All Questions
10
votes
5answers
496 views
Is Static Stretching Before Practice Beneficial, Harmful, or Something In-between?
Among runners there are a fair number of studies out there right now that static stretching before exercising, at least if you aren't doing it now, doesn't reduce your risk of injury and in other ...
9
votes
7answers
954 views
What's the best way to stop a nose bleed quickly?
I tend to suffer a number of these in training. Various people have various ideas on ways to quickly stop the bleed. Is there a well researched way to quickly stop a nose bleed?
9
votes
7answers
523 views
How can I improve my teaching of ukemi or break falling?
How can I improve teaching forward and flip (kote gaeshi and sumi otoshi for those that know what it looks like) breakfalls? I have been teaching those for a while and students do pick them up and ...
9
votes
5answers
317 views
How important is lineage when it comes to credibility or trustworthiness?
I was doing some surfing today and noticed a few mentions of lineage when considering a given school/dojo. The people asking about lineage of a given school seemed to feel that if the instructor(s) ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
Lowering heart rate at will
I train archery as part of my martial arts training. What is the best way to lower or control heart rate before taking shot? Assuming I have been doing activity that raised it. I know just waiting for ...
9
votes
10answers
4k views
How do I increase my wrist strength for punching?
When I throw a punch, sometimes my wrist doesn't stay straight and I run the risk of spraining it. What kind of exercises can I do to strengthen my wrists so that my wrist isn't going to bend when I ...
9
votes
3answers
219 views
When doing Aikido practice why should the attacker adapt to the defender?
I'm an Aikido beginner and haven't had many classes yet, so I hope this is not a stupid question. My teacher recently said that when we practice with someone then the attacker should adapt to the ...
9
votes
7answers
293 views
How does Bartitsu's “foot hook with a cane” technique work?
Bartitsu is the British Gentleman's MMA. And one of the self-defense sequences, pictured underneath, involves hooking the opponent's foot with your cane and pulling his legs apart.
I've found one ...
9
votes
5answers
242 views
Going up on the ball of the foot for a front snap kick
This may be getting into technical minutia, but it's something that's been bugging me since I first came across it.
I've seen multiple different views (as one might expect) for the position of the ...
9
votes
5answers
156 views
How helpful is it to film yourself during training and analyze videos after training?
While most of the gyms and dojos where I've trained so far had mirrors to help you work on your technique I think videos are underused. In my opinion, taking a video of e.g. a sparring session or ...
9
votes
6answers
216 views
How do you ease someone over 40 back into training after many years absence?
I am nearly 50 and have been training more-or-less continuously for most of my adult life. I am careful to baby myself after injury, particularly joint injury, because I'm painfully aware how much ...
9
votes
2answers
352 views
What can I do to improve my squat for judo throws during randori?
I am 6 foot 2 inches and weigh about 90Kg - I find it very difficult during randori to get a full turn in for (for example) O Goshi.
My instructors are always telling me that I need to get lower and ...
9
votes
5answers
129 views
How can I practice shooting for a combat situation?
I realize that it's impossible to simulate a combat situation. But I think that shooting at target practice is wildly different from shooting under duress when lives are on the line.
How can someone ...
9
votes
5answers
4k views
How do I increase hip flexibility for round kicks?
In the process of doing a round kick, or roundhouse kick, you need to turn your kicking leg over, to be perpendicular with your body. When I do this I loose significant height on my kick and can ...
9
votes
6answers
326 views
How can I try to engage students who don't really want to be there?
I teach Aikido at a local community college. Roughly half of the kids are there just to fulfill a P.E. requirement. These students can be frustrating because they aren't really interested in martials ...
9
votes
2answers
88 views
What are the possible signs some has lost consciousness when being choked?
I thought this would be obvious, someone would just pass out and go floppy. However last week during rolling I got someone in a sleeve / Ezekiel choke while in my guard and he didn't tap out. He ...
9
votes
1answer
171 views
Where do kneeling and bowing down in Kung Fu come from?
In our dojo (Kung Fu) we kneel and bow. Where did this tradition come from?
9
votes
4answers
228 views
Is there a written, authoritative source I can reference for interpretations (Bunkai) of Karate (Shotokan) katas?
I'd like to learn more about the various applications and interpretations of Karate katas. Is there a written source I can use?
9
votes
2answers
75 views
Can someone learn Krav Maga moves without exacerbating injuries?
Would like to learn Krav Maga but have injuries that mean I would only be able to learn it in a limited fashion. I would want to learn it for self defense purposes after being accosted by a male in ...
9
votes
2answers
667 views
How do I increase flexibility to achieve a full split?
I am 21 years of age. I have been learning taekwondo for a year. However, I am still unable to achieve a complete split. What are exercises that I can do to increase my flexibility to reach a complete ...
8
votes
6answers
460 views
Bad boxing club or wrong idea of the sport?
I have done a boxing-for-starters class in a nearby club and after that joined the club for the regular training. As I really enjoyed the sport and got into sparring the fun faded because my sparring ...
8
votes
6answers
229 views
how to overcome “freeze”?
I have a grading coming up soon and one section of the test involves a series of wrist releases. Uke is supposed to grab me by the wrists several times and I need to display that I know and can ...
8
votes
9answers
453 views
What material should be covered in a rape-defense course?
Many martial arts schools have outreach programs either open to the public or at local colleges, high schools, or youth programs that are of a limited duration (one day or a handful of sessions) and ...
