The Martial Arts Thread

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got out on the bag today and had the best session in a while. i felt like it was going to be god when Iw as putting on the wraps and they were the best i had done in well over a year. forced myself to use wraps + these no padding boxing gloves with a hard piece of wood inside the grip (I'm sure they have a name, no. idea what it is) that came with my bag. forced me to lighten up a bit, focus more on speed and accuracy and pulling back into guard. went quite a bit longer than I normally do. good stuff.
 
Called a class today, filled them in on my issues, Tae Kwon Do, most common martial art here in Texas it seems. Not something I can afford right now.
Alas. ;(
 
Called a class today, filled them in on my issues, Tae Kwon Do, most common martial art here in Texas it seems. Not something I can afford right now.
Alas. ;(
For the life of me I cannot remember the actual title, but years ago my mom bought me a book that had everything in it. Every move, pattern, even floor exercises. It was so extensive that I would consider it an instruction manual for the sport. Check with your local library, you might find something similar. To be honest Tae Kwon Do, at least the moves used, are very simple.
 
For the life of me I cannot remember the actual title, but years ago my mom bought me a book that had everything in it. Every move, pattern, even floor exercises. It was so extensive that I would consider it an instruction manual for the sport. Check with your local library, you might find something similar. To be honest Tae Kwon Do, at least the moves used, are very simple.
Encyclopedia of Taekwondo?
Yes, it exists, and is written by the founder.
 
Encyclopedia of Taekwondo?
Yes, it exists, and is written by the founder.
Could very well be. I remember it had step by step instructions with pictures that showed how each move was performed. It was fantastic!
 
For the life of me I cannot remember the actual title, but years ago my mom bought me a book that had everything in it. Every move, pattern, even floor exercises. It was so extensive that I would consider it an instruction manual for the sport. Check with your local library, you might find something similar. To be honest Tae Kwon Do, at least the moves used, are very simple.

I'm pretty sure I had a copy, of a very good book, but it was given to me used and didn't stay bound. I tried to use it to keep my skills up but it's just a matter of timing and location and someone better than I am, to help correct me.
 
Ugh, I'd forgotten how expensive dojo memberships are most places. We get a ton of government support up here, so our fees for Judo are under $200 for the year for adults.
 
Ugh, I'd forgotten how expensive dojo memberships are most places. We get a ton of government support up here, so our fees for Judo are under $200 for the year for adults.
...where do you live, again:grin:? That's low even for my country, and we do have lower prices to go with the much lower salaries.

Speaking of grappling, First Daughter came up with the Spider Guard on her own. The fun part is, I've never explained her anything about ground grappling, not even the rule about "position before submission"! The only kind of grappling I've shown her is a bit of stand-up.
So I'm kinda proud now:tongue:!
 
Baffin Island in Northern Canada. We're a non-profit club and we get somewhere between 50 and 100K a year in funding. That sounds like a lot until you realize it costs us 20 or 30K to take a team to a tournament due to the cost of airfare.
 
Returning to formal martial arts training is not currently in the cards for me, but I have recently added 20 minutes of shadowboxing to my daily routine. It was something I would occasionally do anyway, but now I'm making an effort to do it every day, with more intent and focus.

In the Covid era, my job involves a lot less running around the library and a lot more sitting at a desk, so it's really helpful to get the gross motor movement from punches and kicks and various other strikes in to keep my core from getting really stiff and sore.
 
I'm in Texas, it sucks. I'm going to check in with other places though.
 
That's nice, the place I talked to is 169 per MONTH.

TKD tends to be pricey. You might have better luck with other styles or with trainers who are operating out of a regular gym. Or just looking at styles that are more low key. You could even try a boxing or muay thai gym (you could go, use the equipment, but not spar or anything due to your health issues). About 80 bucks for that type of place around here. I've also found people teaching things like Tai Chi pretty cheap around here. But anything with a baked in program like TKD (which I did back in the early 2000s) is going to be more expensive generally. That said though, even TKD places will vary and you might find a place that is more affordable if you shop around. One thing you might try if you can't afford TKD but have an interest (and this is an imperfect solution but might at least be something) is go on youtube and watch some of the videos that show the basic kicks and the basic poomsae and just practice with those for a bit (it will at least be a bit of exercise and you'll get a better sense of what it is about). Also if you go to TKD you also can expect other costs like sparring gear (which is pricey), paying for belt exams, etc.
 
TKD tends to be pricey. You might have better luck with other styles or with trainers who are operating out of a regular gym. Or just looking at styles that are more low key. You could even try a boxing or muay thai gym (you could go, use the equipment, but not spar or anything due to your health issues). About 80 bucks for that type of place around here. I've also found people teaching things like Tai Chi pretty cheap around here. But anything with a baked in program like TKD (which I did back in the early 2000s) is going to be more expensive generally. That said though, even TKD places will vary and you might find a place that is more affordable if you shop around. One thing you might try if you can't afford TKD but have an interest (and this is an imperfect solution but might at least be something) is go on youtube and watch some of the videos that show the basic kicks and the basic poomsae and just practice with those for a bit (it will at least be a bit of exercise and you'll get a better sense of what it is about). Also if you go to TKD you also can expect other costs like sparring gear (which is pricey), paying for belt exams, etc.

Technically, I'm a Brown Belt, last stripe in TKD. (One short of beginning black in the American Taekwondo Association) Though, I'm not concerned with rank. I was looking for other things.
 
Technically, I'm a Brown Belt, last stripe in TKD. (One short of beginning black in the American Taekwondo Association) Though, I'm not concerned with rank. I was looking for other things.

If you are that close to bb, you might be able to get some of the price shaved off by offering to help with instruction
 
This weekend was our annual Canadian Black Belt Gasshuku, and since I graded to shodan in September, this was the first year I was eligible to attend. It was over Zoom due to the pandemic, of course, and it sucks that my first one couldn’t be in person. But better to stay safe, and it worked out well as we had about 120 participants.

It was super interesting, as my Sensei, Tetsuji Nakamura, focused on explaining so many things that you have to do rote practice on in the kyu grades, and it’s nice to now start learning the reasoning behind those katas, bunkai and other exercises and really get into the underlying theory and how it can be used in practical self-defence.

I’m studying Goju-Ryu Karate, which is a very traditional style, and I’ve been lucky to live a few minutes away from Sensei Nakamura’s dojo. He’s a fantastic teacher who has a real passion for karate and is also a super nice guy. He demonstrates the behaviour he expects in his dojo (like respect for all karateka, including those of lower rank).

I know I sound like a fanboy here, but as I’m a 50-year-old man, I’m not impressed by braggarts and show offs no matter how skilled they are. So I really feel lucky to have found a dojo with a humble, giving, down-to-earth teacher who genuinely takes joy in sharing his culture with other people.

Anyway, I’m pretty sore today after 9 hours of training over three days, but it’s a good sore and it’s just nice to get to engage in some of these things for the first time (even if it did take me until I was 50 to achieve it).

For anyone who is curious, Sensei Nakamura has been named as Sensei Morio Higaonna’s successor as head of the IOGKF when Sensei Higaonna eventually retires (as he’s in his 80’s now).

There are a ton of YouTube videos of Sensei Nakamura at various events and even a hour-long video of one of his dojo classes for anyone who wants to see him in action. I’ll like some if anyone is interested.
 
This weekend was our annual Canadian Black Belt Gasshuku, and since I graded to shodan in September, this was the first year I was eligible to attend. It was over Zoom due to the pandemic, of course, and it sucks that my first one couldn’t be in person. But better to stay safe, and it worked out well as we had about 120 participants.

It was super interesting, as my Sensei, Tetsuji Nakamura, focused on explaining so many things that you have to do rote practice on in the kyu grades, and it’s nice to now start learning the reasoning behind those katas, bunkai and other exercises and really get into the underlying theory and how it can be used in practical self-defence.

I’m studying Goju-Ryu Karate, which is a very traditional style, and I’ve been lucky to live a few minutes away from Sensei Nakamura’s dojo. He’s a fantastic teacher who has a real passion for karate and is also a super nice guy. He demonstrates the behaviour he expects in his dojo (like respect for all karateka, including those of lower rank).

I know I sound like a fanboy here, but as I’m a 50-year-old man, I’m not impressed by braggarts and show offs no matter how skilled they are. So I really feel lucky to have found a dojo with a humble, giving, down-to-earth teacher who genuinely takes joy in sharing his culture with other people.

