madtanker

I didn't give him he chance to go for a weapon, he took a swing and I took him down straight away. I'm a former police officer so have previous experience of this sort of thing anyways, albeit many moons ago! The movies comment was only to add comedic value to the tale. Other than what happened it was all very fast and boring really! It was just good to know that MA training does pay off and can be instinctive in such a situation! @Madtanker - why the hell would the police give you a blasting for 'taking the law into your own hands' is it not a civic duty to uphold law and order, are there no citizen's arrest laws in the States? Such a response would certainly make me not bother in the future! In my situation, the two people I was assisting were policemen who knew very well what I was doing! Here in the US, some officers get threatened when a civilian helps out; plus, there was a small side issue. I am a concealed carry licensed firearm owner, and he was mad that I was carrying a weapon also. The weapon was locked in the car BEFORE the confrontation (I knew the perpetrator was not carrying, and I knew that if there was a chance that he could get it, I would be worse off... Like I said, split-second decision making) which some police officers also feel threatened by... The idea that a 'mere person' and not a 'cop-god' can carry like they can. (I have three other horror stories that go along with concealed carry, but let's stay here for now...). Most police are hard-working people, but some feel that they and only they should be the law... I was not trying to be a hero, except to the guy getting his (%&@^&%$) kicked... He asked why I was not minding my business, etc... I told him that it looked serious, and (as I found out later) there was another 'guard', that left this poor guy and was found hiding in the mens bathroom... The guard was asking for my mane, the manager was promising rewards (I gave my name because here in the US, you kinda have to, but I refused any gains from it) and everyone went home safe... I felt better, but I know that sometimes you have to worry about retribution from unexpected places. I will post another thread about getting 'involved' with bad results from the police... In the end, the risk was worth the 'reward'...

Hey, my thoughts are with you, although you should be past the Wednesday in question...

OUTSTANDING... beating about the face and neck... The rule I have been taught in LEO training was that, you use (assuming non stopping force) 1 level above the force used against you, or to quote Sean Connery, 'if he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the ($&%&@) morgue... that's the Chicago way'... Not really... You DO have to end the fight as soon as an attacker disengages. You can hold for law enforcement (assuming you are trying to effect a citizen's arrest, or something similar), you can defend, block, or end the fight with a punch, but you can NEVER have been the aggressor in a deadly force situation. You have to remember, a jury of 12 people will have to review whether they (usually with no training of their own) would have roundhoused this guy to the head, or whether the jury (of old cat-ladies and 'gentlemen') would have dropped their medication and social security checks and run... Remember, balance is key, if you are on the defensive, then defend, but never attack. And I can say this from personal experience, if you EVER go into court and state, under oath that you attacked for any reason, YOU WILL LOSE... The state of mind is defense... (I was in a situation where I was doing security enforcement... a man pulled a pole on me, and I a gun on him... I stated incorrectly, that the man took a defensive pose instead of saying what I wanted to say, OFFENSIVE, and that word alone got this man off of 3-5 for assault with a deadly weapon). It is in the testimony as well as the mindset!! You are NEVER an attacker in a self-defesnse situation!!

Oh, I must have missed that one; if the woman is out of the car, as I have said before... NO PROPERTY IS WORTH DYING FOR... if I have a bar of gold, and a gun underneath, if someone has the drop on me, they leave a bar of gold richer... however, if I am told I am dying anyway, then it is worth my life to try to end his/hers first... Again, one must weigh the risk versus the reward... The universe rights wrongs eventually...

It really has more to do with the person; what they have planned for, what they have trained for, and what they are willing to do. In this sense, if I was already in a no-win situation, I am calling 911, maybe trying to follow the car at a safe pace and distance. If I am unarmed, and the man is obviously armed, then it is a no-win, and chivalry will honour him, but not save him. PS if he felt threatened (or dumb) enough to shoot, who is to say he does not shoot the woman in panic, causing this chivalrous man to end up on trial for involuntary manslaughter... You have to be careful and mix common sense with a sense of self. You have to be able to make dangerous decisions in a flash if you want to be a good samaritan... and remember (and I live by this code, although I do step in more often than I probably should)... 'no good deed goes unpunished'... You have to balance the risks, and weigh them carefully... this type of mental training goes along with trying to save people...

