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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => Mixed Martial Arts (MMA/UFC) => Topic started by: realkarateblackbelt on May 09, 2007, 07:00:02 PM
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(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j51/realkarateblackbelt/realkarateblackbelt.jpg)
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so that means i can scan the one i have?
it only hold the kimono, thats what my sensei used to say ;)
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Yeah they don't give out belts at real schools wise guy.
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so your black or brown belt?
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Black. I can't easily get my black belt out. It's signed by Trias if you know who that is.
Where are all the others claiming they train 7 days a week with Ken Shamrock and roll with Marco Ruas?
hahaha.
Poseurs.
At least VP posted a video.
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Black. I can't easily get my black belt out. It's signed by Trias if you know who that is.
Where are all the others claiming they train 7 days a week with Ken Shamrock and roll with Marco Ruas?
hahaha.
Poseurs.
At least VP posted a video.
good for you, how long did it took you to get it?
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Roughly 5 years. I started in Shotokan, stayed for about a year, switched to Shorei-ryu and completed black.
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so you've been doing martial arts for 6 years?
well, keep it up!
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I started BJJ recently too. Doing pretty well with it.
How about you?
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I started BJJ recently too. Doing pretty well with it.
How about you?
Won't get your black in six years. (Unless your name is Jay Penn)
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Won't get your black in six years. (Unless your name is Jay Penn)
Agreed you had to have trainied your ass off to be a 3rd degree in 5 years.....
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Yes I can. In fact we went to the same school I see :D
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Roughly 5 years. I started in Shotokan, stayed for about a year, switched to Shorei-ryu and completed black.
the thing about karate (and im sure youll agree with me) is its a crapshoot .... some schools turn out very skilled blackbelts, and other schools turn out chumps (ie they give em belts to keep em paying)
i never judge anyone by their belt, only by their performance
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the thing about karate (and im sure youll agree with me) is its a crapshoot .... some schools turn out very skilled blackbelts, and other schools turn out chumps (ie they give em belts to keep em paying)
i never judge anyone by their belt, only by their performance
Of course. A belt doesn't mean shit, unless it comes from a school with a reputation and a great sensei. Hell how many kids do you see now adays that by 15 or 16 they are black belts... Bullshit.. To achieve 3rd dan or anything above first it takes time. My old instructor didnt get his 3rd dan for 5 years after he recieved his black belt. It also cam from Grandmaster Bong Soo Han and Grandmaster Kim. But then again those guys just dont give away belts either... Bong Soo Han is vicious..
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when people ask me what belt i am i point to my gnarled up ears and busted nose, then tell them white (which is a lie cause i made it to yellow in karate :D)
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Of course. A belt doesn't mean shit, unless it comes from a school with a reputation and a great sensei. Hell how many kids do you see now adays that by 15 or 16 they are black belts... Bullshit.. To achieve 3rd dan or anything above first it takes time. My old instructor didnt get his 3rd dan for 5 years after he recieved his black belt. It also cam from Grandmaster Bong Soo Han and Grandmaster Kim. But then again those guys just dont give away belts either... Bong Soo Han is vicious..
exactly, thats why i said ''it only hold the kimono, thats what my sensei used to say''
i saw blue belt kicking the shit out of a black belt, one thing i don't agree with is a 12 year old kid who gets a black belt, not fully grown (muscles and size) jumping in the air and a good kata doesn't mean shit..... a lot of schools give belts away for money!!!
then again some do (kids)!!! (special skills, i mean good, very good)
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some queer on the main board asked so here is my ear ... the cauliflowered part is in the middle and it didnt hurt much, but towards the top there is a verticle line that was some sort of rupture and was just about the most painful thing i ever experienced ... for some reason my ears seem to swell and go down on their own so luckily ive never drained them
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There are 10 year girls with black belts. Getting a piece of paper is nothing. Check out these 5 and 6 year-olds!
http://ksdi.net/wybb.htm (http://ksdi.net/wybb.htm)
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some queer on the main board asked so here is my ear ... the cauliflowered part is in the middle and it didnt hurt much, but towards the top there is a verticle line that was some sort of rupture and was just about the most painful thing i ever experienced ... for some reason my ears seem to swell and go down on their own so luckily ive never drained them
Bro, thats not impressive at all. You get smacked in the ear once or something. Gnarled ears, lol.