Anyway, I’m pretty sore today after 9 hours of training over three days, but it’s a good sore and it’s just nice to get to engage in some of these things for the first time (even if it did take me until I was 50 to achieve it).

For anyone who is curious, Sensei Nakamura has been named as Sensei Morio Higaonna’s successor as head of the IOGKF when Sensei Higaonna eventually retires (as he’s in his 80’s now).

There are a ton of YouTube videos of Sensei Nakamura at various events and even a hour-long video of one of his dojo classes for anyone who wants to see him in action. I’ll like some if anyone is interested.
Please link some:thumbsup:.
 
This weekend was our annual Canadian Black Belt Gasshuku, and since I graded to shodan in September, this was the first year I was eligible to attend. It was over Zoom due to the pandemic, of course, and it sucks that my first one couldn’t be in person. But better to stay safe, and it worked out well as we had about 120 participants.

It was super interesting, as my Sensei, Tetsuji Nakamura, focused on explaining so many things that you have to do rote practice on in the kyu grades, and it’s nice to now start learning the reasoning behind those katas, bunkai and other exercises and really get into the underlying theory and how it can be used in practical self-defence.

I’m studying Goju-Ryu Karate, which is a very traditional style, and I’ve been lucky to live a few minutes away from Sensei Nakamura’s dojo. He’s a fantastic teacher who has a real passion for karate and is also a super nice guy. He demonstrates the behaviour he expects in his dojo (like respect for all karateka, including those of lower rank).

I know I sound like a fanboy here, but as I’m a 50-year-old man, I’m not impressed by braggarts and show offs no matter how skilled they are. So I really feel lucky to have found a dojo with a humble, giving, down-to-earth teacher who genuinely takes joy in sharing his culture with other people.

Anyway, I’m pretty sore today after 9 hours of training over three days, but it’s a good sore and it’s just nice to get to engage in some of these things for the first time (even if it did take me until I was 50 to achieve it).

For anyone who is curious, Sensei Nakamura has been named as Sensei Morio Higaonna’s successor as head of the IOGKF when Sensei Higaonna eventually retires (as he’s in his 80’s now).

There are a ton of YouTube videos of Sensei Nakamura at various events and even a hour-long video of one of his dojo classes for anyone who wants to see him in action. I’ll like some if anyone is interested.
I did a year of Goju Ryu under sensei Steve Gouldson. But his club being an hour away and over the border in England has made that basically impossible for me to carry on.

Now I'm back training in Shukokai karate. But not the Kimura Shukokai I got my black belt in, Shito Ryu Shukokai.

I can honestly say I feel like I've learned more in the 18 months since I left.my old club than I did in the three years before that.
 
You got a black belt in 3 years:shock:?
 
I got a black belt in 5 years. And then another two to get my 2and dan. But the last 3 years I was at my original club, I don't feel that I learned much that I didn't know already.
OK, that sounds better:smile:! (I've only been on a singly kyu test in my life, but I'm used to assuming you can't get black belt without 5-8 years of training).
 
I took almost 5 years. It would have been almost exactly 4 and a half if the Montreal Gasshuku hadn’t been cancelled due to COVID. So the grading wasn’t until September.

The biggest thing that helped time wise was that both my wife and my son also joined, so we would go together three times a week.

You know those days that you come home from work and don’t feel like doing anything, having your entire family say to you “we’re going so you might as well come” makes a huge difference.

And, of course, once you show up, by the time you’ve completed the warmup, you feel ready to throw yourself into it.

The social aspect really helped, too, to keep us all going regularly.
 
Amusingly, most of what I got myself for the New Year was martial-arts related!
Now I mentally picture you all with long faces due to the surprise:grin:!
 
OK, people, I recently went on a buying spree on Fanatic Wrestling, BJJ Fanatics and Dynamic Striking - all sites that sell instructional videos (digital files). I don't want to admit how many videos I got myself for the holidays:grin:!
Let's just say I haven't managed to watch them all, yet...:thumbsup:

Eh, I'm almost sure they were in the single-digits! I mean, some of them totally shouldn't count:shade:!
Funny, but true: some videos were free. Or at least they were free yesterday. Don't know whether the promotion still applies!

