ShoriKid

Makes erfect sense to me. It's a right that only comes into play when the action of others force you to use it. You have no need of 4th amendment rights until you are confronted with law enforcement trying to come into your home or search your person. The right always exists though, wheather you exercise it or not.

Mendez Did anyone else have trouble with the first section of the first sentence here? while I respect Mr. Mendez for his time in law enforcement, I would think, or at least hope, that his statement is nothing other than an opinion. Or at worst, part of New Jersey law. Reading from the writings of the men who wrote the Constitution, self defense was, to them, a clear right not granted by a government or legislative body, but by the birth of the individual.(so as not to offend by presenting the creator aspect.) While his thoughts on levels of response are nice, I think he, despite his training, misunderstands the point of follow up techniques in self defense demos. Application of technique after the initial attack response are meant to keep the martial artist from depending on single counters/techs from dealing with attackers. A good remedy for presenting it as multiple attacks to make sure the threat is gone is to explain that is the point. I'm sure detective Mendez wouldn't like the publics/new reports when an officer fires more than one shot when they are forced to use their weapons. [/b]

Depends on the amount of throwing or grappling your going to be doing. If that is the emphasis of your school, you'll want to cover all but about 200-300ft. Work out where you want guests, business to be conducted and a space to store gear etc. That is what you don't want to use money covering in mats. Everything else you want to be good training/teaching space. If your a primary stand up school and not doing a lot of throws/take downs then you could get away with very inexpensive mats and less space covered in them. Right now we have a couple of folded gymnastics style mats and a lot of 1/2" puzzle mats that we put down. We can do our basic grappling and take downs from there. When we are drilling throws we pull out the folding mats and layer them over the base puzzle mats.

Pull overs seemed to do a lot for me in strengthening the torso and hitting the intercostal muscles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqvvcEaHJTY

Vary the level your striking to with your techniques can help a lot of times as well. Often, we get fixated on hitting the head with our hands and the body only catches a kick now and then. When striking to various levels(think head, head, body, head etc.) you force someone to alter their defensive posture. Take those same combinations and try altering them to hit different targets. to go with Tallgeese here, a few combinations. front kick, jab, cross jab, cross, body hook, head hook round house high, spinning back, backfist, cross/hook the body jab, jab, hook, round house to body jab, cross, lead round to the body(orthidox stance puts you hitting the liver)

Could be that he is refering to "right-hander" and thinking of having an orthidox stance from boxing. That puts the left hand in the lead and then, his rotation is correct.

There is nothing wrong with feeling that way. Seems the Wado club your in grading just once a year, and if I'm understanding you correctly, one kyu grade at a time. If that's so, they are basically just holding people back for the purpose of holding them back. I'm of the opinion, and people can disagree, that your not controlling standards at that point, just dragging out the process for reasons that have nothing to do with skill. As a nidan with a lot of time in(same situation here, 16 years time, a shodan since 96'), if your coming from a similar art, once you have the small changes down, you should progress fairly quickly. Chasing color(promotions/rank) is not a good thing, but if your wanting recognition for the hard work and skill you have, and that is what rank is meant for, you should get it. I can see some time requirements in grade for new students, and at some upper yudansha to have a chance to continue to polish techniques. But, at a certain point, you are arbitrarily holding people back. I'll continue with more thoughts later. Time to go to a cookout.

The biggest barrier has nothing to do with commisions or promotions not being willing to put females on cards. It has to do with the lack of female figthers who are skilled enough to compete at the highest levels. Remember, Strike Force, UFC, EliteXE, ie. national televised promotions, are the cream of the crop. They can't field a card with people who aren't the best, or in the same league as the best. In the spring I watched the first pro promotion in TN, the XFC. They had a female bout which was pretty good for a low level procard. One female fighter was from Florida, the promotions home. The other, which was a replacement for the original fighter, came in from Iowa(?). If there were sufficeint female fighters available one should have been closer to the promotions home, or the event's venue. Dana White has said before that he'd field women's bouts, and hopes to, as soon as they have enough high level talent. Like others have said, watching Carano vs. Santos over and over would be boring. You can put one fight after fight at the LW division in the UFC because there is a deep pool of fighters. Promoters fielding women's divisions have a hard time putting together a card with more than two or three fights. Take a limited pool of fighters and try putting them into the same weight classes for sanctioned fights.