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lol, whatever, u fat motherfvcker.
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Like your insult was much of anything. This board is for badasses though. It would be hilarious to see some of you "bodybuilders" get inside a fight gym for one session, but im sure youd do fine since all "bodyduilders" like yourself are badasses. BTW you lose any weight yet fatso?
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hahahahaha, very articulate comeback "bignbloated" ;D i guess i shouldn't have expected much i mean you are on the original internet badass board "the MMA board", right? ::)
Squad don't be comign in here and fucking up the thread... Do you have your key board resting on your fat ass gut while you where typing this.. I can only imagine noodles hanging out your mouth twinky goo on your cheek and you gigling every time your fat ass pushes the g and h key...
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the thing about karate (and im sure youll agree with me) is its a crapshoot .... some schools turn out very skilled blackbelts, and other schools turn out chumps (ie they give em belts to keep em paying)
i never judge anyone by their belt, only by their performance
Yes. Originally the idea was, you earned black belt once you demonstrated a certain level of applied fighting ability (through actual fights with instructors and other students), in addition to technical ability demonstrated through kata. Some schools in the United States, started looking at technical ability alone, as it was easier and safer for them to practice non-contact or semi contact. They could get more kids and their parents in the doors. It was more profitable, thus the number of sport oriented touch schools.
In sport, any minor hit is usually a point, but when you practice full contact, the same attacks used in most other martial arts are demonstrated to be most effective: thigh kicks, roundkicks, front kicks, etc. Same as in Thai, except in karate the power is built from the hips, whereas in thai it's more of a step to the right followed by the kick. The karate method of generating power from hip shifting is not something you can do effectively without practice, but it's more efficient in the end.
5 year old black belts are just rediculous. As I said, these kids are being awarded blackbelt on the basis of their technical ability alone, whereas in legit schools it is awarded on actual fighting ability, not politics or anything else. In Okinawan schools, you actually have to perform physical task like lifting a 75 pounds over the head 25 times before EARNING a ranking because they recognised the importance of a certain amount of strength in real applied fighting. A 5 year old can't do any of this. His belt is based purely on katas/technical proficiency. Guys like Oyama (who was a Japanese nationalist despite being born Korean) saw the state of things and created Kyokushin in order to restore Karate to it's original purpose of being a serious fighting art and not a sport. But really, any legitimate school teaching Okinawan karate especially is no different because they never strayed in the first place.
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hahahahahahahaha, oh brother another 5'9" 172 pound "ripped cage fighter", hahahaha, you're probably sipping on a Xyience right now, aren't you? ;D
Tubby don't be mad at me cause you havent seen your feet without a mirror for the last 10 years.. Actually I'm sippin on a bookoo but close.. I guess it's better then that gallon of grease and lard your fat ass is sippin on.. ;D
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"The karate method of generating power from hip shifting is not something you can do effectively without practice, but it's more efficient in the end. "
if you mean energy efficient i would possibly agree with you, and shotokan is renowned for its power generation abilities(doesnt shotokan mean power karate?)... but if youre trying to say karate (even shotokan) is in any way superior or more effective than muay thai when it comes to striking/kickboxing ... not in a million years
granted there have been some amazing world class karate practicioners who have enjoyed success (hug, crocop, GSP etc) ... but they havent done anywhere near as well as the thai guys overall (aerts, hoost, bukkaw, bojansky etc)
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Ya cause everyone wants to be a 270lb sloppy canoli eating "weightlifter".
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hahahahaha, are you wearing a size Smedium Tap Out shirt too? ;D
Actually its a 2xl Famous shirt... YOu were close.. I dont own any fight gear except my Gi that I quit training in like 5 years ago.. My rash guard for rolling, and the team that I used to train with other then that nothing... Are you sitting at your desk in your hostess cupcake pajama pants... You fat son of a bitch.. So you lost any weight yet Squad.. By the way I was meaning to ask you what the F*ck Happened to the the V.. that shit went out fast... The Squad just kind of died????
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says the "man" with no pics posted. ;D
Why would I want to post my pics. Im not a bodybuilder and I havent bragged about my physique. I personally dont know why anyone would want people on this board to know their names and what they look like.
