Martial Matt

A cousin of mine lives over in VA. Beach and until recently getting married had a USN SEAL for a roommate. During a couple of different occasions I had the opportunity to speak with him about military combatives. What he told me was about the same as I heard from various family members that have also served in different Special Forces groups and VASTLY different than how the situation with Spec. Ops. and combatives are usually presented. First, anyone that I have ever spoken to who actually is/was in Spec. Ops. maintains that empty-hand combatives are rarely used and somewhat a lower priority. The basic premise being they use guns and if their weapon fails or is empty, then another operator will shoot the bad guy. Only under extreme circumstances would they ever resort to using empty hand combatives. Second, another constant I was told is that all of what people here about Spec. Ops. and combatives is largely nonsense. They often hire contractors for teaching combatives, yet there's no "set" way or particular method they employ. Often during the course of their combatives training, they are exposed to any number of different combative programs and use whatever material from them which seems feasible. In other words, there's no such thing as "the official style" of ANY Spec. Op. group, as over time they learn all kinds of different things. Third, what the Spec. Ops. personnel actually do for a living isn't often relevant to civilian everyday life. Their choices in a sidearm, combatives program, etc. reflect their needs and not ours. Each of the different people I've spoken to clearly had different, opposing views concerning what they preferred, much less what seemed ideal outside their profession. Does it really make any difference what kind of weapons and combatives they use? Considering their jobs are very different than our everyday lives, I wonder if people read too much into what Spec. Ops. does?

The Cold Steel Knife company has an excellent DVD for using canes. I've heard the French are masters with cane fighting, so you might look for DVDs about Savate. Otherwise, it seems the majority of martial art styles have some forms of Bo or Jo staff training.

As for a favorite weapon, that's a tough one! Knives are difficult to beat as they have utility value. With a knife, you have a weapon that can also be used to make other weapons and do necessary chores. The Jo staff is a close second as it represents something I can actually pack around daily. Nobody thinks it odd to have a walking stick while out walking the dog or hiking. Can't say people would respond well to seeing anyone sporting a katana though.

i agree! since you're from australia, do you have experience with the boomerang? it may not be useful for self-defense but at additional weapons training it may be fun. Do you mean a boomerang or Kylie? A boomerang is usually weighted equally and the limbs are the same length so they will return. The primary use of a boomerang is a toy. A Kylie is akin to our American rabbit stick. They were used by the Aborigines for digging, clubbing and throwing. The Kylie is heavier on one end and doesn't come back when you throw them.

Asian bows are like those of any other continent. Some of them are large, such as the Japanese bows, others are compact, like the Mongolian bow. Neither would be particularly good in place of a staff. The bow in your picture is a modern style Traditional with both a shelf and rest. Those are more difficult to load quickly, yet classical bows had neither as the arrow lays against the riser and flies off the hand. Also, the absence of the knock point on the string for classical bows makes them faster to load. A bow is much faster to load and reload than a crossbow ever dreamed of being. That "zombie apocalypse" scenario isn't realistic in that respect. A bow would provide a far quicker weapon to use.

There are two big Chito-Ryu dojo here in Ky. and I've had the privilege of meeting students from the Covington main dojo and visiting the Frankfort dojo as well. Granted it was years ago, however I don't recall hearing the word "osu" used even once. Personally, I would consider Chito-Ryu to be far more Okinawan in flavor than Japanese. Much of what I saw in their technique looked more like Okinawan styles than Japanese ones. Their peculiar method of chambering a punch was something I hadn't previously seen anywhere though. Having went through considerable effort to lean Japanese, I'm trying VERY hard not to rant. The word "osu" roughly means "to follow". Why would anyone use that when their name is called and why does the Sensei think it's appropriate? Obviously I've no issue with foreign terminology being used, however using "osu" in that context puzzles me. Maybe saying "hai" would be a normal response. The word "hai" roughly means "in agreement" not strictly "yes" or "no". While I grasp that schools enjoy using foreign terminology, and maybe do so in respect for their Sensei, using words in the wrong context is almost bad as mispronouncing them. The word "osu" being a prime example. Anyway, sorry for the rant. Hope that I at least partially answered your question.

There's a book about the origins of the Okinawan Karate styles which does mention something like what you are referring to, although its buried under a ton of stuff on these shelves, and I can't remember the exact title. From what I remember, the Okinawan masters somewhat frowned on sparring as they didn't want Karate to gain a reputation for brawling, nor attract the attention of the Japanese government. At least that's what the book claimed. So, the Okinawan masters restricted sparring to seasoned pupils and it was done behind closed doors.

