New around here? Register your SA Forums Account here!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $10! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills alone, and since we don't believe in shady internet advertising, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
TurkeyFried
Oct 9, 2012

:thunk:

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Sherbert Hoover
Dec 12, 2019

the Blow Job Jamboree

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little elote

poisonpill posted:

Also, Fairtex and Top King would be still good recommendations for if I wanted to start buying gear, yeah?

Yeah, and Boon. Windy is a step below but fit could be better, which matters for both gloves and shinguards. Hard to try on anything, though.

Ohtori Akio
Jul 14, 2022
Probation
Can't post for 17 hours!

depends on if your church is affirming

guppy
Sep 21, 2004

sting like a byob

poisonpill posted:

There’s an MMA/BJJ place within walking distance of my house that seems reasonably legit for me (like almost zero experience). They do want you to get shin guards, MMA-style gloves and TKD-style gloves, a helmet and mouth guard, and a gi for grappling. I’ve got gloves, they’ll lend me a helmet and shin guards; but what about the gi? I’ve never bought one and don’t know where to start. Also, Fairtex and Top King would be still good recommendations for if I wanted to start buying gear, yeah?

Do they definitely do gi?

Some schools will give you a gi when you join, and some schools have specific requirements, though BJJ places tend to have the most lax requirements. I would find out from the school about either of those before you start buying one. If they don't care what you wear then you can buy whatever you like; a common recommendation if you have no idea where to start is the Fuji All-Around gi, which is a solid middle-of-the-road choice and doesn't have much loud decoration. If you want something specific there are a million places that do their own and any of them are probably fine. Some brands you could look at generally include Fuji, Tatami, Combat Corner, 93 Brand, Flow, Kitsune, Hyperfly, Ronin, and so many more it's hard to even name them. The ones I named tend to have more plain gis, which is my preference -- actually, I prefer totally plain gis, but that's not common in BJJ world, though CC, 93, and Ronin do have them -- but lots of places have very loud ones if you want that. Don't buy a karate gi for BJJ. Judo gis are also a bit different and won't be tournament legal, though your school may not care.

You should also probably consider some rashguards if you stick with it, both for no-gi and for under your gi. I use long-sleeve exclusively because mats can be gross, but there are short-sleeve ones too.

For all of this stuff you can also keep an eye on BJJ HQ, which is like Woot for BJJ gear (one deal per day). Sometimes you can catch a good deal, especially if you aren't too particular, and all BJJ stuff is severely overpriced because it's trendy so it's nice to save a few bucks. Today's deal is a black Scramble tiger gi that I don't personally care for, but maybe you will. White is common for beginners but many BJJ places don't care.

guppy fucked around with this message at 10:15 on Aug 18, 2025

fridge corn
Apr 2, 2003

jerkin' my li'l weewee :)

Ahhh here it is. The martial arts thread. I was beginning to think there wasn't one.

I've recently got back into training in karate after not doing much at all for almost 20 years and hell, its real good to be back i have to say

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little elote
Sanda world championships are ongoing in Brazil right now. I've been watching highlights and making notes for my students who're gonna compete in late October.

Cherrypicking some of those snippets here, with the goal of illustrating the sanda sport style/meta as dictated by the scoring rules (1 point for strikes landing clean, 2 points for head kick, 2 point for throw where you remain standing, 1 point for throw where you land on top, 2 points for a push off the platform)
------------------------
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJ0yyyCOa5/?igsh=d3dvM3IyYXU1N3Qz
This Dagestani dude is so efficient in kick catch throw scores. Getting that ankle whip off multiple times says to me his opponent is not good with grappling.
At one point he ankle whips the wrong way but then goes into a spin kick to score.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJOsTYCPRy/?igsh=eGlueXlwaG1xb2V3
Blue (Iranian) not really distinguishing himself in strikes but taking over via wrestling. More notable is the set of 5 scores from the 5 judges in the corner, how different the scoring is. When you’re sat level with the leitai, you can’t really see things from your vantage point, so frequently can’t score something when backs are to you.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJ2aAcCOut/?igsh=MWxnNmw5cWsxZDM4Yg==
From this Iranian’s build, you know he’s gonna be a slug and plow into throw kind of fighter. Impeccable sense of distance to throw off the platform.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJ7BqpCOAY/?igsh=dHNmNjR6MmJlemU3
Great examples of cancelling the single leg by going with the momentum


https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOMO0toiDId/?igsh=MXV4b3dla3NvZ2E3Mg==
Typifies the Chinese sanda style. Long distance pokes, counter wrestling to stay away, very efficient (not fast paced or from close up) and safe entries into throws at the end of short combos, catching every kick.
This is a good video to show that you don’t have to be frantic to land, just have good timing and control of what their reaction is


Two striking centric matches:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOMaZhrCBik/?igsh=MTF5cnN1Mmc4NHFyMQ==
Note blue getting her kick caught, slipping the leg out and continuing a combination.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DONel7eCFLn/?igsh=MXZvajA0eWlkdDh5ZQ==
Maximizing the potential of that reach advantage. The moment the opponent is in range and tries to get striking back going, he pulls him into a clinch to stop the scoring.
-----------------------

Sucks that embeds don't work for IG.

