Bunshichi Tanba

Often when training for competition or self defense it seems it's overlooked, now I don't mean you have to have "bouncy steps" but a knowledge of movement when fighting, how to get in and out , if you'll follow me with a little example let's say there are 3 zones,

Zone 1 : Close Quarters , allowing for short sharp blows ,clinching,locking and throwing techniques

Zone 2: Generally referred to as "in the pocket" by Striking based Combat Sport coaches, the range allowing for the full force and optimal extension for throwing punches and kicks,exploiting one's use of reach if able, this is where you can capitalize on your own physical attributes and attacks yet at the same time you are at a higher risk to be countered with an onslaught from your opponent

Zone 3: Outside the pocket , allowing for observation of the opponents posture, to more easily dodge and block/deflect/parry attacks as well as affording opportunity for recovery and in the context of self defense let's say affording an opportunity for escape as well

Now I realize there are so many factors I've overlooked but this is just a basic and general approach,I understand to include factors such as being out numbered, dealing with an armed attacker and the environment aren't explored in extensive detail but these are just minor observations.

Forgive me if it seems I'm asking two questions I suppose in a small sense it also depends on the importance of stance, but footwork doesn't necessarily mean you need a perfect stance before you can move

How important is it to have good footwork for self defense in your opinion,ideally we'd all like to give the same considerations to every possible skill set, but on this basis alone as an absolute basic technique formed and deformed from stance to movement do you feel enough people give it enough thought?,Do you feel it depends on the instructor's approach or the art forms's general overview of techniques

That they're completely delusional?

Honestly when someone I know talks about all the "fights" they've been in it just annoys me when they say "I never trained I'm a natural born street fighter" there is a difference between a scuffle and a fight and the schoolyard bullshit mentality that seems to peak around guys my age(early 20's) that they somehow think they know about fighting annoys me ,it's not a case of them being arrogant and presumptuous that they could take me out because I do train(nor am I going to assume because of my training I'm better than them in fighting but I do feel slightly more informed about the truth),but this pathetic delusion they have about real fighting gets on my nerves , when I tell them about real fights where their life would be on the line not their pride they shrug it off as if "not gonna happen to me ".

Anyway enough venting my question is do you feel it's right to attempt to educate them ( with words not violence) about the harsh truths of fighting or to let them continue to inflate their ego with false presumptions of fighting and if and when they are in a fight where their life is on the line they get smashed by reality , is it better to educate before it's to late ?or let them make their own mistakes ,we are of course speaking about friends and acquaintances so the idea of being harsh for the sake of their safety doesn't seem so far fetched to me but what are your own thoughts?Just looking for other opinions on the matter not looking for agreements, I know what I'd do but what would you, if you want you can share stories on past experiences of similar circumstances,if you did end up having to educate them physically feel free to share too

or at least the cons of trying to use your back leg for an inside leg kick? he threw his back leg for an inside leg kick, that's MMA maths that doesn't add up, normally if you and your opponent are both orthodox stance fighters you'll use your front leg and snap it at your opponents thigh for an inside leg kick(often with the criticism of not opening your hips enough from a Muay Thai coach ,but it's not an outside leg kick,you'd use the back leg for an outside leg kick to land right on the outside of the thigh) , like you would a jab to gauge the distance and keep the opponent off balance that's the purpose of an inside leg kick,using that analogy alone the bag leg is equivalent to a cross because the power has to come from the back , Anderson was at the wrong angle outside Weidman's central line and used his back leg the power leg for that leg kick,Weidman didn't check that kick ,but he could see that kick coming because it came from the outside

What makes/made you feel so safe and sure of your skills without having tested them in competition at least once?? I can understand that some people are just sure of themselves and that more advanced practitioners will say its because of their years of training and experience in real life scenarios ,but how could a beginner and or a more advanced practitioner who has also never been in a real life confrontation feel sure in their abilities if anything it'd be the polar opposite.

Also what sparring methods would you use if you do not use combat sport rules for safety? would you just spar NHB or would you have your own unique rule set for safety?If so what would these rules be ?

Groundfighting for self defense should not be seen as offensive like in combat sports such as BJJ,Sambo, Submission Wrestling and MMA, Groundfighting is like insurance in terms of self defense, if you are taken to the ground and have no knowledge of ground fighting what the hell are you gonna do ?curl up in the fetal position? how will you escape back to your feet without any knowledge of positioning in ground fighting , what if you get pinned? it's not about submissions like in combat sports it's about positioning ,control , I'm not saying that groundfighting is the be all and end all and I'm not saying most fights go to the ground but when they do what the hell are you gonna do if you've never done even a minimal amount of training in groundfighting, , it's better to have it and not need it , than to need it and not have it

Honestly watching people talk about complete ranges of self defense and then trashing groundfighting just shows how completely ignorant they are , they know nothing about it and are just a bad as UFC fanboys who think they're "experts" on the subject,educate yourselves before you start doing that, the same can be said to the UFC fanboys when they start trashing things like Kata without understanding it at all, there is no such thing as a useless training method or art form there are simply too many useless teachers

This is technically an ethical question but I'm asking it in the martial arts section to see if people are going to give the generic wtf is wrong with you or no martial arts aren't about killing answers

or if there are some unique and different responses

I suppose people would have to detach themselves from the way society is structured and act and feel purely on instinct ,and it's not if you had too just that you know you could without a seconds hesitation or thought, it's not about how quickly or efficiently you think you can do it , but could you actually do it , have you ever felt you could take away another persons life?