My experience has always been that part of a "thrusting" technique was it's ability, and intention, to physically displace a the target through application of force. I can through a cross with the intention of it being a "thrust". I will leave the punch incontact with the target longer. I won't recoil the strike as quickly. I want them to control their movement with a thrust, in some way altering their posture. A front kick that rotates the hips forward and thrusts them through the target is a thrust. I can "thrust" with a round kick, giving it dead impact where the kick isn't retracted at the point of impact. For a "strike" I want penitration of a different sort. The attack will focus the power into a small area over a very short amount of time. The time of contact with the strike will be shorter, with recoil starting as soon as impact is made. If I want the cross to be a "strike" I make a sharp, focused contact that pulls back right away. The power is transfered at the time of contact. I can use a front kick, in a liniar fashion, to deliver a short, sharp kick. It's a "strike" then, not a push. If I use a round kick to make short, hard impact that retracts as quickly as it hits can be a strike as well. Most people don't when they want power because the "thrust" is easier to do.

I get hit in the face, limbs cranked and sweat myself nearly to death, for fun. Investment/waste, tomato/tamato(doesn't type as well as it speaks does it?). We all share some of those oddities, and I hope we can pass them on to the next batch of odd birds. Those who like working hard, getting hit and twisted. Those who appreciate the changes martial endevors can bring to their life.

I hold my degree in history, have a replica of a 16th Century Italian sword within sight right now that needs an edge to be combat worthy. The Colt 1851 Navys and 1911 Springfield in the closet I think demonstrate my knack for things either out of style or not as...up to date as others. I enjoy my training, and I know it has value. I was also thinking about the number of highschool athletes who never do anything physical on a regular basis past graduation. What we do is a wonderful thing in many ways. It just struck me as odd and that it takes a different sort of person to fully appreciate the training, time and dedication to something that has what most people consider a very low return on investment. If I wanted to be in shape, running and weight work would be cheaper and easier.(I do those things anyway. Those 18 y/os aren't getting any slower) However, we chose to do something that isn't well understood by those not invovled. I had a lengthy debate with an individual who thought that training in the martial arts led to violence and violent life styles. He didn't understand how you could train in MA and not be a physically violent person. Others think of anything other than weapon training a waste for self defense. Like I said before, one of those odd thoughts that drifted through my head the other day.

I had a student ask about finding a tournament for him to compeat in. He wants to find something with continous action. Not point and stop. He was also interested in some grappling tournaments. He enjoys it even though our skills aren't very high. Anyone got any tourney's to recommend in the TN/KY area? General organizations that he can get into where he'll be under the sort of rules he's looking for? He's young and willing and able to do some traveling if needed to compeat. Thanks in advance guys.

Nothing deep here. Just a thought that struck me as odd while driving home from work the other day. We practice an activity that could be considered anacronistic at best, a very poor return on invested time at it's worst. We train in a form of combat, unarmed, that is not relivent to combat a very high percentage of time. Once we've passed the age of about 18 years of age, the likely hood of being involved in a concentual fight is very low as well. Basically, we do things that aren't going to be useful. It costs us a lot of money and time in order to train. But, we love it, and wouldn't stop training if we have any choice in the matter. This isn't so much a "why we do it" thread. It's more like the strange people we have to be to love what we do. Now, back to whatever you were doing. Nothing to see here. Move along, move along

Congrats on the preformance Tallgeese. Sounds like things are coming along for you. Facing a good wrestler can be frustrating at times. Unless your very solid up right, they WILL get the take down and land in good position. And, as you said, most will have good posture and base to work from. Out of curiosity, what rules system were you competing under? I know there is a pretty uniform set of sport BJJ rules, NAGA or was it a different organization?

