joesteph

Congratulations! 3rd time's the charm!

When growing up, the cars first had no seat belts, then they were in the car but no one used them, and eventually more and more people, laws to wear them or not, began to use them regularly. What I don't follow, and as a teacher on the high school level, my classes are filled with teenagers who grew up with the emphasis on seat belts, is how so many teens simply don't use them. I don't give them a lecture about it; instead, I ask them why not. They don't really have an answer; in a sense, they haven't really thought about it, even if they've had driver's ed.

Thanks Bob! I've used the lesson-test successfully in class, so I guess you could say it's been "field tested."

It was brought up a few times in the movie Troy that Achilles would have his name remembered. Being immortalized is being kept alive in the minds of others, and it may be for reasons good or bad.

For me, it isn't so much a fear of death as what happens to those who are precious to me, still alive. My children are special needs, autistic spectrum. They are only nine years old and need as much support as possible. They really need me to advocate for them and my age is almost 59. I need my health as well as my life, if only for them. My parents are in their 80s. I can think of different times since they've turned seventy that I've brought one or the other to the hospital, and had to discuss their medical condition with doctors.

Congratulations, Lupin, on Member of the Month and your one-year anniversary!

I especially liked your answers to 5, 6, and 7, MasterPain. When you add in personal qualities, as you did at the end, well, that fuels the class discussion fire.

Thanks Jeffrey! Glad you enjoyed it!