1) How did you first become interested in martial arts? Honestly, the men in the family watched all those Chuck Norris movies. 2) What discipline did you decide to practice? Korean Tae Kwon Do. In the small town I grew up in, only TKD and Shaolin-do were available. I opted for TKD because it looked more like Karate. 3) Why did you choose that specific discipline over the other disciplines? At first, I chose Karate because it looked cool. Later, I favored the Okinawan styles and Southern Kung-Fu styles that are close-range. 4) What is your skill level within your martial arts discipline? Hmm, I have a bad habit of using material that was previously learned from other styles when it seems ideal, so my skill level in the current discipline somewhat takes a hit for that. 5) What other things do you like to do? (When you're not in the gym/dojo, what else do you like to do with your time? This can be physical or nonphysical pass times) Outdoor Sportsmen activities-Camping, Hunting, Fishing, etc. 6) What are the first 3 martial arts related brands that come to your mind. (FIRST, not BEST). Century, Tiger Claw, WLE. 7) How do you decide what martial arts gear/equipment to get? (How do you select one type or brand over another?) Usually trial and error, then stick with products that work. Roughly how often to you buy new martial arts equipment? As needed or when I see a product that looks interesting. 9) Where do you get your equipment from? Is there a reason for this? Usually WLE as they often have what I'm looking for.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu_(sport) The basic idea here is the Chinese govt. attempted to organize and regulate martial arts. Being a communist nation, the Chinese wanted to control the teaching and distribution of martial practice. Just IMHO, this was a disaster for the CMA, resulting in many Sifu moving to Hong Kong, Canada or here in the U.S. That being said, there are still good, authentic, non-sport CMA Sifu around in China.

Just from the observers standpoint my vocational degree in machining has proven far more beneficial in getting the kind of job I want and for advancement than some of my co-workers that have various Bachelor's Degrees in fields that have nothing to do with their current job title. Don't get me wrong, a college degree is better than none, our QA supervisor was chosen because he obtained a Bachelor's Degree, over another candidate with far more experience and seniority. My oldest daughter was told by her counselor at MSU that it would be a mistake not to pursue a degree in something more practical as it would more likely produce results after graduation.

Personally, I'm going with the great Muhammad Ali on this one. He commented numerous times "You don't beat a man, you beat his style.". Ali didn't try learning anything different than what he already did, so I don't buy the learn 10 different martial arts to deal with various kinds of fighters. What Ali did was adapt his style of fighting to deal with the opponent. Ali knew he already had the necessary tools, he just needed to use them in accordance with range, power, etc. Chances are your Shotokan has some effective technique for dealing with the kinds of problems the Thai Boxer is giving you. Before rushing out there to learn additional material from somewhere else, my advice is to look hard into your Shotokan toolbox.

There are no less than 3 different Krav Maga schools here in Lexington, which isn't that big of a city, and from observation they seem to be teaching and practicing quite different material. Having said that, maybe it would be a good idea to look into what Krav Mage is supposed to resemble from a reputable source before visiting a school? The quality of instruction also varies considerably as well, yet that often holds true with any schools of the same or different styles. A class-mate takes some Krav Maga in addition to our regular classes and likes it a great deal. Apparently, the idea with Krav Maga is to focus on self-defense techniques and not form or technique itself, at least that's what I'm told. Anyway, my advice would be to find out what Krav Maga is supposed to look like in practice, visit a school (or two) and decide if you like it.

Have to go with the same answer that was previously mentioned. While practicing martial arts offers numerous benefits, I really enjoy the chance to focus on something other than everyday stress. Between the everyday challenges at work and home, it's nice to be somewhere I don't worry about things aside from improving my efforts at martial arts. On a side note, martial arts have also taught me how to better deal with problems outside from class.

Hmm, I'm not sure where that guy learned a tiger claw from? The applications for a tiger claw as I learned them involved either striking and raking or more commonly a grab and twist routine. As presented in that clip, the application doesn't look very effective for anything really.

How does/did the material presented by the JKD instructor potentially violate the 8th Amendment? From what I remember the 8th Amendment basically covers areas like excessive bail or fines and the subject of cruel and unusual punishment. Does the "cruel and unusual punishment" in the 8th Amendment apply to "excessive force" when subduing a suspect?