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"The karate method of generating power from hip shifting is not something you can do effectively without practice, but it's more efficient in the end. "
if you mean energy efficient i would possibly agree with you, and shotokan is renowned for its power generation abilities(doesnt shotokan mean power karate?)... but if youre trying to say karate (even shotokan) is in any way superior or more effective than muay thai when it comes to striking/kickboxing ... not in a million years
granted there have been some amazing world class karate practitioners who have enjoyed success (hug, crocop, GSP etc) ... but they havent done anywhere near as well as the thai guys overall (aerts, hoost, bukkaw, bojansky etc)
There's also Musashi and the current K-1 champ Schilt...who isn't all size and no skill. If that was the case Sapp would be champ since he's even bigger. Schilt makes good use of the front kick. Bas Rutten is like 5th degree Kyokushin, hence his effectiveness close fighting with the body strikes, something Kyokushin guys spend a lot of time doing. No I don't believe kickboxing or Muay-Thai is better than Full Contact-Karate. I believe all other things being equal the Karate is better. They've held such contest between Muay Thai guys and karate practitioners in Japan and I believe the karate guys won most of the fights.
You have to consider the mindset of people that people join kickboxing...they know going in it's a sport, and so a greater percentage of athletically inclined people will join up. The soccer moms and weekend warrior element is eliminated. Also, karate has it's own tournaments, so you will not see as many in K-1 since it's easier making the transition between kickboxing and K-1. Karate tourneys don't wear gloves or punch to the face usually, so it's a greater leap learning to block with gloves etc. In short, fewer FCKarate fighters enter K-1, but the few that do have seen great success.
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just what i thought, another 113 pound chickenshit.
Do you think that you could eat this guy in one sitting... :o
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There's also Musashi and the current K-1 champ Schilt...who isn't all size and no skill. If that was the case Sapp would be champ since he's even bigger. Schilt makes good use of the front kick. Bas Rutten is like 5th degree Kyokushin, hence his effectiveness close fighting with the body strikes, something Kyokushin guys spend a lot of time doing. No I don't believe kickboxing or Muay-Thai is better than Full Contact-Karate. I believe all other things being equal the Karate is better. They've held such contest between Muay Thai guys and karate practitioners in Japan and I believe the karate guys won most of the fights.
You have to consider the mindset of people that people join kickboxing...they know going in it's a sport, and so a greater percentage of athletically inclined people will join up. The soccer moms and weekend warrior element is eliminated. Also, karate has it's own tournaments, so you will not see as many in K-1 since it's easier making the transition between kickboxing and K-1. Karate tourneys don't wear gloves or punch to the face usually, so it's a greater leap learning to block with gloves etc. In short, fewer FCKarate fighters enter K-1, but the few that do have seen great success.
When the best Karatekas travel to Thailand to fight the Thais under thai rules, most stadium champs kill the karatekas. Benny the Jet had his loss expunged from his record. Much like Dennis Alexio did with his fight with Stan the Man.
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When the best Karatekas travel to Thailand to fight the Thais under thai rules, most stadium champs kill the karatekas. Benny the Jet had his loss expunged from his record. Much like Dennis Alexio did with his fight with Stan the Man.
What are these special rules that are so drastically different they would create a different outcome?
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sho-rei ryu?
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sho-rei ryu?
Yes!
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used to be called Uechi-Ryu?
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Yes, also closely related to Goju-Ryu.
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I studied uechi ryu before Kanei died. good stuff. Min chin chou ryu!
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Min-Chin-Chou-Ryu!
How far did you go? What do you study now?
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There's also Musashi and the current K-1 champ Schilt...who isn't all size and no skill. If that was the case Sapp would be champ since he's even bigger. Schilt makes good use of the front kick. Bas Rutten is like 5th degree Kyokushin, hence his effectiveness close fighting with the body strikes, something Kyokushin guys spend a lot of time doing. No I don't believe kickboxing or Muay-Thai is better than Full Contact-Karate. I believe all other things being equal the Karate is better. They've held such contest between Muay Thai guys and karate practitioners in Japan and I believe the karate guys won most of the fights.
