I've been doing hapkido for a little over 6 months and i'm really not that impressed with it, it seems like more of a demonstration art than a martial art. There's an MMA school i want to join, but i'll give hapkido another 6 months since a year would be a fair timeframe to make a judgement?
Does anyone have an opinion on Hapkido's relevance for self defence, has anyone taken it up, or even better, had to use it?
There just seems to be too many useless techniques like jumping over 5 guys bent over, half the joint locks wouldnt work on an attacker who was on the ball and my club doesnt do any sparring. No disrespect to the Korean culture, but it just doesn't seem like something i'm looking for.
I've been doing hapkido for a little over 6 months and i'm really not that impressed with it, it seems like more of a demonstration art than a martial art. There's an MMA school i want to join, but i'll give hapkido another 6 months since a year would be a fair timeframe to make a judgement?
Does anyone have an opinion on Hapkido's relevance for self defence, has anyone taken it up, or even better, had to use it?
There just seems to be too many useless techniques like jumping over 5 guys bent over, half the joint locks wouldnt work on an attacker who was on the ball and my club doesnt do any sparring. No disrespect to the Korean culture, but it just doesn't seem like something i'm looking for.
I dont know about the effectiveness but since theres no sparring I would seriously get into Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or the MMAclasses. And no I'm not biased at all :d
I've been doing hapkido for a little over 6 months and i'm really not that impressed with it, it seems like more of a demonstration art than a martial art. There's an MMA school i want to join, but i'll give hapkido another 6 months since a year would be a fair timeframe to make a judgement?
Does anyone have an opinion on Hapkido's relevance for self defence, has anyone taken it up, or even better, had to use it?
There just seems to be too many useless techniques like jumping over 5 guys bent over, half the joint locks wouldnt work on an attacker who was on the ball and my club doesnt do any sparring. No disrespect to the Korean culture, but it just doesn't seem like something i'm looking for.
It depends (on the particular style, system, school, your needs, etc). Actually, the question isn't "Is it effective?" but "How long until you could use it effectively?" Got a mugging coming up?
Best self defense: don't be there.
Next best: concealed carry, .45 preferred.
Traditional arts often aren't taught in a straight line approach. So, a traditionally taught art is going to stand in stark contrast to the presumed immediacy demonstrated by an MMA style school.
What's your goal?
What will be your need to use it? Why?
Sometimes what we need most isn't what we want most.
I've been doing hapkido for a little over 6 months and i'm really not that impressed with it, it seems like more of a demonstration art than a martial art. There's an MMA school i want to join, but i'll give hapkido another 6 months since a year would be a fair timeframe to make a judgement?
Does anyone have an opinion on Hapkido's relevance for self defence, has anyone taken it up, or even better, had to use it?
There just seems to be too many useless techniques like jumping over 5 guys bent over, half the joint locks wouldnt work on an attacker who was on the ball and my club doesnt do any sparring. No disrespect to the Korean culture, but it just doesn't seem like something i'm looking for.
You would be better off going to the MMA and getting a jump start with 6 more months of training then wasting it on a traditional Hapkido school based on forms and ritual.
You already know and are saying what needs to be said most of it is endless useless technique that wouldn't work in real life situations.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
It depends (on the particular style, system, school, your needs, etc). Actually, the question isn't "Is it effective?" but "How long until you could use it effectively?" Got a mugging coming up?
Best self defense: don't be there.
Next best: concealed carry, .45 preferred.
Traditional arts often aren't taught in a straight line approach. So, a traditionally taught art is going to stand in stark contrast to the presumed immediacy demonstrated by an MMA style school.
What's your goal?
What will be your need to use it? Why?
Sometimes what we need most isn't what we want most.
I disagree.... By carrying that you are already bringing a weapon into the fight, and I believe that it automatically elevates the situation. Not to mention there is always the chance that the weapon can be used against you. I train BJJ with the police captain of Riley county, and he is/was on the swat team. He has seen officers have there own gun disarmed and used against them, and they train in weapon retention.
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Last edited by Chris Correia : 04-09-2008 at 11:17 PM.
I guess that takes care of this thread; we have our assessment/answer.
No need to get all touchy about it. Its my opinion of traditional arts after doing some of them for a very long time lots of ritual, kata/forms, and hundreds of techniques that don't really work to well in real life fighting situations. People looking for real self defense fighting are better off going with a MMA school in my opinion.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Different styles are better for different things BUT -- I wouldn't trash all of Hapkido based on one school -- it might just be the one specific school you have gone to isn't good for what you want... other Hapkido schools and/or Korean arts might be more fight / self-defense oriented.
If you aren't learning what you want, 6 months should be enough time to know that. Try to observe a few classes before you commit to another school, if possible, so you know that they're doing what you want to do.
thanks heaps for commenting everyone, i agree the most with jvernacchio. There's just too many useless techniques and most importantly no sparring. i think i'll be much more suited to the mma school that teaches muay thai and bjj
No need to get all touchy about it. Its my opinion of traditional arts after doing some of them for a very long time lots of ritual, kata/forms, and hundreds of techniques that don't really work to well in real life fighting situations. People looking for real self defense fighting are better off going with a MMA school in my opinion.
Pushing your buttons a bit, J. You wholeheartedly agreed with the member, and you have not seen what he is doing or know how qualified he is to make his judgement. Can I sell you a nice (whatever it is you want); I've got one sitting right here . . .It's perfect for you, sight unseen. Trust me.
Regarding the original poster, techniques that he cannot imagine being useful could be quite useful in the right context if done well. Yes, it takes time, but sometimes that's a good thing.
Is the person expecting to need it for self defense tonight? (Why) Next week? (Again, why?) Realistically, ever?
Need fast, serious self defense? Buy a handgun and train with it. Seriously. If you need that, I'd venture to say you've got other life matters to address (where you live, where you hang out, who you hang with) that you should be spending time on.
Is one's training more oriented toward walking away from a fight or being tempted to "try what I know, since I am trained?" Sometimes too much confidence and ability too quickly is not so good.
In general, I agree with some of the sentiments expressed about interests, time and practicality. However, it all depends on expectations and needs, purposes and personality. It sounds like the original poster was looking for something else and that's fine.
People looking for some sort of overall personal development and carry-over self defense training can do well in many traditional arts and learn some very useful self defense that will work very well with the unaware, random attacker if need be. That's the usual attacker; they assume you are a victim. It's nice to surprise those types, and some of the Hapkido can work very well for those purposes.
MMA training certainly can be very useful and practical, but still is limited in some ways. First,the sport orientation of much of the training also overlooks some of the most effective self defense aspects: groin, eyes, throat. In my "traditional" art, coming from some military background as it does, our Hapkido is a very brutal form of hand to hand techniques. Looks more navy seal than flowery Hapkido. Even that might not get taught in some MMA school, particularly if they are ring oriented. Also, in MMA, IMO, there can be a bit of the jack of all trades and master of none phenomenon.
I've also trained and been promoted in (2nd dan) some traditional Hapkido. I could use some of that stuff very well for self defense. Granted, I promoted within Hapkido while I'd already had eight or nine years of taekwondo, which included the battlefield Hapkido, under my belt. But, then, maybe I know what I'm talking about more than somebody who's been studying the Hapkido six whole month.
As far as practical self defense against trained fighters, MMA, boxers, street, or otherwise: 1) they hopefully aren't picking fights anyway and, if they do and are that capable then 2) that's why one carries the handgun.
Pushing your buttons a bit, J. You wholeheartedly agreed with the member, and you have not seen what he is doing or know how qualified he is to make his judgement. Can I sell you a nice (whatever it is you want); I've got one sitting right here . . .It's perfect for you, sight unseen. Trust me.