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. As a teacher of psychology on the high school level, I have found it a pleasant surprise when what is studied in the textbook is found in real life. I have discovered that questions with neither a "right" nor a "wrong" answer, but a requirement to state one's views and explain them, are actually a refreshing challenge to the student and an eye-opener to the teacher. Students should understand what an authority figure is and be familiar with the 1961 Stanley Milgram Yale University experiment on the power of authority. They should also be familiar with the 1971 Philip Zimbardo Stanford University prison experiment concerning the power of the situation on individuals. This information may be found in the textbook or online and these two classics set the background necessary to be known in order to analyze what is based on real life occurrences in 2009 in a Karate class. There have been changes made in what the students read that do not alter what is observed and to be analyzed, both for the privacy of the individuals concerned and for better focus on the Milgram and Zimbardo connections. First and foremost, the students must read the following: Sparring On a Friday night, a male of age fifty-seven was participating in a Karate class, where he was a student with a belt level well below black belt. For our purposes, he will be called Eric. A tournament was to be held at another location that coming Sunday and, for the past week, the chief instructor, a woman of age twenty-five who possessed a master's level black belt, was readying students to compete in sparring. Sparring may be non-contact (closeness of a strike against an opponent), light contact, moderate and, in some cases, full contact. Matches in Eric's style of Karate are non-contact. Eric was not able to compete in this tournament due to family commitments, but still took part in all class activities. There were sparring exercises with a partner, then actual sparring between the partners. It was a very active class, students all training at the same time and the chief instructor had a male assistant instructor, age fifteen, a first degree black belt certified to assist, helping her conduct the class. However, the assistant was also participating in class activities. Eric discovered that he was repeatedly paired with another adult male student, age forty, with whom he had sparred before. For our purposes, he will be called Carl. Carl was also unable to compete in the tournament, as he had to work that Sunday. He had more Karate experience than Eric and, though he was not a black belt, he was three belt levels higher. It is common in Karate to have different belt levels work together. When Eric had sparred with him in the past, he noticed that Carl, who was quite a gentleman when doing the various Karate exercises, would be extra-aggressive when sparring. In this instance, instead of rotating sparring partners, as was the norm, the assistant instructor kept Eric and Carl training together. Carl kept escalating the intensity of the sparring sessions with Eric until he purposely made sparring contact with Eric. Carl did not apologize, although an apology in the form of a bow for even accidental contact is the norm for this Karate style. The verbal argument over this between the two ended when the chief instructor called all students together and reminded the class of the non-contact rule. As there was time left in class, the students formed a circle and each was given a number. The chief instructor called out two numbers and the students went to the middle of the circle and sparred for a half-minute. Then two more numbers/students were called out to replace them and so on. Eric noticed that his fellow students were much more excited than usual about sparring, although he did not think himself to be so. When Eric's number was called out, the other student turned out to be a twelve-year-old boy, an age that is permitted to attend adult classes if the chief instructor deems the student capable. For our purposes, the boy will be called Billy. Billy was two belt levels lower than Eric. It is standard for the higher belt to go easier when sparring with a lower belt and Eric had always gone especially easier with much younger students as this boy was. Eric's sparring consisted of blocking whatever punches and kicks Billy threw and moving around the circle without throwing any punches or kicks of his own, even though it was non-contact. Eric's movements steered Billy to the edge of the circle of students and Eric stopped just a few feet away, standing in a fighter's stance, within the circle. Eric heard the chief instructor call out his name from the other side of the circle and tell him "Throw a punch! A kick!" When she repeated his name and that he must act ("Don't just stand there!"), he felt that her voice was coming from right behind him. For Eric, time stood still, that the sparring time was not moving to finish the half-minute and he was very aware of the students in the circle looking at him. He had sparred with young students before and had thrown slow punches and kicks when he did, but this time he had no desire at all to throw either one at Billy. It did not occur to Eric to refuse, to back away from Billy, to return to his place in the circle of students or to turn to the chief instructor and excuse himself from class. Instead, when he heard her call out to him again ("Do something!"), he threw a strong right hook at the boy, which did fall short of Billy's face and so followed the non-contact rule. The chief instructor called out encouragement to Eric, who responded by moving forward, driving Billy completely out of the circle. When class ended, Eric felt upset, remaining so to various degrees throughout the weekend. It passed by the time he returned to class on Monday night. (End of assigned reading) Now that the students have read "Sparring," what follows below should be distributed to them for oral discussion or written responses. Milgram, Zimbardo and Karate Think of what an authority figure is and consider the 1961 Stanley Milgram Yale University experiment on the power of authority. Also recall the 1971 Philip Zimbardo Stanford University prison experiment concerning the power of the situation on individuals. As you have read "Sparring," think critically about the following: Belt ranks in Karate are earned, based on a series of performance tests that demonstrate a level of proficiency. Status and therefore authority are achieved, recognized by a simple symbol, a belt, and the concept of belt level. What is evident from the reading is that it is not based on age or gender. Note the ages of each person mentioned in the reading, as well as what position the person held in the belt hierarchy. Students not specifically mentioned in this Karate class would be a variety of ages and belt levels. Karate, as a martial art, is a fighting-based activity. Karate sparring is controlled fighting, meaning rules and there are different kinds of sparring based on different rules. In many ways, sparring is the sport side of Karate and so tournaments are held to receive recognition and awards. Understand that this is non-contact Karate, meaning that while contact could occur by accident, it must never be by intent. They must also realize that a tournament is a place of competition and, while competition itself can be exciting, one way of preparing for competition is to "get psyched." At this point, questions should be answered in writing, opening with the following: 1. Neither Eric nor Carl could make the tournament and so, in theory, had no stake in preparing for it. Did the upcoming competition have an effect on Carl anyway or was he being his usual self? Did the upcoming competition have an effect on Eric, or was he only reacting to Carl? Did the other students sparring in class, most or all of them likely to be in the tournament, have an effect on either or both of these men? 2. Did the instructor essentially handle the situation between Eric and Carl properly? An explanation of "essentially yes" or "essentially no" is in order. One consideration may (or may not) be that, although there are definite rules that apply to all students, and a hierarchy based on belt level, the ages of the students involved was a factor. It should be recognized that, when the circle of students was formed, the sparring setup was completely changed. The entire class was no longer sparring all at once, but two at a time in a kind of arena, with the entire class and chief instructor in particular looking on directly. 3. Eric believed the students had grown in excitement in this new setting. Assuming there was already a measure of excitement during the sparring that had occurred before the circle was formed, what would be a plausible explanation for this? It should be noted that he was speaking of other students, not himself and not the chief instructor. Could he have been mistaken about himself or the instructor, or was it unlikely? 4. Billy's age was a factor in Eric's mind and so his sparring, but the chief instructor had included Billy in with the adult class due to his qualifications. Was Eric expressing disagreement with the instructor's decision by his repeatedly blocking, but not striking at, Billy? 5. Note that the chief instructor not only called out to Eric that he must throw a strike, but that Eric's name was called out first, and then she pressed that he must act. What effect do you think this had on Eric? What effect (e.g., none, minor, annoying, disorienting, compelling) do you think the other students in the circle, none mentioned to be calling out his name or what to do, had on him? 6. How would you explain Eric's lack of ability to think of simple, non-disruptive, ways to extricate himself from the situation? Why do you think he expressed no thoughts of anger against the instructor, who placed demands on him? When Eric threw a punch at Billy, his strike did not make contact, following the non-contact sparring rule of the school. Billy was never in danger of being harmed so long as the rule, which all had been reminded of before sparring within the arena of the circle, was adhered to. 7. Why do you think Eric had such a terrible time of throwing a punch or kick against Billy, since he had, in the past, thrown token strikes when sparring with young students? 8. Once Eric had thrown the right hook, he had complied with the instructor's demand. She made no more demands on him, instead opting for encouragement. What is encouragement? How do you account for him continuing his attack against Billy when it would seem that he had complied with her demand? 9. Draw a semi-circle rather than a straight-line continuum for visualization. At the far left, place a dot; do the same on the far right. Draw two more dots on each side, meaning three on the left, three on the right and so no dot appears at the apex of the semi-circle continuum. Label the farthest left dot "completely overreacted," the next dot "overreacted" and the next "somewhat overreacted." Match the right side with "completely justified," "justified" and "somewhat justified." Where would you place Eric's upset weekend and why? Conclusion At this point, a written paragraph by the psychology student weaving Milgram/the power of authority and Zimbardo/the power of the situation with these Karate class occurrences is the logical conclusion to this study. Closing Remarks It is my sincerest wish that both students and teachers enjoy this combination of psychology with Karate. Millions of students are very familiar with martial arts and so this should prove to be quite relevant as a social psychology project.

