Liver Punch

He did 90% of the right things and still got lucky had that knife been a gun, the ending wouldn't be so good. Don't forget: Control, control, control!

I think Judo is an excellent answer to not only this question, but most questions. Example: What was Teddy Roosevelt the first American Brown Belt in? Judo. What system did belt colors come from? Judo. What's the best way to fight a bear? Judo.

I probably would've treaded lightly, and been a little more understanding had he not completely trashed a couple of books and other articles/opinions on all of the topics. He's presumably tough enough to handle it, which is a good thing. And while some people enjoy fermented meat...I'll gladly declare it to be pretty much the worst food ever. Also, I had an instructor in college who had a copy of "Building Online Communities with phpBB 2." That was before I ended up here, so I had no clue, but I believe that you did the foreword?

The guy would be a great addition to our community. I can pretty much imagine it turning into a 900-page nerd debate...which is pretty much right up my alley. Everybody keep your fingers crossed.

Yeah...it's a lost cause at this point. I consider it good "revenge" for all the kata threads that I can't even begin to understand.

99% of the world's population officially has no idea what we're talking about. Also, the 4th installment of Indiana Jones never happened. IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!

Originally, Han just blows him away. They then modified it so Greedo shot first by a large margin - and somehow completely missed at point blank range, at which point Han returns fire and kills him. The final version of it was them firing at almost the same time. (Greedo still first and still missing) He wanted Han to be more heroic or some such stupid thing...honestly, I think they wanted the bounty hunter/smuggler/mercenary to be a better role model. That, of course, makes perfect sense. Anyhow, if you want the unmolested version, you've got to watch it on Laserdisc.

Well, it's official, everyone in this thread is a nerd. It's a good thing.

I use protein on a fairly regular basis. I don't use it to "get huge" or on top of what I'd regularly eat, but rather as a replacement. I go through periods of hibernation-like weight gain, and usually follow that up with periods of massive weight loss. (doctor tells me this is the most healthy way of doing it, lol) Anyhow, it's great to use in place of other forms of protein because it's quick, easy, and has a low calorie to nutrition value - which doesn't do too much damage to my daily allotted value. I use Creatine on occasion after a really hard workout or lifting weights. I'm not sure it actually helps, but the placebo effect is amazing. Beyond that, I take a multivitamin, attempt to eat properly, and get plenty of rest.

I'm glad we're all on the same page here.

I've been a lifelong opponent of kata. After seeing an affiliate school work on some, I've decided that they aren't all evil. For me, after that experience, the line is drawn with any kata or move there within that cannot be explained by whomever is telling me to do it. If it can be related to something real, sensical, and useful...then I don't mind it.

I'll probably do just that. I wish the title were different. I feel like the victim of some sort of bait and switch. Also, I got if for Christmas from my grandma who just so happens to have an Amazon account. (they require you to have purchased it there to write a review) I'll have to use her account to write a review, but it should prove to be a rare scathing review from a 70 year old woman that's both online and Star Wars related.

Nick Jamilla, and I'm presently compiling my angry nerd letter. This guy probably thinks that Greedo shot first.

