tommarker

I can get involved in martial arts politics in my own organization if I want... no need to start digging up dirt on other orgs, much less arts.

I'm not sure what you're looking for. Why don't you want to hurt them badly? I'm not trying to be morbid, but a shove can be a good precursor to them getting ready to smoke you with a real hit. The shove is just a test of your manhood. Step up to it, and the fight may be on, or they may respect you and leave you alone (doubtful.) Step away from it, and maybe they'll be so impressed with your restraint that they leave you alone (equally doubtful.) Or, maybe it'll confirm their theory that you are a punk, and they'll want to see what else you'll take. Also, what do you mean by "badly?" To me, "badly" means a broken jaw and stepping on their Achille's tendon while they are down on one knee. Is bad for you a nosebleed/broken nose? a black eye? a charlie horse? Are we talking about a schoolyard bully? A mugger? A friend at a party who has had too much to drink?

step backwards?

that's a shame... i know they made very sturdy belts. i'll see if i can find anything. we used to use bear brand.

Unless the person actually lets you kick them in the juevos as hard as you can, I'd be reluctant to believe.

Not all Chinese styles... Do a google search for Pan Qing Fu and look at his hands.

It's a pet peeve of mine too... I just approached from more a wise-* angle It's not too bad a book, actually... Just way out of print.

Neil, What isn't in some way molded or influenced by religion?

SS, Are you familiar with Sakagami's book on nunchaku and sai? Would you happen to know the name of the kata he demonstrates? (Trying to salvage the thread for some reason.)

Fumio Demura's book on the Sai is a good start as well and gives some excellent comparisons of sai technique to empty hand technique. I can't stress the basics of sai enough. A lot of people think (like with kama) that flipping them around is the way to go.

There is no such thing as a nuncuk or a nunchuk. Maybe you should start here: http://members.tripod.com/~Nunchaku/about_e.htm

Murakami, Katsumi. Saijutsu: Traditional Okinawan Weapon Art. Tuttle Press. 2000 ISBN: 0-8048-3244-7 Sakagami, Ryusho. nunchaku and sai: Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts. Japan Publications. 1974 ISBN: 0-87040-333-8

Oh, I'm sorry. It wasn't a chip... it was a high horse. When you finally fall off it and see some of my other posts, I think you'll see that I have nothing but respect for female martial artists. But I don't need to prove it to a total stranger, the women in my club already know.

Does that chip on your shoulder affect your balance when kicking, or have you learned to adjust for it?

I didn't train in MA until I left for college... its not the end of the world I wasn't allowed to take lessons either, but that was more a financial thing than anything else.

My fiancee is a monkey.... boy, that sounds funny

there are lots of jumping spinning kicks.

I think it could be used that way, certainly... but I've heard of instructors who charge their kids money just to fill out a tournament form (tournament fee not included) Our club has a demo team, but it doesn't cost anything to be on, and we only take it to the 2 tournaments per year that we do. We do some pretty cool stuff with bunkai or other themes. It's very educational for our students.

thanks for the great resource!

Jack of All Trades... Master of None.

Why? It's funny that the "Tang So Do M@ster" can't find a place to train. As a Master, you'd think he could open his own school, or have at least met plenty of professional contacts along the way. The TSD tournaments I go to are getting bigger and bigger. Hardly a dying art. But maybe that's the problem... I do Tang Soo Do. Tang So Do might be something completely different... You know.. ryu pa and all. Maybe when I've studied long enough, I could open up my own chain of "Tom Soo Do" schools.

"Pass the Wild Turkey, please."

Jeff, Truly, a question for the ages.

i'm not wise... i just get yelled at a lot. sometimes, i even remember why

I don't think obesity and flexibility have much to do with each other. Many overweight people are quite flexible. Sumo wrestlers, for example, are usually quite limber.