Warp Spider

While you go off on a wild tangent, noone said gay people were less masculine. He just said that he thought shaving your legs was gay. (and that stereotype is not unheard of) In fact, he never even implied that being gay was a bad thing. Many people would call those who leap on a comment and try to make another person appear prejudiced a "nazi." However, that would be an insult to nazis. Although they may have been "bad," at least they didn't expect the international community to love them for it.

Breaking is just a trick. There's a technique to it, and it has little to do with strength, and nothing to do with Chi. Little kids can break a pile of cinder blocks, it doesn't make them strong, and it doesn't mean they can hit hard, using Chi or not. Even with all the andrenaline and chi in the world, little kids are still panty-waists.

Splash your coffee on em.

I don't see what this has to do with ANYTHING.

That lifting car thing is a result of shock.. which if used to exceed your normal capabilities is soon followed by unconciousness. I doubt the Shaolin monks would want to use that.

You are correct that the farther away your arm gets the less force you will exert. However, the arm still continues to accelerate and has more momentum, which is what will be transferred to the target when you hit. The bag in your example will move farther from a close-in punch because you can push the bag when you hit it. A close-in punch is better if you plan to "shove" the person when you hit them, but a longer swing will have more momentum on impact thus generating more pain/damage to the target. I guess it depends on whether you want to try to knock the person back or whether you want to try to knock them out.

That is true, but being shot will likely have at least some effect, slowing you down, stunning you momentarily, or just slightly upsetting your balance, that will make it much easier to hit you again. Again, as I said, this was not an option as the scenario presented involved the other person already having their gun out. Similarly, not an option in this situation. It's not related to the laws, it wouldn't be much of a scenario if the question was, "What would you do if you were carrying a gun and someone who was trying to pick a fight wnt for their gun?" As I also mentioned, it is unreasonable to assume that the assailant does not know what they are doing. Chances are they've pulled a gun before, and quite possibly gunned down people before. It's only fair to assume that they have as much firearms experience as you have MA experience. They could be a gangster fresh from the ghetto, but they could also be a seasoned IPSC competitor. You definately take a chance in surrendering, but it's a better chance than your chance of getting away.

Well, yes, I was trying to explain "trolling" in the context as opposed to generally.

Your post was almost all about police training.. we weren't talking about the police. At all. This is an attacker pulling a gun on you, likely at very close range. Probrably a criminal. This attacker probrably doesn't give a crap if a stray bullet hits someone else. Carrying a gun yourself is the best solution but not an option in the original question proposed in the thread. Even if you had one, going for your gun would result in being shot repeatedly until you stop moving. Running in a zig zag pattern isn't really an option since if you even MOVE you will probrably be shot repeatedly until you stop moving. This attacker is not a police officer and is not required to account for his actions, until he/she/it is caught. They will likely fire rapid semi-automatic fire, not pot-shots. There's a thing called the bullet-hose effect. It is comparable to the benefits of having a laser sight, which, by the way, the gun in question may already be equipped with. If you get shot at all, you are probrably a dead man, as being shot makes you a fairly easy target to get shot again. And again. And again. The best option would be to go for the guy when he first goes for his gun. Once he's already got it trained on you you're pretty much under his control. The only "safe" option is to surrender and take your chances. If the guy comes up to you to take your wallet/whatever, you might have an opening to try resisting. Depending on where you live, you may have a good chance of living. In the United States, Canada, most of Europe, etc. there is a good chance they will run off with your wallet/whatever, preferring to spend only a few years in jail if caught instead of life. If you live in South Africa, pray you get an opening to attack, and try to say some cool last words. (granted, in South Africa you would probrably be shot immediately instead of being held at gunpoint, but some criminals are inexperienced)

Well, the comment on Tai Chi... what's there to even say to that? Tai Chi isn't even a martial art. Like I said, Tai Chi is aerobics in slow motion. It's Tai Chi meets Yoga. Is someone going to stand still while you take several seconds to execute your slow arcing "strike?"

