tommarker

are you talking about the crutch?

Finding a cheap, decent quality balisong isn't too hard, assuming you know what to look for. I would avoid buying them on the internet, as you really need to handle them and see how they feel. Make sure the latch fits securely in both the open and closed position. It shouldn't slide in and out without any friction. Otherwise, its not doing it's job. But most importantly, look at how the handles are bolted to the blade. Is it wobbly? Do the pins move? If so, count on one of them falling out one day in the midst of something complicated. Benchmade makes an *excellent* balisong. Spyderco is coming out with one as well, and there are a few customs out there I wouldn't mind owning. A good balisong is in many ways the perfect knife. It can't accidently open. It won't accidently close, and the lock won't fail if you push it too hard. For self-defense, it makes a great pocket stick, it can open fairly quickly, and once again, will not fail on you like a lockback may.

I second the Imada books. Marinas' book on the history of pananandata also has some interesting openings. Slicing yourself while using the balisong really shouldn't happen unless you have a double edged balisong, in which case I say "ow!" Always, always, always hold the handle into which the sharp edge of the knife does not recess into. This should prevent 99.9% of all balisong related injuries, unless you are attempting aerials which is beyond my area of expertise.

http://www.donrearic.com/

bdaze, you may like these links: http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0200.htm http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0400.htm http://www.savatekickboxing.ca/canne.htm http://www.cambridgemartialarts.freeserve.co.uk/fred.htm

la canne

sigh.

call it whatever the heck you want and try not to care about anyone else.

use the crescent kick to rotate your body faster.

not a very accurate term. walking on your hands and feet, but instead your back in the air, it's facing the ground. does that make sense?

Yea, they are pretty much the same. Maybe slightly different, but not much. So, all I do is repeat the first half? That's easy enough More like shorin-ryu than isshin ryu, in that the first step goes to the right. After the double punch to the left, it pretty much repeats itself in mirror image. I don't have a favorite form anymore, but maybe that's because I've been tearing apart how i do them lately.

I think all martial arts organizations have good and bad stories. Which ones you tend to believe or tell to others depends highly on your affilaition with that group.

Kids I've worked with like the "animal walk" drill. Basically, most of the exercises involve moving back and forth imitating animals (and a lot of them are HARD) Bunny hops, crap walk, etc. These are hard to explain with text

It doesn't resolve for me. Maybe you typed it wrong?

We don't do Seuinchin, so I wasn't inclined to participate in this conversation, strong opinions aside. From watching the two senior gentlemen perform it, and from the photographs, Seuinchin reminds me a lot of Naihanchi (it's the closest thing I have to compare it to.) I see a lot of slow powerful movements into stances that are deeply rooted intertwined with what looks like backwards movement and quick powerful strikes. A lot of people I know who practice "rooting" themselves as in Tai Chi have a hard time moving from one position to another. This form seems to emphasize the ability to do both. Reminding me of the first time I sparred with a hapkido guy who was smaller than me. I planted myself firmly and let him bounce right off me. he responded by challenging my strength, and getting me to respond by attempting to push back. That's when he yielded and tossed me to the floor. This form reminds me of that. Being strong in the face of battle, yet knowing when to absorb the attack, and allow the person to come though right into your own attack. Maybe I'm completely wrong... I've only watched it twice

I dunno what your juevos are made of, but a kick to the groin with a cup still friggin hurts. The last tournament I was in I did a mid level spinning back kick at the same time he did a high spinning wheel kick. I don't think I've ever heard a room more quiet than when my foot made contact with plastic. I swear it echoed throughout the whole room.

Does anyone have any experience with the "practical tai chi sword" that is offered, I think, by Paul Chen? You can see them in the latest wle.com catalogue.

I'm sure it was a mix of factors. As far as I know, it was one of the oldest clubs on campus at the time. Perhaps the instructor was burnt out and tired of answering my beginner questions for 30 years, or maybe I just caught him on a bad day. Or maybe he was doing one of those cryptic ultra-zen "tryouts" of a potential student. Either way, I never went.

Jussi, You know that Rob's site is just his opinions, and not neccesarily the New Testament of Shotokan

The instructor and his webpage. I didn't know squat about Tang Soo Do before I joined. I knew that I had about 20 choices of martial arts clubs at school and, since I was searching online, I was more or less looking at those with info online. I contacted the Shorin-ryu karate club and was basically brushed off by the instructor who seemed almost hassled to answer my questions. I contacted the Tang Soo Do club and found an instructor who was easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and very eager to have a new student. He also had an incredibly informative webpage on what Tang Soo Do was, how the club was ran, etc. It was like getting a 40 page pamphlet on what to expect. I'm still there. And the karate club is gone. I'm glad I made my pick.

I know a fair amount of people who have some sort of Tang Soo Do related tattoo on their bodies. I think at a certain point, a lot of people think how it might be a good idea... and then talk themselves out of it. I have no problems with what people want to do with their bodies, but it's not my bag. I've never seen someone tattoo it on the inside of their wrist though! Mostly it's a bicep, chest, back thing. As for the use of chinese characters... No different aesthetically than using initials, which is just as popular. As long as you know what it means and aren't going with "pretty looking" as you see with devangari and sanskrit... then I can't question your intelligence.

I'm at a University affiliated club myself. Like most clubs, our club started because a student with the skills to teach decided to share their knowledge with others. Most of the clubs at Ohio State started in the same way. Only 2-3 of them have teachers who also teach in a commercial setting. I can't imagine how hard it would be to try and start a club and then have to search for someone to teach! You probably won't ever get enough money together to attract someone. You're going to have to find someone crazy enough to do it almost purely for the love of teaching. Teaching at the college level is very rewarding, because the kids are smart, understand what you're teaching, and are often very driven. I would keep networking on campus. Is there a judo club? Maybe even intramural wrestling? Wrestling team? All of these might end up with some sort of lead. Talk to the wrestling coach, find out who is in the community.. that sort of thing. Of course, with your luck, you might put all the work into getting a strong club together and graduate!

You're entitled to your opinion...(but.... ) But the mathematical chances of EVERYONE carrying a gun are pretty slim. There are plenty of people who plain just don't like them, feel like they would blow someone's head off, etc. And I respect their opinion. But where it gets tricky, I think, is when we start talking about who should and who shouldn't be allowed to carry a firearm. Should we restrict those with a felony on their record? That sounds reasonable at first... but what about a guy who commited a non-violent felony decades ago and now has managed to straighten themselves out and want to be able to protect themselves? I too am worried about the truly loopy people out there, but the ones I'm really worried about are the ones who are carrying concealed weapons anyway, regardless of the law. In general, I have faith in the majority of people in this country to be able to accept the consequences of what comes with carrying a firearm -- knowing full well that the people who actively make this choice are considerably more likely to study, practice, and be even-tempered. I apologize, by the way, if I sound in previous posts like I'm labeling you as anti-gun, etc. That wasn't my intent... but instead, I see a lot of people out there who believe in what some politicians call "common sense" gun control that sounds sensible on the surface, but when really thought about... has major problems.

I've been a real nazi on improving footwork in class lately. People get tired of talking about stances with me

Drunken Monkey, You seem to be taking a very pessimistic view of firearms and knives. Without getting into a minor rant about how we use knives everyday and generally manage not to kill or harm people, I'd like you to try approaching it from this vantage point: Guns and Knives were designed to PROTECT. At first, this may seem like a semantic difference. I can appreciate that you come from a slightly different culture than myself, so allow me to present the following. As a child, my parents taught me how to safely handle a knife. One of my prized posessions given to me was a pearl handled pocketknife that my great grandfather gave to me a few years before he passed away. It was a knife that sat in his pocket daily while he worked as a chemical engineer, and sat in his pocket everyday after he retired and bought a small farm. Despite the fact that he fought in a war, and easily had the spirit to do so... he never killed or harmed anyone with this knife he carried everyday. Could he have? I'm certain. Since that day, I've carried at least a small pocketknife like his (I stopped carrying his for fear I would lose it) and it has sat in my pocket for the last...16 years. In that time, I've faced plenty of disputes, arguements and fights. Yet, I too have managed to avoid stabbing or slashing anyone who crossed my path. Perhaps I am a paragon of virtue and benevolence. I am in no hurry to either stab or shoot anyone. Yet I have trained in both. I have spent the last 6 years training in martial arts, but I'm in no hurry to test out my skills. In fact, you could say I have at my hands (and feet) a colorful myriad of ways to restrain, injure, main, and even kill someone. Would I take every step to avoid using them? I believe so. If I was stuck in a situation where I had no choice but to employ them to defend my family and myself? I hope so. What I object to is people who would endeavor to chip away at this ability by stating that I am being "paranoid" or can't be trusted to use an efficient means to defend myself and my family.