Alan Armstrong

That's why if you're going to fight for ego, you need to plant the seed into the minds of those around you. Whilst pummeling your opponent, continuously shout "hes got my wallet!" Or "Stop I don't want to hurt you" works also.

Absolutely agree with you TJ Jitsu.This is why Tai Chi Chuan is practiced slow.

The idea I have is to understand ballet to enhance a martial artist and not to take valuable time away by learning none viable techniques or movements.There are many conditioning exercises that ballet dancers already have in common with martial artists, that is a bonus in itself. Bruce Lee used a bar when training similar to ballet as his was metal and not wooden. Barr work for martial artists for strengthening, posture and balance is common place in ballet studios but not so much in dojos. I seek out welded handrails in public places for practicing with, a wooden barr such as used in a ballet studio, wouldn't be strong enough for my purposes. Bruce Lee's kicking techniques can be learned and improved upon by practicing with a metal horizontal bar. Another thing (all) martial artists can borrow from the ballet world is flexibility techniques. By learning to stretch individual muscles instead of in groups; then strengthening specific muscle groups when conditioning them By becoming more sophisticated in all aspects of training and performing; so as to become an intelligent, effecient fighters and not like many muscle headed brutes, that have more in common with the animal kingdom.

Had a compliment from a doctor in a hospital, about three years ago.She said that my level of understanding, medically was above a med student of two years. Sad to say that my mum died from organ failure art the time; she had an enlarged heart. I had been drawn into understanding medical heart issues due to my own heart condition also. There are many possible heart problems that can occur to anyone, but it must be said that the medical world is far more advanced in treating many conditions, than it was fifty years ago; the problem now is that smoking and bad eating habits are still causing unnecessary, preventable illnesses. Personally, having arteries drilled out and stents put in to keep the flow of blood circulating, with daily meds and eating habits that are reasonable, changing my lifestyle, is the least I can do, without messing up everyone else's work, to keep me alive and kicking. So sensei8 just do what you need to do to stay healthy and alive, for yourself and everyone else that you are connected and associated to. Far too many great people check out earlier than they should, being stubborn like me with out being great, still feels great doing it, because without health; everything becomes difficult and challenging. Focus on health as a priority and everything else will fall in to place or it can wait. My martial arts training has given me back more than I have put in to it, I can honestly say, that by living longer, I hope to repay my debt with being helpful to other martial artists, along their journey, even if they are small pebbles of encouragement.

Here is something close to my ramblings but not exactly. I don't remember where I got my information on the Spartans; always had an interest in them since my late pre teens. Perhaps I learned about them in a book somewhere. https://advocacy.ou.org/political-problems-torah-solutions-the-loudest-wins-of-sparta-johnson-and-rashi/ Point being with JKD concepts in the Greek movies, where else could the fight scene choreographers draw inspiration from?

Thank you Nidan Melbourne for your insightful comments.Personally conditioning refers to my entire body, with the usual cardio, bones and muscles. Also posture, balance, and coordination. Not so much concerned with gaining more strength but rather improving my agility level. Stamina and endurance needs improvement. Having a history of heart disease, exercise is my greatest weapon against it. My cardiologist is very happy with my latest test results and sees a progressive improvement concerning my heart, health and wellbeing. Must have been approximately eight years ago when attended cardiac rehabilitation. It was a great kick start to get in shape. Having a series of four heart attacks was very draining on the body. Feeling very weak afterwards and tired most of the time. Just walking back then was exhausting; now I love sprinting as apart of my cardio workout. Never will I take my health for granted; I workout full time, similar to professional athletes, without the need to win a thing but more importantly, to stay alive is winning me more quality time. Is conditioning important for you? The way I see it, is that if we are not conditioning ourselves then probably we are becoming increasingly unconditioned.

Conditioning is different for everyone due to likes and dislikes or preferences. Or perhaps you are conditioning yourself in a specific way for a specific purpose? Some people have a routine that they stick to while others change their conditioning regime often. So the question is really, what works best for you, changing daily, weekly, monthly or annually? I've been advised to change my conditioning routines monthly as I am a daily type of conditioner. What type have you found to be a successful, or is it more what type of conditioning you do is more important than when?