It seems some people on this thread are hung up on the idea of "boxing" being the same thing as "professional boxing." I could use the same arguments to bash any other martial art. "Clearly, TKD is crap. I've seen the tournaments, those guys don't deliver hardly any force at all." "Jui-jitsu guys are wimps. I saw one in a pro competition give up the other day just because another guy was about to break his arm." A boxer would not fight in the street the same as they fight in the ring. They don't punch below the belt because of the rules.. it doesn't mean they are incapable, or even that they don't practice it. It is also folly to suggest that a boxer is so set in their ways of punching that they would not kick you if given the opportunity. Knees and kicks may not be a part of the "art," but they are a part of brawling, which I think everyone mixes into their art in a real fight. A person who trains to kick will no doubt be better at kicking, but taking a punt to the shin will hurt regardless of how much training the user has. Furthermore, a boxing stance is probrably more stable than a lot of martial arts, so I don't think a boxer would have much difficulty knocking a traditional martial artist to the ground with a solid punch. Even if you blocked it it would probrably still send you way off balance. I think that boxing is one of the more street-oriented martial arts because of it's focus on power. The complex the move, the more thought you are going to have to put into executing it, thus the less brainpower you will have remaining to assess the situation and pick an appropriate next move. A boxer would likely also have very good timing, which is very important in defeating the other persons guard. It's also worth considering that a boxer would, in many cases, be able to simply IGNORE your kicking attacks and clobber you even as you kick as fast as you can.

The body of a fly is actually covered with tiny hairs that pick up changes in the air currents.. The jumping away is a reflex connected to those hairs. That is part of the reason why fly swatters have holes in them - they allow air to flow through them and do not create as much disruption in the air. The holes also make it easier to swing faster.

This is common, and generally suspected to be caused by a slight change in air currents.. flies have this sense developed very well and that is why they are so much better at avoiding being swatted than other insects. (which usually just sit there and let you crush them) Elevating your leg will, in itself, cause a decrease in the blood flow. Relaxing will also likely slow your heart rate and thus reduce the blood flow that way as well. Unless by "it stopped bleeding," you are professing that the wound sealed up completely, this is easily explainable by nearly any first aid course. I would have to agree with JerryLove on this one, transmutation, telekinesis, invocation/evocation, these are the things I would associate with Ki. If someone was to demonstrate the capability to spontaneously set objects alight, (no lighters/flamethrowers/other external sources of heat allowed) levitate, seal a wound like Wolverine... these things would likely be Ki related. Heck, I'd be satisfied if a person could breathe fire or poison gas. (again, no external, non-biological devices permitted)

I would call sparring "practice fighting" or "simulated combat." Trolling is a word used to describe people who are rude or otherwise disrespectful for the express purpose of annoying or offending other people. It is usually used by people who don't like their ideas being questioned and accuse an honest statement of being a case of trolling. However, in some cases, the "troll" is just a jerk and people are pointing that out to anyone who didn't realize it already.

I don't think it's a matter of trolling, he's just pointing out that combos are only of value if executed extremely rapidly - the perfect opening will generally not persist until the end of your combo, so they are usually only of real use if it is a feint combined with a powerful attack, or a set of moves that will synergize if placed in succession. IE a sweep or tackle may be more effective after a head shot, because the target may be disoriented for a split second and not have as good of balance.

Well, the kata is basically just a dance. It makes no allowance for the movements of the enemy. Unless you profess to by psychic, you have no way of knowing in advance what the enemy will do. How can a predetermined group of moves possibly be of use? Every manuever you execute must be selected based on the circumstances at the moment the execution begins. Katas are fine for practicing transitions between moves, but prove useless when sparring against a dynamic opponent.

I don't really think it would take a long time to be able to defend yourself. The most critical part of combat, I think, is move selection. (how many times have you lost a sparring match and thought "jeez, if I had only done X instead of Y I he couldn't have gotten me in his Z hold." After that I think it's simply "knowing" the moves. A lot of moves I find are simply a matter of "I never though of that" kind of things. Practice I'd place third, and this is the part that takes a long time. Although practice is important, a sloppy move executed at the right moment is far better than a perfect move executed when it is totally inappropriate.

When you struck your instructor with the backfist, did it actually cause harm? Perhaps he felt it was useless because it didn't have any tangible effect. I'm sure there are lots of attacks that you could have landed, but that doesn't necessarily make them effective. I wasn't there so I can't really say whether it was effective or not, or if it was even full contact sparring.