Regarding the original poster, techniques that he cannot imagine being useful could be quite useful in the right context if done well. Yes, it takes time, but sometimes that's a good thing.
Is the person expecting to need it for self defense tonight? (Why) Next week? (Again, why?) Realistically, ever?
Need fast, serious self defense? Buy a handgun and train with it. Seriously. If you need that, I'd venture to say you've got other life matters to address (where you live, where you hang out, who you hang with) that you should be spending time on.
Is one's training more oriented toward walking away from a fight or being tempted to "try what I know, since I am trained?" Sometimes too much confidence and ability too quickly is not so good.
In general, I agree with some of the sentiments expressed about interests, time and practicality. However, it all depends on expectations and needs, purposes and personality. It sounds like the original poster was looking for something else and that's fine.
People looking for some sort of overall personal development and carry-over self defense training can do well in many traditional arts and learn some very useful self defense that will work very well with the unaware, random attacker if need be. That's the usual attacker; they assume you are a victim. It's nice to surprise those types, and some of the Hapkido can work very well for those purposes.
MMA training certainly can be very useful and practical, but still is limited in some ways. First,the sport orientation of much of the training also overlooks some of the most effective self defense aspects: groin, eyes, throat. In my "traditional" art, coming from some military background as it does, our Hapkido is a very brutal form of hand to hand techniques. Looks more navy seal than flowery Hapkido. Even that might not get taught in some MMA school, particularly if they are ring oriented. Also, in MMA, IMO, there can be a bit of the jack of all trades and master of none phenomenon.
I've also trained and been promoted in (2nd dan) some traditional Hapkido. I could use some of that stuff very well for self defense. Granted, I promoted within Hapkido while I'd already had eight or nine years of taekwondo, which included the battlefield Hapkido, under my belt. But, then, maybe I know what I'm talking about more than somebody who's been studying the Hapkido six whole month.
As far as practical self defense against trained fighters, MMA, boxers, street, or otherwise: 1) they hopefully aren't picking fights anyway and, if they do and are that capable then 2) that's why one carries the handgun.
After all that I still will stand by what I said. Its great you enjoy your art form.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
EDIT: J, we've had a number of military personnel practice within our system and who have found it very useful and fulfilling. Of course you don't really know what we do and how we approach it. Forgive me if I respect their judgement of what we do more than yours.
I disagree.... By carrying that you are already bringing a weapon into the fight, and I believe that it automatically elevates the situation. Not to mention there is always the chance that the weapon can be used against you. I train BJJ with the police captain of Riley county, and he is/was on the swat team. He has seen officers have there own gun disarmed and used against them, and they train in weapon retention.
Just because they potentially can be unarmed doesn't mean they stop carrying weapons.
Seriously, some were disarmed. So is the protocol to then not use/draw weapons? Did they change their protocol to just resort to hand to hand combat in tough situations?
Certainly, if someone is going to carry, they should be trained and practiced. Further, one does not brandish a weapon to try and de-escalate a situation. If one draws a weapon, they should legitimately feel they or someone else are under risk of great bodily harm and be prepared to use it immediately.
I've had a couple of police officers as students, one of my black belt colleagues is a judge, and one of my carry trainers is a police sergeant. I know the issues. They are all supportive of concealed carry laws and said most of their fellow officers felt likewise.
Aside from that, the point I was making is that if self defense concern is truly of such immediate concern, it doesn't matter what style or art you practice; you can't learn it fast enough. Might as well get the gun. It's simply the next step in the continuum of the "that art isn't practical enough/effective enough, go practice this art" argument. If the self-defense is just a general concern with no immediate need/threat, then perhaps the art doesn't matter nearly as much as some make it out to be. I'm acquainted with some local folks who practice MMA training and who compete; I respect them and what they know, and they likewise me (unlike some other posters here).
thanks heaps for commenting everyone, i agree the most with jvernacchio. There's just too many useless techniques and most importantly no sparring. i think i'll be much more suited to the mma school that teaches muay thai and bjj
Samir:
Ultimately you have to want and like what you are practicing. I am curious to know/hear what were looking for when you joined your current school and why you wanted to practice a martial art.