Yes these are sports blah blah blah , but they have the barest minimum of safety allowing for a wider variety of techniques than most traditional schools sport format sparring, example? well many traditional Chinese Martial Arts schools and Karate Schools that I have been to( this is just my experience, for all I know these schools could just be McDojos) use a Kickboxing sparring method , where like in a Kickboxing match as soon as the fighter start grappling they have to break which is kind of ridiculous when you consider most chinese martial arts and Karate schools have a lot of grappling technique involved in their forms and drills,so in this manner the Kickboxing sparring method doesn't help at all.

Whether or not they have any safety equipment is irrelevant but it would make sense to at least use 4 ounce MMA gloves and or a mouthpiece ,for the barest minimum of safety

Also I abhore schools that have a non-contact sparring policy, that just helps no one.

Also would you yourself bring in practitioners of other martial arts into your school and use Vale Tudo format sparring to make a point to your students about how upredicable fights really are and educate them about the diversity of martial arts and combat sports, holding a seminar with a teacher of a different discipline is one thing ,sparring with them is another

Why are there always questions about Gymnastics or Bodybuilding in this section?

Let's get this clear Bodybuilding is not the same as Strength Training for Martial Arts or just simply lifting weights

it's a seperate sport,also getting bigger does not automatically equal the same as getting stronger

,if you want real advice on Bodybuilding ask a Bodybuilder like on aforum like Bodybuilding.com, or just try the Other Sports section of YA! or even just Diet and Fitness

It's the same with Gymnastics while prominently featured in martial arts movies they are not a large part of realistic combat whether we're talking Warfare ,Sport or Self Defene, gymnastic ability is important but a martial artists gymnastic ability is not the same as an actual gymanst so if you want advice about gymnastics who do you ask??? that's right boys and grils A GYMNAST,

there are plenty of gymnastics forums too, but here on YA! you'll get better luck in Other Sports ,Olympics or Diet and Fitness

I don't care if you yourself are a martial artist looking for advice on these subjects but it's common sense to actually ask someone who you know is actually involved in these areas, rather than posting more questions about the same crap in the hopes that there are like minded souls out there who can help you with something that is completely unrelated to the category in which you asked the question that's like asking about American Football in a Soccer section

This section is for the discussion of MARTIAL ARTS !!! use your brain!! it's quite simple

Learn to differentiate

Rant over now F*ck off

And I mean the way you as an individual fight,not what discipline you train in,

Now it is best to have a perspective in both but let's face it some people can think at a high level when they fight and some just react instinctively without thinking,

Both approaches have their pros and cons

An instinctive fighter will just react rather than overthinking their next move and overwhelming their own senses and will just go with it rather than panicking,at the same time they also have a state of emotional instability when they react so they have to control the flow of that somehow

A calculated fighter that thinks will already have thought maube 3 or 4 moves ahead like a game of chess , but at the same time like I said it's dangerous to overthink and react too late

An instinctive fighter won't waste energy talking or thinking they'll put all their energy into their fighting techniques

A calculated fighter perhaps wastes less energy in terms of techniques but at the same time use just as much energy thinking

An instinctive fighter perhaps is more aggressive in their actions

A calculated fighter is more direct in their actions

What are your own thoughts on all this and again how would you describe your own personal fighting style

If you weren't already training for self defense the way you were now and instead of a school that teaches every aspect of martial arts(combat sport ,self defense, discipline ,etc. ) I'm referring to one that teaches the majority of the focus being on primarily on sport,and how you feel it could help you in self defense

Now yes I know it is the person and not the discipline that matters I'm just trying to get some opinions from those who do not do the sport aspect of martial arts about which combat sport they themselves would feel they could benefit from training in the most , No this is not an attempt to claim superiority or inferiority of anything or anyone , it's just a simple hypothetical .

and think to yourself "Wow I can't believe what a closed minded idiot I used to be"

Be honest

I'm definetly guilty of it , years ago I couldn't appreciate aspects of some arts like kata for example or used to think that's a striking art and that's a grappling art . instead of looking at the art form as a complete system, I'll admit even now I sometimes still do that because habits are hard to break after a few years

