Bdaze

hah, that was the site i was gonna suggest he look at. good call Cross yeah, the guy there really knows what he's talking about. if you use a proper Makiwara it shouldn't mess up your hands. the idea is to be able to practice full force punches without hurting your hands.

wow. i wouldn't wanna piss him off.

I never said they didn't. but it was comonly understood that both warriors broke the rules when it was necissary. i am fully aware, infact i was even going to bring up the idea of the knights having a code as well, but i figured it went without saying.

three reasons 1. its fun. by far the biggst reason 2. it gives me confidence 3. it's a necissary skill. if you can't defend yourself, then all you've learned, all you own, everything ypou've worked for in your life ends in a heart beat.

This subject was suggested on another forum i belong to, and i think im going the have to say Samuria would win. altough it would probably be extrmely close. many people suggested that the knight would win because the samuria is held by a code of honor. Save that fortune cookie crap for the story books, when it came down to it, a samurai was just a high ranking foot soldier. they did follow the rules for an honorable engagment, but in a life or death situation they where just as crafty and sneaky as any knight The Knight has armour suited for his type of combat, just as the samurai had armour suited to his. speed was essential for the samurai, durability was essentail to the knight. same with weapons. sharp and quick for the samurai, sharp and devistatingly huge, but slow for the knights. now the question of skill. we'll say both the knight and the samurai are at the same level in their respective arts. who would win? personally i think speed usually beats hulking strength. you can be as strong as you want but if you can't hit your target, it doesnt work. it works the other way too, but since there is a sword involved, strength isn't as important even a large number of small cuts in certain places can kill someone.

thats exactly what im talking about From The Ground Up Another common misconception about the art is that all they do is kick. it's true they have a wide variety of kicks and leg strikes, but they have just as many punches, open hand strikes, locks, throws, pins and even head butts (infact the campoeira headbutt is famous for it's devistating effectiveness, which often results in a broken jaw for the recipient)

if you're asking if im sure it was effective against slave traders, then yes, im possotive. i did some research before i posted this just so i could have my facts straight.

oh man, driving elbows and knees into strikes is so annoying. My brother does it to me all the time. it totally stops you. you have to wairt till you regain feeling in your hands. also quick strikes to the wrist joint have the same effect. a freind of mine told me his Brother won a bar fight by telling a guy to hit him right in the face "ill give you the first punch, come on tough guy" etc. then when he did punch, my freinds Bro put his head down so the guy punched his cranium (which is extrmely hard) and while the guy was shaking his hand in pain (like pumching a wall.... only covered in hair) he whooped him like it was the sixties all over again sort of the same concept. punching bone full force hurts.

Ive heard alot of diferant things about this art. most of which negative. "it's totally useless", "it's all fancy cartwheels and flips" but ive also heard some posotive arguments. for example, it was first created around the time slave traders where kidnapping people from Africa to make them slaves. it was developed as both a means of self defense and a sort of traditional dance. however, it was so effectivly used on the slave traders that they outlawed it and killed anyone seen practicing or teaching it. personalkly i think it is effective, becasue they teach alot more than just flips and kicks. plus, those things really make you strong. you have to be incredibley fast and cooridnated to pull off some of the moves they do.

don't forget many quarter-staffes (im not sure about Bos) where chained to the bottom of a lake for several months and then seasoned over a fire. this process basically prematurley petrifed them and made them hard as rock (okay, maybe not THAT hard) you would be hard pressed to find someone with a level of skill to cut through one of those without making a move so big it left them open (Ie leaping ito the air with your sword above your head inorder to generate more force, a posture that leaves you open for any number of atacks) personally i think you should start with a Bo. not because they're better or safer, but because (i think) theyre more fun and alot of things you learn on a Bo can be applied to a sword.

this web site is for an organization that specializes in euorpoean medieval martial arts. i'd say they would be your best bet for finding a place that teaches the cletic sword. https://www.aemma.org they do everything from unarmed combat to jousting

go with a 3/4 in. diameter peice of rope. the wight diference gives you arms a workout as well as your legs.