You have to consider the mindset of people that people join kickboxing...they know going in it's a sport, and so a greater percentage of athletically inclined people will join up. The soccer moms and weekend warrior element is eliminated. Also, karate has it's own tournaments, so you will not see as many in K-1 since it's easier making the transition between kickboxing and K-1. Karate tourneys don't wear gloves or punch to the face usually, so it's a greater leap learning to block with gloves etc. In short, fewer FCKarate fighters enter K-1, but the few that do have seen great success.
well said, though i still hold muay thai superior
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Like I said, when it comes to kumite, k-1, kickboxing, ufc, pride, whatever, the actual attacks most commonly used whether karate, kickboxing/muay thai are roundhouse kicks, front kicks, and thigh kicks. There's not a huge difference when you get down to brass tax. Other attacks are effective in specific situations provided you are proficient in using them: back kicks, axe kicks, side kicks, crescent kicks, but these situations don't arise frequently, and especially not in sport fighting.
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thats true and you touch on another point(indirectly), neither karate nor muay thai properly develops the hands to boxing proficiency
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Perhaps not. It would seem that way since that's ALL boxers do is punch. ;D
I think an effective kicker (not the cans throwing shitty snap kicks on UFC) would beat a boxer more often than not though. If the boxer manages to evade kicks, the striker in turn must evade the punches, and then the boxer is again on the defensive vs. elbows, headbutts etc in the clinch. Depending on rules of course.
If boxers were better standup fighters, the second-tier guys could make a name for themselves in K-1 (and boxing), but the White Buffalo didn't get to far.
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again, well said
then again
i would take a good wrestler over both of em in mma :D
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Agreed. A strong guy that knows how to wrestle is probably the most dangerous fighter(single style).
Just look at the champions in the UFC before people started to cross-train. Severn, Fry, Coleman. All strong guys that wrestler. Hell, Randy is a champion today, and Fedor is sort of a wrestler (sambo).
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and henderson + gomi!
thats one area of my game im really lost in ... i know how to hit hard(thogh i dont like being hit :P) and my submission are pretty slick, but im lost when it comes to taking people down in an energy efficient way and against a good wrestler (or even a crappy one) i get pwned
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I'm just starting BJJ. As far as take downs, I try to keep as wide and low as possible, distracting them by engaging them in hand movements, and anticipate their moves. Predicting what they do works well for me, because you immediately know how to counter it. I can look at a guy and think, "this type will go for a side take down." It's like a chess game to me. And when the time comes for a take down explode...it's all or nothing. It's multi-tasking mentally. I'm sure that doesn't help though. You are farther than me. ;D
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all ill say is thank GOD for pulling guard :D
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Pulling guard is a shitty way to take someone down if thats what you mean. I would avoid that at all cost. If your not a wrestler or never trained wrestling intensively i wouldnt try and shoot for a double leg or anything like that. Get clinch control and go for a throw or trip. Wrestlers are succesful because they have developed that explosive takedown power and most people barely train takedown defense. For most of us, like myself its a dead end to try and takedown a wrestler. I prefer to stand anyway so i just work my takedown D.
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Pulling guard is a shitty way to take someone down if thats what you mean. I would avoid that at all cost. If your not a wrestler or never trained wrestling intensively i wouldnt try and shoot for a double leg or anything like that. Get clinch control and go for a throw or trip. Wrestlers are succesful because they have developed that explosive takedown power and most people barely train takedown defense. For most of us, like myself its a dead end to try and takedown a wrestler. I prefer to stand anyway so i just work my takedown D.
I like sitting out when my single, double or high crotch attempt is stuffed by a good sprawl. You get their back, and can work from the turtle, or sink in the body triangle and work the mata leo.
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if its a good sprawl you wont be sitting out there nog :D
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Pulling guard is a shitty way to take someone down if thats what you mean. I would avoid that at all cost. If your not a wrestler or never trained wrestling intensively i wouldnt try and shoot for a double leg or anything like that. Get clinch control and go for a throw or trip.
If it's a good wrestler, you're not gonna get clinch control and you might end up getting dumped on your head.
IMO, your best bet is to concede the takedown and work from the guard.