You could be right about not missing that much bushido_man96.Then on the other side, there is no harm in looking into another world such as Ballet for learning how other styles of movement works. Never will I want to do Ballet, but they certainty have ways of doing things in the conditioning Dept. that improves my martial art capabilities. They in Ballet have their fair share of injuries just like martial artists but not due to opponents, theirs is usually accidental, due to performing movements incorrectly. I have almost pulled my hip our of its socket in one occasion while doing extreme kicking. If I had known about Ballet hip conditioning exercises, this accident could have been prevented. Much of the Ballet conditioning exercises are for preventative porpoises, as well as enhancing performances. It would not be very appealing, to see x crippled Ballet dancers roaming the streets as posture is an important feature for them, whereas martial artist that use techniques that eventually destroy their knees and hips could have prevented it, due to being more aware of human body mechanics, which is something Ballet dancers need to be aware of constantly. Martial artist would benefit from understanding the Ballet term called "Sickling" on ways to avoid it. My viewpoints are open to using many types of dance to enhance martial arts, not only Ballet, to discover and incorporate what works from whatever place possible. Are martial artists open minded enough to look beyond their own ruggedness and to balance themselves out with some softness and gracefulness once in awhile?

This is not what Plato meant. What Plato writes in The Apology is that human wisdom is worth little when we consider the wisdom of the gods. Furthermore, logic is not the absence of wisdom. Applying logic gives us a clear and defined path to our goal. The Chinese use logic as well. In Daoism, those in the School of Names were logicians. Again, I think it is incorrect to call philosophy exclusively Greek, and wisdom exclusively oriental. There are plenty of other branches and traditions of philosophy that aren't Greek, and Eastern philosophy has a rich and very ancient tradition. Wisdom is universal, and in the end I think that anyone can seek wisdom, regardless of what are of philosophy they ascribe themselves to. I think this particular statement is a little unfair. Silkworms are native to China. Would European nations have created silk if they were native to Europe? That's unknowable. Since it is unknowable, it's not something that we can really debate about. However, I will say that clothing depended heavily on the climate of the area. People that wore fur generally lived in frigid climates, whereas people in warmer climates moved to other, lighter materials when they could. I think this is also an unfair statement. Multiple countries offered Greece aid. Was it wisdom that caused Greece's collapse? It's unlikely. Nor do I think philosophy played a hand in the event either. Source? Eastern martial arts are certainly more globally popular, but Greece is far from the dominate area for WMA. We are beginning to see a restoration in interest in WMA, and it's been very awesome to be a part of. While this is true, I do not see how this is different from what Eastern cultures steal from the West. Culture is a constantly evolving thing. Every culture takes what it likes from others, and adapts it to themselves. China used firearms before the West did. Furthermore, Middle Eastern countries were the first to use what we generally think of as a gun in the 14th century. I couldn't anything that agreed with this. The closest thing I found is that the Italian spaghetti noodle is likely a descendant of Asian noodles. Again, I think this goes back to my argument on cultures borrowing from others. The dish called spaghetti is solidly an Italian one. The earliest evidence of crop rotations we have are from around 6000BCE, and originated in the Middle East. So while that is still Asian in origin, it is not Chinese. It seems that the West knew about it long before the Middle Ages. Agriculture can also be traced back to this time. Again, the West knew about agriculture long before the Middle Ages. I think we would be in the same spot. This is a great forum, and I think that logic plays a large part in the questions and answers that make up this community. I think that it is important to remember that the goal of philosophy is wisdom, regardless of origin. Greek philosophy is big in the West because it is a part of Western culture. Chinese philosophy is big in the East because it is a part of Eastern culture. I think that as MAist, we pursue wisdom through philosophy. I think that as humans we pursue wisdom through philosophy. Excellent post!! Mo. Bruce Lee sums it up in one statement "Don't think Feel"Thinking is philosophical that can go on indefinitely, whereas using feelings (with emotional content) in the moment is a wiser choice of action. Spartans would settle arguments by who could shout the loudest, is this logical or were they trying out the emotional content concept? The fight choreograph in the (two Greek) movies "300" used JKD concepts, also in the movie "Troy" why? Concerning history, the victors write it as they are the good guys, as His-story! Depending on who is writing the historical "facts" they will change from one book to another. One example, is America was discovered by Italians and they celebrate it that way, as Christopher Columbus was Italian but the Spanish have a different point of view and so does the Native American Indians.

