ts757

Well, that killed that thread...

I have the problem that lower grades which are adults dont enjoy taking advice from a younger person. In normal life, the adult is always the superior, but in the dojo it's different, and some people dont like adapting to that. As such, adults rarely accept tips from me in the same way that they'll accept them from another adult.

I assume that you want a response from one of your students... here it is. This is an argument that will always plauge the martial arts. notice the word ART in there. that's precisely what it is, an art. Anything that revolves around smashing chairs over people's heads isnt an art. Learning how to break someone's face is not an art form (unless you put a peice of paper around them to catch the blood... impressionist art y'know). The founder of shotokan karate believed in no physical contact at all. Quite frankly, if you were in an art gallery, would you grab paintings off the wall and smash them over people's heads? That sort of thing is only fit for toughman contests and liverpool pubs. Not the dojo.

I give way / laugh at people like that (they're usually really small so it's funny), why bother starting a fight?

it depends on the age. in our club, the kids class does a lot more fighting than the senior class. Maturity, i guess... but i wouldnt know about that.

we've just started calling our club a school. quite frankly, it makes no difference to what goes on, but i suppose it's percieved as being a big "institution" by potential customers when advertised as a school.

I very rarely even think of the english translation and only use japanese is class... tradition is tradition.

Shout "oh my god" and point, the referee will look away and you can knee him in the groin. then when the ref looks round score. Deny Everything.

I carry my home phone around with me. I just trail a wire wherever i go.

with weights, there's a dynamic muscle course, which leads you from the basics to the super squat routine which "should not be attempted by anyone under the age of 16 without the assistance of an adult. It is reccomended that you consult your doctor for a full medical checkup before commencing the super squat routine". -- needles to say... i've never tried it.

i'm a ferrett... no particular reason, i just like the idea of running round the garden and up girl's skirts...

Well, this is an exciting thread. People are writing random letters and numbers all the time. Patrick, do you understand all this?

Does anyone here know when the matrix 2 and blade 2 are coming out? I hear that they have delayed filming, so now i'm unsure as to the release dates.

If I remember rightly, then it's 4500 calories a day when your doing intensive training. Bruce Lee described running as the master of all excersise. It's not advisable to "jump in the deep end", though, as I know from personal experience... it hurts.

The spirit of shotokan karate is generally to take out your opponent in one technique. On the street, this is unrealistic, and the best way to win a fight is to kick/ knee your assailant as hard as possible in the groin. Then knock them out

A grading should mirror what the people being graded want out of the martial arts, if you want to fight, then your grading should reflect this, and focus on fitness and sparring (e.g. BNMA). If you want to focus more on the traditional aspect, go for an association which will nuture this side of the martial arts. When you reach your dan grading, your instructors should have shown you all the different areas of the martial art you practise, so you can choose your own path. (tobias might have noticed i've tried to avoid stopping the thread this time... ) This Message was edited by: ts757 on Aug 11, 2001 12:52pm

He who fights and runs is wasting valuable running time with all that fighting.

I resent those insinuations.

I'm 16. I'm 5'6(ish). I tried to fight someone over 6 ft. I couldnt reach his head with my kicks. I couldnt score. One of his snap kicks, which was designed to draw my guard, sent me flying. Ow. What I'm trying to say (in a less than subtle way) is that when you're over 5 ft, kata depends on your effort, whereas fighting is nearly impossible against a taller / stronger person. I repeat - ow.

Think of it this way, a marital art has many aspects, not just fighting. It really annoys me when people come up to me and say, "c'mon do sommat." These igronant fools should be kicked until they are the consistancy of blended cream so they open their eyes and see what a martial art truly is. Masters, generally dont teach their students fighting. I have a friend, whose previous club had around 40 members in the kids class alone. the idea of the club was to create top quality students. Not black belts. The club shut down, and he had to find another one. He went to a club which catered for all tastes, sparing, traditional, etc. This person's standard was far in excess of the rest of the club, but he didnt know how to fight. He upgraded their standard in traditional, and they taught him how to spar. He's now one of their most valued instructors and an excellent black belt. I still believe traditional karate cant be mixed with fighting, but this club has done it. (the person i refer to is tobias_reece).

wasn't this conversation meant to be about what is reasonable discipline for students? Rather that who's kicked a Navy Seal in the crotch to see which of their testicles will implode first?

My friend used to say "violence is the last resort of the green humpty people" of couse, he was a heavy prozak user by that time.

Backup's here Tobias, if a little late, GCSEs 'n' all. Anyways, I use kata as a mental disiplin. I was once told that I am not envisioning my opponent, so I spent ages figuring out the application of each kata, and focusing in on how my opponent would reactact to each technique. It has enhanced my concentration spa..... oooh a pigeon! I never think about a real street situation, as I have a backup plan for that. Remember, he who fights and runs is wasting valuable running time with all that fighting... Also remember, the best form of defense is attack, and the best form of attack is one that doesnt actually involve you.

I have to disagree with egarlocks comment about range. I have no 3D vision and so cannot judge distance or range... but this does not make me an ineffective fighter. Instead, I rely on highly developed instinct to judge how hard I'm hitting an opponent. I've never hurt anyone yet, and my opponents are none the viser as to my eye problems.

ok, so i hit the wrong button there.... continuing: "what ever you choose to do it's your personal choice." can solve most arguments over martial arts. I choose not to enter competitions, I also choose not to spar all the time. This is MY personal choice, which I made. It makes us indeviduals.