crash

Nidan Melbourne, said it well in the above post. i am now pushing 60 in a few months. not long ago i was talking with a friend and we were reflecting on the past when we were in our prime...lol... on the verge of greatness...haha.... he was a body builder with many wins under his belt, I, a martial artist.. we both come from a wrestling background and in one way or the other always spent much time in some sort of gym, dojo, etc.... for the comradery, brotherhood, etc... anyways, as we talked and admitted we arent the same as we once were, we came to the conclusion its not ove,r its just time to step back and help the future generations. to teach and guide.... i know that is what you and many of us have done through the years, but its not over yet... there is always a way to pass on the knowledge we have gained. the experience, the stories, the trials we went through and the training we can give that has been forgotten or pushed aside.... we will always have something to give and teach to the upcoming generations... there will always be a place we can fill. and a way to do so..... it may not always be easy or how we envisioned it but it will be there if we want it...

honestly, i have never been to a dojo that teaches kata with music. interesting concept... and my base style was heavy on the sport side, with a heavy push towards the tournament side.. though the core teaching was still more traditional.... once we were at black belt we made forms for competition on our own as a team or individually, but the music and timing was all figured out by those involved in performing the kata's, not something to be taught as curriculum. so not much i can chime in on, but am interested in hearing others experience's with how or even whether this is something taught as part of class...(especially to lower belt rankings, once you reach an advanced level, B.B,,,, ones timing and movements should be smooth and flowing, so adding music isnt that hard)...

congrats, I joined way back in 2003, have been active/vocal for some of that time. drifted away for spells and then just "lurked" from time to time. but was always happy to see the forum was still around. i always knew that if a question arises that i do not know the answer, or would like to see others views on certain M.A related topics the answers can be found here by either searching or just asking. there is a massive wealth of knowledge to be gained from those of you here and on these pages that have accumulated over the years. Thanks to all of you for making this possible and continuing to do so.

I think these two quotes fit together very well. when teaching defense, especially for women, one of the first things to teach is situational awareness. being aware of your surroundings at all times. when driving through a parking lot to getting out and walking to the destination. awareness of who is around you at all times while out alone or in public in general. someone who looks clueless or occupied with no regards to their environment are far more likely to be picked out and targeted...teach confidence, awareness, and to walk tall and with purpose while also teaching the self defense aspect of techniques and fighting. just being aware can prevent someone from entering your space to the point of the original posts scenario and prevent having to face the "what-ifs" put forth thus far....

that is great news, prayers for you to keep seeing a rapid and complete full recovery

he is a stranger, has clearly and extremely invaded your space in a threatening manner. verbally assaulting you, escape is impossible, a clear and present danger. this is a situation when a first strike is better than letting him make first contact. and knowing nothing of him or his background it should be hard and fast. not gently as in a hold.... is a strike more ethical than a kick or throw??? no, a kick is just as strong as a strike and a properly executed throw can be even more devastating. in a close quarters situation as this you use what is available.

i agree on not moving backwards as in actually moving more than one step, maybe two at most. but in this case or similar, taking the one step back (just getting into a solid "ready" position) does one thing that is vital, it makes the attacker/aggressor change position, even if unnoticeable. it makes him think on a subconscious level that slows the thought process. same with the "stop" command. its all a mental game at this point. fighting is about control. once you have that control you lead the direction of the outcome. ever sparred with someone who seemed to know your every move? if analyzed it is almost a certainty that they at some point early on took that control and led the match. its not that they knew your every move its more they led you to where they wanted you every time. even if you didnt see it, you were playing catch up and led to defeat. that is one part of sparring that is often overlooked, especially with the lower belts who are more focused on technique and what may or may not work in a real life engagement. but the "slight of hand" leading where to go is just as important. its like, why do we train to fight either right or left? so much so that either is comfortable and second nature... just changing this simple position can throw many people off their game. most people arent trained or practice this enough so the average person is at a disadvantage when you change to lefty instead of what they are used to.... the subtleties can be a game changer, especially early on, and can position for a first strike if necessary....most people only think of "controlling the opponent" with actual contact,or only after hands have been engaged, but the act of control starts as soon as a threat is percieved... i will try to find the article you wrote. would be very interesting i think to read.

