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KD Elite Pro Quality Curved Body Shield
Wailing on a striking bag can be a great feeling. Unfortunately, training partners rarely get as much joy out of the experience. Not to mention it enhances their motivation to retaliate during their turn. The goal of the KD Elite Curved Body Shield is to allow for intense training with no bruised ribs or feelings.
Courtesy of Karate Depot. Check em out!
The most noticeable feature for this bag is the curvature which provides some unique training opportunities. The design coupled with a firm interior padding allows for very solid striking with minimal impact on the bag holder. Strong techniques can still be felt, but the shield disperses a lot of the energy.
Another benefit is the different techniques an attacker can perform. The top curve can be used for upper-cutting and simulating palm-heel strikes under the chin. The bottom curve can be used for side stomp kicks. The logo on the front is also a great target, which can help students hone their accuracy.
Despite my fondness for the bags design, I did have mixed feelings about the handles. There are two mid-level straps that unVelcro, and a top handle with a high quality rubber coating. I really liked the top handle because it granted excellent bag control when doing techniques near the top of the bag. It also helped stabilize techniques at the bottom of the bag.
For the middle straps, I found myself Velcroing one around my arm, and holding on to the other. Both straps were designed to be Velcroed around the arm, leaving the hand free. I feel as if I have less control when holding that way. So I ended up holding one strap inappropriately, and the comfort level was diminished because of it.
The bag also doesn’t have side handles. Side handles are useful for posting the bag right up against your upper body, allowing for a bit more contact and conditioning. This isn’t a necessary feature for bags, but would have been nice.
The surface quality for the KD Elite was top notch. The material was highly durable, but at the same time easy on the hands. You might expect something coarse and abrasive from a bag such as this, but that wasn’t the case. It was a good balance that would work equally well for kids or for powerful adults.
The KD Elite Curved Body Shield offers enough unique usability that having one or two in the dojo might not be a bad idea. But I wouldn’t rely on it solely. That being the case…
Ikigai108 gives the KD Elite Pro Quality Curved Body Shield…
Martial Arts in the Modern World
Digging through a mountain of tall tales and self-indulgent tripe, Thomas Green, Joseph Svinth, and the rest of the authors of "Martial Arts in the Modern World" gather scarce historical facts in an attempt to shed some light on how the world’s many fighting arts evolved into what we see today.
Martial arts history has suffered from severe tampering because there is a lot to gain by making things up. In his book "Living the Martial Way," Forrest Morgan challenges readers to pick up a phone book anywhere in America and look for martial arts advertisements. In every small town, he explains, you are bound to discover high ranking, world champion grandmasters. In just a few short generations, how could obscure Asian arts create thousands upon thousands of supreme ultimate warriors all over the world?
The truth is, many of these high ranking instructors are caught in the great martial hoax where training is secondary to promotions. These practitioners tend to base their reputation on "world championship" tournaments that feature a handful of combatants from neighboring towns (and often have the patches to remind you). And yet, if you talk to these same "experts," they will describe to you the great exploits of their instructors and the miraculous lineages they come from.
How can this schism of logic be explained – how are there so many unqualified practitioners espousing so many credentials? "Martial Arts in the Modern World" tries to tackle this problem; not by singling out individuals, but by taking the rare approach of factual analysis.
How did Kendo ACTUALLY start in North America? How did Gracie Jujitsu ACTUALLY come about? Have Zen and Kyudo ALWAYS been linked? "Modern World" doesn’t take a blind stab at these topics (and others); it provides the dates, times, and names of key players involved. Very little is left up to hearsay.
Unfortunately, as much as I would like this book to be a cure-all for martial nonsense, it cannot even come close to covering all the different styles around the globe. It makes a valiant effort, attempting to explore history from almost every continent, but there is just too much in the sphere of the unknown. In fact, this global effort results in one of the books negative aspects – lack of cohesion. There are no connections via timeline or topic from one article to the next. There is nothing to pull together a consistent central theme. Couple that with a dry writing style that is occasionally tough to digest and "Modern World" falls short of lofty goals.
"Martial Arts in the Modern World" is a haven for anyone wanting to do real research, but not for those looking to indulge in a great yarn. Overall, Ikigai108 gives this book…
Buy it now through the BBM Review Store.
KD Elite Gi (Uniform)
Going from an 8oz student gi to a heavyweight gi is one of the most delightful experiences in a martial artist’s career. Many of us can remember the magic improvement we experienced once we had a gi that didn’t look and feel so much like pajamas. But as time goes on, it becomes more and more evident that not all heavyweight gi’s are created equal. Some are tournament cut, some are ventilated, some are so stiff that they leave red lines in your neck after training.