I found this workout sitting on the floor of the YMCA Gym the other day. i tried it out. very good balance of Aerobic and anarobic activity. it also works up a sweat and makes your muscles tired, but doesn't wear you out to much. and the best partt, it can be done with under 10 dollars worth of equipment (even less if you want) and it takes less than 30 minutes 10 minute warm up and stretching period (optional, but i like to do a few minutes of high intensity stuff on a heavy bag and then stretch out) 15 reps bent rows (i like to use one of those thick tube thinys with handles for my excesives, theyre made of the stuff they use on slingshots and they work pretty well for quick stuff) 30 sec. cardio (i like jumping rope, works well) 15 reps squats 30 sec. cardio 15 reps bicep curl 30 sec. cardio 15 reps lunges 30 sec. cardio 15 reps military press 30 sec. cardio 15 reps. tricept extensions 30 sec. cardio 15 reps calf raises 30 sec. cardio 15 pushups 30 sec. cardio 15 situps 30 sec. cardio 15 leg lifts This is a circuit work out so excersizes are meant to be doe within seconds of each other. also this is just one circuit, so you can do it as many times as it takes to tire yourself.

im a bit confused about the Balisong. i mean, they teach it in various filipino schools in my area, yet it's illegal to buy or sell one. and ive also seen them in weapons shops in my area. are they just doing something blatently illegal?

out of the 4 seriosu "stree" fights ive been in, only one was in a deserted parkinglot with both of use facin each toehr. however, none of them where in places with syringes and brbed wire and stuff all over the place (there have been ties when i wrestler over broken glass, but i didn't get more than a few scratches from it) most fights take place in cramped spaces with lots of people around. i got in a fight between a lcoker and a bench in the Gym locker room. it was so tight i lost my balance and fell (this was after he pulled my shirt over my head so i couldnt see him to fight back) but luckily i caught is arm in a lock and almost broke it. basically what im syaing is, you dont have to do anything half as extreme as putting barbed wire and cinder blocks on the ground. but ry sparring on a stair case some time. or maybe in a really small room.

i can't really speak from experience (im 6'2", 230 lbs of hunky muscle ) but i do know you can use your hieght as an advantage. I wrestled for about 3 years and there was a dwarf on my team. i'd say he was probably about 3'7" or so, but man could he wrestle. because he was so short he could take a persons knees right out from under them. he got some of the sickest takedowns ive ever seen. plus, because he was short, people tended to underestimate him. imagine their surprise when this 3'7" guy knocked them clear off their feet and pinned them in seconds. I'd say jujitsu, taijitsu, or some other grappling art would be a good style to use, but you have to find what you're good at. it's our disadvantages that put us on the top of the food chain. look at the human species, he have no claws or sharp teeth or increaased sense of smell, but using what we do have, we managed to become the dominant species on the planet.

meditating is good. but i find it's best to do a combination of meditating and then pumping up. meditate for 20 minutes, then practice with a partner with some simple feed drills and maybe light sparing. this way you're relaxed but not groggy.

Kendo- people think it's all "samurai jack" and anime stuff. only the masters can use bizzare techniques like that. the basicas are extremely analog Parker Kenpo- "not a real art" because it's american Sayoc Kali- ive heard at least 2 people in my life time say its "all flash and not at all practical" this is the most utterly moronic misconception ive ever heard. it's probably the most effective knife fightning art there is. fights are over in under 10 seconds and the loser has a paeirced heart, slit throat and his akilese tendons severed Budo Taijitsu- aparently it's comonly confused with ninjitsu. it's similair, but not the same. we dont train in masks and Tabi boots, we don't learn how to assisnate people and sneak around in the dark.

i have a slightly diferent "girl" problem for the last 2 classes i got stuck working with this woman whos reasonably new at the class. unfortunetly, she's in her late 40's-50's and has extremely bad knees this is a huge problem for me bacause i can't practice any techniques on her for fear of accidentally hurting her. This is extremely annoying, i dont have a problem with elderly people or people with physical disabilities doing martial arts, but im also not paying 60 bucks a month to go to class and learn nothing. i think next time ill just get there early and pick a partner i really want to work with.

