joesteph

I understand what Tallgeese is saying about what the drug was, how long ago it occurred . . . This man is 48, and he spent 18 months in prison starting in 2006, when he was likely 45. He can't say he was young and did something foolish. It had to have been a relatively serious drug charge, and he hasn't been out of prison very long. I don't think conviction never came up, in that application forms routinely include the question, "Were you ever convicted . . . ?" I lean towards that he would have simply checked off "No" and didn't expect it to be discovered. It could be that he's out on parole and that's how his past was revealed, but the article doesn't go into what caused the news reporter to contact those in charge of the program. An acquaintance of mine was convicted of shoplifting more than a decade ago and was sentenced to perform community service, so she's got a record, and it's interfered with her being hired for certain jobs.

As DWx pointed out, Conrad, clenching the teeth isn't necessarily something negative. If you haven't got a mouthpiece to depend on, you can have teeth clash within your mouth so that one chips the other. It can happen while sparring, but it can also happen if holding a kick shield and the way a strong kick may strike that shield can mean a pop of the lower jaw against the upper. I think that hard clenching, so that you're "working" the jaw muscles, reflects stress. If you're clenching whether striking, blocking, or just in motion, using a "snug" clench at all times, you're protecting your teeth. If you clench hard as you strike, then it's likely excessive effort, perhaps the stress of wanting to respond well, or the feeling that you're in an actual fight rather than with friends--fellow martial artists in your dojo/dojang whom you can trust. For me, even though sparring in my art is non-contact, my blocks were hard, hard as strikes, and I had to concentrate on not hammering my sparring partner's limbs. I found that some easy-going sparring allowed me to concentrate on watching the power and become used to greater control when sparring with more spirit.

Congratulations on staying with it, Nanook, and coming through for the promotion.

I think ability comes in first, Bob, at least for me. If I can't execute the kick properly, or find it cumbersome to perform, I'll rely on the kick I'm certain of by past experience. No matter how effective a kick can be, the question remains if it can be executed with proficiency by the kicker. Of course I don't mean not to practice a variety of kicks, and what may be awkward today might be a natural tomorrow by way of practice. If sparring against a lower belt, or someone who likes to take it easy when sparring, I'll try a kick or kick combo that I wouldn't normally use, just to feel it out and get practice in an action setting.

Interesting application, Montana, in that the emphasis in the Korean arts is high kicking, and the crescent kick is often pressed to be used against the head, my teacher being broader-based in that she will emphasize the axe kick version. Then again, my art has non-contact sparring, so in a tournament an attack against the opponent's collar bone (which she advises) wouldn't hit anyway--but receive a point reward. Those of us whose kicks aren't anywhere near the opponent's head often just don't use it, and a strike to the thighs is usually done with a roundhouse. To the knees is not acceptable as there could be accidental contact in what is the sport (through tournament) aspect. I wonder if a crescent kick to the thighs would be a surprise to the opponent when sparring? An outside-inside crescent kick (picture the right leg kicking from the right side of your body over to your left) could rechamber into a side kick position from which to execute that side kick. The one-step sparring exercise that is required is for the crescent kick to be relatively high; in sparring, there's no reason why it can't be lower and still perform the follow-up side kick.

I've been doing the crescent kick two ways for quite some time now, one called the outside-inside and the other called inside-outside. Essentially, that just means how it crosses a path in front of your body when executed. My teacher has introduced it to us in two ways, one that is more of a sweeping motion across the width of your shoulders, and the other as an axe kick to drop onto the opponent's collar bone. My bane has been the jump and spinning versions, which I see as part of the art, but usefulness limited to sport in the form of tournaments. It's included in one-step sparring exercises, with the spinning version having come up in my green belt requirements.

Congratulations, Conrad. I remember when I became the equivalent in my art, green belt starting at 6th gup, that I was concerned about how well I did, but my teacher, like your sensei, was very positive.

Interesting, George, because it's a required one-step sparring for me in Soo Bahk Do. Your partner throws the lunge punch, but that, to me, is just part of training to focus on something. The crescent kick is thrown and completes (I'd say w/o necessarily hitting) as a chambered side kick, which is then fired off to the midsection. In the one-step sparring exercise, the side kick lands in front to go for a strike to the face. I think if he's hit in the gut his reaction will likely open that up.

I like this form, which is called Pyung Ahn E Dan in Soo Bahk Do. It had been a requirement for my teacher when she was in the gup levels, but it was recently moved by the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan to dan level. I asked her why, and it was because certain forms ("Chil Sung"--"Seven Star") created by the founder, Grandmaster Hwang Kee, are to be given special emphasis in the gup levels, so this is one of the changes that was made. She did teach it to me even though I'm at gup level, and I practiced it tonight before class in a free area of the dojang so as not to forget it. It's funny how Blade happened to ask about it on the same night. To me, thinking applications, the return that was asked about is the best part of the form.

When I took classes in JKD, my instructor explained to me that Lee really focused on the individual, not a "one size fits all" (or "one way for everybody") approach. The examples he gave were of Ted Wong and Bob Bremer, certainly much different men in size. While Wong's size allowed him to perform certain locks and takedowns with dexterity, Bremer was such a large man that he'd have to work at getting his opponent into those positions, and if it's a true adversary, that training just wouldn't be used. JKD tries to be as practical as possible regarding the practitioner, and I was introduced to it as a striking-oriented art.