Since even at the world champ level rounds are 2 min, with the clock stopped when throws are scored, there's not a lot of time to build on damage and stop your opponent, so the matches heavily lean into point fighting. As you saw with the judging I pointed out, there's not necessarily strong consensus on who scored what.

4 broad styles I've observed at international level competition are:
- point fighter. Very light strikes only meant to score. Throwing only if it's efficient, so off of catches or surprising your opponent; avoiding long grappling exchanges. Chinese fighters, especially lighter ones, are coached this way
- damage. Hitting hard even if you get outpointed in some exchanges. You see it with some Eastern European and Russian fighters. Good for shocking fighters who are not used to the level of intensity, but can be nullified with being evasive and racking up points.
- bulldozer. Always trying to close the distance and shrinking the distance to the edge of the platform. Heavy short strikes to keep pressure on people until a clinch materializes. Eager to score from pushoffs. Frequenty, Iranians pick this style, as do the heavier Russians.
- wrestler. Do some striking to create the openings for shots and takedowns. Also embrace closing the distance, but wrestling once you get hands on someone instead of just pushing them back. Happy to keep wrestling to get that score instead of giving up and disengaging. The lighter Russian fighters are some of the most wrestling-centric.


Some of the wrestling exchanges may look quite different, and beyond the availability of strikes (you can't score with strikes when clinched, but you can still do them just for tactical benefit), I think there's two other reasons:
- you can't put a hand or knee down as part of defense. That will count as a throw for you. So generally you're a bit more upright and keeping a bit more space to keep your feet free to move out of takedown attempts. Conversely, you a lot of takedowns now need you to cover that ground quickly, so you see a lot of deep final steps to block/trip someone over your legs
- with gloves on, you don't have very secure grips to pull someone toward you at a distance. You can wrap behind their head or get under/overhooks. But generally you have to step toward them or pop your hip into them to close that gap. This ends up producing faster, more frantic throws where you're not relying on secure upper body grips to work more slowly toward that throw

Overall, I appreciate that the ruleset is balanced enough to allow for success through different styles, which of course favor different physiques and attributes.

kimbo305 fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Sep 5, 2025

Thirteen Orphans
Dec 2, 2012

I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist and a theoretical philosopher. But above all, I am a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you.

Thanks for this! Seeing the clips in light of your notes was very educational.

slidebite
Nov 6, 2005

Good egg
:colbert:

Agreed, really interesting thanks for taking the effort of that post.

In other news, I may have a fractured rib.... courtesy of a 17 year old young woman.

Thirteen Orphans
Dec 2, 2012

I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist and a theoretical philosopher. But above all, I am a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you.

slidebite posted:

Agreed, really interesting thanks for taking the effort of that post.

In other news, I may have a fractured rib.... courtesy of a 17 year old young woman.

Young women are nothing to write off. I was briefly training Einshin Karate and we did a standing grappling exercise Sensei called Sumo. The goal was to unbalance or throw the opponent out of the circle. I was grappling with a young lady, mid-twenties, heavy-set but not super morbidly obese, and when I went to push against her shoulders she threw me clean out the circle with a picture-perfect hip throw. To this day I’ve never been thrown as textbook as she did. The guys (including Sensei) started to riff on me for “getting thrown by a girl” but she earned that. I hope she found a school that respected her as a woman more.

Thirteen Orphans fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Sep 6, 2025

slidebite
Nov 6, 2005

Good egg
:colbert:

100% agree.

Some of our best sparrers are female. We've actually had tournaments pre-covid that other clubs would not compete against our women and forfeit their matches if they got paired against them. Christ, I don't like sparing some of our girls. Old Man Slidebite is just not fast or flexible enough.

Sherbert Hoover
Dec 12, 2019

I'm glad no one at my dojo would ever say something like "thrown by a girl."

Doc Fission
Sep 10, 2011



Restarted kendo. For two years I've swanned in and out of the beginner classes and the senseis are always very warmly like :0 where've you been? The answer that I pointedly do not give has been "being drunk and insane" but it does make me happy so I'd like to build some earnest momentum this time, particularly as I've sobered up a little.

