Update SBG site - aliveness 101

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 9/04/2005 9:19pm

I sparred my second day of TKD, but that's because there were only like 4 people in the class usually, so it was almost a private class most of the time.

I started rolling I think my 3rd or 4th class of BJJ.

I've been doing an MMA class offered at my BJJ school now for almost 3 months and started sparring recently. It's only stand up for now, since my knee hasn't healed enough for me to try and play around with takedowns. The MMA class itself is only ~3 months old anyway, so the instructor's still trying to get gear and such. I've stayed after class for the sparring.

PL

**feedback** · Posted On: 9/04/2005 9:23pm

Yeah, that popped out at me because at SBG, I and everyone else sparred the first day. Good article for the most part anyway.

**Kengou** · Posted On: 9/04/2005 9:53pm

My TKD school doesn't let you spar for at least a few months, might be a year. It's dependant on rank so it varies. Even then we don't spar regularly; maybe a couple times a month.

In BJJ I got to roll on the first day. However it was just positional, no submissions allowed.

**Afrin** · Posted On: 8/13/2006 7:45pm

One thing I don't fully understand is, why wasn't/isn't aliveness an emphasis in TMA?

I think that is because when some people start to train Alive, and expose their students to Alive training, they often have to throw out a major portion of the curriculum they learned before. This is because it is shown to not work when applied against a resisting opponent. And Aliveness gauges that very quickly.

It seems truly amazing, if not unbelievable, that schools would compromise training for the sake of... tradition? I would assume that the concepts of timing, energy, and motion would by default be an integral part of training regardless of any style, and if a technique is shown not to be effective then what's the point? it seems to be a no brainer.

It does make me curious what the rational of katas and forms are. Why were they emphasized so much to begin with? I could conceptualize that a few minutes of katas might be useful in the beginning of the introduction stage, is that possible?

Aliveness seems to facilitate convergent evolution of MA. As Thorton said, it reveals what works and what doesn't. I guess I'm curious to the psychology reasons for not wanting change. Perhaps it's too painful to have to admit that what you've devoted your life to is actually ineffective.

but then i've never practiced martial arts in my life.