All Questions
7
votes
9answers
313 views
Are Aikido movies on the internet helpful for beginners?
My Aikido teacher advised us (I'm in a beginners group) not to study Aikido movies on youtube, at least not until we get our black belts. He said that's because there are different Aikido styles and ...
7
votes
2answers
145 views
Balancing control and intensity in sparring
At my taekwondo school, we have several levels of sparring - non-, light-, medium-, and full-contact. We do, however, have one over-riding rule: no matter the level of contact, we always endeavour to ...
7
votes
5answers
485 views
How to best maintain mount position
The title pretty much sums it up, I often have trouble maintaining mount, so much so, that i rarely even bother going to the position because i get reversed so quickly. This makes me miss out on ...
7
votes
6answers
1k views
How to improve speed and footwork?
I always receive some very bad sidekicks when I try to go offensively while in kickboxing. Mainly because I try to make a jab with my right hand but the kick comes too fast (or I'm too slow) I have ...
6
votes
6answers
308 views
Conflict escalation management resources
I am looking for guidelines or sources of information regarding behavior patterns that prevent the escalation of conflict. It would be nice also to see some differentiation and analysis of conflict ...
6
votes
5answers
237 views
What aspects of health does form-based tai chi improve?
Similar to other practices--strength training, physical therapy, running, et cetera--we can evaluate the effectiveness of tai chi for improving fitness, mobility, strength, and other health markers. ...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
What strength and conditioning exercises are used in tai chi?
Nearly all martial arts have some form of supplemental strength and conditioning exercises. Karate has hojo undo, boxing has road work, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has ginastica natural. These can be more ...
5
votes
5answers
341 views
What exercises help to develop frontal leg speed?
For many people, the front leg kick is a very effective "stopping" move when faced with a charging opponent. The faster (and more accurately) a defender can deploy this kick, the better the ...
5
votes
1answer
203 views
Leg conditioning advice
I've just gotten back into karate about a month ago after a long long break, and I'm finding it hard to cope with kicks to the legs (with or without pads), especially the quads. Being a cyclist I have ...
5
votes
6answers
806 views
Morning exercise routine for student of Aikido
What would constitute good routine after you get up in the morning to make your body more acclimated for hard lessons later in the day? I'm talking not just about muscle exercises, but stretching and ...
4
votes
3answers
156 views
Is it possible to become expert in different martial arts
If i start my career with one martial art and become mature in that, will that particular martial art become my expertise and will other martial arts always be secondary like a native language and ...
4
votes
2answers
126 views
Advancement Speed in Taekwondo
I've been studying Taekwondo for about two months, and I took the first test that my school offered after I joined (two weeks ago), and received my yellow-stripe. It looks like the school holds tests ...
4
votes
3answers
140 views
What methods are effective for increasing co-ordination on dual handed techniques?
I have recently begun practicing escrima, and I find it difficult to simultaneously wield two sticks while keeping co-ordination and rhythm.
Are there some drills I could do on my own to improve my ...
3
votes
8answers
224 views
What can one do to avoid entering a grappling situation?
Let's work with the following assumptions:
I have good awareness of the area
I have good mobility: the floor is not slippery, and my shoes work, and I have room to move
I need to avoid grappling in ...
13
votes
4answers
398 views
What are the signs *not* to train at a specific school?
What are things to look for in a school to indicate that one should absolutely NOT study there?
You know, things like having the name Cobra Kai or making you do donut runs because you're the new ...
10
votes
2answers
240 views
“Aikido is first and foremost BUDO”
The above sentence has been attributed to O'Sensei and I'd like to use it as a motto for my dojo's website.
Problem: I can't find a reliable source about when/where he said this. Or a proper Japanese ...
8
votes
5answers
261 views
What can i practice to remove tension from my movements
I'm a Wing Chun student and my Sihing regularly tells me that i shouldn't be so tensed in all my movements.
A lot of techniques in WC required smooth arm and leg movements to react to our opponents ...
7
votes
9answers
207 views
Choosing a Target When Cornered by Multiple Attackers
I would like to know which (if any at all) contemporary system base their tactics in deciding who to attack first in order to create a escaping route.
Scenario:
Cornered in a place where 4 ...
7
votes
5answers
190 views
How can I judge the competency of a teacher?
Say I went to a dojo (or gym or whatever the place where you train is called) and watched a class. How would I objectively judge whether or not the teacher was proficient at his martial art?
What do ...
5
votes
4answers
236 views
Endurance problems while practicing martial art
I have been attending krav-maga lessons (twice a week) for two years and always had low endurance. After every lesson I feel exhausted a little more. My stamina improved since I started but I still ...
5
votes
2answers
291 views
Should I learn karate if I had a slip disc problem in past?
I am 20 years old. I had a disc herniation two years ago, before that it was more than 1.5 years. I have been feeling good for the past six months. I do regular exercises and gymming, swimming, little ...
5
votes
2answers
942 views
What are the differences between ITF and WTF Tae-Kwondo?
My kids currently train under UKTF, which follows ITF guidelines and techniques. Will this cause problems if they move to a WTF trainer? They aren't quite at black belt yet, so I'm hoping that if they ...
4
votes
0answers
200 views
Terminology: List of all boxing and muay thai technique terms with example photos
I'm looking to put together a list of all the technique terms for: boxing, muay thai. Such as the names for all the different punches, kicks, knees, elbow punches, etc...
Anyone know if there is a ...
4
votes
3answers
157 views
What are the applications and principles of this particular seven-star mantis stance?
I recently saw a Seven Star Praying Mantis school perform in public for a cultural festival, and one of their characteristics is the seven-star stance. The stance entails one of practictioner's leg ...
4
votes
2answers
159 views
How can a teacher recognize that a student has progressed from 'ha' to 'ri'?
The Japanese use the concept of Shu, ha, ri to indicate progress in development/growth. Straight from its WikiPedia page, Aikido shihan Endou Seishirou said:
It is known that, when we learn or ...
4
votes
3answers
154 views
Any way to repair a Jo that has become warped?
I left my Jo (white oak, 1 inch diameter, 51.5 inch length) leaning in the corner for two years. Now I'm using it again and it is noticably bowed and deformed. While it is straight "enough" to be ...
3
votes
2answers
203 views
What are tai chi's high-percentage push hands techniques?
In the context of tai chi push hands, what are the most commonly effective techniques? (Push hands in competition and in class both count.)
For analogy, in judo, it is well known and documented that ...
3
votes
5answers
299 views
What makes this seated Daito-ryu technique work?
Let us examine this one section of only a few seconds of a video of Okamoto-sensei, a Daito-Ryu practitioner, demonstrating a way to free oneself from an opponent grabbing both your wrists when both ...
2
votes
5answers
338 views
Is martial arts training 'inadequate' for the real world?
I have heard this sentiment a handful of times before, and most recently when I was reading "The truth about Violence" by Sam Harris.
The gist is that real world violent attacks happen with ...
2
votes
2answers
200 views
Is stretching with a partner beneficial, dangerous, or both?
One thing I've seen practiced before are stretches involving a partner, particularly for the legs. I've seen mixed reviews of this practice in a variety of different locations, and wondered if someone ...
1
vote
1answer
127 views
Explaining how to breathe deeply
One of the things we emphasize heavily in my Hapkido group is breathing. It tends to flow with your motion and be very deep in nature. We also have deep breathing exercises along these lines ...
