joesteph

According to the article, his name is included in the new release, identified by playing a portion backwards. I remember the Beatles having had clues (references?) to Paul's "death" by doing the same thing. A head game going on here?

I received my copy of The Little Black Book of Violence by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder today, and am on "Section One: Before Violence Occurs." On p. 72, there's a story of how Wilder de-escalated a situation, so there was no fight. This was brought up by the authors: Win or lose, if it came to physical blows, Wilder would have been in serious trouble. If he beat the other guy down, the fact that Wilder was a black belt would undoubtedly have come out in court, dramatically increasing the odds that he would lose a criminal and/or civil trial. Do you know someone with a black belt who had to use self-defense, and the belt was focused on in court? Perhaps something was made of it to his/her detriment? Do you know someone who has/had a brown or (as in my art) red belt, viewed as someone approaching black, and it was brought out in court as above?

For those familiar with the Carly Simon song, "You're So Vain," which she sang about four decades ago but has been played and replayed as a classic oldie, she's finally identified who he is in an offbeat way. I remember being in college at the time, and some of us thought she was referring to Hugh Hefner and his playboy (Playboy?) lifestyle but, after college, the consensus of those I knew thought it was Warren Beatty, with whom she'd been romantically involved. I'm actually disappointed at who he is, because I couldn't have guessed him, let alone their actual relationship. Here's the MSN article at: http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=485058&GT1=28102

Couldn't agree more, Its KARATE, therefore there is gonna be contact, if that person don't like it, then she shouldn't be doing karate. I believe I understand where you're coming from, Lupin and Throwdown, in that you've chosen dojos/dojangs where contact, likely moderate to fairly strong contact, is permitted--even expected. Perhaps you've even chosen where you train because it's more like the "real deal" when it comes to self-defense. But there are many people who do not want that contact, yet are interested in martial arts. My children take Soo Bahk Do, which is non-contact, and I've found that the adults I train with (keeping me ahead of my eight-year-olds so I can assist them) don't want contact either. For such persons, like the woman referred to in the OP, it's probably better for them to take such an art and enjoy the health benefits, as in balance, coordination, cardio, and even the aesthetics of performing kata/hyungs. To be clear as to how I see it, though, the woman who was referred to had to have been made aware of the contact facet of training in that school before she signed on the dotted line, so her reaction has me wondering "What was she thinking?" when she did sign up. When my boys grow older, I'd like to see about light and possibly light-to-moderate contact somehow being incorporated into their martial arts training. A friend who's trained in judo since she was in grade school (and is now twenty-two) has me interested in judo for them, or jujitsu (Vee Arnis JJ is offered in my town), and there's even wrestling in the school system. The grappling arts are all "contact" if you think about it, whether by males or females.

What protective gear are you wearing? When you say "full contact," do you simply mean "contact" but it's actually supposed to be light-moderate, such as light to the face but moderate to the torso? Difficulty breathing and a deviated septum, which my sister had after an accident, go hand-in-hand, and an operation becomes necessary. What oversight is going on in the dojo/dojang that's protecting the students? Is this black belt someone who's comfortable with using lower belts for target practice? You can talk with him and/or speak with your teacher. You're not getting someone "into trouble" if he's doing it right, especially a black belt, and you're not showing yourself as not being up to the task if you're a white belt. For all you know, he wouldn't pull this on another black belt because he'll get back as good as he gave--meaning some shots to his nose and the deviated septum concern.

Frankly, Tony, the way he demonstrates the side thrust kick is an aid for me for the back kick. I think that there's a correlation between executing the two.

In the latest (April 2010) issue of Black Belt magazine, under "News," this appears on p. 24: Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, 57, volunteered to join the national judo team after easily dispatching several members during a practice session. It's come up in the past, I think last year, that Putin does have a black belt in judo, and has even published. It would make for some interesting international matches if he did join the team.

You have a job already and are looking at a lot of part-time work. Hmmm . . . In this economy, it's "Dr. Frank & Mr. Lucky."

Sounds like you're psyched for training, Quinteros. Good luck!

