TEX COBB EARNS COLLEGE DEGREE AT AGE 54!!

[Expug]

Very good thread here.

Thank you, Robinson and Expug, for your comments.

Everyone should try to learn a little judo -- (how to fall).

I knew one fighter--Adrian Davis--who said he had some background in judo.

A guy I had Taekwondo (sp) lessons with (Jim Joseph) told me that a friend of his who taught karate in Pennsylvania gave a few lessons to Ali, who wanted to learn specifically about things to do to an opponent’s head and neck (twisting it, jerking it, etc).

Joseph disliked me because I always forgot to bow when I came in the room or when I asked him a question. He said the guy in PA regarded Ali as a very obnoxious student.

I never picked up the karate way of punching but I had a great time.
Whenever a fellow instructor friend of Joseph would come to visit the class Joseph would always point me out as we went through our basic kicks/punches. Joseph would nod toward me and say, "He used to box."
The visitor would say, "Yeah, I can see that."

It had to do with the way I punched when I tried to do their karate punches (I may be misusing some of these words here--such as karate).

The class was full contact. Almost every class there was a broken wrist or ankle. People came from big distances who wanted that rough level.
I was there because the classes were at a community center close to me.

I remember asking Joseph about doing the judo throws on a bare wooden floor as they were doing. ''Aren't you supposed to use a mat?" I asked.

"No, you learn how to fall better this way" he said.

I would be interested in your more educated opinions on this--but I found many karate-taekwando people to be physically weak.

I had some talks with Joseph when he was in the mood to talk, and he agreed with me that most (or maybe all) of what most people learn in such classes is not usable by them in the real world.

I was through boxing by that time, but I still used to spar occasionally with friends of mine.

I remember after I had done the taekwondo classes for a while,
one guy I sparred with who had been a sparring partner for Bob Foster
said, "You seem to block (avoid) everything."

I really think the experience with handling not only arms (punches) but legs (kicks) coming at you also in the karate classes heightened my defensive abilities in boxing--where I only had to defend against punches.

Joseph would have his best longtime students go all out on me when he was irritated with me. I was a very slow thinker in the karate since it was new to me. I thought one step at a time. I got amazing bruises from the kicks, especially around the kidneys. Worse than any boxing bruises I got to the body. The former Foster sparring partner commented on the kidney area bruises, saying they looked bad and warning me about that.
I just laughed.

Some of the guys in the class were good at finding my solar plexus with kicks. I got the wind knocked out of me repeatedly during the classes.

I learned to relax and keep a straight face and the wind came back in a few seconds. I think the body blows from kicks were a terrific training aid for a boxer.

I lacked the flexibility to do a real roundhouse kick and never came near doing that. Joseph liked my front kick, which had a lot of power.

I always had a big smile on my face there. Once a guy who drove a long distance for the full contact classes was psyching himself up before we started. He stopped and said to me, "Why are you always smiling here? Don't you know this is serious?."

I had a wonderful time at those classes, even though you guys would say I was pathetic as a serious student.

Its very good that you were able to train in a full contact manner.
Nowadays it is hard to find that in many Martial Arts systems.
I believe there is something to be gained in many of the styles , perhaps not all.
But you are right that some are better suited for self defense than others.
What I liked about Judo is a guy who claims a high rank can be tested Immediatley in Randori(sparring).
There are no illusions and one cant hide on the mat.
That said, sportsmanship is important.(ideally).
The thing that gets on my nerves is the selling of some of these arts.
10 year old kids that are supposed Black Belts, 300 pound Grandmasters who cant fight.
Guys who are self promoted etc etc.
I think there are more Ultra Supreme Grandmasters here in Chicgo than in all of Asia.

[granberry]

Expug,

Its very good that you were able to train in a full contact manner.
Nowadays it is hard to find that in many Martial Arts systems.

People came from far and wide for those classes.

It wasn't until I went there for several weeks that I learned that was not the usual way it was done.

I believe there is something to be gained in many of the styles , perhaps not all.

There are SO MANY different styles, with so many different names, that I gave up long ago trying to keep track of them.

Akido (sp) always had an appeal to me----but how do you practice it? You would really have to trust your partner.

What I liked about Judo is a guy who claims a high rank can be tested Immediatley in Randori(sparring).
There are no illusions and one cant hide on the mat.

The thing that gets on my nerves is the selling of some of these arts.
10 year old kids that are supposed Black Belts, 300 pound Grandmasters who cant fight.

It is great exercise for kids.

Once two younger teenage kids from an earlier class just ended got angry at each other at one of Joseph's classes. The two kids both had high level belts after years of lessons. But when they got angry they slapped at each other like two girls.

I said to Joseph, "They didn't use anything they got from these classes. How come?"

He said that there is very little from such training that most people can actually use in the real world.

I think there are more Ultra Supreme Grandmasters here in Chicgo than in all of Asia.

They are all the greatest of all time.

[Goodnight, Irene]

"...He said that there is very little from such training that most people can actually use in the real world..." - Gran

Very true of certain martial arts. Some of them, unlike boxing, just don't teach you one thing about getting hit. They're all about countering, turning an attacker's strength against them, or self-defense. In a real-life situation, the person who strikes first is typically the winner, as is the person who knows a little about getting hurt & persevering.

