn't a lot of "orthodoxy" out there, just fight manuals and people trying to test out the direction and techniques of the old masters.

Most full time BJJ schools will offer multiple classes a day, usually 6 or 7 days a week. And, for the monthly price you train all you want or can stand. As to slight of frame and wriggling out of most holds fairly easily, I'm sorry, but I really doubt that when you hit the ground. Size matters even more on the ground when you don't have skill. Find someone who's done a bit of BJJ and spend a few hours rolling with them. It will open your eyes to a lot of things.

That is a dirty lie Pittbull and we both know it. It's not money, but the lack there of that keeps both of us from having half a dozen good quality gis. Currently rolling around in a ProForce Gladiator gi. I know, slumming by some standards, but fits my needs. Good heavy weave, which I like, a nice feel and it holding up fine for now. Oh, did I mention I didn't mortgage the house to get it?

Combat Sport is having a sale again? Might be a good time to replace some of the gloves that are showing wear in our dojo. Those are the the exact "dojo gloves" we keep for students that don't have their own Wastelander. And, again, yes, find out what the competitions you're going to allows and buy that. If not, you are wasting money and will have to purchase separate gear which can lead to all kinds of trouble. From comfort issues to forgetting to take the right set with you to compete.

Sorry about crossing TKD/TSD, I was going off memory when I posted that section. If you're going to compete, then definitely check to see what sort of gear is allowed at the tourney. Certain organizations/tourneys have specific requirements for the sparring gear they allow. For example, AAU karate rules used to dictate a white, cloth covered hand gear, with foot and head protection optional for adult divisions. I believe at that same time AAU TKD events allowed for the dipped foam hand and foot gear with helmet. That however, was 15+ years back and if I were to compete now, I'd check the allowed gear before signing up and make sure I had some on hand.

You may also need something that offers more padding along the striking surface. MMA fight gloves are not very forgiving when sparring. Neither pair of mine are what I'd call a "soft" glove. These may be more appropriate if, as your profile indicates, you're training TKD at this time. If you're committed to an MMA style glove, these would be better for most sparring. More forgiving by far than fight weight gloves. If you want to go with a higher cost, higher quality glove, most companies make a training glove as well as a fight glove.

Depends entirely on what sort of gear your dojo requires. Or what competitions you plan to take part in and what they require. Those look to be Everlasts MMA gloves. If that's the sort of hand gear you need, there are several companies that make gloves as good, or better, for a lower price.

It would have to be one heck of a piece of paper if it could!

One thing that is very important too when looking at the practicallity of kata and how things look different in free sparring than they do in forms is this: sparring is not fighting/self defense and that's what kata are meant to be applied for. That hand chambered on your hip has nothing to do with power generation in punches and blocks. It has a to do with controlling a limb you've grabbed during the conflict. Stances are transitional as well. You don't drop to zenkutsu dachi and go at it. But you may get control of a limb, and while pulling it back (that chambered hand) drop your weight and shift into zenkutsu before launching a front kick. If you want to see something that that doesn't look like kick boxing and you see more of what a lot of kata was built for try the following. Tie the two people about to spar together with a spare belt. Give them about two feet of gap and let them have at it. Limbs will tangle, trapping starts getting important and shifting weight and stance starts being a way to control someone's posture.

When you employ enough inside thigh kicks, with shin or toe, one is going to slip high with everyone moving around. I trust all the guys I train with. I still wear my cup every time I'm on the floor. Takes one good, bruising kick, and you'll change your tune on them.

No, this is one of those situations where you should trust the advce of your peers. Get a cup. Wear t like it was part of your religion. There is no reason not to wear a piece of inexpensive gear that can prevent a life altering injury, or just keep you from puking on the deck from an accidental hit. Shock Doctor's steel is inexpensive and provides great protection. The whole dojo are believers.

Not calling you out Pittbull. I know we've got a ton of video and we've got similar drills we work.

White-Yellow-Blue-Green-Brown-Black. I'ge had a purple and red when my first instructor was asked by his sensei to experiment with the belt system. Older I get, the fewer belts I want to deal with. Simple stuff, not complex.

Time in the donor is about 4 hours a week. Attributes, conditioning, strength etc., get at least 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. Like ps1 said though, I'm studying other forms, applictionsand techniques on my own at every chance. A few minutes here or there to consideranangle of attack or defense is training.

Video still loading, as you drag people back into frame MasterPain. Liking the angles worked and the drills. Nice, easy and good mechanics. We got similar on video (almost said "tape" out of habit. Dang VHS habits!). Something in the multi-gb range of stuff that we still haven't up loaded. Pitbulljudoka has it all and I pray his hard drive doesn't try to die again.

I'm going to have to write some of these chains out to practice with when we roll. One we practice regularly, arm bar to omo to triangle (three brothers), they pressure in, omo sweep, to mount, spin off to arm bar. Honestly right now, I often use the threat of the attack to gain/regain position. I feel okay as long as I seem to be progressing to a better place even when the attacks are failing one after the other.

I know the MMA fighter has a ton of skills to develop to have a chance in the ring, but the kicking game is one I believe to be most often neglected. I see an awful lot of guys throwing their low roundhouse with no, or very little pivot of the foot, or understanding of how to work them into a combination. Most kicking in MMA is MT based. So you see the teep (landing to push, not to damage)and the roundhouse 90% of the time. The side kick may be in MT, but I'd be willing to be good money most guys don't develop that aspect enough to bother learning it. Or, they may never be shone because they've been told, contrary to guys like Cung Le proving other wise, that the side kick just can't work in MMA. There was a recent UFC where one of the fighters used several side kicks to the front of the thigh of his opponent, but I can't for the life of me recall the man's name. It was a free Fox event, so it wasn't someone top tier, and they weren't a MT as striking fighter.

The competition has been heading toward something like this for a while frankly. I hope it does continue and grow. It would be nice to see the top competitors get the recognition, respect, and yes pay, of pro athletes.

Define full duration. Martial arts end when you quit or die. Well I guess you can only learn so much in a span of 5 or 10 years? What can your sensei teach you after 15 years? Don't you move on to something more challenging eventually? I guess I've wasted the last, 8..9 years. At least that much. Guess I have been wasting my time improving foot work, timing and distancing. Should have moved along to something more challenging than improving the fluidity, speed and ability to work my tuite. Probably should have stopped working on combinations, bunkai, clinch work, sweeps, throws unbalancing techniques too. Since they shouldn't be that challenging. Sorry, gets my dander up a bit when someone thinks of karate, JJ, boxing, whatever is simple. That in a couple of years they'll have it down. On the surface, if that's all you want to train, it shouldn't take you more than a couple of years to be ready to move on past karate. Or boxing, or MT, BJJ, intergalactic laser tag or whatever flavor of the month combat skill is out there. If you want to be good at something, really good though, you will put years into training. And then find out you've just started scratching the surface of what there is to learn.

If fast is smooth, smooth is slow, then slow is fast. Tell that to someone and watch their brain implode. Never worry about speed. Correct technique builds fluidity. Take care of that and speed will happen.

This is what we charge. I allow the students to pay by the class or the month and carry over some of the credit to the next month as long as it's not excessive. That's what I paid back in the early/mid '90s when I started training. In our town that allows us to rent a small, upstairs space and occasionally buy some new equipment. If the economy ever improves we may have to raise rates to keep the lights on.