This quote from Shi Yan Ming is interesting: I do not teach my students to block. They just practice punching because . . . the best defense is offense. When Shaolin students practice their punches, they start with both fists in front of their cheeks but slightly to the side. As one fist moves forward, the other remains stationary to defend the face and chest. Then the most important concept comes into play: As the second fist strikes, the first fist must move backward simultaneously and in perfect harmony. Thus, the block and the punch are always there and always not there, for they are one. That is the true meaning of timing. It come from Black Belt: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/learn-shaolin-strikes-with-superhumans-star-shi-yan-ming/archives/923

An interesting article on the US Navy's railgun, which I recall goes all the way back to President Reagan's Star Wars initiative. He spoke of using different devices like this in space, but though it's not been developed that way, it packs a wallop. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/12/12/2010-12-12_navys_scifi_railgun_breaks_record_for_most_powerful_gun_on_the_planet_video.html BTW, a railgun was used in Transformers 2 and, sure enough, fired from a US Navy ship, a destroyer.

Congratulations to the award winners!

You didn't fail the first two attempts, you didn't pass. There's a difference in that you made a sincere effort each time. Good luck!

Rent it and enjoy it, ichigotora. The name The Karate Kid was just for promotional purposes, especially since you'll find similarities with the original. She doesn't know it now, but our (for my boys and me) teacher will be receiving a copy from us as a Xmas present, and we study a Korean art, Soo Bahk Do. (Last year it was Kung Fu Panda--and another Kung Fu Panda is coming out in 2011.)

I first trained in the straight lead and roundhouse ("hook") kick in JKD, Jay. Then it became lead and rear hand punches, and front kick that turned into a side kick at extension. We did evading and parrying against punches just as I ended my JKD time (injured elbow). If you teach someone to establish a fence, you've taught someone defensive first--even if it's not the same as a block, parry, whatever. Incidentally, the JKD instructor who had us working away at parrying told us that the ideal would be to do what Lee was able to do. He could strike his opponent before the parry actually touched his opponent's punching arm.

What made you choose this school in the first place, Jay? Had you observed any classes first? Is it a small school, catering to the needs of the large simply b/c of its size? Have you thought of trying another school, even if it means traveling time? A friend of mine who studies Judo is in a school of students of different sizes. There's usually someone reasonably within weight range. It's only human to want to win at least once in a while.

Could you tell me where exactly I found find more information on this? You might find this YouTube video useful, Adamo:

The instructor is free to say that she hasn't asked for a separate place to change, even though there's a closet there, doesn't voice any objection to the males changing in front of her, and being coached to get out almost sounds like he's trying to get rid of her b/c she wants to stay while they do change. (I'm not saying you do, Lupin.) As she herself has said, she makes a joke when someone drops his pants in front of her, instead of telling him off. I read your post that responded to my concerns, Lupin, and though you want to be "one of the guys," there are limits. They did it this way for ten years? Welcome to today's reality, guys. Adjust! Who's the smartest student in the dojang/dojo? The guy who changes in the closet. It can never be said that he changes in front of a female student, thereby causing her discomfort or embarrassment.