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this is true ... in addition to my freestyle skillz being mediocre at best, the guys i wrestle with are usually 30-40lbs bigger ... so i would rahter have them deal with my rubber guard than drive my head into the matt :D
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if its a good sprawl you wont be sitting out there nog :D
Looks like you'd have good mission control. ;D
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Hey everyone long time no see decided to drop by Getbig to see wats up!
Saw this thread and posted a clip. I'm mostly a stand up guy so do the math ;)
One of my Sparring sessions
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Looks like you'd have good mission control. ;D
i love it when people shoot on me cause my fav counter is to step over their back and roll into armbar
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either that or i go for a fun little ride to the matt :D
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Nathan,
is that u in that vid hitting the bag like that, wtf are you trying to do? I checked the other videos that had ur name on them.
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how long did it take to get your 3rd dan? 5 years to get to black, then how long between grades?
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Hey everyone long time no see decided to drop by Getbig to see wats up!
Saw this thread and posted a clip. I'm mostly a stand up guy so do the math ;)
One of my Sparring sessions
have you had any coaching in your standup or grappling?
not to be a dick, but i suggest if the answer is no you look into it ... and if the answer is yes, change your stand up coach immediately
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how long did it take to get your 3rd dan? 5 years to get to black, then how long between grades?
I attained the rank of Yudansha roughly 1 1/2 years after brown belt.
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call me a purist, but im a believer in that you shouldnt go for black belt for a minimum 3 years after getting to brown. Sensei Kawasoe is not impressed if you dont have atleast 5 years training in prep for your shodan, infact sensei wont even put you forward unless you have near 3 years training as a brown.
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have you had any coaching in your standup or grappling?
not to be a dick, but i suggest if the answer is no you look into it ... and if the answer is yes, change your stand up coach immediately
Don't really have a coach, I'm not lookin to be a UFC star. All I know is PPL throw shit at me I move, and when I hit em back they fall down in 1-2 punches. I'm only like 2 weeks into BJJ in those clips I've never been put on the ground in street fight. Mostly I learned what I know from getting jumped on the way to school, when I was a kid. I ushally punch some one in the throat or chest cavity, if they give me a hard time. After I front kick em in the knee. I've droped Black belts a few times and I was in Karate a long time ago and 1 week in droped the teacher in 1 punch to the chest, so I don't have a high regard for it. Most of the PPL I hang with that I wouldnt mess with are Tai Boxsers. I havent knowen any Karate PPL who are though at all. So from my perspective BlackBelt means nothing.
IMHO it's also better to be a good puncher, than a good kicker.
Me hitting the bag was just fooling around lol I'll post some more technique oriented drill shit later. But If u diss u better be posting clips, you're self or it dont mean anything ;)
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you would get knocked out in under 30 seconds by just about anybody with more than 1 month actual training because:
you throw with your hands at mid chest level(ie you dont cover your chin)
your punches have no precision(ie you throw haymakers)
despite the fact you throw haymakers, you have zero power (ie you dont know how to put any hip/bodyweight into your punches)
you have no sense of balance
you winded yourself almost instantly(so you have no gas tank and no concept us letting your bodyweight do the work for you ... too tense)
and i wouldnt imagine you dont know anything about footwork, distance, timing etc
youre wrestling actually isnt that bad for someone with 2 weeks experience, but again you dont know anythign about positioning, takedowns, and the guy you were tapping was even more of a chump
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take my advice, seek out proper schooling and drop the thug attitude cause it makes you look like a fool
i posted my vids on a thread called vids of me wrestling
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I guess on the street haymakers are the norm but anyone with any training knows they are typically inefective against someone who knows how to defend and move. I dont make vids of me training, but i wasnt dissing you anyway. I've done a few bjj tourneys did ok dont really care for them, won a kickboxing tournament in my weight class, thats my fight experience anyway. My next move is to mma or full contact muay thai. Although my ground game isnt bad im not big into getting pwned on by wrestlers in mma so we'll see where my training takes me.
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when someone fears your takedown game haymakers (or at least less tight/morepowerful) striking can become quite effective ... i think fedor has shown that in his career and i would say randy v silvia is a good example as well
but those guys also know how to strike properly, and theats the diff between them and nathan ... they know when to use them
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they have more or less "accurate" haymakers, incredible amounts of power put in the right places although the punches are being thrown from waaaaay out.
