MasterPain

Also, we need to get you a training holster. EDC needs to be part of the training dynamic. You need a feel of the advantages and liabilities presented by it being there. I like to have a knife on my belt, so I can be ready for the mean streets of Willow Hill, it's the same idea. When you have a gun and authoritah, most use of force will be against someone who is trying to get away from you. Any sane person is afraid of the gun and even more of the badge. Rarely would anyone actually attack you. If they do, you have to react in accordance to the seriousness of the threat, same as a civilian. Being the quintessential "reasonable person" the law likes to talk about, you should be fine.

Hitting with the heel in a snapping thrust kick would be awkward. If you're hitting with your heel, it should be a different kick all together. The snap front kick is like kicking a kickball, and should hit with the ball of the foot. The push kick is like crushing a soda can with a stomp, the heel or whole sole hits.

Hmm, those things sound familiar. As a person gets older, they begin to worry about legacy. A legacy doesn't need to be widespread or well-known. It just needs to be real and good. A google search of Shindokan finds several styles with Shindo Kan or Shindokan in the name, and you here on Karateforums. A google of Bujin Bugei Jutsu finds us here on the forums, our friend Steve Bien's author's website, and the Bujinkan. At least you don't have to explain to anyone that you are not Bujinkan. Speaking of which, they do most of the things you mentioned.

I have to disagree here. If you're serious about learning to defend yourself, you need some realistic biofeedback. Very few people are inherently tough, and even those need realistic training to learn real skill. The rest of us need the experience to toughen us up. Martial skill is not learned by choosing to remain a delicate flower. I think anyone serious about learning to defend themselves needs to be getting hit and hitting. A good school will build you up to it, so that it's not so bad to get accustomed to. I feel that non contact teaches bad distance, as the strike has no follow through to give feedback. Poor combinations, as landing a combo requires a realistic reaction to the first strike. Either false confidence or lack of faith in the art, as you will have no idea whether you can actually take a hit and keep fighting.

Good point about the open stance. Open and closed stance create very different games.

The trouble with not bringing in the other art is that your uke will not be very good. Someone who has never trained with a decent wrestler can not give you a decent double leg to defend against. Before practicing club disarms, I want my uke to have some degree of competence in some sort of Brain Bashing Jutsu.

I have a problem with this one. While they may not be the safest places, an adult has a right to be there. And they have a right to not be attacked. If you behave like a reasonable person, you should be able to avoid trouble, and walk away or redirect anyone who gives you problems. Fights also happen a lot at sporting events and schools. A person can't just lock themselves in their home. A person should take the risk into account before going, and remain sober enough to be aware of their surroundings, but that if a far cry from saying that it's not self defense if you need to defend yourself.

When something has been a mixed martial art all along, but it's not Mixed Martial Arts, it can be a bit hard to catagorize.

The dogi was a more socially acceptable thing to wear than the traditional loincloth. I'll take a black one...

The simple answer is that it is not that simple. There is not a certain set of rules stating "If X, then Y." You have a right to defend yourself if you believe you are in immediate danger of physical harm. You'll need to be able to explain to police why you believed they were going to hurt you. Also, you have to stop once the threat is no longer there, whether that be because they are unable to hurt you anymore or decide they don't want to anymore. Hurting a helpless or fleeing person is a crime, even if it began as self defense. Keep in mind that the school systems will generally punish everyone involved, regardless of legality. Also, check your local laws. They can be very different, and successfully defending yourself doesn't do much good if you end up in prison surrounded by nazis, serial killers and pot smokers.

http://www.karateforums.com/would-you-like-to-train-via-skype-vt41029.html?highlight=skype Go over to this thread. Though I believe everyone there is an adult, some of whom have been teaching as long as you've lived. Check with your parents first.

Ill never forget Masterpain dragging a poor shlub around the mat with a bicep cutter as the guy is screaming in pain, but refusing to tap. After a couple minutes, I let go. It didn't get the point across, and there was no need to cause real injury. I think I later gave him the speech about how "real men don't tap", or go to the doctor for numb arms or urination problems. Real men die young from heart attacks or prostate cancer, cause they're tough. Is that guy out of jail yet?

As far as existing evidence, Greek wrestling. Of course, given the impermanent nature of writing, that does not mean there were none before, just that we don't have them now. The oldest existing sports manual was found in Egypt last year. It was a wrestling manual that spoke of the importance of underhooks. I always point out Cain's rock. Most likely a #1 Angle caveman swing, but we'll never know. The Book of Genesis was written generations later, which further illustrates my point.People were fighting and killing, and figuring out better ways to do so long before they started writing about it.

