tommarker

I too am curious about what has made the sai such a darn exciting weapon all of a sudden? Is it just Jennifer Garner's hotness?

practice figure 8s. fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. If you can do forward and reverse figure eights competently, you'll be able to figure out the flow to most handoffs and other tricks. I practiced figure eights and over the shoulder handoffs for like 3 years before learning anything else. I'm not saying you NEED to take that extreme route, but... it is much easier to learn when you are comfortable with ther weapon. Thousands of reps build comfort, not cool videos.

OH Laurie... And I don't know how to say this without being too disrespectful of someone wearing a Master belt... Those are TSD Forms, yes, but I've never seen them performed quite like that. Maybe it's performed that way for... uh, "educational" purposes???

I am a strong believer that in order to guarantee the effectiveness of joint locks (wrist, elbow, finger, shoulder) that you have to move the attackers concentration elsewhere. There might be some guys out there who can go directly to locks and make them work everytime. I, however, am neither Yang Jwing-Ming or Bong Soo Han. Even they would most likely suggest that such locks are for controlling an opponent after you've applied a powerful strike.

I believe most "fighting fans" on the market are mostly for show, as are most of the routines out there for them. Closed, they could be used like tantojutsu or yawara techniques, but I imagine they really would have to have a few sharpened edges for them to truly cut someone.

Hi Sphinx, I think that would be strictly your personal preference. How long have you been doing kyudo? I've always found it to be an interesting art that I definetely don't have the patience for

I'd add to be cautious at first when hitting the bag. You cannot hit the bag with full force until you have good mechanics down. Spraining your wrist is a sure fire way to end up collecting a lot of dust on your heavybag

I think your story reflects the need for more people to think about why they carry a gun, and the responsibility that goes with it. I'm sure there are a few people out there who have a "hero wannabe" complex, but I would say they are also in the minority.

SS, I'll give you that, but there's (unfortunately) no law for having your priorities out of whack But I think your painting a lot of folks with that broad brush, when most of them are a lot more... well, average

I know a fair amount of folks who are certified to carry firearms concealed. Most of them tend to take it more seriously than a lot of police officers who see it as one more thing they have to qualify with. Most folks just are concerned for the safety of themselves or others and want an extra layer of security aside from hoping the police make it there in time. Yeah, there are a few of them who I think are a little edgy and could probably use a lot more training (both in shooting and emotional skills) However, I know a lot more people who I don't think should be trusted behind a car, and those are the guys who are more likely to put me in harm than the stereotypical "trigger happy gun nut" Here in Ohio, one must have a permit to carry concealed, and the permit requires a background check and training in both the classroom and the range. Basically, they have to prove to the state that they are law abiding, good citizens. What do businesses do? They prohibit these proven "good guys" from being in their business and think that it will somehow stop the guy who REALLY wants to shoot up the place and doesn't care if he needs a permit to carry or not.

I would agree the Sakumoto kata is amazing, but as you noted is a "digest" version of the form. For the record, we do NOT do Anan in TSD. I like the palm strikes though.

http://www.jinmukan.com/sv/elite2004-anan-mina.shtml

If my memory serves me correctly, these are some clips taken from a pretty cheesy late 70s documentary on Wushu. A lot of those moves seem to be just kinda lumped together from acrobatic floor routines... many of those are just compulsary wushu moves. Not too much to do with the emei themselves. Sometimes you can find good stuff hidden within those forms, but in this case, i think you would have to dig way too deep for way too long. I still think it's an interesting weapon with some potential... That ain't it though

well done! he really uses that leg kick to get his body rotated!

Bill, Glad to hear that you're doing well! I've given some thought to some nearby locations. There's a nearby strip mall that is a little old, but there's a McDonalds, Kroger, Applebees, and Dairy Queen there as well.. Plenty of family opportunities.

Thanks Mike, The MASuccess website has a small message board which is packed with some interesting info! It almost makes me think I can pull this off

Hi everyone, You know they say there is never a "right" time for a person to take on a new responsibility, and if you wait for the right moment, you'll probably be dead first. With my current job closing out in September, I've been giving serious thought to opening a commercial studio. Right now I'm in the "homework" phase, reading as much as I can on the subject(s) before deciding where to go. My question is, are there any good resources out there for someone who is starting out fairly fresh? I know that there are professional groups such as NAPMA, etc. I'm curious as to *how* beneficial these groups are, or if it's a lot of common sense stuff wrapped up in an expensive package. Any online tools or discussion groups geared towards more commercial schools? It seems like most groups are geared towards the student or to smaller schools (and that is fine) but I've never really found a group out there to answer more business-type questions. Thanks! Tom

how big is the patch? some local company may be able to do an embroidery right onto the back of your uniform. the expensive part is the setup and art fees, but if you ever go back to them, they will have the art already in their system.

If you have some spare cash, check out Guro Ted Lucaylucay's video called "The Pocket Stick." It's geared more towards the chizukenbe/koppo stick, but there are some good drills to get you moving and thinking in the right direction. I like the tape a lot. There's also a DVD called Reverse Grip fighting methods available through http://www.shivworks.com/ that could be adapted to emei work. That whole site actually is worth the read. He knows what he's talking about, and is a good guy.

¿que tranza, vato? http://doubledna.com/nunchuck/

Thank you for your opinion. Would you care to back up your opinion with something meaningful? If we're talking about "real world" then Yeah, I'd have a few other things I'd prefer: like a shotgun with a 1911 and good fixed blade on-hip as backup. Obviously, the emei aren't a long-range weapon, and suffer a disadvantage in that respect, but they are very fast, easily concealed, difficult to disarm, and in trained hands would be pretty nasty. I think in the hands of an experienced BJJ player, especially one with some FMA experience, a pair of emei would be pretty handy in a clinch. Maybe I'm wrong.

another good idea is to work on getting that leg up as quick as you can... from your fighter stance work on lifting that front leg up and down as quick as you can... bring the knee all the way to your chest and bring your foot almost back down to the floor and repeat. as those muscles get stronger, the kicks will get faster. the bruises and bumps don't go away. last week i walked out of class with bruises all over my shins and toes and ankles, just par for the course.

Are you a lawyer?

ignoring the other guy... the emei is definetely not a long range tool. this is a close range weapon. this usually means the kata aren't as pretty. do an inside-outside type block with the emei in your hand, and you'll see that you can *trap* your opponents arm/wrist between the emei and your arm. If you're familiar with reverse grip knife techniques, you'll quickly pick this up. now you can seize the opponent, pull them off balance, and use the other hand to lock the elbow. if the lock isn't your style, you can pull them forward, and the stick the other pointy end into the attacker. Check out the late Remy Presas' book "Modern Arnis." There are some basic drills in there, which could be used with the emei to trap the incoming strike and move to the thrust or hammerfist.

A LOT of stuff in karate looks stupid. Think about it...