Spontaneity

[Sandor]

Originally posted by Zoran



Besides getting arrested?

Seriously though, using the outdoors on occasion is a great way to help with the evironment factor. Also good to make sure you are wearing street clothes and shoes during these sessions.

Actually, nekkid is better but tends to get the cops attention faster so I guess the street clothes idea is smarter

 

[Zoran]

Originally posted by Sandor


Actually, nekkid is better but tends to get the cops attention faster so I guess the street clothes idea is smarter

Are you kidding? I've been were you live. Everbody is pretty much naked there anyway.:shrug:

 

[Sandor]

Originally posted by Zoran



Are you kidding? I've been were you live. Everbody is pretty much naked there anyway.:shrug:

Ok, if you're nekkid on the beach they won't harass you but back on the mainland they tend to frown on the public nudity thing. I try to avoid that part of the geography and stick to the beach where its all positive and healthy

My theory is that 'Life is Good' when you can walk a few blocks in the morning to workout and see neekid folks and supermodels everywhere. I have shared this theory with a few of the guys when they came into town to teach seminars and most have wholeheartedly agreed. Though I gotta say it wasn't easy getting Wheeler to leave.

Peace,
Sandor

 

[Goldendragon7]

I better get an invite soon.......!!

 

[tonbo]

Sandor, how about holding a seminar where you are? We could do practice on the beach, and work on focus!!

Not to mention that some of us might get a good ab workout by trying to suck our guts in while doing techniques and forms....and still trying to breathe in the process......:rofl:

Peace--

 

[Michael Billings]

Oh yeah, wait, let me get my mind back here, ok, I'm back now.

Dave Thompson does something called rhythm sparring. You know how a couple of Kenpo, way up there Black Belt like to "play" sometimes to warm up. This is a slowed down, no gear kind of sparring using all available weapons. If they pick on me, I make sure and "react" appropriately, as do they. If you do a 3 count rhythm, as Tonbo noted above, they have an opportunity to start thinking about combinations.

The higher you go number-wise, 5 or 6 count rhythem sparring, the more sophisticated the responses. Defender is allowed to parry or block the 1st strike in the series is another added incentive. When you watch a couple of experienced Kenpo Black Belts doing this sparring, remember they are taking turns with attacker/defender, then you get 7 or 8 count combos that are usually Kenpo techniques. Then throw in another Black Belt, ok, so now you either fight the sparring fight, or, since you have the time, why not pattern in actual 2-man attack techniques.

This drill is good for all levels because at 3 count, you focus the beginner on target acquisition and beginning combinations. From there on you just add levels of sophistication. It is a good transition to putting them in the middle of a circle and having people wail on them when they have no skills.

Just an idea that probably most teachers use already. We just formalized it a little and adopted it in the UKS.

-Michael

 

[Sandor]

Freaky thing... I replied to this and it never appeared, second post this has happened with today.

I just held an event called 'Beach Bash' where we have a bunch of seminars on the beach. The instructors for this years event where Martin Wheeler, Al Mc Luckie and Sean Kelley. This was the 7th event and the first one that had to be held at the school instead of the beach due to weather. With us being in a 3 1/2 year long drought the rain was a welcome site and we had a great time anyway.

Check the CKF site for news on these events and start planning now to attend next years bash. Lots of fun

Peace,
Sandor

ps. the invite to come and train is always open to anyone. Just drop me a line if you are going to be in town

 

[donald]

I used to do this type of training with the orange belt+ group classes in days gone by. Even with the kids classes every now, and then. One or more lines, depending on the class size. The first person in line would turn around, and face the others, and then it was on. I would usually suggest an attack, and after a time or two through. I would just say go. It would last until the defender failed, or in the event of a large class after 2 attacks. When questioned about this practice. I asked them to consider a firecracker. After the fuse is completed, and there is ignition the firecracker goes BOOM, not bbbbbboooommmmm. In that regard that is how we should respond in a defensive situation BOOM!!!

Respectfully,
:asian:

 

[Chiduce]

Originally posted by Zoran

How many people here practice there self-defense with spontaneity. Example; you have your training partner in front of you and he/she attacks you with any strike, kick, or so on without you knowing what is to come. The attack comes at you at full speed, with control of course. From there you can have the attacker come at you with any 1-2 combo as you get more comfortable (more advanced, brown and up).

Reason why I ask is sometimes we can get wrapped up in exploring the various SD techs, forms, and exploring the tools of Kenpo, that we may neglect working on our ability to react to less than ideal situations. Why? Well it's not always fun to work these drills. Especially when what you planned to do goes south for the winter.

For those that do, what other sort of drills do you use?

