Spartacus Maximus

Looking for advice for a student who is overly nervous about a test. This student is at the required skill level to be promoted and does reasonably well in regular training. Yet for some reason, as soon as there is mention of any sort of test this student completely freaks out and starts to doubt everything. It is not just karate as this issue has caused the student problems whenever going through any evaluation, even school exams. How can one help such a person?

A self defense situation becomes a fight when the defender does not escape despite having the opportunity to do so and continues to strike the attacker. To have a solid claim of self defense, it must be clear that the defender did everything reasonably possible to avoid the attack and only hurt the attacker in the process of escaping.

Recognizing what type of violence or agreesion one is dealing with is a very important skill to develop. Obviously, one cannot respond to all types the same way. If one does so, it invariably puts one in unnecessary danger as well as more than likely the wrong side of the law. There are two types of violent/aggressive behaviour. The first is social and the second is predatory or criminal. In social violence the aggressor uses it to get the victim to do something or stop doing something. There is always a choice and it is easily avoidable before the first strike. Criminal violence is much simpler as the attacker's sole purpose is to injure, maim or murder for its own sake, or to take something. This makes it much more unpredictable and dangerous.

The single major flaw with this and similar concealed weapon gimmick is that it fails to consider that an assault happens very quickly and if the victim is unable to reach, draw and immediately use her weapon, said weapon is useless. How in the blue blazes is a woman supposed to get her bra knife out and ready if she is wearing other clothes over it? Carrying a purse or other items in the other hand?

While it is true that humans all have survival instincts and are physically unchanged from the way they were in more dangerous times, the lifestyle and environment most people live in nowadays has caused theses senses to be repressed. This is why an ordinary, untrained individual is usually unable to react to danger quickly enough or even see it coming.

Internationally reknowned martial arts celebrities known outside the martial arts world? None. Heads of styles? a few including: Chuck Merriman of Goju ryu who was a bodyguard for celebrities and high profile people, even music bands like Kiss. The others were had reputations limited to the martial arts world or were simply not interested in being famous. They might not be as accessible as ordinary folks, but for the odd chance to have enough time to have a conversation, one finds that they are no different than anyone else who has had a successful career in something they thoroughly enjoy.

There is nothing really wrong about different instructors of the same system within the same organization having different opinions about minor details. What matters is that they agree on the core and teach the same thing. People naturally personalize what they learn and different instructors emphasize different aspects. The important thing is that they teach the whole system and ensure that the students learn it correctly to the best of their ability.

It is strange that no one has mentioned that their are some trainable skills that are essential for self defense before any physical techniques or running is required. Things like a good sense of observation to know when and where an attack might come. Signs of an imminent attack and situational awareness to know where obstacles and potential escape routes are located, as well as everything else around. Without any of these skills, all the physical techniques are unusable.

Following up a kick with a punch or other hand strike is a good habit to train. The kick is not guaranteed to connect with the target and without an immediate follow up, the kicker is open and vulnerable to a charging attack for the time both feet are not on the ground. Kicks are powerful with more muscle, but are secondary weapons most effectively used to set up or support punches or other hand strikes. Perhaps a sporting match could be won with kicks alone, but a strategy using kicks a a stand alone technique is ill suited for dealing with serious situations.

The best defenition of reasonable force or minimal force is whatever force is required to allow the defender to successfully break away from and escape the attacker(s). If this sounds ambiguous, it is because what it takes to escape can vary depending on the situation. The most important guideline is that one's goal is to escape at the first opportunity. It is not always necessary, nor is it justifiable to completely incapacitate the a attacker. It is better and more practical to think in terms of creating an opening to break and run, rather than stop the assailants attack. This should never require more than 3 moves or techniques.

In North America the situation is a freeforall as others have already described. As for most countries in Europe, there are national federations that issue grades and authorizes people to teach. However, in practice there is practically no way to stop anyone from instructing. If one chooses to teach in a public place such as a park, one has to consider the possibility of being disrupted or heckled. Being registered or recognized by a governing body is not illegal nor is it realistically enforced in any way anywhere. Neither is teaching without insurance or actual qualifications or skills. It is just incredibly stupid and setting oneself up for potential liability if an accident/incident happens. Some parks and public places have regulations about what sorts of activities are allowed on the grounds, thus may require a license or permission from the park authorities. As for Registering one's hands with authorities is a old myth that just refuses to die down despite being debunked countless times.

The actor is a British-Chinese from London. He has trained in karate, Hung gar Kung fu, gymnastics and predictably, Wushu. His biography and background info is easily found online.

As it is a movie or television programme meant to entertain audiences, it is more than likely a fictional choreography put together for that purpose. Something akin to modern Wushu adapted for the screen. Wu Tang is not a specific system and includes a variety of different schools. Just like there is not a single "shaolin" system. To get the first clue as to what he might be doing, read the series credits carefully to find the name of the action/fight choreographer and look up the person's background. A search on IMDB, the Internet movie database could have information.

They may not agree on the minor details but they should agree on the core if they are evaluating and grading other people within the same system. Otherwise there is no point in having a governing body of any kind. This is an all too common issue when evaluation is done by a national governing body such as in most European countries. In the end, the only judgement that truly matters is that of one's own teachers and the opinions of those one can trust.

Logic, pure and simple is the best way to determine what choice to make in this case. If the system one wishes to teach is so different from what one was originally taught and the differences make it distinct, it no longer makes sense to continue calling it by that name. The same reasoning applies if one quits a governing body to become independent, start a new GB or join another.

Martial arts movies have an entirely different appeal when one can understand and identify the difference between what looks good on film and how it might look in real life. A few years ago there was a documentary explaining from a martial artist point of view how to adapt techniques for the movies.

What does one practise and what does one want to pass on is the answer.

Probably Kuro Obi, aka ,Blackbelt. It is one of those rare movies where the actors are actually genuine martial artist. Both main actors are Dan grade holders with good skills. Although a specific style is not mentioned in the movie, one is trained in Goju-ryu and the other is in Shotokan. As a second choice not too far behind, all the karate themed movies starring Sonny Chiba from the mid 60s to 70s. Sonny China is trained as a stuntman as well as karate, possibly Kyokushinkai.

So scientific opinion seems to confirm that being evaluated by another person is always more accurate than any self-evaluation. This must also depend on the evaluator's impartiality, honesty and skills.

Serious injury, chronic pain or advanced age are all good and legitimate reasons to stop any kind of activity which might cause worse harm. However the question assumes that the person has no health problems. So, besides health or age issues, for what sort of reasons would someone refuse to teach or decide to quit teaching?

As a general rule of thumb for cotton karate/judo belts, the thicker and wider it is, the harder it is for it to keep a knot and the longer it takes for them to become supple enough not to come undone. Soaking it in lukewarm water for a while can help, but it might not be such a good idea if there is fancy embroidery work sewn in.

Passed a certain point in one's training is it really possible to accurately evaluate one's skills and progress or is there invariably a tendency to overestimate or underestimate oneself?

Cooking is also quite a bit of fun...and venison is delicious!

Isolation is something that comes from within the mind. Although it is a good opportunity to practise concentration and test one's mental endurance, going to a mountain or other such place is not necessary, nor is it the only way. A martial artist who is able to train with the highest level of concentration, dedication and focuss in spite of whatever noise or distractions around, can do it anywhere. Doing it surrounded by urban life noises and stress is probably more challenging than in a serene mountain environment with a gently gurgling stream or waterfall.

What reasons would likely be cause for refusing to instruct anyone or quit teaching despite being qualified to do it? Martial arts history includes several accounts of reknowned experts who, for a variety of reasons quit teaching or refused to take students for a time. The founder of Uechi-ryu, for example, quit teaching for many years after one of his students killed a neighbour.