Karate Round Table Discussion 3/20/11

For those of you who missed my 2nd interview on Martial Arts Talk Radio Interview, Check it out.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/martialartsweekly/2011/03/20/ma-weekly-roundtable

Knockout Highlight

The most refined art of fighting with the hands. Check out this highlight of boxing knockouts for 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9YYIh0sxY

The Carnage

Nathan "The Carnage" Corbett is one of the top Muay Thai Fighters around. He hails from Australia and he is an awesome fighter. Check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeSNpG9JkLg

Honor Thy Father

My first hero in life was "Pops". I can remember him coming home and wrestling with me and my brothers, teaching me how to ride a bike, and hit a baseball. He put us in the martial art for discipline, self defense and focus. Pops passed away last week. He had an accident and never recovered. He had been living with pain for several years, so now he can rest. Major Charles Trammell was in Vietnam was when I was born, so, I was walking when he came home. He was a busy man, spending a lot of time in the field training (as he was 82 Airborne). He would be gone 2 weeks at a time, and we are always excited to see this dirty, scruffy solider come home after running in the woods. By the time he was 30, he'd traveled the world and did more than most people will their whole lives. Pops was real good with kids. As we got older, he was harder on us. It was his way of preparing you for the cruel world. He was 100% military. After retiring from the Army, he worked in the civilian world for 3 years and hated it. He went back to working for the Department of the Army as a civilian until he retired. Now, I don't write this to depress you or make you feel sad for me. I am happy to have had my father for 44 years (he only had his for 9). He made my life easier than his and taught me some good basic lessons in life. I learned to accept responsibility for what you do, take care of your family, set goals and achieve them, and work hard. Whatever he set his mind to do, he did it. He taught me to believe in myself and never give up. I write this today to honor my first super hero, my "Pops". Rest in peace old soldier.

The "Brazilian Kick" Mawashi Geri

The "Brazilian Kick" is a popular kick in Karate. It is a version of Mawashi Geri (or Round Kick) where the kicker turns the knee down so that the foot goes over the defender's guard. Famous Brazilian karateka Francisco Filho and Glaube Feitosa are known for this kick and used it with great success in Kyokushin and K-1. Before those two great fighters, there was Ademir da Costa. He was Brazil's first superstar karate fighter. Check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlKC4WZ9yw&feature=related

Machida Karate

Lyoto Machida is the most accomplished Karate fighter in MMA, in my mind. I say this because he has adopted Karate specific technique to cage fighting. There are a lot of fighters who have Karate backgrounds, but most opt for kickboxing and boxing type of techniques. With Machida, you see Shotokan Karate techniques. Sure, he is well versed in the popular fighting styles (boxing, wrestling, ju jitsu, thai boxing, etc.), but he brings something different that no other fighter in MMA shows. Some may criticize his methods (his patience and lack of aggressiveness), but he is one of the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCWiWeOAYX0&feature=related

Enshin Karate

Joko Ninomiya was a student under the late Ashihara (who left Kyokushin and started Ashihara Karate). After Ashihara passed, Ninomiya would later start Enshin Karate. This system is based on Sabaki. Sabaki uses circular motion to avoid force and move to an opponent's blind spot. For over 30 years, Ninomiya has hosted the Sabaki Challenge, a bare knuckle full contact karate event featuring fighters from all over the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l1fyst5qyA