You're making a couple of assumptions here, and they are not safe assumptions. A) Typically when a person pulls a gun on you it is a very short range. The trigger is not hard to pull and they have plenty of time to aim unless you react immediately. Most handguns are semi-automatic so you can expect at least 3 rounds per second from a person unloading the gun at you. They aren't likely to be toting a muzzle-loader. B) The stopping power of a bullet is highly dependant on the type of bullet. .22, .38 Special, 9mm, 5.45mm may not drop a target. .45 probrably will. Any magnum cartridge will leave a BIG hole. 5.56 will almost definately drop the target. 454 causall, 7.62 WP, 7.62 NATO, .50 BMG, 20mm Anti-Materiel will not only send pieces of the target flying but will also potentially hurl the target a short distance. Shotgun slugs or even buckshot are extremely hazardous at close ranges. Though handguns in 7.62 and .50 BMG are rare, they are not unheard of. The FBI uses primarily .45 caliber and 9mm rounds. The 9mm round is by far the most common handgun round and that is likely what the above quote was based on. 9mm, though a large bullet, does not have a lot of muzzle energy and has rather poor penetration, but due to the fact that it is extremely common, it is what most people's views on how powerful a gun is are based on. C) The people that are wounded and live in war is ON PURPOSE. They shoot them in the leg, etc. so that two other enemy soldiers have to drag the wounded guy away. That takes three people out of the action for the price of one. 5.56 NATO is definately capable of killing a person wearing armor even at range. D) Criminals don't follow the gun laws and may be packing a machine pistol or submachine gun. It is difficult to miss with an automatic weapon at short range. E) Getting shot causes a great deal of trauma to your nervous system. The nervous system is flooded by this trauma and cannot effectively pass communications from the brain to the muscles. However, small caliber bullets do not exhibit a strong nervous trauma effect. Regardless getting shot will often be followed by getting shot again, and again, until you DO fall over. (as a result of not being able to move coherently) F) Guns don't suddenly stop working at close range and do not have to be lined up with your arm to fire. Grabbing a guys arm will likely result in him twisting his wrist to shoot you in the head. G) If a person is attacking you, they likely believe that they can beat you. Thus, it's only fair to consider that they have as much training with their gun as you have with your martial arts, if not more. Some people are just thugs, but most serious criminals are not lummocks.

Tai Chi? Dahahahahaha! Tai Chi is in the same vein as Aquafit and Synchronized Swimming. Tai Chi is aerobics in slow motion! Tae Bo could kick their butt!

Given the question the implication is that that was his schedule EVERY DAY. run 2- 7 miles with 2 fifty pound sand bags: 7 miles would be half an hour assuming you can run the four minute mile for 7 miles in succession... with sandbags. This would likely take at least an hour, possibly more. punching and kicking bag...beat on it until your hands and feet are pretty beat in: several hours 1500 sit ups: depending on fitness, but you would have to be INCREDIBLY buff to do this in under an hour. 1 situp per second would still take 25 minutes.. and I've yet to meet anyone who can sustain 1 situp per second for 25 minutes. 500 push ups: at least 15 minutes, as described under situps you would have to be ungodly fit to accomplish this in 15 minutes. i would also have my partners in training beat me with 2x4s 100 times on all my muscles, arms. calves, upper arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, thighs, back and neck: depending on the number of friends, but at least 15 minutes assuming lots of them and also assuming that they have the stamina to beat you constantly very rapidly during that period. I imagine they would get tired after a couple dozen strikes with the 2x4 and wouldn't be able to strike as rapidly. i would also swim year round and build a tolerance to the cold: could be any amount of time, probrably at least an hour. Work kicks, strikes, katas and self defenses over and over: same as the swimming, this could be any amount of time. i would spar and grapple a lot too this was the major emphasis on my training...which we spent hours on: as stated, took hours - by definition at least 2. So in total that's 8.5 hours at the absolute minimum - assuming no travel time, no breaks, no eating, and of course assuming that you are more fit than any person has ever been recorded to be. That also assumes that you spent relatively little time on the sparring, practicing, swimming, etc. Realistically you're looking at about 18-20 hours of work. Maybe the days are longer where you live, but over here there's only slightly under 24 hours in a day.

If you had investigated pankration you would have found that it is an amalgamation of the best, most street-effective techniques from various martial arts. Obviously those techniques could be found in other martial arts.

Well, it's easy for you to all denounce the guy's sensei, but the converse of what you guys are saying is also true. What good is all the accuracy in the world if the guy you hit just laughs at you. Maybe your sensei thinks that you are already very fast and it's just a self-image thing. Or something. I'd say try sparring against some people to see if your lack of accuracy/speed is all in your head, or if your power is not as good as you may have believed.

Well, you have to look further into the physics - the force is greater, but over a smaller area. A sledgehammer is more effective at taking down a wall than a handgun, even though they might have the same force when Rate of Fire is considered. Likewise a sword can be a more effective weapon than an ice pick, though arguably an ice pick will go much deeper. A needle piercing right through your hand with tremendous force is not that bad compared to having someone stomp on your hand. Affecting a larger area will stimulate more nerve endings. For that reason, (and a few others) sometimes you want to affect a larger area, instead of focusing all of your force.

I don't believe that - I don't think many people would. At least make it plausable, IE something that could feasably be completed in one day.