Anyway, the funniest part is that they've also got a "points" program. So, if you're interested in wrestling and for some reason haven't joined Fanatic Wrestling (yt)? Consider doing so via this link:
For BJJ Fanatics tou could use this link instead:

Bottom line if you do so: you get a coupon for 20$ off, and I get* "200 fanatic points". And the site gets new customers, so it's win-win-win for everyone...well, everyone but our wallets:devil:!

And hey. free videos are always nice:tongue:!

But to be honest, I'm mostly curious: how many of you have registered for these sites already? I'd bet there's quite a few among those that visit this thread!

BTW, I'm also looking at registering in the Burton Richardson's JKD Unlimited store, the MA Drills site and possible Plumpub. My tastes in martial arts are varied and eclectic...which might be the reason why I'm not a master in anything. But the heart likes what it likes, pardner...and my heart is broad and likes many things:gunslinger:!

*Important Caveat: If you don't want me to use those fanatic points, let me know and I'm not going to use them. I want to 1) share the sites, which kinda remind me to a "MA-related Drivethru" and 2) ask people which of you are buying such videos. The points were an afterthought.
 
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Talked with my friend Steve, we trained in Taekwondo together years ago, about some of our quibbles with the fight choreography in Cobra Kai. Neither of us come from a karate background, so this was just more about how the choreography style lands with us compared to the movies and the first season (and our general knowledge of martial arts): https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-bynn4-f8225e
 
And this post was meant to be posted in this thread:
I hate to interrupt the movies chat, but I'm going to forget until tomorrow...

So, how about a weekly article? Everyone posts a clip that s/he found interesting for some reason, so the others can comment (or not). And of course, you don't have to post a clip every week!

Here's my contribution for this week:

Says it all, doesn't it?
Please note: despite some similarities in the names, the more e above isn't "aggressive defense" in GURPS. It's more of an example of an unarmed "block open" (perhaps followed by unarmed "winding and binding") from TRoS/Blade of the Iron Throne:thumbsup:!
 
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Not many comments, so I'm just going to leave my referral links for Dynamic Striking, BJJ Fanatics and Fanatic Wrestling here...
Why on an RPG forum? Because I'm planning of requiring in the future that any prospective players use them to register and then watch the free videos. At least it should get them in the mood for some punching and throwing people:grin:!

And, of course, I'm still to run that "Ippo-N" campaign I've been planning for years now...:devil:
Either way, this looks like the best thread.

BJJ Fanatics
Fanatic Wrestling
Dynamic Striking

Feel free to use them, too, if you haven't got accounts - if you register via such a link, you get a coupon for 20$ off, and I get "200 fanatic points", so obviously I wouldn't mind:thumbsup:!
 
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This is a cool video by Lee Wylie whose videos on boxing technique are well known in boxing circles.

I know AsenRG AsenRG mentioned the use of traps in another thread and this video is all about that, featuring two of my favourite fighters, Duran and Pep (I need to watch more Sanchez and saying you are a fan of boxing and like Loma is redundant).



Funny thing is how much of the footage he uses for Duran is from the first Sugar Ray fight, which was a great performance but just goes to show how a great fighter learns how to adjust as the second Duran vs. Leonard fight was a complete rout for Duran.

Great thing about boxing is that due to the net the hardcores now have easy access to many old fights.

I don't know any other 'big' sport that is as interested in the past greats as boxing is. I used to belong to a torrent site where people shared old fights but these days most of it is up on YT.

Check out this amazing but brutal footage of the Dempsey vs. Willard fight. This was obviously before the 'go to your corner' rule after a knock-down was in place.

 
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This is a cool video by Lee Wylie whose videos on boxing technique are well known in boxing circles.

I know AsenRG AsenRG mentioned the use of traps in another thread and this video is all about that, featuring two of my favourite fighters, Duran and Pep (I need to watch more Sanchez and saying you are a fan of boxing and like Loma is redundant).



Funny thing is how much of the footage he uses for Duran is from the first Sugar Ray fight, which was a great performance but just goes to show how a great fighter learns how to adjust as the second Duran vs. Leonard fight was a complete rout for Duran.

Great thing about boxing is that due to the net the hardcores now have easy access to many old fights.

I don't know any other 'big' sport that is as interested in the past greats as boxing is. I used to belong to a torrent site where people shared old fights but these days most of it is up on YT.

Check out this amazing but brutal footage of the Dempsey vs. Willard fight. This was obviously before the 'go to your corner' rule after a knock-down was in place.