In any case, best wishes in finding what you want and being fulfilled by it.
Sparring has its place, but I think it is OVERATED for a "real life situation", particularly if you do sparring with gear.
Sparring "lets you" take hits that would injure you and is not good practice for a real life situation. The main benefit of sparring with "gear" is for sport, for "distancing" and feeling the impact with hands and feet (also it can be fun). If you are going to spar, for "real life" you would be better served by sparring with no gear and pull punches and kicks (semi-contact). But in general Sparring is not such a great way to train for being in a street fight.
If you want to "spar" then go somewhere where there is sparring, I think there is a great difference between wanting to spar and wanting to prepare for a fight. If you really want to prepare for a fight, you should get in some fights.
ANY art, sport, etc, will do you some "good" and I do not think that one is necessarily better than the other. A lot has been made out of MMA and its relation to street fighting, but it is still not a real fight.
MMA is more like boxing with all parts of your body. Would a trained boxer do well in a street fight - no shit - of course he would, would a trained MMA, no doubt. Would a trained hapkido-ist, - no doubt.
Some advantages of hapkido (I do not do hapkido, but another traditional MA, and IMO they are all similar in that your body only moves in so many ways) for a real situation is that practice things that would be effective like eyes and groin strikes, head butts and joint locks (more about that later). There are also no weight classes (not sure about MMA)
Some other comments:
What is the value of Kata
Kata is one way of developing good form, by practicing repeated you are developing muscle memory and a trained response. I also like paired kata, it is very good for focussing on distancing ( a most overlooked skill) If you have seen many "real" fights (by this I mean punch up in the street) you will notice that this is a very common "weak point"
joint locks
Many people think they are not effective when they study because at the early levels. For example, when the attacker grabs your right wrist in an overhand grip with his left hand and pushes down near navel level, could open your palm, rotate at the wrist while simultaneously pushing on his hand with yours, bring your elbow over his forearm creating an "s" shape in his arms and it is simple to make him eat he floor.
Then you go home and practice it with a friend and since he "doesn't grab you right" the reverse doesn't work and we can conclude it is rather useless in real life. Fair enough, but if you stick with it you will find most joint locks and reverses are built on each other and the early ones are pretty useless, but you need these and the "feel" to learn how to apply others. Basically if your buddy didn't grab you right, there is another joint reverse ( you probably haven't studied it yet).
ANother thing to consider is that before you do a real joint lock you usually get them off balance (in this example with an eye strike, groin kick, shot to the neck or perhaps a kick under the hand to the ribs) They do not need to even hit for it to make it much easier to use the lock.
Long story, but the point is if your skill level is high, joint locks are very effective, especially in a the university pub type fight where the guys want to push each other or grab each others wrist/ arms.
jumping over guys and other wierd stuff Is there no value in being able to jump over things and keep your balance in a street fight. or learning how to fall if you are flipped so your foot takes the fall and not your back, how to roll so your head is protected.
This is getting a bit long winded but the point is, take what you want- but whatever you take your skill at it will be much more important the which system you actually choose. (btw most MMA guys studied traditional MA and took the techniques that work for them - based on their body dynamics etc)
I think that you should be looking for something that is fun and what you want to do, rather than some thing for the street, because that is really a different deal than what most people take about when they throw out words like self defense, real life, etc.
cheers
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Peter
After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend…
I don't think JVer is demeaning anyone's art here and I understand what he's getting at.
As always it's less about the system but rather the teacher and attitude that matters most.