8
votes
6answers
431 views
Benefits of a formal senpai/kohai relationship within an Aikido dojo
What are the benefits of a formal senpai/kohai relationship within the cadre of a western (aka based in the UK) Aikido dojo?
I am interested in personal experience (not opinions) as to whether ...
8
votes
3answers
375 views
What exercises can I do to strengthen my knees for seated techniques?
In Aikido it is known that repeated suwariwaza techniques (seated techniques) are very hard on your knees. Most of the older masters have knee issues where they struggle to transition from seated to ...
8
votes
5answers
260 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 ...
8
votes
3answers
122 views
What are the key changes when moving from TKD-based point-break to continuous sparring?
A few years ago, my Taekwondo organization (ITF-based if that makes a difference for purposes of this question) made the shift from point-break sparring (sparring stops after one side scores, resets ...
8
votes
3answers
140 views
Bokken and Jo restoration
I have an old jo and bokken that are quiet damaged after repeating hitting other fast flying pieces of wood. Is there a way to bring those back to life from an aesthetic point of view as they are ...
8
votes
2answers
178 views
Do all schools of BJJ come from the same root?
Do all schools of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) come from the same original source? Or did some come down different path ways and hop on to the BJJ marketing wagon?
8
votes
5answers
2k views
Best weight lifting exercise to develop a Wing Chun chain punch
What would be some good exercises to develop more power in a Wing Chun chain punch? Is it as simple as working on my triceps?
8
votes
1answer
197 views
Has Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu been recognized as a form of Jiu-Jitsu in Japan?
In North America, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice and instruction is quite different from what is found in schools of Jiu-Jitsu that describe themselves as Japanese.
Are the two martial arts still ...
8
votes
2answers
230 views
Harnessing emotion during sparring
I find that sometimes when I'm sparring, particularly if I'm sparring someone around my own level of ability, I can get quite riled up - particularly if I take a heavy hit. This gives me a serious ...
8
votes
1answer
315 views
Are there any Wing Chun Kungfu training dummy designs that are fit for use in a condo?
I'm looking to practice some with a training dummy at home. I live in a condo (apartment building), and am concerned with:
being able to mount it properly
noise absorption - minimal noise production
...
8
votes
3answers
295 views
How are joints affected in the long term by martial arts practice?
When doing certain exercises, I get the feeling that they would cause stress on the joints after doing them for years and years (such as elbow joints in the instance of wing chun chain punches).
...
8
votes
0answers
134 views
Is there any information on pre-19th century Irish weapons-based martial arts?
Several Irish weapons-based martial arts were recently brought to my attention (through the writings of John Hurley):
Scianóireacht - knife arts
Tuadóireacht - various forms of axe-fighting
...
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
6answers
425 views
How does a non-grappler train to be ready to avoid grappling in a real-world situation?
I train in non-grappling arts. I have a reasonable amount of experience with this. However, I'm not sure how I would deal with an untrained opponent coming to grapple with me -- or someone whose ...
7
votes
3answers
219 views
How effective is practicing a martial art strictly outside of a dojo for beginners?
My girlfriend has expressed interest in learning one of the martial arts I practice with me, but when she has come to a class she has been very self-concious about being new and inexperienced (I've ...
7
votes
9answers
202 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 ...
7
votes
6answers
208 views
Exercises to help “getting lower” when performing Jiu-Jitsu throws
I am relatively tall - when practicing many Jiu-Jitsu throws I am frequently given the advice to "bend my knees more" or to "get lower".
When I really focus I find this is very effective ...
7
votes
3answers
353 views
What are the advantages of using a vertical fist for punching?
There is vertical fist punch in Hapkido as well as some Chinese martial arts and in older styles of boxing, but I see it a lot less in modern fighting and sparring.
What are the advantages and ...
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 ...
7
votes
5answers
209 views
Are there any benefits to Sitting Seiza?
One characteristic exercises from when I studied Aikido was sitting seiza for periods of time, either for a short while between exercises/while watching or as part of an exercise where, sometimes, a ...
7
votes
5answers
360 views
How to overcome fear to jump?
I practice Taekwondo. My biggest hurdle at the moment is that I am afraid of falling down. For example, when I do a scissor kick, I was told to level my torso to kick higher. But I am afraid that I ...
7
votes
3answers
468 views
What's the real difference between Ikkyo omote and Nikkyo omote?
In some variations, such as kata tori and gyaku hamni katatedori, ikkyo and nikkyo techniques are very similary, pretty much equal, but for the ending pin.
What is then, the real difference between, ...
7
votes
4answers
163 views
Which disciplines involve smacking away opponents' strikes?
I recently started MMA and have been learning wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, and some Muay Thai. Very beginner.
In every Bruce Lee fight I've ever seen, he avoids opponents' blows by a combination of ...
7
votes
5answers
480 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
2answers
380 views
What are the key differences between kendo and kenjutsu?
I was wondering what are the key differences between kenjutsu and kendo?
I know that kendo is considered as an art of fighting where as the kenjutsu is the art of killing, or am I wrong here?
7
votes
6answers
684 views
How can one practice spear-hand strikes, while still knowing you got the technique right?
One of the techniques in many martial arts is a spear hand strikes, where you make your hand rigid and thrust into the opponent. There are a couple of different variations, e.g., in hapkido we have a ...