Everywhere in this section it seems " traditional "martial artists harbor a huge amount of resentment toward us martial artists that compete in combat sport, why is this ? if it's because of UFC fanboys annoying you with their uneducated comments about how MMA is the ultimate Martial Art I can understand where you're coming from we hate them too because they dont actually train they just watch endless videos on youtube and shovel garbage down thier throats but what about those of us who actually train and understand the subtlties of martial arts understand the history of martial arts ,and who understand their is no such thing as a useless art form or technique we have nothing against you so why would you hold something against us ,if it's down to the fact that we don't practice lethal techniques then let me point out "lethal techniques" aren't used that much anyway because your code of ethics and the law forbid it , and even if someone tried these techniques like with any technique there is no garauntee of them working

there are a few legitamate martial artists who train for self defense on these forums and have used lethal techniques for self defense , I apologise to you guys but their are ones that actually haven't and are full of **** and just attack us because their McDojo is losing money to MMA clubs

Yes I compete in the sports of MMA S,ubmission Grappling and K1 style Kickboxing

but

My Discipline is not Jiu Jitsu ,Wrestling,Boxing,Muay Thai ,Karate ,Judo,Sambo,Kung Fu,Taekwondo Kickboxing,Aikido,Tang Soo Do,Savate,or Jeet Kune Do

My Discipline is not and yet is singular

My Discipline quite simply is, MARTIAL ARTS !!!

although I compete in Combat Sport I am not going to view myself as Superior or Inferior to someone else , I simply AM a martial artist

(Rant over)

Anonymous Drug Addict is exposed,no longer do you need to continue hating on this troll in this forum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noKVrNK2VKM

Unlikely but just for sh,its and giggles let's suppose someone did show up to your school and issued a challenge with a few of your fighters or even you yourself, would you honor them by accepting it? laugh it off and proceed to sign them up as a member? or call the cops? I don't expect serious answers because it's not a serious question it's a mere hypothetical, if you think I'm looking down on martial arts with a question like this take the stick out your a,ss and get over yourself

What I mean is so many guys use the old boxers gaurd , but no one seems to want to parry a strike and follow up with a counter punch or even deflect in such a way as to gain a good grip and start grappling with the opponent and it seems a shame they don't because while a boxers gaurd is good, it's useless without proper footwork and head movement,especially in MMA where the gloves are only 4 oz so they can't help as much for defense like a 16 oz boxers glove would,it seems that parrying a strike would require less energy ,

that's just my personal opinion but what do all of you think, I'm not talking about just pro fights but all levels of fighting and even just sparring, I just think it's something people tend to underuse and when they panic in they go back to the boxers gaurd then turtle up while standing and then it's pretty much game over isn't it?

some Traditionalists could probably get where I'm coming from because you guys use blocks and parry strikes alot ( I'm not trying to generalise or offend and I do apologise if this seems a narrow minded observation, but nonetheless it's one I've had),

anyway yeah thanks in advance guys

Ok so everyone knows how hard its going to be in the first few weeks of a New Years resolution to eat healthy and keep active, and every year I try and make a schedule for everything like exercise and specific meal times for healthy food, of course I do also include time for myself and a cheat meal , but with a huge schedule like that the hardest thing is keeping to every little detail, so what do we try and do we cut out the free time and cheat meal ,so what if we do the opposite keep the free time and cheat meal to look forward to and rather than keep a strict schedule of what to eat and when to exercise , we just approach it casually, we laways make exercise and healthy eating seem like a chore when we schedule it so why not just let it be one of those things that's a part of our lives and the cheat meal is something we get to look forward to and free time is say maybe one hour on the laptop every evening, does anyone agree with this approach? it's not exactly lax in discipline but it's not as strict as writing and recording every little detail,

Anyone ever caught a student or fellow student who was on any kind of drug be it performance enhancing or otherwise and if so how did you deal with the situation, did you try talking to them about it or shrug it off as them just being stupid and ruining their own body with that garbage, btw this is directed at everyone not just Combat Sport enthusiasts because it's not that unlikely that someone who has taken up martial arts for self defense wouldn't want a fast track to strength out of fear and paranoia, people do really stupid things when they're scared like that,I'm not looking down on anyone and I'm not sullying the name of martial arts with this either ,so yeah anyway just want to know if anyone ever has come across any situations like this

Anyone here ever tried teaching a student or fellow student the difference between getting angry and being aggressive when sparring I know a few classes where they rattle off Bruce Lee's "Emotional content "speech but not everyone will know what that means, what is important is that they understand that being aggressive is a matter of confidence in one's abilities and assessing the opponents abilities and not giving in to doubt and that anger is just a blind quick fix solution that just tires you out easily,

do you agree/disagree ? what are your thoughts on this? is it something you find students have a problem with or have your own clear explinations made sense to them?

Does anyone else think that most fights would be more exciting if they used the old Pride rules time frame as in an opening 10 miute round with another 5 minute round and the option of a another 5 minute round if the first 2 rounds were even on the scorecards, my thinking is a lot more fights might finish in the first round ,fighters will dig deep to get through a long opening round and there is much more of a need for them to finish the fight quickly so the lay and pray tactic and the gun and run tacitcs will be effectively useless ,what are your thoughts and opinions on this?

What was the moment when your discipline became more than just a self defense method or sport to you and became something that was in the very fabric of your being, was it during a retreat into nature or during meditation after a particularly rigourous training session or when you had the oppourtunity to meet a grandmaster and train with him however it happened for you I'm curios