The average person on the street who has trained in karate, but never had to use it in reality, doesn't realise how quickly all that goes out the window. I'd rather fight one of them in a real-life situation than a boxer, any time.

[Robinson]

ExPug,

Wrestling comps are like that to and so are sub grappling ones, several matched over the course of the day with you spending a good part of the day waiting around.

I think the difference between say Boxing and grappling comps is that in boxing you have a fight, in say wrestling or judo etc its a mathc.

Granberry.

I learned my judo break falls from a kodokan brown belt when I was 13 or so, learned it on grass and carpet. That hurt but conditioned me over time.

I think Judo falls and some throws are invaluable to most combat sports. I have found in Greco Roman with all of its high throws, supplexes etc they spend bugger all time learning how to fall well.

I remember reading some where that Naseem Hamed did some judo ?

I think what makes a boxer dangerous in an actual fight as opposed to most martial arts is that they train against non compliant partners. It is more skill, athleticism and reflex based where as most, striking, martial arts are more or less cultural styles that deal in singular techniques practiced on air, or against a stationery guy who is really going to stop you.

Pinklon Thomas did a karate-full contact system back in the day ? is there any film of him sparring etc ?

I also recall Bill Wallace doing an exhibition with Hearns during the mid-late 80s but no idea what happened of that.

Take care guys

Kym

[Expug]

ExPug,

Wrestling comps are like that to and so are sub grappling ones, several matched over the course of the day with you spending a good part of the day waiting around.

I think the difference between say Boxing and grappling comps is that in boxing you have a fight, in say wrestling or judo etc its a mathc.

Granberry.

I learned my judo break falls from a kodokan brown belt when I was 13 or so, learned it on grass and carpet. That hurt but conditioned me over time.

I think Judo falls and some throws are invaluable to most combat sports. I have found in Greco Roman with all of its high throws, supplexes etc they spend bugger all time learning how to fall well.

I remember reading some where that Naseem Hamed did some judo ?

I think what makes a boxer dangerous in an actual fight as opposed to most martial arts is that they train against non compliant partners. It is more skill, athleticism and reflex based where as most, striking, martial arts are more or less cultural styles that deal in singular techniques practiced on air, or against a stationery guy who is really going to stop you.

Pinklon Thomas did a karate-full contact system back in the day ? is there any film of him sparring etc ?

I also recall Bill Wallace doing an exhibition with Hearns during the mid-late 80s but no idea what happened of that.

Take care guys

Kym

Kym,
I agree with your Boxing/grappling comparison.
You guys are right that learning breakfalls (ukemi) is essential for grappling sports.
Ive mentioned a couple times before that some of the absolute toughest individuals Ive ever trained or competed with were Russian Judoka/Samboists.
Unbelievable.
Great wrestling tradition also.
One Heavyweight Judoka I have trained with also wrestled in Russia and competed a number of times against Karelin.(he never beat him of course) .
Im not able to get much done with this guy he weighs over 300 but he is so smooth technically also.
Karelin used to throw him around like nothing.
I cant imagine how rough that guy must be.
Kym have you trained with or competed with any Russian grapplers?

[Robinson]

Yes

A Russian who was about 70kg and a freestyle wrestler. He also had 20 amateur boxing fights by the age of 20. This guy started wrestling at 4.
His double leg take down was like silk. so smooth so perfect. He never smiled. Was always so serious.

I lost in the Greco Roman national finals in '05 against a 19yo naturalised kid from Russia. His dad was the 1980 world games champion.
This kid was 6'7 and 110kg. So sinewy and strong. I could do nothing against him. He was technically strong and so damned fit.

I think Russians do so well in boxing, wrestling and so on because it is so prevalent in there schools. The train so early on and have extensive amateur programmes, they also take everything so damned serious.

I learnt free style and greco roman under Poles and a Czech. Poles were Greco and love MMA, boxing
Whereas the Czech eats, sleeps, drinks Wrestling.

Interesting point on Russians and there martial arts, check on YouTube for footage of Oleg Tacktarov (Samboist, UFC fighter and 'actor) fighting Dolph Lundgren in a boxing match for charity on Russian TV.

Intersting seeing the big Sweede actually throw some real punches.

Kym

[Expug]

Yes, the Russian demeanor can be unnerving for competitors not familiar with it.
Very serious.Even stoic.
They dont fuss or complain about anything.
Its just train /fight hard ask no quarter give none.
They dont care if your a beginner or not either.
A very high ranking Karateka approched me recently about learning some Judo for an upcoming Karate Tourny.
A BIG tourny. Evidently they allow some throws maybe sweeps I dont know.
I told him Id be happy to show him in my beginner class but strongly advised him NOT to attend the advanced class wich has alot of Russian and Eastern European practitioners in it.
He ignored my advice and was thrown and injured .
Couldnt compete in the upcoming tourny.
I wasnt there but I got the call from the emergency room.

[HomicideHenry]

forget who said it but someone said that Cobb's college degree is the most minor of his acomplishments, and i think thats an unfair statement. an education, gaining knowledge, is the most valuable thing a person can ever get in life.

[Robinson]

I think Cobb has achieved alot in a pretty renaisance man like life.

A college degree though is not always the absolutes of knowledge. But it is not something to be dismissed in a hectic life style.