Not every gun owner believes in blowing a subsonic hole into the next dimension... you only need what you can 1)control, 2) use effectively, and 3) use effectively (not a repeat as an error, repeated for effect!!!)... I have a .45, I also have a .25... The one that is more dangerous is the one that gets into someone else's hands, or is used poorly. I have others, but common sense keeps me from listing all of my 'bag o' tricks'...lol. I employ what makes sense, nothing less... and nothing more. You need a .45 like you 'need' a Ferrari... Like all of us here already believe, it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog...

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. They need to bring back Fight Quest... or I need to find it!!! I Loved when the Krav Maga teacher whooped like 5 guys in class...

That would be true... it is easier to throw a kick than to hold a kick-pose for 45 seconds...lol.

Yeah, there is no 'walking it off' for him... if he did not see his spleen come up to the back of his eyeballs, he must've blinked!

Thanks for Kwon, but they are a lil small for me. I do not know why, by my measurements I should be an 8... but the 8s I got were soooo small... I have some 11's coming (finally got my ship info after a couple days of annoy-mails)... and will definitely let people know how they do... Should be here Wednesday (UPS can be a lil slow, these uni's left Florida on Friday, and will be in Ohio Wed.). I cannot believe I am a 2x in streets, and apparently a 5x in gis...lol.

In our school there are three different MA's... two go white (one and two stripes), orange (one stripe), green (one and two stripes), and red (one and two stripes) before black or midnight blue (in TSD style at this school) or black (in hapkido). In his created style, he adds a 'pre black' (black with white stripe).

Just a word of warning, steel toed boots are considered a DEADLY WEAPON in some jurisdictions. I know personally of a man who went to jail because he was involved with 2 assailants, and they were unarmed. He kicked one in the temple, and if I remember correctly, he got 8-life for manslaughter... and this was in defensive mode. PS he worked construction in addition to being in the martial arts... Be careful in using things like this, they may get you in more trouble than they are worth...

I am doing some home study for different reasons, and I know it is not always the way to go, or preferred... but I know of one program that is decent; I have googled this person to death; however, I am not going to post the person for copyright reasons. If you are allowed to, and you fully intend to pursue this, message me (but only if this is allowed by the moderator... I am not going to break rules, and I do not want to have this considered advertising). It is really up to you to see if this is right for you... and some research can help; including people in here. I posted a similar question, and have gotten some excellent responses... People care in here.

I firmly agree; however, if it is contrary to your TEACHING, then you can use fold up mats... a friend told me to try to get fold up mats and store them so they do not get wet/dirty... try craigs list, or a local paper.

I am not sure if this has been said; however, not every system has the same color belts. In Tang Soo Do (with my instructor) as well as the system of Hapkido I am enrolled in, we go white (to 2 stripes), orange (to one stripe), green (to two stripes), red (to two stripes) then black.I have also heard that 'traditional' TSD uses a dark blue belt as opposed to black, and it is a nice story... it has to do with black being a terminal color, while blue (as in the sky) offers infinite opportunities, the point being, as long as one is breathing, they are learning... In another form in his school, we go from red to black with a stripe (black candidate) to black. I have heard of systems that only go white, to brown, to black... and some that use white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, and black, all with, and without stripes. It is down to the teacher/master, and their system... The quality of knowledge is not around the persons waist; however, it resides in their head. Now, like I know has been said, if a person skips styles, they can sometimes skip belts (as in one form of karate to another in a different school)... This is all in the teacher as well...

i do not see too much of a problem with that, except for Wal-Mart trying to TOTALLY kill Main Street USA (or any other country, this was not a measure of parochialism). They have all of the amenities of any small town in many Wal Marts... the one-stop system has benefits, and drawbacks. They are trying to put a mall into a single building, and it is the new reality; combine brands to create the illusion of strength. It was only a matter of time before a system coordinated with the style of Wal Mart... it is not the Dojo that worries me, it is the idea of another thing going down the road from Main Street...