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call me a purist, but im a believer in that you shouldnt go for black belt for a minimum 3 years after getting to brown. Sensei Kawasoe is not impressed if you dont have atleast 5 years training in prep for your shodan, infact sensei wont even put you forward unless you have near 3 years training as a brown.
I trained under Trias. I doubt you know who that is.
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you would get knocked out in under 30 seconds by just about anybody with more than 1 month actual training because:
you winded yourself almost instantly(so you have no gas tank and no concept us letting your bodyweight do the work for you ... too tense)
That was the first problem I realised I had when I started BJJ. I would get a lot of guys in an advantageous position barely starting out, but by the time I was rolling with the third guy I was gassed.
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same thing happens to wrestlers when they arent used to banging ... people dont realize that ones "gas tank" is not only a matter of "vo2 max" (ie their bodies ability to get the orygen aroud ... its even more dependant on technique, that is your breathing, your ability to relax, and the actual movements one does ... if you saw my vids from the wrestling tournament, i had so much energy in my first 2 fights (only one was taped) but tired myself out by the time the third rolled around ... because i was muscling it too much
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same thing happens to wrestlers when they arent used to banging ... people dont realize that ones "gas tank" is not only a matter of "vo2 max" (ie their bodies ability to get the orygen aroud ... its even more dependant on technique, that is your breathing, your ability to relax, and the actual movements one does ... if you saw my vids from the wrestling tournament, i had so much energy in my first 2 fights (only one was taped) but tired myself out by the time the third rolled around ... because i was muscling it too much
Yep.
And the thing is, I was cocky coming in as a newbie putting yellow belts in kimuras. I had a rude awakening pretty soon. Muscling is exactly what I was doing. Also, I can put people in holds, but often I would forget how to finish it - restraining their body with my legs, etc. These are probably the two main problems people have starting with BJJ.
Depleting energy and not finishing holds.
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you would get knocked out in under 30 seconds by just about anybody wit
Your missing one big point: I'm not beeing serious in the bag clip ie "I dont actually fight that way lol. Thanks for the advice tho and I dont have a thug attitude far, from it you just have filters on! I grew up in a bunch of bad nabour hoods so thats how I learned. I was also in amature boxing and had a 6 and 2 record and all my opponets had at least a year in. So there go's your 1 month hypothisis. I'd love to see a clip of you doing stand up you must be pritty good!
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Yep.
And the thing is, I was cocky coming in as a newbie putting yellow belts in kimuras. I had a rude awakening pretty soon. Muscling is exactly what I was doing. Also, I can put people in holds, but often I would forget how to finish it - restraining their body with my legs, etc. These are probably the two main problems people have starting with BJJ.
Depleting energy and not finishing holds.
WTH is a yellow belt. At Relson's yellow belts are only awarded to the kids. We have blue, purple, brown and black. The best thing anyone can learn is to conserve energy when rolling. Knowing when to exert, relax, will improve someones game dramatically. When I roll with the young kids, particularly wrestlers, I let them burn themselves out, get dominant position, make them uncomfortable, then get whatever sub they give me.
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"WTH is a yellow belt" .... he does karate, not bjj ... yellow is the first belt after white
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I trained under Trias. I doubt you know who that is.
Robert Trias? I personally dont know anything about the man but my dad has heard of him and says he is good at what he does.
BTW if you wanna talk trainers how is Frank Brennan, Masao Kawasoe and Keinosuke Enoeda for you. All legends, all world class and the best Shotokan has to offer. And if you have never heard any of those names before then you know nothing of Karate
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i sense a karate fight coming up ... remember first one to touch the other wins because every shot is a death blow :D
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I've been training for 5 months. We only do no-gi, www.wordgroundfighting.c om Josh Cardwell is my instructor!
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I've been training for 5 months. We only do no-gi, www.wordgroundfighting.c om Josh Cardwell is my instructor!
A Revolution of The best MMA Training mixed with the life changing power of Jesus Christ.
HAHAHAHA, I knew there was one out there, jesus and fighting, what a natural combination. Kimo was doin this back in the early days.