I was told by my Shinshii at a recent seminar that many of the techniques we use in Tegumi comes from Shuai Jiao. He knows that I have been researching many of our Kata's applications and one part in particular (throws and take downs) have been very hard to research. I was always told that these came from Qin Na but in my research I have not been able to find the connection. What we call Tuidi fits into Qin Na not Tegumi. They are similar in some respects to Judo but are executed slightly different. In talking with him and one of or arts Okinawan seniors I was told to look at Shuai Jiao for answers. Unfortunately finding the exact throws, sweeps, and take downs is very difficult because there is not a ton of info out there to research. That is not to say I have not found a few in watching the few Youtube vids I could find but finding more than a handful of examples has proven very difficult. I am also not looking for the competitive sport examples. Do you have access to throwing, sweeping and take down applications that you could share specifically in Shuai Jiao? If so PM me I would love to see them. The deeper you research an art the more elusive it becomes and the more questions you end up having. Any help would be much appreciated. See where you are coming from MatsuShimsii.I specialize in Shuai Jiao. It is one of those things that falls in to the category of "Felt and not Seen" I learned it from a Tai Chi master from Hong Kong in about 1990. Shuai Jiao is very profound. I cannot imagine myself to be a martial artist without it. As it takes two to Tango it would be easier to explain face to face. As this is not possible I give it a go with words. I can only give hints and suggestions on how it is done. So please bear with me. There is no text book on this subject, due to it being esoteric. The gravity of the Earth. Everyone is constantly maintaining balance consciously or unconsciously. Sensitivity of the opponent's balance. Controlling the opponent's balance. Pressure sensitivity techniques through the hands. If I can sense my opponent to be leaning to the left, then that is the direction I will be gently be pull him over to. This works with all directions. As what I'm doing is gentle and subtle, then there is no struggle and there is no feeling of a threat to the opponent, only a sense of unbalance like being tipsy. While in control of the opponent's balance Chin Na of striking techniques can be used. As the opponent is preoccupied with saving their own balance, techniques are relatively easy to use. This all works best in a struggle situation with the opponent, this is a win win situation for the Shuai Jiao martial artist. There are ways in practicing alone, if interested I can give a few pointers. Any specific questions on this subject, I will be happy to try and answer them for you.

Ipods are good, I have one myself for the gym. The Ipod Nanos, which are the smaller version, are really good for working out as they can fit in your pocket/arm band etc and weigh next to nothing. I've had my first ipod since 2006, it's been dropped so many times, taken to cold countries/hot countries and its still working fine! Thanks Whisky 147, I will look in to it; the iPod Nanos.

Spot on, very good explanation JR 137.I've tried the give and take idea in practice with students, they seem to take it the wrong way, as a battle of egos competition, rather than the proper intent of learning give and take conditioning concepts. Spiteful people and bullies should appreciate very quickly that pain works both ways; or consequently learn the hard way.

I disagree. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, and I hesitate to say that it has much to do with luck. It certainly can help us hedge bets, and move away from pure luck in situations, but that's as far as I am willing to go. Philosophy, on the other hand, is far from being just Greek. We can certainly thank the Ancient Greeks for popularizing it in the Western world, but philosophy itself exists within many culture and is not exclusive to Greece. Philosophy is theory, in it's base form. The word philosophy means "lover of wisdom", and as such philosophers seek out wisdom in all forms. In the world of MA, this leads to our ambition to know more. If you want to label these two things within the world of MA, one could say that philosophy is theory, and wisdom is application. However, that would do a disservice to both of these concepts. There is so much more that goes into these two things, and to define them solidly would be difficult. Now, that's a solid post!! Socrates said that he possessed no wisdom but was a pursuer of it.He was at least intelligent enough to realize that his logic contained no wisdom. Many are very quick to talk about Chinese philosophy; I kindly like to point out that philosophy is Greek and not Chinese, wisdom however is oriental. The ancient Chinese were far more advanced than their European counterparts, while they wore silk and the rest were wearing fur. Logic is short sighted while wisdom is far sighted. Just look at the state of today's European politics for some insight, how is Greek logic compared to Chinese wisdom? As the Chinese have offered to bail out Greece from its debts. Why is it that the martial arts from (All) oriental Eastern cultures are of more interesting to Westerners than the Grecian West, such as the Spartans? Nothing has really changed, still Westerners steal from Chinese cultures (since the middle ages) rebottle it or rename it and call it something else. Give credit when credit is due; please. Gun powder was a Chinese invention used for celebrations till the West used it, to dominate other cultures with. Spaghetti isn't Italian, it is Chinese originally, that was discovered by Marco Polo. Crop rotations and agriculture is Chinese in origin, that were introduced to European farmers in the Middle Ages. Where would this forum and martial arts be if it was devoid of Chinese/oriental wisdom and only Greek logical/philosophical statements and opinions could be used?

"Sledgehammer" very good choice of words DWx, as my opponent blocked a light round house kick aimed at him and he drove a reverse punch in to my solar plexus, that knocked the breath and life out of me; as layed out on my back gasping for air.Thank goodness it was a light contact tournament! Yes Maists can hit hard... really hard... very painful... It was a big wake up call for me; as I threw my mouthpiece cross the gymnasium and focused on not being the nice guy at that particular moment. I won the bout but I couldn't hit him as hard as he hit me. He was obviously makawara conditioned and I was point fighting taught up to that moment in time. Recommend to anyone, to use the sledgehammer approach if at all possible.

Philosophy is Greek and Wisdom is Oriental.As martial artists two perspectives are beneficial to having a balanced view of situations. While the Greeks used logic in the Orient they used luck management. As martial artist we are using both logic and luck management. We cannot guarantee ourselves to win every fight but we can all improve our chances of winning using logic and some luck management skills.

For me, it's seeking out, with a high fever, all that is NOT Shindokan; to add quality to my MA betterment. Not for just a moment, and/or for only a season; but for a resolved reason. For the moment, medical limitations!! Sometimes I cheat...don't follow doctors orders...but I, even then, gauge myself quite carefully. Having said that, normally I don't limit myself across the board, because limitations only task my MA betterment, and I will NOT have that. I train outside of the Shindokan circle because I WANT TO...I NEED TO...I MUST...AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, until my last breath!! Self limitations are for those MAists that are afraid...afraid to step outside of their comfort zone...afraid to face their own truths...afraid to learn outside of their base style, as though their style is the best, and to me, there's no such thing as the best, especially in the MA is concerned. You are a "Jetsensei8"

Hi there Alan Armstrong, thanks for the response - I enjoyed hearing your perspective. And also great to see a fellow Zumba fan. I hadn't heard of Batuka but looks cool! I agree and have also found that my workouts are all related - my zumba helps my karate and my karate helps my zumba, and on and on. It's all about learning to control my body and using it in a healthy and fun way. Also in a way that helps me to grow as a person. More so in the case of karate but I think it's important to let go of the constant drive to improve and just enjoy the moment - and zumba is great for that. So I like your idea about having no goal in mind. Obviously I enjoy more but I also find I do better at karate and other activities when I let go of results. Thanks again for the perspective - good luck with the canon kicks! Thanks shortyafter.Butuka is based on latin dance move but also incorporates boxing and capoeira. This can be found on YouTube. Zumba as you know involves world dance moves from different places and styles. In my earlier days in the1980s it was Karate and Dancing funk. One really did help the other. As Bruce Lee was a Cha Cha champion while practicing Wing Chun. So I've never had any doubts about mixing any type of dance with martial arts. At the moment I'm mixing Ballet conditioning with kicking coordination. Also Batuka is a great warm up before heading to the sports park for a workout.

All of this is explained beforehand. This isn't sparring its a fight. You need to understand the people that are asking for these matches. These are the guys that are all "you cant take me to the ground" and "that stuff doesn't work on me" so we decide to have a fight. Now here are the rules for a challenge match- the challenger can do whatever he wants, we merely ask that you don't bite for the sake of diseases. You CAN bite, but it'll quickly become the last time you're able to do that. Now the rules for the jiu jitsu fighter- hes not allowed to strike with a closed fist but hes going to take you down. After he does hes going to get to the mount. Hes not going to punch you with a fist, but rather hes going to slap you to demonstrate just how much control he has over you. Then he'll choke you. You'll want to "try again" (they always do...) but they also fail to realize that if this were an actual fight you would not have that option. So what you're asking me to do is to not only not hurt you, but also not embarrass you at the same time. Meanwhile there is no doubt that you're trying your hardest to injure and cripple me the moment you get a chance. The fact that I'm slapping you instead of punching you is about as merciful and compassionate as one can get. The first match is usually a few slaps to get you to turn your back. The second match the slaps are much harder and more frequent. If you insist on a third match, there are no more slaps (or submissions for that matter) and its punches and elbows at this point. A few things to consider- this is still much more humane than any striking style is going to be (considering they'll hit you to the point of unconsciousness with blunt force trauma.) No other martial art ever allowed someone to walk into their school, challenge them, and have the potential to walk out unharmed. This is a FIGHT and I'm able to have enough control so as to only hurt your ego and not your body. What other martial art can offer that? When looking at these videos, you're often not seeing what led up to the match and the banter of the challenger. You speak of Chinese styles and other martial arts, so allow me to call you out on that one- show me a video of a challenge match with a style other than jiu jitsu or modern day mma- a full contact no holds barred match at that and show me the "humanity" demonstrated by the challenged. Lets assume you can find a match, you'll notice that the challenger will be beaten so profusely that an immediate rematch is not possible. You're going to leave the jiu jitsu school with injuries only to your ego (unless you persist). In regards to martial arts and the "code of conduct" you speak of you also need to understand that not everyone is interested in that. I don't train martial arts to become a better person or improve my spirituality, I train because I like to fight. Martial arts are supposed to teach people how to fight. I take great offense to people who claim to be able to do it while simultaneously being unable to do it. The whole situation could have easily been avoided if the challenger merely took a couple of classes.... A couple of (What) BJJ classes?Stand up vs ground arguments are similar to, my dad is tougher than your dad confrontations, that hapen between children; for me they are pointless and very much an indication of immaturity and lack of real life experiences and substance.

There is a difference between the two, are you aware of the differences?

Are you really cross training or adding to your original style. What is cross training for you, is it really crossing or is it a stop over till something else comes along? I believe there should be some contrast in training methods to make it worth while, such as a stand up styles with a ground fighting style or something similar. Challenging oneself outside of the comfort zone is the real test of pushing the envelope of capabilities like the jet fighter test pilots "Aviation Warriors" for example. Bruce Lee was a type that cross trained to the extreme. Perhaps this is why Bruce associated himself with Chuck Norris? How do you think he (Bruce) felt about pushing his limits to higher hights. Jet Li and Benny the Jet, both are martial artists and also both have climbed higher than most; earning a new title to their name, with the word "Jet" What limits are you putting on yourself? Being a Top Gun martial artists isn't easy, but you must have learned that, in your first dog fight.

Can you take what you give? Valid enough question. Watch Benny Urquidez duke it out with an opponent that is close to his equal, experience and weight, just shows what a Kickboxing champion he really is. Can you take a punch or a kick or throw, as good as you can give? I feel it is not enough, to just be able to give as taking is equally important!

Have you ever watched "Babylon 5"? I am also a sci-fi and fantasy geek. I'll give Babylon 5 a go; Thanks LLLEARNER!!!

Yes it is true; knowing too much can also be a spoiler for others. We see alot of phony martial arts in movies, just need to laugh inwards as not to be a kill joy for others. We are blind also to special effects in movies that are not very convincing to others depending on their interests and expertise.

Hi shortyafter! I enjoy Zumba but Love Batuka. Sprinting works better for me than jogging and running. I do a crazy amout of stretching and strengthening exercises with ankle weights and thick thera bands. I find that the more I train the more my body responds to my wishes. My daily workouts give me a natural high, releasing endorphins. I have no specific goals in my workouts but do finish off with an optimal performance in one form or another that relates to exercises. My personal challenge is to become good at canon kicks at the moment, this is also a focus challenge, something that I can visibly see and feel the benefits of practicing it, that is for show and exercises, not for serious fighting porpoises.

Enjoying Sci-fi reruns at the moment, such as "Lexx" Have seen all of the episodes and almost seen them all again; could be time to move on to another galaxy soon. Or perhaps stay on planet Earth and rediscover "The X Files" Or look for Earth in "Battle Star Gallactica" episodes. Needless to say, I like to get spaced out on "Science Fiction Fantasy" TV shows and movies. Heads Up Aliens!!!!