Having practiced traditional arts for years I'll say that most kata will do jack shit for you in a real situation. I do think it does have value in regards to technique, but even my Karate teacher in Japan acknowledged the limitations of it and had us throw on gloves and go at it full contact with grappling allowed. He had us go against Judo guys, incorporated Muay Thai and boxing etc... because it works.
In my experience sparring has real value, but I'm talking about full power not the bullshit light or no contact stuff - which is so often why a BJJ, wrestler, or Judoka will school anyone not used to going full speed.
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
I pretty much agree with Kuri and jvernacchio. I think Hapkido is ok, certainly better than TKD for self-defense, but it would be far from my first option. That's going by my experience with those two arts (2 hours a day, 5 days a week for a year) comparing it to my experience with other arts (Muay Thai, boxing, Kali, Judo and Jujitsu) and actual street fights. Regardless of the art, it sounds like your school sucks. I wouldn't give it 6 more months. If it isn't impressing you by now then it's not going to. Don't waste your time with it when you can go and practice something else. You would even be better off joining a local boxing gym than continuing with that school.
I can't think of any self-defense system that is effective without sparring. The idea that it doesn't have much value is something I strongly disagree with. So do the vast majority of athletes in martial arts who actually apply the art (boxing, MMA, muay thai, etc). Sparring isn't exactly like an actual fight, but it's as close as you'll safely get so you should do it because there is a lot you can learn from it. I also agree with Kuri that at least some sparring should be full force.
Most katas are a waste of time. They don't teach muscle memory well. Look at the mechanics of most katas and they don't mimic how you actually move and execute in a fight.
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"Is there no standard anymore?" - Walk, Pantera
Most katas are a waste of time. They don't teach muscle memory well. Look at the mechanics of most katas and they don't mimic how you actually move and execute in a fight.
I always felt that when I consistently practice my forms, everything I do is stronger. I don't know why; perhaps it's mental.
However, there seems to be something to the muscle memory notion at least in this way: when we do regular kicking, on targets, it is easy to shortcut technique, if only for the sake of speed or for efficacy of the situation. A form can let you strive to practice the mechanics in a solo situation, even sans a target, in the ideal, perfect manner. Just a thought, from my experience. I always feel my kicks are better when I practice my patterns consistently, and we might throw hundreds of kicks to targets and bodies in some classes, so we do get kicking practice in.
But, like I said, maybe it's mental, and maybe for me it's just tweaking technique.
Interestingly, some of my favorite solo practice is to alternate work/rest rounds of working kicks and punches on the Muay Thai style heavy bag with performing a pattern or two as the "break."
Quote:
Originally Posted by kuri
I don't think JVer is demeaning anyone's art here
Really?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kuri
and I understand what he's getting at.
So do I, and I don't necessarily undervalue it. (For that matter, it's what all three of you California guys are getting at; I wonder what that means?)
If you want to fight, go to a fighting school. If you want to do a martial art then keep at it. I taught boxing for a few years and told all the kids that came in, to avoid a fight at all costs, and I was also taught that in Karate. The only time you fight is when you are backed into a corner and have to. If you can walk away, then do it.
EDIT: J, we've had a number of military personnel practice within our system and who have found it very useful and fulfilling. Of course you don't really know what we do and how we approach it. Forgive me if I respect their judgement of what we do more than yours.
You obviously have taken my comments and opinions as some form of personal attack on your art form and I apologize if you feel you need to defend the efficacy of your martial art it was not my intention in any way shape or form to do so.
I gave the original poster my honest opinion of traditional martial arts as opposed to mixed martial arts based on my own knowledge after 25 years of experience doing them both the traditional and MMA. He asked a question I gave an answer nothing more nothing less.
__________________
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Just because they potentially can be unarmed doesn't mean they stop carrying weapons.
Seriously, some were disarmed. So is the protocol to then not use/draw weapons? Did they change their protocol to just resort to hand to hand combat in tough situations?