I was probably more excited about knowing I'd likely get the book "Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe: Historical Origins, Style and Philosophy" by Nick Jamilla for Christmas this year. I did get the book, and after knocking off a few other things i was reading, got down to completing it this weekend. It sucks. I mean...badly. The guys credentials were quite impressive as laid out in the introduction of the book. He got into fencing early in life and then eventually Kendo and Aikido. He studied international relations at Georgetown University, and is, presumably, a Star Wars nerd. As a Star Wars nerd, martial arts nerd, and Political Science major (read:nerd) I quickly decided that this was the book for me. The book started off as being quite heavy in the relationship between the politics and policy of various entities in the Star Wars universe, and even as someone knowledgeable on the topic, it wasn't the easiest thing to follow. This wasn't a quality brought on by the difficult of the subject matter, but rather the dryness (and I'm a fairly dry person myself) and the manner in which the author makes politics (normally exciting) and Star Wars (always exciting) into not-so exciting topic of discussion. This was fine with me , however, as the book was long and we'd soon be off to the "good stuff." The good stuff, it would seem, was going to have to wait. Apparently once politics were out of the way, religion was going to get beat to death in the name of learning about sword-fighting. Once again this would have been something I was excited to read about, but the life had been sucked completely out of it. Every chapter, like the title of the book, has an interesting title. But like the book as a whole, the author chooses not to address the topic laid out in the chapter titles, but rather turn each chapter into the same rambling and boring drivel. It would seem that there points in the book where you can go five pages without reading any mention of the Star Wars universe. The only "meat and potatoes" regarding actual sword fighting as it pertains to the Jedi is in the choreography section of the book. While I don't mind that on its face, it provides a good lead in for this books biggest issue: the author. The author makes a few things clear throughout the book: the actors don't know what they're doing in regards to sword fighting and pretty much botch everything, the force in the Star Wars universe has almost zero impact on anything whatsoever, fencing is the greatest version of swordplay ever conceived, and almost everyone who's ever written about Star Wars doesn't know what they're talking about. All of this coming from a guy who spells out droid names phonetically...who says "See Threepio?" There were points in the book when I couldn't determine if the author had never seen the movies or was legitimately dense. At one point he makes the argument that sword fighting in the movies isn't legitimate because it isn't actual combat. No joke? What gave away the fact that Ewan McGregor couldn't beat William Wallace, Musashi, or Achilles in a sword fight? Perhaps the fact that he's an actor? Maybe because he doesn't have any formal training? Or maybe - just maybe, it's because he's swinging around a plastic "laser sword" that doesn't actually exist? The entire book is filled with junk like that, argument after argument that compares either Star Wars directly to real combat, or compares the actors and things that take place on set to actual combat. It just doesn't make any sense, and even on topics where he might get some traction, his constantly contradictory statements hamstring his efforts early on. If anyone wants this book, I'll gladly mail it to them. If anyone lives near a volcano, I'll pay them to throw it in.

I'm all for "staying off the ground" (in MMA, it's a skill that I bank on) and I think that for guys in law enforcement, learning sweeps, reversals, and defense from their back should be at the top of the list in Jiu Jitsu. As for the "staying off the ground" portion, that requires not necessarily Jiu Jitsu, but at least two varieties of wrestling. The point is that "just learning how to not end up on the ground" isn't any less time or effort consuming than learning how to fight once you get there. I would think that the grappling portion a martial art aimed at LEOs would be heavy on defensive collegiate and greco wrestling, have a touch of judo and sambo principals thrown in, and then reversals and defense from BJJ. If a guy can take you down and hit you with his bare hands, he can do the same thing with a knife in his hand. That's a pretty scary concept.

I killed a dog once...*sigh* Anyhow, I've fallen down and used a break fall a million times. I've also managed to avoid dozens upon dozens of fights, which is what I'm most proud of. We've had a member or two of this forum in the past that touted the "hundreds of street fights" they've been in, and "never lost" - I'm much happier about the hundreds that I never got in. I'd say even more so than all of that, there's a certain level of confidence that one gains in martial arts. I can't say for sure how many times that's helped me out, but it's many more than I can count. Having survived hours of torture from your training partners makes things like job interviews seem incredibly easy.

I prefer not washing my grappling uniform and belt. Of course, I consider this to be an offensive tactic rather than anything philosophical, however.

I believe that Kathy Long once stated that the best way - or her method anyhow - was to work on flexibility exercises for one hour each day. If I understand everything that I've been told properly, you stretch before activity to avoid injury, and after activity to actually gain more flexibility.

I see no problem whatsoever with being promoted by an organization that you created as long as a certain criteria are met. I cannot say if they necessarily were met in this hypothetical because there are a few unknown factors. Is the organization he founded legitimate? That is, are they respected within the community, do they practice ethical standards when promoting students, and do they govern over a group of schools with students who meet the general standards of their given rank. Does Sensei Smoe have direct control over his own promotion? Does "deciding it's time for a promotion" mean signing the certificates in the Dojo office and declaring it to be so, or does it involve some sort of actual testing procedure, and/or weighing of the facts against other people of the same standard? Is his brand of Shotokan notably different? Has it evolved, been modified, or had other styles incorporated into it? Is there anything that makes his "style" different enough from everyone else that they could not accurately judge him? Most importantly: is his promotion self-promotion and shameless? There's a lot of 10th Dan snake oil salesmen. This is where the community and individuals typically make their judgements as to whether or not something improper has taken place. A 10th Dan in Rex-Kwon Do is probably not legitimate. A self-given 9th Dan black belt in a highly organized art such as TKD is probably incredibly shady. But the you get into the things that are both likely to be legitimate and actually legitimate. Kano just made the whole ranking thing up, but I think we're all in agreement that it's legitimate Helio Gracie was a 6th Dan in Judo, but a 10th Dan in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. His rank was given to him by himself and his family in an art that he invented. Many hybrid arts have promoted its members to high Dan ranks without any outside influence. That's not to say that you can shamelessly self-promote yourself - that makes you a McBlack Belt. The proper channel for Sensei Smoe would have been to either seek his rank with the most established and popular organization within his art, or to set up a joint testing procedure with his highest ranking students as well as representatives from other schools/organizations. Ultimately, rank means little when dealing with people from other schools and arts. I always give someone with a black belt the respect that I assume they've earned by getting that belt. While they often times prove me wrong on my assumption, general courtesy dictates that I not be a jerk. Respect for one's skill, however is earned, and should their black belt not be representative of a legitimate skill level, it tends to show. To summarize: who cares? A black belt in TKD is worthless in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition, and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu won't do you a whole lot of good in Eskrima. Everyone's rank is illegitimate to someone.

