paolung

i don't think that southern systems are necessarily superior to northern. there are many northern systems that are useful... just as there are many southern systems. they just do things differently... not necessarily better or worse overall.

i agree with Jerry. i would also add Aikido... but seriously, all martial arts that i've come in contact with use qi at least to some degree... although some focus on it more and try to specifically develop and apply it, whereas some others don't.

i supposed it's better than learning from a book, if you get interaction with the sifu/sensei... at least in that regard you get to ask questions and be corrected to SOME extent. but still, the way to go is in person in a real live school.

Warp, That may be a factor in the experiments where the clocks were travelling , but what about the ones where they were still (the skyscraper and underground)?

elaborate on "high speeds can cause it to become out of sync with reality" please?

it's not just karateka that you see this on either, alot of so-called 'gungfu' proponents fight like that. personally i think it's because they haven't learned to use their stuff the correct way, i.e. in fighting. i know of people who can and DO use extremely deep stances in fighting, but they aren't nearly as common as people who throw all their training out the window as soon as a fight starts

good for him. the biggest beef i have with this story is that the "authorities" are actually investigating to see if "excessive force" was used... PUH-LEASE if you come at me with a tool, i disarm you and use your tool against you, that's what you get. you can bet i'll DAMN make sure you aren't gonna try it again, at a MINIMUM sorry, sh1t like this just really p1sses me off!

IMO, yes it's ok to fight if you can't get away. i think the courts in the US will support this assertion. nowhere is any court going to say "hey guess what, you were supposed to sit there and let the guy pound/stab/shoot you!" however, you will have to deal with the consequences. hopefully you will be able to avoid a fight (and hence, a suspension) entirely, which is an admirable goal. however, if push comes to shove, and you are backed into a corner, then by all means use whatever is at your disposal to end the fight quickly. i think the reason alot of schools suspend both parties is because there's always going to be a 'he started it! no, HE started it!" type thing going on, even if not by you and the person you fight, by some friends, etc so instead of trying to sort it out (and who really can, other than the ones who were there?) they just suspend you both in an attempt to discourage fighting at all. keep in mind that you may win more respect, and have a pretty good defense to the suspension, if you are far more skilled than your opponent and can end the fight without serious damage.

well to me it breaks down to a translation of sorts... martial = warlike, art = something not quite as easily translated it's the 'art' part that i think gets people... lots of things can be 'martial' in nature. i suppose we can contrast art with something, like science, but then what about those 'scientific martial arts'? are they a dichotomy by nature then? i think the 'art' portion to me represents a sort of system but with some esoteric things, the mysterious part of the martial "arts", the creative expression, the personal flavor of it all. it's a pretty good topic and one that isn't easy to put into words, at least so far (for me).

Vyvial, That's pretty interesting. I heard WT/WC had a 'shadowless kick' of their own but had never heard anything other than it existed. thanks for sharing that bit of info

what about the tests with clocks placed at the top of skyscrapers and the clocks placed deep underground that show a slight (very slight) difference in time, thereby confirming that gravity in fact does affect time?

i know nothing about this person, but the system (if it is legit bak mei) is very real , lethal, and effective.

geez.... you can't learn a system from video people, it doesn't WORK. why is it so hard for people to comprehend this? anyone ever heard of a great runner, or ice skater, or swimmer, or *insert sport here* who learned from video? it's like learning from books, it's very limited and best suited to supplemental material or review.

ok, if you're pretty out of shape, don't even THINK about trying to run 2 miles! the most common beginner's injuries in running are caused by "too much too soon". running is something that takes time to develop. try this. run for 1 minute, then walk for 2 minutes, then run for 1 minute, walk for 2 mins, etc... try that for 20 minutes total. that will give you 7 minutes of running time... now when you run, don't haul *... just run fast enough where you don't get light headed, but not too fast. you should be able to carry on a conversation if someone is running with you, but it shouldn't be "easy"... at the same time you shouldn't be so out of breath that you can't talk or get dizzy and light headed. do that every day for 2 weeks, then increase the time you run vs walk... maybe 2 minutes of each, and gradually get it where you are running more than walking, maybe 5 mins running to 1 walking. also , slowly increase the amount of time of your runs. eventually you will want to run for about 30 minutes; that's plenty of time to get the aerobic benefits of running without overtraining. running longer than 30 mins won't really give you 'extra' aerobic benefits and it won't really burn a whole lot more calories in the overall scheme of things. you would also benefit by joining a gym (unless you know of a free one) and lifting weights. i would advise maybe 2 or 3 sessions with a personal trainer to develop a program you can follow. diet is also important, as someone pointed out earlier. your personal trainer or a nutritionist could probably assist with these goals.