Martial arts tips

[Buka]

What about your nuts? Don't they deserve a little consideration and TLC too?

Bwahahaha!

Everyone I trained, or trained with, wore a cup. It’s part of their class uniform, a rule of our dojo. You don’t break a rule of the dojo.

To keep everyone honest, like I knew they would want me to, once every couple of months, there was a cup check. Everyone knew this from day one.

On sparring nights you knew everyone would be wearing one because the groin was an allowed target area. The same way it used to be in karate tournaments throughout New England in the seventies and half of the eighties.

It was on non sparring nights that you might catch them.

This is why I think this is important. Bill Wallace used to appear at tournaments as a guest. Most times he’d do an exhibition point match with last year’s tournament Grand Champion.

So he’s doing one on the East Coast, I forget where. He’s doing his best to make it interesting and not hurt or embarrass the guy too much. I’m not a big fan, but he’s a great martial artist and difficult to describe how good he actually is.

He told me he was winning the match nineteen to two. The guy didn’t pose any problem or threat, but Bill let his guard down for a second (maybe out of boredom, I dont know, he was that good) and got kicked in the groin.
He wasn’t wearing a cup. I forget why.

He told me he had to go to the hospital, had to have surgery. Had a testicle removed. Bill told me he never sparred without a cup again. He also assured me everything else works just fine.

If an undefeated World Champion fighter, an academic in fitness with a Masters Degree in Kinesiology, like Bill Wallace, can have that happen to him, I reckon it could happen to any of us. Wear a cup under your gi.

 

[Gyakuto]

When practising Karate-style straight punches, completely relax, shoulders down and even have your firsts loosely open and even your face should floppy and eyes narrowed. Now have the mindset of your fist suddenly appearing in the target rather than being thrust at it; one instant it’s by your side then next it materialises, explosively in your target

When you punch, make your elbows scrape along your side and concentrate 70% on the arm being withdrawn and 30% on the thrusting arm. Explosively tense at the very end of the punch for a brief instant and then allow all the floppiness to return.

This technique helps prevent antagonistic muscles from slowing one’s punching arm. Being tensed up might feel strong but it’s slower and less damaging to the target.

 

[Badhabits]

Instead of trying to punch hard, simply focusing on straightening the elbow of the punching arm as quickly as possible can help increase speed

 

[Gyakuto]

When learning a kata or a combination of techniques, space your training session out and repeat regularly and frequently rather than trying to get it down in one intensive session. Research shows that this more effectively turns on ‘memory genes’ and, interestingly, not just in the brain! It seems many cell types have the memory gene and they are strongly activated my spaced, mass stimuli. ‘Muscle memory’ might not just be a brain thing!

 

[JowGaWolf]

Find an old guy who used to do martial arts and ask if there is anything he would have done differently with his training. This will sometimes help you avoid the same mistakes and missed opportunities that may be of benefit to you.

The young man always thinks he is doing the things that he really wants to do. The old man learns about things that he wishes he would have done or wishes that he didn't do.

 

[drop bear]

This is a fun one I just learned. When you do an arm drag. You often get caught in this game where you are both spinning around for each other's back.

To avoid this foot sweep the leg as you do the arm drag. Then by the time they have defended that. You are where you want to be.

 

[Tigerwarrior]

All blocks are strikes.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Never throw a fight-ending technique and wait to see if it worked.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Old saying said, "Never come back your hand empty". All strikes are followed by a grab and pull. Try to think a strike is a spear with a hook.

 

[Haruhiko]

Reading this entire thread reminds me how I need to relax more.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you drag your opponent's leading arm and run in circle, most people won't know the proper way to react.

 

[Gyakuto]

When practising kicking techniques ensure you keep your supporting leg’s heel firmly planted on the floor not least because it provides stability, allows the generation of power up from the ground and aesthetically looks more accomplished; as soon as I see a raised heel I think ‘…they haven’t practised properly.’

 

[Gyakuto]

When kicking, keep your arms/fist to the front of your body, especially in ‘round’ kicks of various sorts, where there’s a tendency for the ‘leading arm’ to disappear back, behind the body as you rotate. This allows you to defend your vulnerable ventral surface, it looks far more accomplished and builds up independence of upper and lower limb.

 

[Gyakuto]

When sparring in a class, be bold! Don’t be afraid to try out unusual techniques especially ‘sutemi waza’ (sacrifice techniques). They will widen your repertoire, hone your skills considerably, forge your spirit of humility when they fail and stop you being a boring straight puncher/front/roundhouse kicker <yawn>

For safety, warn your partner your going to be a bit wild and set up/apply your midair, forward roll, kakatō geri at a reasonable pace to allow them to work out a counter technique; sparring is, after all, a cooperative endeavour. (I saw this unusual technique performed in the final of a Karate competition by Terry O’Neil, the back of his heel landed, satisfyingly in the stomach of his opponent (Steve Cattle) and he won with “IPPON!” Incredible and bold.)

 

[Buka]

Never throw a fight-ending technique and wait to see if it worked.

Love it!

 

[O'Malley]

When sparring in a class, be bold! Don’t be afraid to try out unusual techniques especially ‘sutemi waza’ (sacrifice techniques). They will widen your repertoire, hone your skills considerably, forge your spirit of humility when they fail and stop you being a boring straight puncher/front/roundhouse kicker <yawn>

For safety, warn your partner your going to be a bit wild and set up/apply your midair, forward roll, kakatō geri at a reasonable pace to allow them to work out a counter technique; sparring is, after all, a cooperative endeavour. (I saw this unusual technique performed in the final of a Karate competition by Terry O’Neil, the back of his heel landed, satisfyingly in the stomach of his opponent (Steve Cattle) and he won with “IPPON!” Incredible and bold.)

It's called a "do mawashi kaiten geri". It's an uncommon yet typical kick of kyokushin karate:

 

[Gyakuto]

It's called a "do mawashi kaiten geri". It's an uncommon yet typical kick of kyokushin karate:

View attachment 32123

Ah is that what it’s called? I seem to remember O’Neil’s roll was more straight forward, head over heels rather than a side roll as in that video.

 

[Gyakuto]

I’ve seen some more versions on youtube that look like I remember, some are just angled spinning back kicks. It’s an amazing, uncontrollable kick!

 

[Badhabits]

Instead of just going through a whole kata over and over, spend more time practicing individual sections of it over and over.
When practicing kihon, think of what you're doing as a drill and figure out what the drill is teaching you. A simple stepping reverse punch as done in kihon is teaching you way more than just how to throw a reverse punch.

 

[Gyakuto]

Most people don’t practise enough. You will not become an accomplished practitioner unless you put the hours in. Practise a little at home everyday on top of your regular dojo training.