Welcome to the forums, Mark! Since you study Tang Soo Do, have you ever visited Master Constantino Terrigno's site, Tang Soo Do World, at: http://www.tangsoodoworld.com It's not the same setup as KarateForums, but it's a great site for articles, videos of techniques, etc.

Well said, Tony. One of the freshmen I taught last year had earned her black belt in TKD while in grade school, and then became interested in Extreme Martial Arts during eighth grade. It continued into ninth grade, when she was my student, but then she dropped martial arts altogether in favor of joining dance troupe, a year-long co-curricular activity. I wonder if those who choose to concentrate on XMA are more interested in a "fine arts" interpretation of martial arts than its self-defense applications, even though they very likely started training with the latter emphasis.

I received the February issue of Iain Abernethy's newsletter, and one of its sections contains a link to a video interview with Lawrence A. Kane, one of the authors of The Little Black Book of Violence: Getting Smart About Fighting Right. I enjoyed the video interview and ordered the book from Amazon.com. Here's the link from the newsletter to PJTV: http://www.pjtv.com/video/Ask_Dr_Helen/The_Little_Black_Book_of_Violence%3A_Getting_Smart_About_Fighting_Right/2953/

Hi Jeff! Welcome to KarateForums! I'm sure your teacher believes in you, that you're ready for testing. That's one way to "keep your cool," to know you're supported. Good luck with the orange belt test!

No margin for error: http://www.sonnyradio.com/chrisbliss.html

When I studied Tai Chi, I spoke with a friend who was also studying it but in a different school. He told me how his sifu would also perform it as the mirror image. When my friend showed me what he was doing/imitating, I started to do the same. It actually made me more interested in the form I was practicing, and when I helped another student, I did it mirror image. Interestingly, my sifu never did do it that way. My Soo Bahk Do teacher will do forms and even block and strike combos as the mirror image. So does her own teacher when she guest instructs us. It's often used for the children's classes more than for adults, but some adults rely on it to get started. When we do one-step sparring exercises, they're done, say, first blocking with the left and striking with the right, etc., and then blocking with the right and then striking with the left, etc. I wish we did self-defense moves that way regularly; it's only if there's some free time, such as before class starts or at the end of the night, that we can practice mirror image moves. I believe it's because there's a pressure factor on her regarding getting so much in to meet testing requirements. That's why I think of "knowledge-based training"; it's something like this (do the mirror as well as the required) that might not be tested until you're seeking a promotion to dan level, but it's great to know before going that far in your studies. Wouldn't it be great to know all (or selected) forms the mirror image way?

Great job, Shawn! Congratulations! I'll bet you devoured that spaghetti dinner celebration Sensei made afterwards.

Many (Most?) people "Don't want to get involved" or don't think it's their place to intervene, thinking, "Somebody should do something." What's been discovered in social psychology is a numerical factor, that the more people present when there's a situation calling for help, the less chance there is for help to be given. The classic study is the murder of Kitty Genovese, and the term "bystander effect" applies here. If there were just one security guard present, instead of three to diffuse responsibility among them, while it isn't definite that there would have been intervention, the chance of that guard intervening is higher. There were other people present, making up an onlooking but not intervening crowd, but I'd say that they deferred to the authority figures present, the security guards.

When I looked up Adrenal Stress on the Internet, DWx, I found it as a negative: From "What Is Adrenal Stress?" at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-adrenal-stress.htm Adrenal stress is also commonly known as adrenal fatigue. . . . From a biological standpoint, sources of stress are danger, fear, [and] outside attackers . . . The brain becomes more active . . . When the stress or threat is over, the adrenal glands release their hormones to lower the heart rate and drop the blood pressure level, allowing the body to relax and recharge. . . . If the adrenal glands are under-performing, the body remains in a heightened state of stress. Over a period of time, the person becomes anxious, tired and prone to depression. There's more info at "The Adrenal/Thyroid Connection": http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/shamesadrenal.htm I've never read Quinn's books, but I still have two VHS tapes of his, so he's familiar to me. His RMCAT (Rocky Mountain Combat Applications Training) facility is what's referred to in the article on p. 38. In one of the Quinn tapes that I have, "Self-Defense Against the Sucker Puncher," I remember well that he pointed out how form "breaks down" when in an actual situation. He emphasized that if form isn't right when practicing, then it'll break down to nothing when you need it. That's the closest I can see in terms of large movements becoming smaller and there's adrenaline pumping. It makes me think of how in Tai Chi so many times people refer to the movements as circular. In a past discussion with a friend of mine who took Tai Chi, he concluded that the movements are actually "straight" for self-defense, but for flow they're practiced "circular." I told him I think they're performed as an ellipse. That would cut corners (make "smaller") on a circular ("large") motion.

Hi Scott! Welcome to the Forums!

Eleven kata, partner exercises, etc. over a four-hour time period. That's not a test, that's an exam! With a black belt as the brass ring, I can see how you're nervous and yet excited at the same time. Good luck, Shawn!

And I find this very true! . . . And don't forget, without setting a good and deep foundation (mastering basics), how would you expect a tall building to be stable? My teacher is away visiting family, and her teacher has taken over our classes recently. There've been just three kicks that she's concentrated on with us, the front kick, roundhouse, and the back kick. It's not just the firing off of the kicks, but the execution includes rapid return. She's also had us work at chaining them, and so it's been firing off, returning the leg, firing off the next (different) one, etc. Her focus has been a combo of doing it right and speed. Although she's explained about receiving points in tournaments, these three are just about all one needs in an actual altercation. When it comes to the "flashy" kicks, the younger set has a blast with them. I say good for them. Let them have fun. Let them enjoy themselves. So long as when we practice self-defense exercises it's explained and they understand that the basic kicks are the most practical, then they're being taught right. BTW, for me, a jump kick doesn't go anywhere when it comes to altitude, but it does work for me when it's a hop and I want to cover distance. As for spinning kicks . . . well . . . middle-agers like me get dizzy pretty quickly.

It's a Mountain Dew commercial that features a student working hard to master a martial arts exercise that demonstrates speed. I got the heads up on it from Tang Soo Do World ( http://www.tangsoodoworld.com ). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUiTQ_56Tw Clever ending. ~ Joe

This news link was posted on another martial arts site, and the video is very complete, from crime to "just standing there" security to a police spokesman explaining the situation. http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2010/02/11/rickslist.seattle.beating.cnn It's followed by a video that says there were four arrests--after the terrible beating.

I felt this fit under the heading of Strategies and Tactics. Tonight I was at a McDonald's with my eight-year-olds, and we were sitting by a window. Someone from another table called out that there was a fight in the street. Two burly men were going at it, a car stopped, and a man who got out appeared to be identifying himself as a police officer. One of the men took off, but the other stood there and took off his jacket. The officer pulled out his gun. Some teenagers were nearby and wanted to go outside; I called to them to stay inside, that there's a gun drawn. My boys were safely behind me as I backed us away from the window. We were still able to watch the officer order the challenger to lie down on the street, and then came the handcuffs. More than one police car did come by right then and the arriving officers took over. Those teenagers weren't my children, but they didn't belong going out to where a gun was drawn, even if it's an officer of the law holding it. Backing my children away made me feel that if a shot did go off, we weren't pressed up right against the glass in case it entered.

If I might refer to it from my own experience, Conrad, the bright spot is that at least you have contact sparring. My sparring is non-contact, so I got into a load of trouble in the past (from white belt [10th gup] to orange [8th gup]), not for contact but for being too aggressive. I know that "too" may seem odd, especially when it's non-contact, but it does turn out that the adults who take Soo Bahk Do with me really want sparring to be sports-oriented, not a form of self-defense. To my teacher's credit, she does include truly self-defense exercises every so often, which isn't in the official curriculum, but these are things that I believe she learned (and is still learning) from her studies in Vee Arnis JuJitsu. You obviously have the skill, the technique, and are working on the emotional. I can tell from your last post that you're making headway. It's possible that an admonition to you may actually be meant to be heard by your sparring partner, who might be apprehensive about sparring with you. If your senpai seems to be talking to both of you while supposedly directing his caution to just you, the possibility is more plausible.