Certainly, if someone is going to carry, they should be trained and practiced. Further, one does not brandish a weapon to try and de-escalate a situation. If one draws a weapon, they should legitimately feel they or someone else are under risk of great bodily harm and be prepared to use it immediately.
I've had a couple of police officers as students, one of my black belt colleagues is a judge, and one of my carry trainers is a police sergeant. I know the issues. They are all supportive of concealed carry laws and said most of their fellow officers felt likewise.
Aside from that, the point I was making is that if self defense concern is truly of such immediate concern, it doesn't matter what style or art you practice; you can't learn it fast enough. Might as well get the gun. It's simply the next step in the continuum of the "that art isn't practical enough/effective enough, go practice this art" argument. If the self-defense is just a general concern with no immediate need/threat, then perhaps the art doesn't matter nearly as much as some make it out to be. I'm acquainted with some local folks who practice MMA training and who compete; I respect them and what they know, and they likewise me (unlike some other posters here).
I understand what your saying, and I'm not anti conceal and carry or anything. It just sounded like you were just suggesting getting a gun and that would solve the issue. I was stating that officers who train heavily in weapon retention can be disarmed, and if you are carrying a gun, then you should probably take some retention classes (do they have those?) because if you don't use it fast enough theres a chance that it will be used against you.
You obviously have taken my comments and opinions as some form of personal attack on your art form and I apologize if you feel you need to defend the efficacy of your martial art it was not my intention in any way shape or form to do so.
I gave the original poster my honest opinion of traditional martial arts as opposed to mixed martial arts based on my own knowledge after 25 years of experience doing them both the traditional and MMA. He asked a question I gave an answer nothing more nothing less.
Obviously. Understood. Thanks.
25 years? Turn around and let us see that face/how old you are.
JV, would you mind elaborating on how and why you originally got into the (traditional) martial arts and then how and why you made the change over to MMA oriented training, and explain your change of heart? You did, to me, come across as judgmental and with a bit of a bitter taste in your mouth. Sorry if I'm reading into your comments too much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jokerz
I understand what your saying, and I'm not anti conceal and carry or anything. It just sounded like you were just suggesting getting a gun and that would solve the issue. I was stating that officers who train heavily in weapon retention can be disarmed, and if you are carrying a gun, then you should probably take some retention classes (do they have those?) because if you don't use it fast enough theres a chance that it will be used against you.
Man, people always assuming . . . No wonder why the world can't communicate and understand each other.
There are trainers who offer training in things such as advanced techniques, tactics and weapons retention. I'll probably be taking more of that this summer. I don't generally carry all the time; pretty low potential need/safe area around here. But when I leave my school alone in the dark in the evenings, during the occasional times when there's some sprees of meth addicts or deviant youth causing some crime or assaults, I'm prone to carry the insurance policy.
Realistically, the police officers/trainers told me that what they know of someone like me with the right mindset and with the general awareness, composure and ma training, that they would not worry about improper use and disarming, versus even newer or younger officers or even lazy, experienced/older ones.
There might be a bit of a problem with too many people getting concealed carry permits (of course, you don't need a permit to openly carry), but by and large, people who do so apparently take it very seriously and incidents of problems are virtually nonexistent; one only hears of one, even from the major cities here, maybe once a year.
JV, would you mind elaborating on how and why you originally got into the (traditional) martial arts and then how and why you made the change over to MMA oriented training, and explain your change of heart? You did, to me, come across as judgmental and with a bit of a bitter taste in your mouth. Sorry if I'm reading into your comments too much.
I trained originally for self defense I grew up in a real shitty part of town and fighting was a past time it seemed for many of the local boys and which I wholehearedly participated in. I practiced first in TKD, and Shaolin Kung Fu, both were form and technique oriented with some sparring but nothing close to full contact I also trained in Shotokan Karate and Aikido for a while but found them to be too similiar to what I had already learned. I then got into Western Boxing and it started to open my eyes to what really worked, along with Wrestling in highschool. From there it was a simple transition to Muy Thai, and then in 91 after the Gracies dropped a bomb on us BJJ.