I'm a big fan of not having a lot of belt levels as it gives each belt more legitimacy, and makes people work harder/longer for a belt. Our system has 7 Belt colors, and two additional levels of brown belt. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has 5, and stripes vary by school. I'm a big fan of 5-7, but, that's probably not the most profitable way of going about things.

Since I've pretty much got a non-fiction library in my house that consists of History Books, Political Books, and Combative books, I'll throw my list in here. Book of 5 Rings by William Scott Wilson (Miyamoto Mushashi ) This is for obvious reasons. Hagakure by William Scott Wilson (Yamamoto Tsunetomo) See above. Art of War by John Minford (Sun-Tzu) Ditto. On War by Carl von Clausewitz This book has always more of an effect on me than the Art of War. It trades Art of War's ambiguity for what can best be described as a very large quantity of dryness - which I prefer. Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee This, too, is for obvious reasons. Fedor by Fedor Emelienko, Glen Cordoza, and Erich Krausse Cordoza and Erich Krausse do a phenomenal job on all of their books and I'd recommend their books for any subject matter. This one provides an in-depth look and breakdown at the fighting style of what is at this point, the most dominant Heavyweight in MMA history, as well as a highly ranked, highly successful Sambo practitioner. Muay Thai Unleashed by Erich Krausse and Glen Cordoza This is my favorite Muay Thai book to date. It provides a good breakdown of everything from the most basic techniques, to much more advanced maneuvers in picture and text form. Wrestling for Fighting by Randy Couture, Glen Cordoza, and Erich Krausse With Couture thrown into a book with Cordoza and Krausse, you pretty much end up with one of the best instructional books ever. Randy guides you from basic collegiate and Greco-Roman take-downs into modifying them for MMA/real life and moves into using them to secure positions, ground striking, and submissions. XTreme Training by Randy Couture, Lance Freimouth, and Erich Krausse A huge illustrated book showing you almost every conditioning drill done at Randy's Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. I can personally attest that the gym and the book contain some pretty brutal stuff. Krav Maga by David Kahn A fairly basic Krav Maga book with good illustrations and descriptions. It's a good starter book for someone who wants to get into the art as it provides a good history, depiction of what schools are like, and gets into technique. I'd like to supplement this book with some others that are more advanced. Beyond the Lion's Den by Ken Shamrock and Erich Krausse Anyone who has a desire to leg lock every living thing on earth should own this book. Gracie Jiu Jitsu by Helio Gracie Written by the man himself, this one cost me entirely too much money. It could probably be considered the authoritative text on Gracie/"Old" Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It has a lot of insight into the art, especially beyond just technique. Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge by BJ Penn, Glen Cordoza, and Erich Krausse Building on his earlier Brazilian Jiu Jitsu book, Penn covered every technique he's probably ever used in MMA. If you're flexible enough, it's the perfect style to copy. Guerilla Jiu Jitsu by David Camarillo and Erich Krausse The blending of Judo and BJJ by a guy who's great at both of them. This book gives Judo guys direction on what to do once they've "Judo'd" their opponent, and BJJ guys direction on what to do before the "BJJ" someone. I'm using this book to get better at both. Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey Brutal. I mean really...brutal. It's hard. If you can complete the techniques in this book from cover to cover, you're a bad, bad, human being. Bas Rutten's "Big Book of Combat" Volume 1: Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros It's tough to get your hands on now, but this was one of the first modern combative books to be written by a mixed martial artist. Bas is no slouch outside the ring either, and most of his techniques are easy, straightforward, and well laid out. It's a great read. U.S. Army Hand-to-Hand Combat by The Department of Defense If you have no idea how to fight, you're in luck - this book was made for people with no ability or knowledge whatsoever. If you're a patriot (and signed your selective service card), it's your duty and responsibility to know the "official martial art" of your nation. For my fellow Americans, this is the one. The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting by Lawrence A Kane, Kris Wilder This one has been covered here, and it gets a thumbs up from me as well. Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe: Historical Origins, Style, and Philosopy by Nick Jamilla I just got this one. As a nerd with historical, combative, and martial arts interest - it seemed like a no-brainer. Manual of the Mercenary Soldier by Paul Balor Written under a pen name by a guy who had his hand in every international "incident" in the 70's and 80's, this book features a chapter that goes into great depth about hand-to-hand combat and weapons. I've been reading it non-stop since I was about 10 years old. (which probably explains what's wrong with me) The personal combat chapters are no-nonsense, straight to the point and discuss avoidance, running away, punching, improvised weapons, blades, and firearms. It's a great read all around, and particularly for those who plan on visiting anyplace that could be considered "hostile" or "third-world." Samurai Swords by Clive Sinclair A good all-around text on the samurai sword. It discusses historical origins, the forging process, and the collecting process. It's a good book with broad subject matter for anyone with an interest on the subject. Samurai Battles by Michael Sharpe It would amount to an above-average history book if not for the gruesome details of the battles and the art work that accompanies it. 5 stars. Legends of the Samurai by Hiroaki Sato It's a pretty good story book. If I ever have children, I might use it for bedtime stories. The Samurai by Robert T. Samuel This book is part compilation of other Samurai-Era texts, and part history book. Everything is presented in an easy to read and understand fashion, which makes it less taxing than similar books. Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor by Paul Regan It's an encyclopedia of most relevant arms and armor since the beginning of time. Lots of big pictures too! The Grammar of Warfare by Tim Newark Similar to above, but with a lot more emphasis on tactics, strategy, and technique. Lots of big pictures! Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man by R.G. Grant Similar to the above two but with more focus on individual combat, and specific types of soldiers, as well as how their weapons, armor, and tactics made differences on the individual basis. Lots of big pictures! Men at Arms: German Medeival Armies 1000 - 1300 by Christopher Gravett Men at Arms: German Medeival Armies 1300 - 1500 by Christopher Gravett A very in-depth look at...what else, German Medeival Armies from the years 1000 to 1500. If you wanted to know everything there was to know about this topic, these are the books for you. Medieval Combat by Hans Talhoffer A close up look at individual combat - particularly swordsmanship, in medieval Europe. A solid read. The Complete World Encyclopedia of Guns By Fowler, North, Stronge, and Sweeney Almost every gun ever with a photo, general data, and a short paragraph about development and use. An enormous wealth of knowledge within its pages. Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks A fun read and good companion to World War Z, this book contains useful knowledge for any survival and combative situation. Replace zombie with Hippie, Hurricane, Earthquake, Nuclear Winter, or Robot Overlord, and it's still relevant. Be Ready When the (Bad Word) Goes Down - Forrest Griffin, Erich Krausse A good, if not humorous, survival book to accompany the Zombie Handbook written by a pretty good Mixed Martial Artist. SAS Urban Survival Handbook by John "Lofty" Wiseman SAS Survival Guide by John "Lofty" Wiseman Two phenomenal survival and informational books. I have both the full-size and pocket version of the latter, and I get as much use as possible out of them. It's the sort of thing that the art I come out of uses to supplement and broaden the scope of our training.

That's an option - we could all write a metric tonne or so, and then condense and compile it into one big rambling piece. I like it...

*sigh* We've hijacked yet another thread.

That's fantastic! Anyhow...my vote is that we start copying, collecting, and writing to get a complete collection of literature and media. I suppose we'd have to run this by the supreme council and whatnot, but, I don't think it'd be a problem. As far as new and individual material: Steve seems to enjoy writing just fine and apparently Tallgeese has a blog. Groinstrike and I are college men, and you're the Šarru-kīnu of Willow Hill.

Good call. Those should do nicely.