Welcome to the Forums!

At the MSNBC news videos page: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=34933697 one of the videos has the title, "Bar owner beats up would-be robbers." It's self-defense against a man and a woman set out to rob him, and the woman is more violent than the man she's with. It was captured by a video camera in the bar.

Iain Abernethy sent a link by email regarding one of his new DVDs, the link focusing on his interpretion of the end segment of a kata, Seishan/Hangetsu. If you go to the blog: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/ you can watch him pick certain movements apart. One is that there's a misinterpretation of a crescent kick, that it's actually a low strike, not a high one, and the other is that what appears to be protecting the groin is actually dealing with an opponent about to seize your leg. I'm presently learning a form that contains the latter move, the one that does seem like a groin block, and Abernethy's interpretation reminds me of a move I'd practiced in self-defense JJ.

I like Tallgeese's post, Dangerous, and I have to agree with his first point of room. Since you're asking about home training equipment, I'd say it depends on whether you live in an apartment or not. Punching bags, whether WaveMaster, hanging, or BOB, make a ton of noise for the neighbors. If that's not a problem, such as access to a basement, then I think of the two I have, a WaveMaster and a BOB. I use my living room for forms and there is some backing up, but it's not so bad. If you do get a BOB, you have to have hand protection. The irregularity of the facial features can skin your knuckles when doing repeated, especially rapid, punches to the "face." If you skin your knuckles, you'll have to wait till they heal to use equipment at home or in the dojo/dojang. I learned the hard way that all I need is some inexpensive cloth gloves to protect my knuckles while I pound BOB's face into dog meat.

If I'm thinking of the "all rounder" you mentioned correctly, DWx, that's probably the best one can be. S/he doesn't follow a pattern that can be used against him or her. You and mr_obvious sound very much like all rounders or working towards that goal from your descriptions.

If you've seen either "Sherlock Holmes" or "The Book of Eli," what do you think of the martial arts sequences? With Holmes, it was the thought process before the execution, and with Eli it was the long blade. Feasible or just Hollywood?

In the new (March 2010) issue of Black Belt, there's an article titled "Peer Into the Crystal Ball" on p. 80+. In particular, on p. 82, there's a list under Pattern Signals that I found interesting: The person who punches but seldom kicks (or vice-versa)The person who charges in with punch (or kick) combinations The person who counters with kicks (or with punches) The person who kicks with his lead leg (or with his rear leg) The person who always attacks with the same side of his body The person who uses only spinning techniquesAs I see it, the article is for those who regularly spar with certain fellow students in the dojo/dojang, and for those who enter tournaments, where they have the opportunity to watch to-be-opponents before their match. It can even be that a friend's made some observations about a potential opponent and has passed them on to you. I think the most common of the six mentioned would be the one who kicks but seldom punches, should it be in the Korean arts. Second, which I imagine might be in any of the martial arts, would be the one who regularly attacks with the same side of his/her body. EDIT: I found I can "bullet" the list if I put [ * ] (w/o spaces) in front of each under [ list ] and before [ / list ]. I didn't use the backslash command [ / * ] at the end of the lines.

Hi Chris! Welcome to Karate Forums!

Welcome to KF, Jeffrey. My boys started Soo Bahk Do just as they were about to turn seven, and some months later I began to take lessons. It really is a fun family activity.

One of the kicks we do is like a donkey kick. I remember a self-defense lesson my teacher was working on with us that included this kick, and the position of the defender was so close that she said it was likely to go no more than groin high but be powerful enough. Speaking with the assistant instructor at the time, I learned from him that just a bit of distance more, still close, and that donkey kick would wind up in the assailant's lower midsection. It's not that we were discouraged from looking, but a glance while turning your back to the opponent was all you needed to know you were going to make hard contact. And I think Liddell was making the point that once he fires off the kick, he's committed to it; he's not going to try (or be able) to stop it in midflight if the opponent moves.

I'm interested in seeing it and giving it a chance. A remake that's very much like the original risks being panned with repeated comparisons. I remember when "The Odd Couple," a show that was a classic that had two white men as leads, was brought back with two black men as the leads. But it was a remake of each episode, like a reshoot with different actors who happened to be of different races from the originals. It didn't last, and I wonder what would have happened if a new (fresh?) series of episodes had been filmed.

Found it, Chitsu! I didn't realize it meant "Good evening" in Japanese. Just learned something new.

Hi Chitsu. Welcome to the Forums. "Konbanwa"? Sounds interesting.

New Credit Card Scam Snopes.com says this is true. http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. The scam works like this: Caller: 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA (or MasterCard). My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in Arizona?' When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'. The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card and ask for Security.' You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?' Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers.' There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?' After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do,' and hangs up. What the scammers want is the 3 or 4 digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA and MasterCard will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 or 4 digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

I think this is the way to go. When I took self-defense JJ, I was shoved at the shoulder by an angry-looking partner, and I adjusted quite well to it, well enough to grow aggressively (but not to harm my partner!) in my response. We did this a number of times, and soon reached the point at which he really "meant" those shoves. I admit it didn't reach the level Kuma refers to, but the idea, as I see it, was to introduce me to the first step before moving to the second. In self-defense exercises that my Soo Bahk Do teacher has us do from time to time, and to which there are different responses to the same shove, I've told my partners to make them good ones. I'm really that desensitized that I don't want them holding back.