It is likely prudent to mock their insecurity and question their manhood (or womanhood) BEFORE breaking anything.

After mentioning Kenpo's black gi in another thread, I got interested in why the American Kenpo gi is traditionally black (at least among higher ranks). I discovered more of what I already know- that Kenpo/Kempo is a tangled mess up in here. Nobody can agree upon the rightful history, lineage, spelling, place of origin, or much of anything else. If you hear of a black belt in kenpo, they may be great, or completely unskilled. It just doesn't have the quality control that BJJ does. What the various internet experts seem to agree upon is that Kenpo was brought to America around 1940 by Japanese American James Mitose, as Kenpo Jiu Jutsu, though he later changed the name, which became a trend. In the next generation, it became Kenpo Karate. Ed Parker made it American Kempo. Jeff Speakman has Kenpo 5.0. Now there are a million brands of Kenpo. USUALLY, Kenpo is characterized by short strikes in rapid succession, with a mixture of linear and circular movements. There may or may not be grappling included. By some accounts, Mitose had ground work that Ed Parker took out. Anyway, what sparked my interest, is the black gi. Bujin had a strong influence from Kenpo, and we included the tradition of wearing a black gi after dan rank if we choose. Apparently, white is a symbol of purity in Shinto, so karate gis are white (or so I've heard). Mitose wanted to designate Kenpo as a combat art, so he chose a black gi to symbolize death and bruising. An interesting point to add here is that he died while in prison on charges of conspiracy, murder and extortion. Whether he was actually guilty is a point of debate. If anyone has any corrections or additional info, please add. I make no claims to scholarship.

Stretch after a workout, instead of before. You can do a light stretch after a warmup, but save the serious stretching for after the workout.

I just realized that may have come off as insulting. It wasn't meant to be. Seriously, if you feel someone may try to fight you later, they are not someone you should teach. They are also probably not someone who you should be hanging out with. You mentioned being near black belt. being high rank makes you a representative of your art, and you should be careful of the type of person you train. They reflect upon you, your school, and your art. Even if you are young, that rank gives you a responsibility to hold up the reputation and integrity of your school. The rank is a symbol of your instructor's faith in you. Locally, a man was shot in self defense. It reflects very poorly on the instructor who chose to teach him, and the martial arts community as a whole, as he regularly committed assault and battery and was ultimately killed in doing so.

Just show them a jab. Or a stance. Try to get them to throw 100 decent lead punches. They'll likely be bored out of their skull. If they actually try, invite them to class. I once had some idiot tell me he wanted to show me a move he had learned from someone. I said okay, so he told me to throw a punch at him. He sidestepped and threw a ridgehand, full power, into my throat. I told him, in a very assertive manner, to never do that to anyone ever again. So, I guess what I'm saying is that if your friends are idiots, and if you're afraid they will someday try to hurt you they likely are, then you should not show them anything they can't figure out by watching Never Back Down.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I'd be impressed by someone making that work, much in the same way I'm impressed by Super Dave.

We just can't find a happy medium can we. Every high school kid that asks me if i train MMA makes me launch into a speach about how we practice "combative self defense principles". Remember to direct the less jerky ones to a reputable MMA gym.

A wide stance is good for rooted power, or a quick level change to transition to wrestling. A more narrow stance is good for quick movements and utilizing rhythm and timing to strike. Both have merits. Anything new will feel funny for a while, especially when very different from previous training. Give it a try, use it while sparring, get beat up because you're using new stuff instead of your personal A-game for a while. In time you may come to prefer it. Concerning technical counters mentioned, Osoto geri requires a grip, so you can always adjust your stance if someone grabs you. A 360 spinning sweep sounds like a good way to get stomped on. Until otherwise specified, I'm imagining a Mortal Kombatesque ducking, spinny maneuver.

So, why Shotokan?

Detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife.

If you can't get into a class, find someone willing to spend a couple hours with you a month, then you could practice just that material until the next month. Even a mid-kyu who wants a weekend sparring partner in their garage could be helpful.

The U.S. varies state by state, so some research is necessary. In Illinois, a 3inch bladed folding knife or sheathed knife is legal to carry, and an all around useful tool anyway. We have no duty to retreat, though if possible, I prefer to leave usually anyway. Castle Doctrine applies if the entry to the home is violent and you believe they are entering to commit a felony- SO LOCK YOUR DOORS. It'll be all the difference in the world if you have to kill someone. Willful and wonton disregard for life is always illegal, so never chase a fleeing criminal or harm an incapacitated attacker. Lethal force is only acceptable when it is necessary to prevent serious harm, death or a forcible felony upon yourself or another. Of course, you should check it out yourself, as I'm just a redneck with a construction job.