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the thing about karate (and im sure youll agree with me) is its a crapshoot .... some schools turn out very skilled blackbelts, and other schools turn out chumps (i.e. they give em belts to keep em paying)
i never judge anyone by their belt, only by their performance
In the 40+ years I've been practicing the hard/soft martial-arts, I have only been repeatedly reminded of the comment credited to the great Bruce Lee (words to the effect), "all a belt is good for is to hold up your pants!"
I've often thought of a Shodan (first-degree black belt rank belt) as like getting bachelor's degree. It means you have scratched the surface of your particular art/discipline. Similarly, there is all the difference in the world between getting a bachelor's in a discipline like Physics from MIT, or an MBA from Harvard, vs. say, to getting similar degrees from Florida State! Uhhh...earning a bachelor's degree is no guarantee you aren't going to end up broke, or a bum!
Why, I recall one school that allowed you to get your Shodan rank training only 4 hours a week of verified training for two years-some 200+ odd hrs.(and passing the rank-belt exams, of course) vs. another school that required a bare minimum of 1000 hrs. of verified training and passing the requisite rank belt exams.
Even back in the old days ( '60's and 70's) when the "hard arts" were being glamorized in Black Belt Magazine , there were companies advertising in the mag. that they would send you a black belt (and even your black belt certificate!) if you just sent them the $$$!
Of course, Robert Trias and his United States Karate' Association (USKA) was a dominant martial-arts organization in the U.S. for many decades, and as I recall, was the very first legitimate hard arts (Karate') martial-arts organization charted in this country (begun in 1946, I believe?). In the early-mid 60's, I was training under Harold Long in Isshinryu Karate' and Robert Trias and his students entered several point-contact Karate' tournaments in the southeast in competition with our school's students, plus even came to our own school/dojo for a few team matches.
As Vikiingpower said (words to the effect), there are SO MANY variables in reaching a truly worthwhile/legitimate/meaningful Shodan rank belt (or its equivalent in various hard/soft martial-arts) that I wouldn't know where to begin...e.g. your instructors make ALL the difference in the world (of course!!!)...who wouldn't like to have had Bruce Lee/Paul Vunak/Danny Inosanto, as your JKD instructor; or Joe Lewis/Mike Stone/Chuck Norris/Bill Wallace/Benny Urquidez as your Karate' instructor; or Ed Parker/Jeff Speakman as your Kenpo instructor, or Royce/Rickson/Renzo/Helio Gracie-in his prime as your Jiu-Jitsu instructor, etc., vs, say Joe Blow at the local dojo down the street, or in your neighborhood shopping center!???
Here are some humorous/interesting observations I have come across in my years in the hard and soft martial-arts related to the term "having a black belt"...
(1) students of various school used to brag about "my instructor has a higher rank belt than yours"...until it was pointed out to them that the highest rank belt you can attain, on skill alone, is 4th degree black belt...and every rank belt above that is strictly "honorary".
(2) Joe Lewis once stated (words to the effect) that if you could last three 2 min. rounds with him in a kickboxing match (under the old PKA rule, I guess), he would award you a black belt.
(3) In the 1960's, there used to be a Georgia State Karate' Championships (a point-Karate' championship tournament) and there were 4 divisions...white, green, brown, and black belt. The champions of each division then fought for the title "Tournament Grand Champion". On occasion, the white belt division's champion would beat the black belt division's champion!??
(4) Over the decades, the historically premier mag. in the world of martial-arts, Black Belt Magazine (I believe their first issue was in '63 and I bought my first in '64-and have "mountains of back issues") has exposed legions of instructors/schools who were "bogus". If I recall, they have a listing of supposedly legitimate martial-arts schools (and even some of these may be suspect regarding their credentials).
In the end, I've come to feel that if you claim to be a "real black belt", then you could really prove your "black belt" knowledge/skill level of your particular hard/soft art by approaching a nationally/worldwide recognized expert in your particular art/field and ask him if you could spar him, or one of his top-level students, based upon a set of mutually agreed-upon sparring/fighting rules tailored to your particular art. Then, depending upon how long you lasted in-the-ring/on-the-mat/performed...up against these REAL black-belt experts...then this/these REAL expert(s) would then ACCURATELY determine what rank belt you REALLY deserve to claim/hold!