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira =Couture Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva = Silva Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt = Leben Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia = Marquardt Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski = Vera Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer =Gonzaga Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson = Herman Michael Russow vs. Justin McCully = McCully Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague =Hague Mark Munoz vs. Nick Catone = Catone Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham = Aurelio

Not a bad video. The footwork is a crossing of boxing and competitive fencing by the looks of it. Which is good foundational footwork in many cases. While knowing the basics of how to move your feet, I wouldn't feel comfortable moving that far back in a straight line. Outside of open areas with flat, smooth ground, it can be dangerous.

Part of it is likely that your not used to getting hit. When the instructor says "30%", he's likely using....bigger numbers than you are. He's used to hitting and being hit a lot harder most likely. I doubt they are trying to kill you unless your hitting harder than you think when you get shots in. In that case, they are only hitting as hard as you are. Getting hit stinks. But, like whiskey, it won't kill you if done in moderation, although your head my hurt in the morning if you partate of too much of it. Once you get past that, think of this when trying to get out of range. Until you sharpen the rest of your defensive skills, you may have to give ground. If you do, never back up more than one step. After that step, you should be circling on the next step. As others have said, he can come forward a lot faster than you can retreat. You will get run over things and lose your footing or end up plastered to a wall/cage with no where to run. So, one step back, one step in a circle/pivot or laterally. Once you start doing this, setting up counters and getting in enough shots that your not getting buried by offense will be easier. Best of luck. It will get better if you just stick with it and work hard.

I'm going o ave to come down on the side of things with Jim, tallgeese and Bushido_man. I'm a traditionalist, though I count my self as one in that not so popular sense. I train in the system of my instructors and look for other skills to add to it to address problems/hole I find in those systems. That is why I don't have a problem with MMA. There are plenty of fighters with excellent ethics and attitudes. Honorable men who are stepping into the cage or ring to test themselves. Against the other man and against themselves. They train very hard. Putting in multiple hours a day, some times as much as 6 high intensity hours or more, to prepare their technique and their bodies. They learn mental toughness by training hard with other people who are doing the same. They learn respect from those people because they have to. Because if they don't someone will be seriously injured while training with them. Are their arrogant punks in MMA gyms? Certainly. I'd say they are in no more concentration than that found in dojos. There is nothing special about a traditional dojo/dojang/kwan that instills more character than a hard working gym. I can talk about ethics, honor and good moral standards, and live they as an example in the dojo and it will stick with some, and not with others. I can show respect for my training partners, opponents and judges, bust my tail working out and do everything I can to learn and inprove in an MMA gym and have the same affect on those around me as preaching a moral and ethical code. One setting does not exclude good character, or create it more than the others. Individuals foster an atmosphere, and they chose what that atmosphere will be. Where they do it won't matter. Some people don't like MMA because they can't appreciate the work and technique that goes into the fight. This is true of fans as well as other martial artists. I love to watch certain fighters to see their foot work and angling. The same sort of close, small angles I preach about when I'm teaching a bunch of guys after we finish our kata work and are moving into drills and sparring. Some people don't like MMA because it threatens their lively hood. It is the next big thing, popular and where money can be made. It is pulling people from traditional schools. However, part of that is because that training they are getting is not addressing questions or needs that they have in many cases. I intend to treat any MMA gym that opens the same way I do other schools near by. If they train hard, with good technique and are decent people on the whole, I'm glad to know them. I'll want to keep an open dialog with them and exchange training methods and visit with them on occasion. If they are not, well, then I'll do what I do now with traditional schools. Tell those who as what I believe and why if asked.