I recently bought a copy of Black Belt magazine. i noticed inside an adverisment for something called "G-Jo, First aid of the samurai" it sounded interesting, so i checked it out online. aparently it's similair to most accupressure techniques, but much more All-Purpose for instance, point numer g 14 i believe targets menstrual cramps, lowed back pain, tired feet (which i assume means having your foot alseep) and headaches the neat thing is it's meant to be done to yourself, so you can keep fighting even with an injury aparently. i used a point today in class to get rid of a soar shoulder (from beeing thrown too much ) this works on most shoulder/neck/headache related pains. basically, you look at the back of your left hand, with you right hand find the thumb bone and fore finger bone which intersect at the base of your hand and form a V. now go to the fore finger bone that extends down the back of your hand. go about 2/3 of the way up it and push down with your finger directly to the left of the bone (u may want to push on the actual bone and let it slip off to get the closest possible.) now kind of probe around until you find and "Ouch point" once you've found it sort of dig in and massage it. this should hurt slightly, but once you stop the pain will be over. do this for about 30 seconds. at the end you should feel slightly warm and very relaxed. you will find that in seconds the pain in your shoulders and neck is almost completely gone. if it isn't try doing the same thing on your opposite hand. preganant women should not use this pressure point. im not sure why, but they where very clear about that

i agree with Sauzin. Spins are not something you need. though they look cool, they're pretty useless, unless you can perfect them to the point where if someone got in the way it would damage them severly and not stop the bo from spinning it's course. but, if you're intent on learning how to spin a Bo check this page out, they have detailed instructions on how to work with a Fire Staff (the same techniques can be applied to a regualir Bo) http://www.homeofpoi.com/ go to the Free Lessons section and then the Staff section. this site also has techniques for Poi (chains with fire on the ends) which can easily be applied to Rope Dart or Meteor Hammers

I am a student of Budo Taijitsu (i just started a few months ago) and i've found whever im sparring my techniques often fail because i can't get a good grip on the persons arm or leg. i think this is either because of sweat or because i have poor grip strength. plus, having a good grip is never bad. it can make a technique much more effective and painful. so, does anyone know any excersizes to imrpove my grip? ive thought about buying a "Grip Master" or "Eagle catcher" but i thought i'd ask you guy's opinion first.

yeah, thats what i was afraid of. i think ill go with a solid carbon fibre Bo i found in Boston. thanks for your help.

I am a big fan of all flexible weapons and nunchaku are easily my weapon of choice. my first pair where black, hard and had a chain. i suggest these for beginners because you get used to the weight. Also, you learn clumsy sloppy techniques on foam nunchaku because there is a margin of error. say your doing a rebound of your shoulder, if you mess up with regulair nunchaku, it hurts and you can correct yourself, if you mess up with foam nunchaku, it feels the same as if you had done it perfectly. also, the chain provides much more friction to perform spins and grip changes which, though advanced, are not too dificult for a beginner to learn. the best way to learn to swim is by jumping into the deep end. ps. I managed to dislocate my thumb with a pair ofr foam nunchaku, so dont be fooled into thinking theyre entirely safe.

im in the market for a new Bo and i have been mulling over the oncept of a break-apart (two halves that screw together) Bo. I had a plain ash six foot Bo (until it splitered to much to be of use) and i always had trouble carrying it around to the Dojo and training grounds, so a slightly more portable Bo would be nice. im wondering if it really has the same structural integrity of a normal traditional Bo, or if it can only really be used for kata and solo work. also, if anyone knows about Graphite V.s. Hard wood Bo's, id be interested in that as well.