Yeah, Me too! I allow the kids to wear their Gis but adults I tend to let them off with Gi pants but definately no jacket or Belt on I know of some schools where part of the closing is taking off the belts and tunics. I also know of people that wore their gis home, mostly with bad results (I grew up in a rough part of an even rougher town). There is nothing wrong with knowledge, but it is dangerous to go out and display it with the possibility of an invitation to danger merely for wearing the uniform. I would wear mine outside if I were training outside or demonstrating, but I would look for a place to at least change the tunic and belt, to secure them, and to mitigate trouble from people who react from fear, or to seek a challenge.

All human behavior is influenced by others, either through fear or elation. If we did not see a need to defend ourselves, we would be taking up lacrosse...lol. If we did not see the beauty in the art, we would not continue it, and if we did not see the construct in the art, we would not desire to master it. It is for ourselves (if we are doing it for the right reasons), but we also do it for those around us, either to impress, or to prove to them that we can.

It seems to me that the junior instructors need to get involved, and the discipline for non-responses should flow downhill. The sensei seems to have the initiative to stop it, but not the drive. It then comes up to the senior students to lead by example... Just be that 'guy' until you get to move up.

Mostly it's not that they think you're a thug. It's sarcasm. Not specific, but I get the same when people find out that I used to work armed security... You are right, among friends it is usually humor, and with relative strangers, it is passive-aggressive motioning; trying to convince themselves that your knowledge (combined with the lack of theirs) is nothing to fear. This is a fear based response based on lack of knowledge.

The myth that I hate is that a creative soul (or in some cases, a greedy one, but we are not focusing on them today)... cannot create a martial style. I do not see why not if the person can create movements within their body (or the bodies of their students) that work, are effective, and can be replicated with practice. Like I joked in another post... there were no martial arts before some caveman threw their arm out with their fist balled up... and therefore, the first punch. Overall, it is in the eye of the creator, and if they can translate, the beholder.

I have worked with Better World before; they are a little sketchy on their prices when they buy; however, they do sell for a good price!

My school instructor (who DOES have a brick and mortar school) asks to be called Grandmaster, or simply Mister (last name). (I will not post names without permission, except for info protected by copyright). I have heard other instructors to be called Master, or Grandmaster while in class, or the Japanese/Korean counterpart, but when talking 'informally' they ask for mister. (This included a dojo that I almost joined as a youth).

I have heard of testing into a white belt, although I have asked at a few schools before I made my choices, and I had to ask my sensei when I chose my school... I am doing some self-practice and did not want to be wearing a belt in a tape or a video test if I did not earn one... This school does not test into a white belt, but 10th Gup is a white belt with a yellow stripe... I have never heard of preDan; however, in the same school, there is a black belt candidate for the style created by the same teacher, called SaJaDo. The rank is called Cho Dan Bo... (signified by a black belt with a white stripe)... Having said that, in the same school, the Hapkido and Tang Soo Do do not require Cho Dan Bo, but his style of SaJaDo does. Hope this helps...

With respect, the parents and students shouldn't even have to know whether the person teaching is leading a more conventional life or an alternative lifestyle. It shouldn't even come up as an issue. Bob, you're always saying "the proof is on the floor" and in this case it should be. The personal life of those teaching shouldn't cause an issue because all that matters is how they teach and can they do a good job of it. I would be concerned if they kept bringing up their alternative lifestyle in class, but equally I'd be concerned if another teacher kept going on about their lifestyle too instead of teaching me like I'm paying them to. It is sad that many people are still closed minded about things and whether we agree with what somebody does or not, IMO it shouldn't mean that we shun them and their teaching. We're the ones who are going to miss out in the end if we can't get past these "issues" and just train. DWx, your quote, and your reply pretty much nails it! It is not in the teachers choices off the mat, it is in their presence on it!