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian = Penn Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin = Giffin Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks = Sadollah Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida = Grove Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino = Pellegrino Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley = Riely Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard = McCrory Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara= Leites Matthew Riddle vs. Dan Cramer = Riddle George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop = Sotiropoulos Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort = Villefort

Missed the point of the question there Issin. I'm not talking about implimenting training/inacting improvements. I'm talking about expanding knowledge base without live instruction. If your trying to work out something new, without an instructor, before you get on the floor and work with a partner/bag/makawari, what source works best for you? Can you look at a series of technique in a book and get it well enough to work it out live, or do you want a video of the tech? That's what I'm getting at.

I spotted a comment on a web sight talking about a new book about to be released by Greg Jackson's camp on stand up technique. Someone said that they thought you would get less out of a book on stand up than you would a book on grappling. What are the thoughts of the folks here? Do you think that trying to learn tech from a book is easier for stand up or grappling? Does video work better for stand up or grappling? Which one do you pick up from best? Of course, live instruction is best. But, sometimes you have troubles with time and geography in reaching an instructor. If you had to pick a format for working on improving your stand up, what do you want, book or video? If your working on grappling, is it books or video that you want? Does it matter if your a striker working on your striking or a grappler working on your ground game?

Heard a comercial on the way home today that had me thinking about taking a self-defense class. For all the wrong reasons though. I've been at this long enough that I think I know most of what they can throw at me. Nothing new. The two reasons i was thinking about taking the class were as follows. To see what they are marketing as a self-defense course. The second is to get to tee off on someone who is armored up. I mean unload full bore and not worry about what is going to happen to them. We armor up some to spar, but you always have to hold some back. If not, you run the risk of injury. We don't have the resources for the full armor that SD courses have for the attackers. Is it wrong to want to throttle up and lay it on someone in full armor without regard to their health and safety? Is it wrong that I go into a class knowing that I have a fair shot of having the strongest technique in the room and know I'm going to use it? Hopefully, you understand I'm not a nut job, or cruel. I just want to see just what I can do to an agressor who's 100% and not coming at me as a well trained fighter.

I have to disagree with the assertion that Dempsey "pushes" with his punches. If you read the description of how to throw the "jolting left", it's relaxed to the point of impact, includes the forward momentum from his step, before it transfers into the ground, and explosive contraction on impact. Sounds pretty hard hitting and explosive to me if it lands. How do I punch? Depends. Lighter, snapping, strikes work in some situations and on some targets. More powerful, penetrating, strikes go to other targets for other needs.

I feel your pain on this one. One reason, amoung others, that I don't care for kata competition out side of AAU. My first school always went to the AAU tourneys, and we did well in the kata sections when we competed. When you get into open tournaments....well, things weren't so fun. I didn't do rolls, flips or jump spinning kicks in my forms. I couldn't place unless someone screwed up and fell on their faces. Weapon's forms got even worse. Me and my bo vs. flippy guys with kamas and swords. I seriously thought about hauling a nice European longsword to a tourny and just going through one side of a fight scene to see how I placed. I don't know if a governing body would help out sensei8. It would have to be pretty extensive and put on a lot of tournaments. Heck, I'm trying to figure out what sort of rules you'd see for kata and sparring. As to Wankan, I completely agree. It's a technically complex form, when you know what your looking at. It doesn't however, display atheletic ability and physical prowess in an eye catching way. Anaku falls into the same catigory of technically demanding without being eye catching.

If someone has worked to the point of being a competitive level body builder, they have developed the whole body. They have trained for strength, form and size, not just size. Proportion is very important to them. They may not be as 'fast' or 'flexible' as you would want in a high level karate-ka, but they can generally get there if they gear their weight training to that task. I don't believe weight training is detrimental to martail arts preformance, karate especially. Iron sandles, the sand filled jars, asymetrical dumbells and barbell training are part of training a traditional karate-ka. All but the barbell were on Okinawa and used. If they'd have had the barbell, lifting large stones would not have been what they were doing. Weight and resistance training to increase strength have always been a part of martial training. They will continue to be as well because they increase effectiveness. When you look at the things done with weights to increase combative effectiveness, your not just doing your technique with weights. Your training the muscle groups that power your techniques, or the core attributes that build your body in a beneficial ways to the art.