humble monk

Been there. We had a mixed class and paired up by rank. The kid I wound up with was 3 feet shorter than me. Though inconvenient, when we would have belts awarded, he would push to the front of the line to congratulate me.

Portable stereo with Kenny G CD. Won't kill, but none would dare approach me, either.

I have to say in all seriousness, I view youth as having the disadvantage. I have sparred, and smoked, guys half my age in class. I find it humorous when the new guys eat a kick because they underestimated my flexibility, or when they get tossed with my"fossil strength". In all seriousness, sometimes the self control that comes with maturity far exceeds the energy of youth in effectiveness. In every Shaw Brothers movie I've ever seen, you really didn't want to mess with the white haired guy. Think about it.

I think it's important to note that handguns have a less than stellar success rate of killing targets, which is why people prefer (on the whole) shotguns for home defense. And let's face it, the fireballs we learn to throw at 5th gup are more powerful than shotguns.

It would be an interesting staring contest.

Bushido Man, allow me to ask this : I see you are involved with SCA. I have some Korean sword, and a little Japanese sword, but qualified instructors are rare in my area. I've had a passion for swordsmanship since I was a child. Does the SCA teach sword? I sought out a chapter in my area, they occaisioally do demonstrations, would a membership be a worthwhile? And what is involved? Thanks!

Excellent tactic!

Ever wonder why pretty much every form (kata, hyung) starts with a block? All those sparring drills begin with an adversary punching you? And don't forget, it's impossible to escape the wrist grab until they actually grab your wrist. I believe it means we aren't supposed to use our skills except in our defense. Whether it applies today, I don't know. But perhaps, it should apply now more than ever.

I believe in accupuncture, and have seen it work. I believe Dim Mak is accupuncture/ accupressures evil twin. If unclogging a chi meridian makes your headache go away, couldn't damaging it cause some sort of ill effect? That said, I have picked up a collection of tricks that to the uninitiated could seem mystical. Most of us have. I can escape a headlock and floor my aggressor with two fingers and no effort. Chi? No. Body mechanics? Yes. Should I use this to further lead non-MA people into believing that we are magicians with lethal skills and death touches? Only if I want to put money above the integrity of the arts I love. I belive there is alot to Dim Mak, but not in the sense of what it has come to be understood to be.

In spite of the skills/ lack of skills argument, Tito drew attention to the sport during a critical time in its development. The common guy might order the pay-per-view because Tito is exciting, or to see Tito get his tail whipped, but he ordered the show. Many of the fighters today are technically better, but lack the "outrageous factor" that will draw viewers and keep the sport alive.

Interestingly, I find myself identifying with different characters from the film as I get older.

Chicken or egg? Somebody created styles we recognize today, and whoever originally created that style couldn't have an instructor.

I've never been asked to leave my hands at the airport. I've never been arrested for feet possesion. I've never had to buy bullets for my elbows. Following the friends train of thought, the arts never would have been born, because swords existed. And yet somebody felt compelled to create the systems in spite of swords. Self defense is not the only facet of the arts.

Been to a Superfoot seminar, best $50 I've ever spent. While anyone can learn from it, if you are an advanced kick-oriented practitioner, he will open concepts to you that will make everything you've learned suddenly make sense. Beyond that, he's the nicest, funniest guy you would ever want to meet. Stayed way past his time to take pictures, sign autographs, answer questions, etc. I really can't say enough nice things about this guy.

I've tried to do 2 similar styles at the same time, and the similarities became the problem. I would confuse classes, use school #1 technique at school#2, and it got to be a mess, with instructors looking confused. I think two completely different styles at the same time works out better.

I've seen more than one tournament competitor get a point on a non existent technique by using the kiai appropriately. Look for the judge with the stiff, shiny new belt, shoot in, scream like you never have before, and you might get the point, as well as a confused look from your opponent. On a related theme, is there a story behind the unique Bruce Lee kiai?

I'm not even sure what black belt means anymore. To the general public, I suppose it means mastery, to me it has come to mean a super-expensive test fee.

The most difficult part of sparring in class is remebering that this is a tool for learning, not so much a competition. Keep the learning mindset for class, save the competition mindset for the tournaments. Most importantly, have fun with it.

As I started doing tournaments, I started to whittle down my arsenal quickly to about 5 techniques. Funny thing was, the ones that I thought were my best were the first to go, and the ones I didn't really like were my "go-to" moves. Strange.

I would agree with bagwork. As for the adrenaline dump, I would spar all day at the dojang with no ill effect, but I was so pumped at the first tournament I ever did that I was useless after the first match. I won the first, but immediately had to fight again, and felt like my pads were made of lead. So I'd say there is something to it.

Just have fun with it, and use it as a learning experience. At my first one, I spent the time I wasn't competing talking to different schools and watching other divisions, and learned quite a bit. Good luck!

Those are the ones. A long way from the junk that cornered the market for so long. The first pair I ever owned I mail ordered, one blade was loose and pivoted freely. I just knew if I swung it, it would fall apart and injure the neighbor, so to the trash bin they went. The Chens are gorgeous.

I am with Zanshin. For Iaido purposes, I would actually go with an aluminum sword, as constant drawing, if done improperly, dulls the blade and wears the scabbard, sometimes dangerously so. If you stick with it, or simply must have a battle ready sword, Hanwei has improved their quality alot recently. I've heard excellent things about Cheness, as well. If you have a passion for sword, check out Bugei. I will never be able to afford one, but I like to drool over the pictures.

Saw a video somewhere of guys with European swords cutting MASSIVE tatami mats. Ridiculously effective, changed my whole outlook on the subject. So my question becomes, could there really be much of a difference between Japanese and European technique? I really think there are only so many ways to slash, thrust, block and parry with a two handed sword. Am I missing something?

An indication that Kama are starting to be taken more seriously is the fact that higher quality models are being manufactured now. I've seen differentially heat treated (same process as Japanese sword) Kama for sale, wickedly sharp enough for me to want to learn them myself.