Actually, he is thinking inside the box also. Yes, we randori and use ashi-sabaki/(square foot method) among other things with our kenpo system. The sabakiing is very good for experiencing controlling manipulations, wrist and joint locking, throwing, dislocations, and strike-throwing motion etc. Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[Nightingale]

we start doing spontaneous stuff around blue belt. That way, the student has some techniques that they've trained with long enough for the motions to become instinct. Doing this stuff with a white, orange, or purple belt doesn't always do a whole lot of good, because too often they need to stop to think because they haven't done the motions often enough yet. As a brown belt, if someone grabs my hair from the front, my reaction is clutching feathers first, think later. a white belt's reaction is "....what do I do...?...I learned something for this....oh yeah...clutching feathers..." and if you grabbed them with the right hand instead of the left, they get really confused. a green, brown, or black, would either do clutching feathers on the other side, or something else entirely. a white belt goes "I don't know what to do." and just gets confused and frustrated.

 

[Goldendragon7]

that control would be a problem at that level still...... as well as not having a strong enough base established yet..... but it still is a good "seed casting" idea to start thinking about spontaneity!

:asian:

 

[Nightingale]

sigh...
control is definitely a problem at the white belt level. My instructor got his knee kicked out by a white belt a few days ago. he's limping around the studio...

I hate sparring white belts. They kick to the legs, try to do illegal sweeps, grab you, and all that stuff. Its not because they don't know the rules, its because they see a punch coming at them and freak. My instructor used to not let people spar til purple belt, unless he was really confident in them, but that changed for some reason...dunno why.

When I was a blue belt, I came home from sparring class one day, took off my uniform top (I had a tank top underneath), and went to the fridge for some gatorade... my mom saw all the bruises and flipped out. She asked if I'd been fighting black belts... I said no... four white belts... amusing thing...none of the bruises were in a legal target area. I had bruises up my legs, along my arms, and all over my back....silly white belts.

:shrug:

what do you all think about white belt sparring?

 

[Goldendragon7]

One of my girls cracked her pubic bone from a heel hook to the groin.....

OUCH
very painful....

 

[Seig]

Some of my students think I am sick and twisted. Whenever i get a new student, I usually start them in a sparring class. As I have told all of my students and at least a million times, 95% of the injuries I have sustained over the years have been from white belts, for most of the reason posted here. I have been to schools where you had to be an intermediate belt to spar. I disagree with this. I feel that the mystique and fear of sparring should be dealt with immediately. It also allows the upper belts to really defend themselves in a controlled environment. I am usually the first person a new person spars with.

 

[Nightingale]

:soapbox:

Respectfully, Seig, I must disagree. However, I'm not a black belt, but I have taught a lot of classes.

if you wanna spar white belts, go for it... but personally, I don't want to put myself at risk for injury doing something that trivial, mainly because I can't afford to be injured and miss work, because I don't get sick pay, and if I'm not completely physically mobile, I can't do my job.

I think instructors are not only responsible for teaching martial arts, they're responsible for the safety of the students in their studio, and putting some (not all...some white belts have surprising control) white belts in a sparring class is simply a safety hazard.

I know firsthand that kenpo works in the street, and I don't need a sparring match to tell me that. Sparring is not street fighting. There are very specific rules for what you can and can't do, and the rules are there so nobody gets hurt. Even though the white belts know the rules, when they're put in a sparring situation, they don't follow the rules, and that's where people get hurt.

 

[Robbo]

On the other hand, I think a controlled advanced student is what a begginer SHOULD be matched against.

Old chinese proverb - If two white belts fight, one will certainly be mortally wounded.....and the other will be dead

Seriously, if proper rules are stressed and you don't just go for it in the first match I don't see why the student wouldn't benefit w/o anybody getting hurt. You just do a 'light' feeling out match and get them used to sparring. Don't put them in a situation where they feel they have to fight for their lives against this guy with black belt that's going to kick their a**** 6 ways to sunday.
I don't suscribe to the throw them in and see if they can swim theory, I rather teach them to swim first.

Now if they really want to fight for points or whatever then by all means match them against somebody of their skill level and watch the sparks fly. This should only be done after they have learned proper etiquite and control though. It would show irresponsible behaviour on the instructor's part to just dump somebody into a full out 'sparring match' without any experiance.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Nightingale]

I agree...teach them to swim first. however, it seems to me that by the time they really learn to swim, they're orange belts.

 

[Chiduce]

I use a form of ashi sabaki for my white belts to have a beginning freestyle sparring experience. The sabaki introduces them to joint locking, determining possible striking areas to concentrate on, expose the respective angles of possible breaking, and to introduce their finishing throws. This method seems to work well with the lower belts because light controlled contact is used first. Randori, is then added with the sabaki method so that they can use a little more force with each other. This gives more of a sense of finding out their strengths and weaknesses in striking, throwing, blocking, contolling the attacker once contact is made, using come alongs, kicking and strike-throwing. As their time in the school progresses, they are then reminded to use more self control as they randori and sabaki. Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[Nightingale]

um...I hate to plead ingnorance...but I have no idea what you just said. It sounded japanese, but I don't know what it meant. could you explain?

 

[Klondike93]

I have to agree with the others on this. Start them sparring as soon as possible to help eliminate the fear of sparring. It's frustrating for all involved but it should be done.


:asian: