Bushido-Ruach

Favorite martial arts moment......as others have said, there are many. My first one was my very first introduction to the MA....Bruce Lee's "Game of Death".....I was hooked! I knew then, at age 13, that's what I wanted to do. Other moments are every time I learn a new technique, especially when I get how and why it works, which is why I love pressure point and vital point techniques, they are sooooooo cool! One of my other favorites is back in high school ( a long time ago)....me and the gang went out one night to the local park for some "ninja games" as we called them. We broke up into teams and the last man standing was the winner and the loosing team had to buy the winning team Denny's afterwards. The Coupe de grau (?) was this....picture two guys facing off, they are the last ones standing, everyone else is standing around watching....neither one wants to make the first move because they know what the other person is capable of. So they stand there in their stances, doing what we all used to do, moving their hands back and forth, up and down, trying to figure things out.......when it happened......at the very same time, they both spun around to execute a spinning back kick.....and they both kicked each other square in the butt!!!!! They both lurched forward upon impact, hopping up and down holding their booties......I just started laughing again thinking about it.....you had to be there!!!!! One of my last ones was when one of my former students was able to defend himself against a would be attacker, and he put the guy down with one shot, not even realizing what he had done until it was all over with. Rank and getting my BB was great, but nothing compared to knowing that I have been able to help people defend themselves from street punks, cause there's a lot of them around my city. Blessings!

Ahhhhh, there's a question! I would absolutely love to hook up with my best friend's father who studies ninjitsu and teaches his own style of combat Aikido for a year....he travels back and forth from Japan to the Philipines all the time. Then, for another year (if I could handle it after the first year) I would like to take a year with Russel Stutely (spelling?) and learn what appears to be a vast knowledge of pressure point and vital point techniques. Great question!

"I would hate to function under the weight of the California legal system, thats for sure. Repressive is how I would classify it, from an outsiders standpoint of course. And we see how well that's working out with the crime stats from out that way." You said it, Tallgeese, I work in County law enforcement, and the entire system seems set up specifically for the criminal with no regard (or very little by the system, anyway) for the victims. I don't know about other states, but here a juvenile (under 18 years old in California) can't even pick up a stick or ball point pen in self defense without being charged for it. I spoke for almost an hour with a PO co-worker who told me that when they question a minor, if the "articulate" that they icked it up to use as a weapon, the officer automatically has to arrest them.....even when the self-defense is legitimate......because of the way California law is set up. Seven years ago we had the husband and father of three children arrested and given a 200 day sentence (he was REALLY lucky he wasn't sent to prison) because, in self-defense, after warning an intruder that broke into his home at around 1:30 AM, he shot the guy and, as luck would have it, the intruder fell backward through the livingroom window and died outside of the house. In California law, if someone breaks into your home it is considered an attack on any and everyone in the house, so he was rightfully defending himself and his family. However, also in California state law, if the intruder is killed in self defense within your home, you are safe.......but beware glass windows and such, because if the intruder dies outside the house you are arrested, also if you shoot the intruder after he leaves the house. It's messed up here. I do agree with you, articulation is the key, and that does need to be a part of any martial arts schooling here in this state and others like it. Good advise, guys, thanks.......and be careful.

I will agree that teaching a pre-emptive strike for the reasons listed herein might be a good idea, however, we must consider the legal ramifications of such an action. In California anyway, there is no legal cause that can be given to you if you strike first, not even in self-defense because if you strike first......you are now the aggressor. Here, they don't look at anything but the actions taken by the individual. If I am in a verbal altercation which is seemingly escalating to a fight, I have to let him make the first move in order for it to be called self-defense, otherwise the moment I strike first, he is now on the defensive and I am looked at by the law as the attacker. Of course, there would be a time that a pre-emptive strike would be considered as still self-defense, but only if someone broke into your house while you were there. This in itself is considered to be an attack on an individual.....and then I would most certainly want my student to take a pre-emptive strike, but that would be just about the only case scenario that I can think of that wouldn't have legal implications. Things are jacked-up here in this state as far as the law is conscerned.....I really wish I could move to another state, but finding a job to take care of your responsibilities isn't that easy out of state. Yahoyate!

I would hope that I would step in and help the victim, but in truth most of us don't know what we would do until something like this happened in our presence. My junior black belt came upon a situation like this once...he was at McDonald's waiting for his ordered food and two guys out in the parking lot threw another down on the ground and began kicking and stomping the guy....with other bystanders just watching continueing about their business. He had enough and went out there and took them both down, had someone in the store call 911, and got help from bystanders picking the victim up off the ground and helping him into the store. Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived the two purpetrators managed to crawl into their car and leave.

Since you mentioned it twice now, I am thinking about it, and.....no, not really. We react more akin to Aikido where you really don't do anything unless someone throws a punch at you. Then we guide the attacking force or re-direct it, usually ending up in a take-down technique. I'm curious.....and always open to improvement.......what is your take on this subject, or should we start a different thread? I'd like to hear why you're asking.

Usually, except in extreme cases or when teaching women's self-defense or rape classes.

If we're still talking about blocks utilizing bones, I have some input.....we utilize what we call "stop-hit" blocks which actually aren't designed to block the attacking arm so much as it is to hurt the attacking arm. In Bushido-Ruach we don't attack, we wait for the attacker to throw something at us, and usually whatever is thrown out comes back disconcerted and hurt, sometimes even broken. We use an Aikido like guiding hand to re-direct the oncoming fist, while simultaneously with our other hand, straight lead knuckle punch the forearm, 50/50 shot at nerves. Depending upon what technique we happen to be working on, we either hit hard enough to push the attacking arm away from us and into the path of the attacker's body, or we grasp the wrist a split-second before the impact of the knuckle punch to deliver more strikes with the elbow or other hand strike. We also use the back-knuckle for striking / blocking the attacking forearm, and the "chop" using the large wrist bone to penetrate the muscle and into the bone of the attacking arm. We have no arm blocks traditionally found in most Japanese styles, our goal is to defend without causing ourselves damage while causing the attacker the most optimum damage possible. We also use elbow jams to jam and break the fingers of the on-coming fist or elbow blocks where we hit the on-coming fist or wrist with the elbow in a sideways motion, it can break the wrist at the most, but all of these stop-hit blocking techniques are designed to cause extreme pain, whether the target is broken or not. I hope thats some good scoop for you. P.S. I almost forgot, since these aren't force-opposing-force blocking techniques, and they are bone of soft tissue or through soft tissue to the bone, I have found that most females have better results with these techniques in actual combat situations....they don't have to hit as hard as a man can (not saying that they can't) in order to cause extreme pain because they are hitting with their knuckles or elbows.

Thanks for all the scoop, guys, they all sound good and "meaty". I knew I had my work cut out for me, but now it seems like its more work than what I had originally considered.....good, gives me a target to aim for! Keep it coming if any other ideas pop into your heads.

I didn't read all seven pages of responses, so hopefully I'm not going to regurgitate someone elses answer....but here's what I would try to do.... If the arm with the choking hand is straight and locked, I'd hit the elbow as hard as I could with a palm-heel strike in an effort to break it (after all, he's choking me and I'm in fear for my life). If the arm breaks, the tremendous amount of pain inflicted with simultaneously take his mind off punching me in the face. If the arm is NOT locked, then I would still hit at the elbow joint only in a different direction...towards my head. This will offset his balance, release the choke and give me leverage to grasp his choking hand with my other free hand and, using his captured wrist as a pivot point, continue pushing his elbow and simultaneously twisting my body beneath his to place his own arm in the way of his oncoming fist. Another technique you can utilize is a nerve strike, knuckles in shoalin long-fist style (straight lead knuckle punch) hitting the nipple HARD. The nerves here control the muscles surrounding the lung, they will constrict forcing the air from his affected lung....he will loose all desire to contiue the fight from that point on. However, this one should only be used in a life or death situation, because he may not get back up (then again, he is choking me). Greetings!

Hey, Gang, I am writing a paper on the history of the martial arts and I'm looking for suggestions on some good web sites or books where I can get some good research for. From what I've been able to glean so far, the martial sciences seemed to be birthed in ancient Egypt with a style of spear fighting the Pharoah had his armies taught in, which would make sense since Egypt dominated the area longer than any other nation until concuered thousands of years later. From other sources, Greece came up with early forms of martial wrestling (I can't for the life of me remember what the modern style is called, I seem to remember it starting with the letter "K" though!). From history, the next country credited with martial sciences was India, then spreading to China, Japan, and the rest we pretty much know. Any suggestions or comments are highly appreciated. Thanks!

If the issue really is teaching Old School vs New School, then what I would do is teach one nights class in Old School and the other two nights' classes as New School. I think that as the students became more serious in their training that they would slowly begin to migrate to the Old School night of training. There you have it, the best of both worlds. Those new students who are trying out the martial arts for the very first time will stay with what they feel comfortable with and you don't have to worry about parents pulling their kids out of class because they won't be getting hurt. Then you also have the Old School way of doing things for those who mature in the class and want to improve upon their skills. In this way, I don't think you would necesarrily be watering down anything, you would simply be utilizing teaching and training methods that are based upon class and an individual's maturity level. Nuff' said

Hey Gang, TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!!! My grand opening just happened to coordinate with a church next door having a huge rummage sale (unknown to me until the very day), so it brought by a few by-standers that didn't know what I was doing. It went ok, not like I would have liked, but just ok (notice little characters instead of big ones But it gets better! Already into my fourth class last Tuesday night, I am teaching the kids how to do their forward and back rolls, then one of them asks me "Why are we learning how to roll?" So I proceed to explain to them the reason. Then I get this bright idea to demonstrate to them why you need to roll, like, in case you are kicked . . . and I hurt my back. "Now, see," I proceed to tell them, "this is why you need to learn to roll, when I rolled I didn't get hurt. When I showed you why you need to roll and what could happen to you if you don't roll....I got hurt." Go figure, at least it was me and not one of them............

This is what I like about Aikido techniques, they are mainly for defense (depending upon whether you are training in traditional or combat Aikido). You aren't attacking anyone, therefore you never have to worry about the opponent having his hands up in the air to protact his head, because if you are only waiting for an attack, he is either going to attack you or go home...and if he attacks.......man! that arms ALL MINE! Once I got the arm......well, let me not go crazy here! I think the best self defense techniques begin with one's blocking / cleansing applications. If you utilize "stop-hit" type blocks (like we do), your opponent punches (or kicks) and pulls back his natural weapon all bruised up and in pain. You don't have to break it in order to inflict great pain, especially if you have some pressure point tactics in your arsenal. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I have rarely had to go more than 10 seconds with someone simply because a well-placed shot (and not necessarily a power shot, just an anatomy-articulated one) made my attacker realize that if he should continue in his folly, he would end up with the short end of the stick.

There are some good thoughts and principles here. Part of being a warrior is having the insight and wisdom to size up your opponent both physically and as much mentally as you can within seconds of the possible on-coming confrontation, and knowing whether to defend yourself by either physical means . . . or by flight. A good warrior isn't going to walk into a battle that he reasonably knows he won't walk away from, unless it is an honor issue (yes, I believe that there are some things worth laying down my life for), they are few and far in-between, but they are there nonetheless. This guy (to me) seems to be a non-thinking fellow with some emotional and / or mental issues. It's probably a good thing that you didn't raise your hand to him. I had a friend in high school once that was punched by some guy on coke...he got up off the ground and wailed into this guy and he didn't feel a thing, so my friend backed off in amazement that this guy didn't try to kill him afterwards. He got luck that day in my opinion....but we were just stupid kids back then (gee, I wonder where he is today?).

This may be helpful, I found this web site but I don't know exactly how to paste it in here....so here goes anyway... https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/general-4.htm I have read most of it and it sound like the author knows what he's talking about...OK, I just clicked on the link to make sure I did it right and it worked, then I finished reading the whole article. It is very well articulated and it definitely has some wisdom in there, ya'll should check it out.

I like wristlocks and armlocks, but as noted here earlier, they can be hard to maintain once in the locked position. The reason I like them, besides the actual locking, is what the author of the thread first talked about, that is, using them for breaks. If an individual is bigger or stronger than I am, so that I can't maintain the lock, you are already 85% of the way into the break....so break it (if circumstances dictate such an action). Locks are good for control if you CAN control the person with them (a big problem in law enforcement, as you can well guess), but if you are losing control and eminant danger still exists, breaking the wrist or arm is a good way to send the message that you mean to protect yourself at any cost.

Grand opening is on Saturday, May 31......any ideas and suggestions on how to proceed with Grand Opening days would be greatly appreciated. I have some kind of idea of how to procede, but I have lost contact with most of my old instructors and the ones that I do still have contact with have never had a grand opening, they just took over the schools they were from when their instructors left the area. Thanks in advance!

This sounds VERY interesting...I would pick: 1. Aikido - for it's extensive body mechanics training and application in breaking the attacker's balance. 2. Hapkido - for its escape techniques and kicks. 3. Cobra style Kung Fu - for its extensive nerve striking techniques and science.... I would call it.....Bushido-Na (from Chin-Na), and to graduate with a black belt we will re-construct the famous hall of dummies from Shoalin and you would have to make it through all 108...crawling is OK, you just have to make it outside (no hot urns to pick up afterwards either).

Depending upon how many student I have, from ages 8 - 12 and then from 13 on up....I'm all open for suggestions on this. My past instructor's pretty much had the same philosophy that has been drilled into me as far as ranking goes...you don't get rank until you are proficient in the techniques assigned for going to the next rank. If they can't perform all of the techniques (especially the basics) then they don't move forward in rank. This will be especially true for the Aikido-type techniques, as they are pretty much all building blocks...you have to learn the footwork and body-mechanics before you can learn other aspects of techniques in order to understand how to correctly perform said techniques and make them work. I don't want to frustrate the students in them not gaining rank for a long time, especially at first, so I have broken down the colored ranks into striped or degree ranks within ranks. This way they are still a "yellow belt" but the differring degrees gives them the feel of advancement, and therefore accomplishment. Again, I'm all open for suggestions.

Both linear and circular movements have their place. In my opinion, I think that most circular movements have their place (such as in Aikido) in defensive techniques and tactics, while most linear movements have their place in offensive techniques and tactics...just a general observation. I teach defensive techniques from an Aikido perspective with it's circular motions, but traditional Aikido lacks any strikes or such strikes are usually impracticle because they are traditional sword strikes...we don't carry Samurai swords around with us these days. Circular movements get you out of the way of the oncoming attack - which are more often than not linear. Circular motions also take the attacker off balance and, if the technique is performed correctly, isn't hindered by one's stature or the stature of the attacker because the technique works against the weak points of the body. Where circular motions wain in offensive application, linear attacks pick up the pace. Also, circular motions create twisting and ripping action potentials without striking that linear attacks cannot produce...having said that, circular motions (for the most part) cannot create the impact force of a linear strike UNLESS THEY CAN BE APPLIED IN A STRIKING FORMAT AND ACTUALLY MAKES A DIRECT IMPACT...which, in such a case, a circular strike could "take your head off." Blessings!

Certain Chin-Na techniques work well for blood chokes, because they directly stimulate the muscles around the carotid arteries and, depending upon how much force was utilized in striking the nerves, the sealing of the veins can last long enough to kill. Other techniques seal the breath by causing the muscles around the lungs to squeeze the lungs shut to the point that breathing is impossible. I have witnessed this a few times in practice where someone hit the appropriate target too hard and all you heard was the air being forced out of their mouth in an alarming rate....its scary to see that happen to someone you know.

I would say (and teach) that the most basic skill to practice would be stop-hit blocks...this is why. First, above all else, you DON'T want to get hit if you can avoid it. Every time you get hit, it takes away strength, the ability to generate power, and drops your stamina a little. AVOID GETTING HIT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Second, most blocks that I have seen utilized by people don't hurt the opponent at all, they simply block the on-coming fist and that's all. A stop-hit blocking technique is simply a "block" that causes the attacker great pain...a back knuckle block to the outside or inside of the forearm...a blocking "chop" to the same....causes enough pain that the attacker will probably stop punching at you after the second time he got his arm hurt while trying to punch you. We practice stop-hit blocks beginning from white belt as our foremost and preferred blocking techniques...and we practice them often to drill them into second-hand instinct (like blinking your eyes when someone raises their hand to your face super fast). Yep....stop-hit blocks....so named because after being "blocked" a couple of time, you want to stop hitting (or trying to hit) the guy whose causing you all this pain!!!

Your mind, at the moment you are attacked, picks out from it's memory banks the most effective technique it has to defend itself. For the untrained in martial ways, that usually means either simply blinking or shutting the eyes, or "duck and cover." The more techniques we practice, the greater the arsenal of defensive tactics our minds have to pick from for any number of possible scenarios one might find himself in. You might consider yourself good at a certain number of techniques, but maybe those techniques will be the wrong ones for a specific scenario, so practice as many as you can that are practical. I'm with Bushido-man, if and when confronted, I want to get it over with as quickly as possible. Like the Samurai...if you have to pull out your sword, kill the enemy is as few moves as possible, the more prolonged the encounter, the greater likelihood of you getting hurt or put into a hospital bed. The hospital bed is where my attacker belongs, not me.

I agree with Bushido-man...seconds and inches! I live in a very violent city, with gang-bangers constantly shooting each other and anyone else who gets in their way. Most of them aren't smart enough stand far enough away from you, and they love to show off in front of their buddies and stick guns in people's faces or wave them around trying to scare people. One thing working in law enforcement that I have learned is this...anyone who is cocky enough to pull a gun out of their pants and threaten someone else is unpredictable, there isn't any way to tell if they will shoot you or not...unless it is initiation time for some young and up and coming punk. In that case, someone will get shot, its just a matter of time and opportunity for them. I said all that as background for this, we practice weapon disarming (knife, gun, bat, stick) techniques and if he is standing close enough to you for a technique to work, we train to take'em out without getting hurt (as much as possible). Here are some tips... #1 the very first thing to do if you find yourself on the wrong end of a gun and you are close enough to execute a technique, is turn your body as fast as you can so that you present a small target rather than a large one (most people who shoot others don't take their guns to target ranges to practice shooting...which is why they miss all the time or shoot passers-by by accident). #2 as you turn your body sideways, simultaneously move to position your body as far away from the line of fire as possible, while extending your hand out to take control of the gun. Turning your body works well to get the bulk of it out of the way (if you get shot, being skimmed is FAR better than getting hit point blank in the body), but if you practice turning and moving out of the line of fire, you can coordinate your body to give yourself a good chance of accomplishing the mission... #3 if you control the hand, you control the weapon. A lot of Aikido techniques are good for this because the movements are circular, and slight modification of those techniques will retain effectiveness while keeping the gun from pointing at you. I would suggest purchasing a rubber gun to practice with at first because there are some techniquest where simple knowledge of body mechanics (trapping the finger within the finger well and breaking it) can CAREFULLY be practiced. We also train with the new pellet guns that have come out recently, because they are more realistic than paintball guns at seeing if one is fast enough to get out of the way before the trigger is pulled. It hurts a little (if you are wearing a thick gi), but when you can actually see that you aren't getting shot, it builds your confidence. (We only train with these guns for the first part of geting out of the line of fire, as after this some of the techniques end up in the gun flying through the air, and these pellet guns (that shoot plastic pellets) won't last too long after that treatment). #4 PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Disarming practice, as with any practice, simply increases your chances of not getting hurt, or not getting hurt as much as you would if you didn't practice. When it comes to any weapon, if it can be avoided, avoid it. The sad truth, however, is that sometimes people can't avoid them...so prepare as if it might happen tomorrow, and pray that it will never happen to you at all. Blessings!