Xguard86
Nov 22, 2004

"You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"
Most (sane) martial arts instructors know people have poo poo going on in their lives. It's not necessarily a reflection on your passion for the art.

I know guys have DMed me or asked in the locker room after being gone and I'd hate for anyone to not come back or feel bad about training when they can.

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


"Ah life got in the way"

"Well glad to see you back!"

Count Roland
Oct 6, 2013

Yeah as an instructor I've stopped asking. I find that kind of pressure isn't very useful for most people.

ImplicitAssembler
Jan 24, 2013

Yeah, "good to see ya!" is plenty. (And usually true).
Hardest thing about MA is stepping through the door.....

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little elote

Xguard86 posted:

Most (sane) martial arts instructors know people have poo poo going on in their lives.

I've lost so many promising students to the particular night of the week I teach on. A few specifically told me that they were bummed that was the only reason.
After you see it happen a few times, it doesn't bother you (me) anymore.

I still guilt myself a bit on the other side of it.
Was training shuaijiao a solid 2h every Friday afternoon when my main training partner was still in town, but once he left, the time that worked best for everyone else was 8p Monday, which is isn't working for me while my young kids require a lot of putting to bed. Meanwhile one of the other ppl in our shuaijiao circle is a full time instructor, and I get to see him add to his skills every week. I know our progress cannot possibly be compared, but I'm definitely envious.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little elote
One more sanda writeup. Full video of 75kg men’s final:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=764434942866175
Judge 1 is very striking happy, scoring more generously than anyone else. On the very first strike, everyone else reads it (correctly imo) as a check. That should be how it looks from any angle, but you never know. 5 judges for international competition instead of 3 helps with accepting the score consensus. For my very first round of sanda competition, I remember hearing a pretty big discrepancy (+3 vs -4) between the one judge who had it for me and the two for the other guy. My coach was pissed, but what could we do? Maybe not gas out and lose in the next round 😓.

Anyways, the Chinese fighter in red is a very complete fighter, with both good offensive and defensive wrestling as well as varied no-telegraph strikes. He’s really good at stepping in to score one strike and then backing out fast enough to immediately counter wrestle or just deter blue with that extra distance.
His biggest weakness is ring position awareness, not really caring about being on the edge.
The Iranian was facing a decent reach advantage and was too content to try to land bombs instead of burrowing in more to get more wrestling time.

Round 1, blue’s offensive wrestling is working but not enough. Red is reasonably countering and making him work for those takedowns. Red’s sidekick to the face is a huge weapon, thanks to the spacing it generates on top of scoring 2. Red is far from the cheesiest (fast strikes with minimal exposure, meant solely to score with no damage intent), but he’s good at scoring and shutting off possibility of getting scored on, either by cleanly exiting or tying up to nullify strikes counting in the clinch. In this mirror stance match, that’s frequently jab to the body or lead outside leg kick into clinch. His head sidekick mixup is great for the longer range surprise.
I see blue being too tunnel visioned with takedowns and is passive once the offensive moment has passed. After his kick catch fails at 1:28 left, he steps in for one more trip to the right, but red hits that shuck/snap to red’s left and stops blue in his tracks, then pushes him over, with one glove possibly grazing the mat. But ref signals it for 2, so blue loses his offensive initiative and gets 2 more behind. Looking for efficient reversal openings is how to be intelligent and opportunistic with this ruleset. Blue could have put a lot more energy into staying balanced as the inevitable pushback came.

I scored the round 18-9. Lots of punches that were hard to read, underscoring why sanda fighters like to strike at a distance so the judges get a clear view.


First half of round 2, red really took his foot off the gas on counter wrestling, leading to 2 point takedowns that could have easily been 1. Also getting pushed off when a tiny bit more urgency would have kept him closer inbounds. Just a lot of not paying attention and giving away points. Unseemly for a championship fight, but he probably felt very confident after the score difference of round 1.
Even so, the round opens with red doing another snapdown from a loose clinch. Blue can't take positions for granted -- throws can happen anywhere and any time in sanda.
After the minute mark, red settles in, stays on the outside, and finds the timing to send in so many body jabs. Compared to a jab to the head, the body jab gives more takedown defense by getting your hand ready for a clinch, and also stiffarming their torso back instead of risking their slipping the head jab. From mirrored stance, you don't risk the rear cross counter as much, though the lead hook counter is just as bad. Blue never develops an answer to the body jab and the score runs away from him.

I had it 19-14.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply