tommarker

http://www.bearwoodproducts.com/ My old roommate has one of their octagonal staffs. It is roughly equivalent to working out with a telephone pole.

Nah, not pointed at you, and not so much in this thread, as it was a couple others he posted in that day which all recieved similar off topic responses.

that is an awesome list. thanks for sharing!

This is in response to the thread with the 13 year old black belt wanting to design his own kata. Instead of getting kata help, it was mostly just a mob rush to knock this kid down as being unworthy of being a black belt. Hey, if I was 13 years old, and had my black belt, I'd be a little proud of it, too. Heck, I might even put in my signature. Just because one is a black belt doesn't mean they've mastered humility, and that's not indicative of age either. I've met plenty of cocky black belts from age 15 to 60 It just seems like sometimes half the people here aren't here to really discuss anything, but instead put down everyone else's training methods, correct their spelling, lecture on little things or basically accuse any and all schools outside their own as a McDojo. Maybe I'm a little sensitive, because MY instructor got his ChoDan at a very young age. In fact, he's only 2 years older than me now, but he has lived and breathed martial arts his entire life, and, IMHO, knows more about martial arts than many instructors of the same rank who are twice his age. I'm sure he did some stupid things at the age of 13, but who didn't? Hell, I remember thinking that Milli Vanili was pretty good at 13 Now, I know I've lost my patience with the occasional young poster on this board, but at least they had more than 10 posts before I ripped into them So next time someone asks a stupid question, before you make yourself bigger by knocking down a little kid, try to think of the last time you asked a stupid question.

I've got a reply, but I'm going to put it in its own thread.

suburi, suburi, suburi

Ooh! You've touched on one of my favorite topics! The Kubaton is the name of a copyrighted device and system for using that device developed by Tak Kubota in the 70s. His system focuses quite a bit on restraints, come-alongs and pain compliance for law enforcement officers. You will also see the device called more generically "yawara" or the related "chizukenbo" or "koppo" stick. I personally prefer the chizukenbo/koppo stick, as there is a very handy loop for keeping the stick in your hand. In locking, one can use the end to jam into the wrist or elbow to add "pain compliance" to your technique. It also will ramp up the force behind a finger lock, especially if you carry a stick that has been flattened on one end. You can pinch skin between the stick and your thumb. If you think this is ineffective, grab yourself by the lip or ear and try it! Personally, I prefer the striking applications, as they are more reliable. However, those who are already good at locking will find that this device will significantly increase the power you can leverage on an opponent. Some people just don't respond to this stuff though, which is why it is always good to have a strike-intensive backup plan As for improvised weapons, you cannot beat a good pen. Very popular for such purposes are Fisher space pens, and my personal favorite is one of the extra fat Sharpie pens. These can go where a "ninja keychain" may normally be confiscated. Even better is a small flashlight, such as a streamlight, surefire or even a mini maglite. Now you can see in the dark, and whack baddies, too I highly suggest checking out this man's entire site, but these articles in particular. http://www.donrearic.com/yawara.html http://www.donrearic.com/koppostick.html http://www.donrearic.com/koppostick2.html

At the risk of making your contributions to this thread positive, would you mind sharing some of those?

I train at a college club... enough said

what are you planning to use it for? a competition toothpick is a very different breed of bo from one used for traditional training or bo/bo contact. Do you want heavy or light? tapered or not? chinese or japanese style? hardwood, rattan, or waxwood?

it's mcdojo just because it was TKD? or because she has a stunt double? or what? I am so sick of that word. "your studio has a ceiling? wow... we'd never train that way. you should get your money back from that McDojo!"

I think that was certainly part of the reason. I might be repeating positive spin.. From what I understand, some of the older forms are becoming "optional" for testing. I don't think they will phase out Bassai, Kong Sang Koon, etc.

I do not practice Soo Bahk Do, but it is technically a seperate art from Tang Soo Do. There are similar principles, but newer forms have been substituted over the years over old ones. (Chil Sung series, Yuk Ro series, Hwa Sun, etc.) that have more of a Chinese flair to them. Soo Bahk Do is merely an evolution of TSD concepts, IMHO.

In Hwang Kee's book on the history of the Moo Duk Kwan, he essentially admits learning the forms from books he had access to at libraries. His time spent in china was spent learning Yang Style Tai Chi and some shaolin from what I can remember of the book. However, this time was fairly brief as well. I can only imagine that he took this knowledge, combined with what he saw in book and training with other Korean karate experts and came up with his own method of Tang Soo Do. Of course, that has evolved over the years significantly as well. Heck, the people who follow Hwang Doju Nim's lineage don't even call it Tang Soo Do anymore, and it is now Soo Bahk Do. Hence the introduction of Hwa Sun, Yuk Ro, and Chil Sung hyungs. The story of the history of TSD has changed a bit over the last 8-10 years as "new" info has been released/admitted/whatever. To me, it is somewhat moot since it has radically evolved so much over the years.

yeah, but those colors suck, too

keep in mind Jet Li has been doing hardcore wushu training since he was 4 and his body can take a lot of abuse. Personally, I think those years are starting to take their toll on Jet and his body is slowly turning old and busted, but that's another topic

anyone know of a company that makes sparring gear in a color OTHER than red white blue or black? I'd really like something that sticks out... like YELLOW

scottnshelly, a very REAL problem is that in the middle of intervening in a domestic dispute is that the party you are defending turns on YOU when they realize you are whooping on their "loved one." when the cops come, it's also a very distinct possibility that their stories will change and they will defend each other, and now YOU are the bad guy. call the cops...

it's not that you're not learning anything up to black belt... it's just that as you learn more, your eyes open up to all the things around you that you didn't notice (or couldn't notice) and you see how much more you have to go. It's like getting over a hill only to find a bigger, steeper hill!

Welcome back to training! I've only been to Appalachia for the gup clinic a few times. I was thinking of going to the Region 8 tournament this weekend, but our region had their own tournament, and that's just too much competition for me. Plus those region 8 guys are pretty tough

Hey, an old school PSMAG guy? Awesome! I'm with Buckeye TSD out in Columbus. Tom

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art, so you may get more responses there, however a lot of us read both sections. Our school practices joint locks and some basic throws and falling. Not so much groundwork. Some instructors with a judo or jujitsu background will undoubtably insert it into the curriculum. TSD is for the most part kicking and punching though.

I know some pretty high ranking people who, in their younger days, went to bars with the intent of causing fights (to break them up) or picking fights when that didn't work in order to test their skills. I've heard another gentleman who travelled the US on his motorcycle looking to test his skills in every bar he stopped at. All three are men I'd never think about messing with, not even from 800 yards and helicopter support. From what I've heard, this quirk isn't unique to the states. Many Okinawan masters had a reputation for wanting to scrap with big young and dumb Marines in the old days. I mean, it has to be tempting at times to knock around a young big ol dude, right? I'm not saying it's RIGHT... just saying it's happened, and I tend to respect the heck out of those guys' skills.

I only wear my embroidered belt to clinics and tournaments where people don't know my name... It's already starting to show a little wear, and I'd like to keep it as long as I can. I heard about your patch assignment... That's what happens when you prove yourself to have skills

The best way is to probably find one tournament sponsored by a local school, enter it, and be on their mailing list for the rest of your life. Seriously though, going to tournaments will hook you up with like-minded people, and you'll get to network with other people and hear where they go, etc.