First comment: Duran and Big F are probably competing (with Loma, yes) for being my number 1 favourite boxer, though that probably surprises nobody...:grin:
It's a tight title fight they're in, though.

Oh, and if anyone wonders, the other contenders are Klichko, Dempsey, Tuney, Earnie Shavers, "Orchidee Man" Carpentier, Joe Louis and Marciano (for power generation more than anything else). And, well, the list cn go on and on...I mean, Myke Tyson and Frazier should be up there as well, and possibly Wilder and Tyson Fury as well, and I'm actually forgetting a name right now because I haven't watched his fights in a while - but it's just that I only have so many spots in the top 10:grin:!

But yes, I like old-school boxing. In fact,I like it more than modern boxing.

That said, I don't know why you think boxing is the only sport to value the oldies. I mean, Muay Thai still talks about the legendary names, and wrestlers remember their greats.

More to say when I watch the video more carefull:devil:!
 
This video has several of my favourite sword fight scenes in it: Adventures of Robin Hood; Rob Roy and The Duelists.

 
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This is a cool video by Lee Wylie whose videos on boxing technique are well known in boxing circles.

I know AsenRG AsenRG mentioned the use of traps in another thread and this video is all about that, featuring two of my favourite fighters, Duran and Pep (I need to watch more Sanchez and saying you are a fan of boxing and like Loma is redundant).


One note: what is known in boxing as traps I call "setting up sights" or "mindgames", respectively. To me, a trap isn't something that makes you miscalculate on your defense, but something that actually impedes your defense. Duran's infighting and any clinchfighting would often count, for me.

Now, the "posting on the front foot" is often used in MMA. It works better there, because that's also part of the preliminary motion for single/double leg. The follow-up is usually an overhand, though, while most of the examples were right straights and hooks.

Muay (Thai) fighters don't like using it, because it invites knees to the face. And I don't like doing it because it invites certain people to try and drag your head low...where a 12-6 elbow to the back of the head follows. (Of course, that's illegal in all sports contexts that I'm aware of! But you only have to see the effect once to understand my reluctance (although I do overcome it, sometimes:grin:).


Check out this amazing but brutal footage of the Dempsey vs. Willard fight. This was obviously before the 'go to your corner' rule after a knock-down was in place.


Yeah, it only got in at the end of Dempsey's career...arguably leading to the Long Count:thumbsup:.
I really like it how they measured the fighters' chests before the fight. I think I need a variation of that for my wuxia game:devil:.
BTW, I must make it clear that I'm biased: Dempsey's book "Explosive punching and aggressive defense" is one of my most treasured manuals. And I've got about 300 of those, not counting instructional movies.

Also interesting how Willard didn't want to grapple in the clinch. There's many tall fighters like this, actually. I've always found it amazing, but they're all "I want to punch it out in the pocket" (and their pocket is longer than yours, so you might not be able to return fire). But up close? Nah, not their thing.
Dempsey was better up close, leaning on Willard to tire him out and hiding his head on the other man's chest (almost without leaning:grin:)...but at 2:40 you see him almost turning his back towards the giant in an effort to get away faster. Can't blame him, those punches were probably hard enough to topple a tree, and going downwards due to the height!
Might have been disastrous against a faster fighter, but it wasn't the case.

And of course, Dempsey basically wanted nothing more than to get up close and get enough of his most explosive punches in. Which - spoileralert - is what eventually happened.
Repeatedly. /Spoileralert :shade:!
 
This video has several of my favourite sword fight scenes in it: Adventures of Robin Hood; Rob Roy and The Duelists.


This one goes on the backburner until I can watch it with decent sound. Because he's not talking as clearly as he probably thinks he is:thumbsup:.
 
And of course, Dempsey basically wanted nothing more than to get up close and get enough of his most explosive punches in. Which - spoileralert - is what eventually happened.
Repeatedly. /Spoileralert :shade:!


Lol. Watching Jack Dempsey go to town is always fun. Youtube has really made it easier to go back and watch those old fights.

Every combat sport is beautiful to watch in its own way. For me boxing and muay thai are the two that really click terms of watching them for entertainment (I love the fluidity and the positioning in boxing, and I love the relaxed nature of muay thai----till people start getting smashed).

I was watching this TKD knock out compilation today (was feeling a bit nostalgic for it):
 
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