KD Elite seems to manage the best of a lot of different worlds. It has a normal cut (which I personally wanted), instead of the shorter tournament cut. It has intense stitch work, up to thirteen lines in some places. And it also has very comfortable cotton fabric. This is important for proper training as an uncomfortable uniform can lead to constant distraction and irritation. In many traditional dojo, fidgeting and adjusting is seen as a lack of focus and can be downright annoying to instructors.
One note on the cotton fabric – it does have some shrinkage the first time you wash it. I let mine drip dry and it still shrunk a bit. Nothing severe, but enough to make it notable, so expect a little of that.
Let me tell you something I liked about the KD Elite (even though it’s not at all important). Have a look at this bag it came in –
It’s got a shoulder strap and everything. I know, I know, Small amusements for small minds, but I liked it.
Back to something that matters – The KD Elite has a very nice fit. I didn’t feel like it was draping off of me, or that it was puffy and weird in any way. Normally when I get a new uniform I have to adjust to it, but the KD and I bonded very quickly.
Most of my uniforms are a size five, and my KD is no exception. I mention that because I’m always worried when ordering a new gi that the sizing will be different, and that I’ll find myself wearing a jacket better fit for tarping over a baseball field. The sizing here is very standard to the main brands, such as Ironman and Proforce. Karate Depot also includes a sizing chart, so even if you’re paranoid like me, you can rest assured you’re getting it right.
Ikigai108 gives the KD Elite…
Johnny Sockitomee
Yea it’s a funny name. But I would be remiss if I based my whole review just on that, right?
I have been plagued for awhile by not having a proper location for a heavy bag, and came to the conclusion that the hanging variety was just not an option for me. Luckily, the good people at Boxing Depot had a solution. Johnny Sockitomee is a freestanding striking bag made by Everlast. Johnny is mobile, accessible, and can take a hit. Here’s a look –
(You’ll also notice that Everlast decided to use a picture of me from my male modeling days here. I’ll be expecting royalties, Everlast).
I would also like to show you the compact way Johnny arrived. I was expecting a bulky, unwieldy mess, but this was well organized.
I hated to take it out of the box and ruin all of Everlast’s planning and effort, but I unpacked it anyway. Assembly occurred in two different stages – the base and the bag. The base assembly was no big deal and went pretty smoothly. The bag was a little more complicated. I was surprised to see that inside the red casing went three separate layers of foam and a plastic insert. I needed a little bit of patience and persistence while trying to build Johnny from the inside out.
After my construction efforts, I put the two pieces together and stepped back to admire my finished product.
The striking surface is adjustable and ranges from 3′ to 6′. The base is large and can take a substantial hit without moving around. This is especially true if you can place it on a rougher surface, like carpet (and be sure to fill it up all the way with water or sand). The bag itself is much easier on the hands than others I have used in the past, which is important if you intend to have children beating on it.
One thing that I really like is the spring-back action Johnny delivers. A lot of heavy bags just hang there and sway a bit when you hit them. This bag flexes slightly with your punches and comes back immediately. Such flexing allows you to establish a rhythm with the bag and work on speed striking, as well as power.
Johnny requires some TLC to get up and running, but after construction he proves ready, willing, and able. He is mobile and can fit into confined areas. The adjustability and material makes him ideal for strikers young and old.
After all is said and done, Ikigai108 gives Johnny Sockitomee…
Crane Mountain Weapons
My search for a good bo was a long and arduous one. I tried a few of the major vendors but ended up with a variety of bo that just didn’t work for me. They either felt like this…
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/TreeTalk/News2/Big%20Log.jpeg
Or like this…
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Sure, the kids enjoyed watching the twig bo snap as I performed kata at only moderate pace, but it was becoming an expensive trick. Eventually I decided to give Crane Mountain a try since I heard through the grapevine that they were good at making solid, traditional weapons.
My first stop was their website, located here – http://crane-mountain.com/. I browsed around and was surprised to see a great variety of weapons available, along with many different options for wood. On top of that, they used a rating scale to recommend which woods would be good for each weapon. I was easily distracted by the different accessories and plaques they had available, but ultimately decided to stay focused and work toward getting a good bo.
After picking the woods I liked, I called Crane Mountain headquarters. The experts there helped me narrow down my wood selection even more by explaining which would best suit my body type and what kind of money I would have to part with for more exotic woods. Ultimately I decided to go with Cocobola, an expensive and heavy wood (remember, I was tired of failure and bo snappage). I also asked them to pear it down to 1 1/16 inches, so that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the weight.
I had to wait a few weeks for my bo to arrive since all weapons are personally made to each custumer’s specifications. However, when it did arrive, I was not disappointed. The wood was beautiful and the craftsmanship quite evident. Here’s a little taste of it…
If you find yourself in a situation where quality counts, Crane Mountain should definitely be on your list of vendors to consult. You won’t find the same bargains as you would at Century or AWMA, but good luck buying a Bo off of them anyway, let alone rarer items like Nunti Bo or Tinbe/Rochin.
Ikigai108 gives Crane Mountain…
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