A street fight breaks down into simple basic attacks if you master those basics wether its the punching hands of Western Boxing, the leg attacking kicks of Muy Thai, or the most basic attacks of BJJ like the Traingle Choke, Kimura, and arm bars they simply just work better and are more efficient then the vast majority of techniques that are taught from traditional arts.
I can take an untrianed fighter and in 6 months of solid MMA training have them able and capable of defending themselves in a street fighting situation using the basics from Boxing, Muy Thai, wrestling and BJJ. I can't say the same from my training in the other traditional styles.
Its not that I have vehemence towards the traditional styles they do teach self defense but I think they add in too many things that get into the way of what a fight really breaks down to and that is simply mastery of the basic attacks either hand, leg, take down, or submissions. MMA is the evolution and stripping down of the old traditional styles and the refinement of the basics. Take a look at the best fighters in the world and they beat people down with simple basic attacks that they have mastered. They don't have "secret" techniques or "dim mak" mumbo jumbo they master basic attacks and refine them.
I have a ton of respect for the people keeping the traditional martial arts alive and progressing. I just have my own opinion as to what is more effective from my own experience when someone asks a question like the original poster posed.
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Dim mak? I think I had that in a Chinese restaurant in Korea.
Thanks for posting that up, JV.
I agree on the basics. I regularly take students back to repetitively practicing basic techniques, and as I practice longer, there are fewer things that I find myself relying upon.
While I was living in Japan the teacher of my teacher, then about 80 yrs old and with 60+ years of training, commented one day that he finally understood how to throw a straight punch.
Obviously a metaphorical statement but always a good reminder to drill the (seemingly) basics.
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
While I was living in Japan the teacher of my teacher, then about 80 yrs old and with 60+ years of training, commented one day that he finally understood how to throw a straight punch.
Obviously a metaphorical statement but always a good reminder to drill the (seemingly) basics.
I've been told this story about my my Korean grandmaster, who is 66 but apparently still trains hard a couple hours a day (and I swear he can still kick anyone's butt, seriously; he is just a phenom in terms of conditioning and skills -- I'm never sure if I am inspired or dismayed when I think of where he is at in those regards).
Apparently in his training, he throws something like 500 jabs a day into a heavy bag. Probably has done that since his 20's. He used to box, too; I believe he was a military champion (If he does anything, he makes sure he is a champion; no failure, and I think the expectation for no failure for his masters, either.) Anyway, apparently one day a few years ago he walks into a meeting with a group of his masters and announces that he is really happy because he had such a good workout that morning, and he thinks he is really starting to get the jab.
Actually, I find that very motivating; forget the dismay.
Can't remember the exact quote..."Victory does not go to the warrior who practices a thousand kicks each day, but to the warrior who practices the same kick for a thousand days"...can't remember if thats Go Rin No Sho or Bruce Lee.
That's why Sherdoggers say Rickson/Fedor by armbar, Fighter X by lay n pray or Crocop by LHK. There are Aokis, Cung Le's, GSP's etc...but 9 out of 10 fights are won by the same guys, the same ways....and not by well rounded means...
The rounding just prevents the other guy from doing what he's best at.
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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. -- Sidney J. Harris
Can't remember the exact quote..."Victory does not go to the warrior who practices a thousand kicks each day, but to the warrior who practices the same kick for a thousand days"...can't remember if thats Go Rin No Sho or Bruce Lee.
.
Yeah Bruce Lee said "I don't fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times"
Hapkido and effectiveness
You wholeheartedly agreed with the member, and you have not seen what he is doing or know how qualified he is to make his judgement. Can I sell you a nice (whatever it is you want); I've got one sitting right here . . .It's perfect for you, sight unseen. Trust me. 
)
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