MasterPain

I have to disagree. Humans instinctively guard their noggins. That's where the best off switches are. Most of the times I've had to wave someone off, it's been a body shot after a high punch misses. I'm rarely caught in the jaw. I must agree that an untrained Yob can punch you in the face. But I also say that if you train that Yob, he'll be better at punching you in the face.

ok, thanks.

What's the reasoning behind the kiai before engagement? I've seen it other places as well, but never heard an explanation of the practice.

Exactly right. I meant to refer to the first strike. The kime is at the final stage of the strike. But I think we should never put our faith in a single strike. Even if you have a Vega claw. I think that's a Balrog claw for our Japanese friends. Thanks for clarifying.

It's not a uke, a tsuki, a geri, or even a tekubi. It contracts what needs contracted, adds power where power needs added, and let's your opponent know that your style is impetuous and you will, in fact, eat their children. (Mike Tyson reference there, don't look at me like that.) What is it? A well placed kiai. There are those with no respect for ki or ai, but redirect their force into a submission, and they will know they've been aiki'd. A well placed spirit shout at the start of a heavy offensive, they will know they've been kiai'd. If all that fails, just key their eye.

Now that I think of it, this is KARATEforums, in the KARATE section, why are there 4 of us and like 2 of you? Chewbacca lives on Endor.

You forgot GS. You make a good point, though. We tend to belong more in the general, combative, grappling and weapon sections. Though I think TG still views himself more as a karate/ jiujutsu practicioner. His striking still has a very Kempo Karate flavor to it. I don't think the thought had really crossed his mind that maybe it's not exactly "karate" anymore till I made that point.

Until he shows up, I'll give you an idea. Evade, stun, unbalance and control is from Bujin. The stun is a real attack, at least for us, by the way. In MMA, think of how many takedowns immediately follow a strike of some sort as a set up. These principals are meant to deal with a strike from an uke standing, to control of the uke in some manner. Some principles in BJJ might include, from guard for example, not being flat on your back, taking away space to attack, pulling their arms across your center, breaking their base, moving yourself around them as opposed to moving them. I think you'll find many attacks from guard include doing many of those things in concert. A good BJJ guy can point out a great many more.

We're all from the same art, but live in different areas. They still come down and beat on me on holidays and such.

I bring popcorn every time I come to this thread, it is not good for my diet.

Looking forward to the showdown. Nerd rage moment: their gun safety is awful and do they really expect those bodies to burn? Never ride in a car with a shotgun pointed at your face. Watch the road when you drive. And burning bodies requires a lot of fuel, the best they'll manage is make the square mile mile around them reek of charred flesh.

On an unrelated note, where is SAAMAG? When I open a can of worms, I stick around and go fishin.

For the record, my answers are 2 on the first and 1 on the second.

I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself. Or maybe I've just had too much coffee.

Had to adapt it, codified sounded too rigid on it's own.

Too many schools just learn another alphabet, and thereby never make sentences or write books.

Anything they can do for it?

You have pro wrestling experience, we should save the pankration episode until your here. Might make an Aikijutsu epidode first. I have a hard time keeping a straight face while saying ridiculous things, maybe I should study politics.

Breath control, mushin, great stuff. The abdominal thing was quite a display, too,

Seran wrap.

as far as keeping it dry, trash bag held on with a rubber band?

Before Enter the Dojo and Get in My Guard, there was Diamond Dave. For those of you who don't know Diamond Dave, he was made famous by Jerry springer. He made videos called Diamond Dave's Ninja Teachin Flicks. The guy was hilarious but had zero martial arts skill. So, I thought it would be fun to have a show hosted by a character like Diamond Dave, but who actually has some knowledge of martial arts. So here we have Billy Bob's Martial Arts Minute. In honor of the great kata thread we have going here, the first video is on a kata. I hope that you find it funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8n7XpaF9-w

College kids tend to be sticky too?

So, you've signed up for a martial arts class, showed up, worked the drills the class is doing, done reps of technique, maybe adding resistance as you started to get it. Everyone has been cool to you, helped you to learn, and generally treated you like a new friend. Then it comes time to spar. The guy you're lined up with, you suddenly realize, is big, strong, moves gracefully, has ears that look like some sort of vegetable, and his belt is darker than yours by several shades. He's a nice enough person and all, but the current circumstances involve him trying to hit you, which he proceeds to do. Not hard enough to hurt exactly, but enough to be scary. You can tell he's being easy on you, but you're still feeling overwhelmed. You want to ask the guy to go even lighter, but are afraid to look weak. Don't be. It is ALWAYS okay to ask for lighter contact from the senior students. If it's a good school, they will be understanding about it. Martial arts are not just there for the naturally confident to show how tough they are (those people are a story for another time). Martial arts make those of us who are naturally timid more confident. This occurs in small steps. Do not try to spar at a level you are not ready for. It is okay to be a little out of you're comfort zone, that is where you grow. But if at any time you are actually scared, say so. Getting hit harder than you can take? Speak up. Do not be afraid of looking weak. We are all weak, in our own manner, humans are fragile things. The more experienced students and the instructors were beginners once, and there is a good chance that many of them were once quite afraid of being hit,, after all many join the martial arts to gain confidence. If you're afraid that asking for less intensity will make you seem cowardly, I ask you to consider the following. Sparring someone who is too overwhelming causes you to backpedal. Doing this long enough ingrains it as a habit. So by trying to seem tough, you have ingrained a habit of fear, and made it hard to learn anything. By asking for less intensity, you create a chance for yourself to show a little aggression, you develop a more forward attitude. You have a chance to work technique instead of just trying to avoid being hit, you gradually will learn to take harder hits. Pretty soon, you'll be a decent martial artist who can take a beating and keep on going. Someday, you'll have a new guy running from you like you're Jason Vorhees- send him to this thread.

I had philosophical issues with Kuro Obi, and also just can't buy into the whole one hit one kill idea, which was played straight in this one. That said, I was impressed with the level of sill displayed without resorting to pure flash.