I realize this is tangental to the OP, but you have a right to a place of privacy to change, Lupin. I don't know whether to call this disrespectful or plain old social stupidity on the part of others, and you do have the right to bring this up to your instructor. Don't worry about "rocking the boat"; if your instructor has your best interests at heart, he (I doubt it's a she) will accommodate. And if someone decides to drop his pants with you present, tell him off right then and there. Loud.

My boys went through three incidents at their school last academic year, and they were only in second grade. It seems that kids who are special needs are often targets. I live in NJ. In After-Care, they fought off a boy who started a fight by coming up behind them and scratching the backs of their necks. They learned anti-bully fighting from their karate teacher. Neosporin was put on the scratch marks, the boy who started it was suspended (at that grade level, not permitted to eat with the other children for the rest of the week), and he kept away from them for the rest of the year. In the schoolyard, a large boy (with whom my children once had play dates with, but he started fights at those times) and his friend went up to my sons to taunt them. My boys yelled at them to stop and stormed off--just as their karate teacher had taught them. They weren't followed, I found out about it, and the aides in the schoolyard were then watchful to prevent a reoccurrance. If they had been followed, they were resolved to defend themselves; if the aides didn't become watchful and it happened again, they were prepared to go to the next level. At lunch time, one of the students from another class who was sitting with friends behind my sons started taunting David. He stood up and yelled at her to stop. When her friends at her table chimed in, Patrick stood up and yelled at them to stop. Aides came over before a fight--which my boys would have done to defend themselves--occurred, the children at that table were put on suspension (the same system of not being permitted to eat lunch with the other children for the rest of the week), and a letter from the principal was sent home to each child's parent. All of this happened during the second grade. My children have not been targeted in school by anyone this year in third grade. I disagree with the Illinois law, or perhaps its intepretation. (Don't like it? Your child's being punished for self-defense? Get a lawyer. I'm prepared to do it.) Those lawmakers are likely presenting "zero tolerance" and justifying injustice with "Sometimes the innocent must suffer with the guilty." Baloney.

It seems that I'm looking at: - The experiences one attains while on their MA journey? in a personal way, especially since I see the word "journey" in the question. When we say "experiences," are we speaking of what one encounters as one's life's experiences, particularly in the MA world, or honing martial arts skills?

I voted for the experience. For me, it's sharing with my children (father-sons) and enjoying myself. There are actually relatively few techniques someone needs for self-defense. When I felt the MA I've been concentrating on with my boys didn't give me the experiences I wanted, I worked another MA into my schedule, even if it cut into my first MA's time. I've returned to the original, to continue to share with my children and just study for enjoyment. There's a topic I once posted called Knowledge-based Training. Maybe there should be a topic called Enjoyment-based Training.

I understand that if you click on this link and don't have Facebook, you can still access the photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=352382&l=5a3917f158&id=100000928483076

I'm not familiar with compression shorts. I do see that a cup is made to wear with it, but I can't tell from the photo if this cup "goes underneath," which is like the one I wear for additional protection. Are compression shorts special for MMA? Do compression shorts cups cover front and under?

It's more in your mind than in your training. Much training is art, not self-defense, but there are aspects of training, the simple punch and kick, that are what you really need. Don't punch a heavy bag, punch a BOB with intent to break the nose. Do at least light-to-moderate contact when sparring. Take a second martial art that will give you perspective, even if it means cutting into your present training. I did when I added to non-contact Soo Bahk Do to do (self-defense oriented) Vee Arnis Jiu Jitsu for about six weeks, Jeet Kune Do for over two months, and attended a sparring school (Universal Warrior) for two months. The last school taught me the most, and I left only b/c of health reasons. I'm again studying non-contact Soo Bahk Do, but I do it as a connection with my children (I want them to study non-contact now that they're so young, age 9) and something to do--an activity. I continue to attack the BOB I have at home with techniques I wouldn't use in the dojang, or would have to use with restraint. The more humanlike the target, the more likely you are to fight, as brought out in On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. When you walk down the street, or attend a carnival, or even just sit in a McDonald's, see who is near you and ask yourself how you would take him. You're not attacking, but you are readying psychologically. You only have to need to be able to use this "plan" once to know it was worth all the times you didn't do a thing but think. Do you know how to establish a defensive perimeter by a "fence"? If not, check into it. Keep your posture straight, and whenever your eyes meet another man's, and you feel you're looking at one another too long, don't ever break eye contact by looking down. Look to the side, even to the side and back again. Horizontal remains strong. Looking down is submissive. I believe it's the old story of "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."