take one step back, not only to distance yourself just out of reach but to also plant the rear foot into a forward fighting stance, while not being too obvious. at the same time reach up to just above waist level and loudly demand "stop" . this gets your hands up but looks like a separate gesture. loudly demanding a "stop" gives an opportunity to take control of the situation. if he is verbally threatening, he is also probably stating a reason for his anger. if its a misunderstanding or misidentification you now have a chance to change the "conversation" or convince him otherwise. from here, maintain control of the direction of future events. command he back off. tell him to keep his hands visible, no sudden reaches for his pockets, etc.... take and maintain control.... regardless though, if he takes another step you are now in a position to strike first. and justifiable.

man, so many variables come into play here. ( do you know the person or is it a stranger?..etc....)... but to just keep it simple, assuming a stranger,..if he is verbally threatening, physically threatening, and getting in your personal space he should never be allowed to lift his hands. as far as the level, it would again depend on the situation. the reason for the aggressive behavior, etc..... if you dont know the reason then the soft approach of trying to "hold" or "lock" him up is not my first choice. (if a stanger he may have friends watching you arent aware of, and if they see him "losing" may just try to help)..ending the conflict fast and hard would be best. not letting someone get close enough is key in any situation. always being aware of your surroundings and alert to those nearby. verbally threatening along with any contact or aggressive movements can justify self protection. but as stated many variables to consider and each situation can be drastically different from the next.....

Congrats..

i found the movements of aikido to fit very well with my core style. the couple years i studied, i loved the circular style of movement and found it could be easily incorporated or intertwined with my core training. very multi-directional, almost to the point of directional change without seeing it beforehand.... if that makes sense...lol

agreed, i know many people who , out of choice, never tested beyond 1st degree, but have many years experience..i myself never tested beyond 2nd degree. yet have over 40 years in the martial arts.just saw no need to for myself. did i miss out on any training by not testing, no, not at all. testing for the most part is a visual sign of experience for lower belts. but not always an actual level of capability afterwards....

we really only had right or left front fighting stances and side stance.... we did other stances for forms but not at the level in common training as most styles rely on. our instructor had a saying that when fighting, standing still was certain defeat. always be moving, we had constant drills of transitioning from one position to the next, forward, backwards, side to side, circular, left and right foot forward, etc.... never sink into a still stance once the fight begins.

we had / did similar drills at the lower / intermediate belts. we called it one step sparring drills. another is having one person stand static in the fighting position, either foot forward and circling them while throwing kicks or punches to open areas, good practice for beginners to ease into sparring. as one progresses movement can be added to the static side from just back and forth "bouncing" or "weight shifting" to more in-depth movement. it is a usual practice for more sport based systems but is actually good for everyone, to learn coordination. control, aim, and footwork. we didnt start sparring until green belt (4th belt in our style), and these were some of the exercises that would ease each level up to the point of full on sparring. but are still fun and useful even after getting into the full sparring stage. or for those with injuries or just no desire to full on spar. thanks, i like hearing others training methods also

i think a lot of them started as children and stuck with it to the point of making it a career. i started Martial arts at 15, after wrestling in school for a couple years. some do "karate" as a workout, or hobby and it goes no further, for others it becomes a lifestyle and they work their lives around that, same as gym owners or body builders... it becomes who you are more than a hobby you do in your spare time. ive taught at a few places and ran my own program for a while, while working a regular job. moving around hindered it actually becoming my full time career. Edited to add: while its easy to say life gets in the way at times, that is only because of the life we have chosen. had i chosen to try to run a full time dojo instead of part time, life would have been different and a way would have been found. its all in how much we want something and how dedicated we are at achieving that goal.... its never too late to make the necessary changes, we do it all the time for most goals or pursuits.