Sasori_Te

I've never seen it spelled with the jitsu spelling before. However, I thought bujutsu was used more to describe weapon related arts?

Are you talking about escaping from the hold after it is already locked in?

I'm curious as to where you are located that the law says that you can't intervene if a friend is attacked?

I suspect that you will find that the people in here art die hards like me. I would guess that they are all going to say that the wards versus investment are immeasurable. Because really, how do you measure health, quality of life, confidence and peace of mind? I personally don't believe that there is any way of doing this, especially in terms of money. Granted that money is very important in our society, especially if you have very little of it. But, I don't think that I could ever pay my current and former teachers enough to balance what they have taught me. Fortunately for me, I've been very lucky in that aspect of training. If I had to give an estimation of what I've spent over the years on training, I'd have to say somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000.00 over 14 years. Now I am able to train for "free" except for seminars and things like that of course. I usually teach classes as well as attend them though. On a side note, I would like to say that I find that I learn more in the classes that I teach than I do in the classes which I attend as a student. I'll stop rambling now.

I did a search and it appears to be some type of evading blending art like aikido. This would make sense, as the guy that apparently came up with it is Ueshiba, Morihei's brother-in-law? I could be mistaken but I think that's what I read. It seems to be legitimate. I'd go and check it out.

I also am used to standing higher ranks from left to right. The school where I train presently lines up left to right as you face the front. For seiza I am used to left leg down first and right leg up first. What else do you want details on?

Here's my take. I train long distance via video with the Goju Shorei Weapons System (Cane, knife and fan) as well as Goju Shorei Karate. As someone said recently, it depends on the integrity of the people involved. It seems to work okay for me. However, I already had a Shodan in another art before attempting this. I also train with my instructor in person every chance that I get. I would also like to stipulate that you need a way for instant feedback such as telephone conversations or e-mail. I also always send my tapes in with one take. I'm not trying to get more rank. I want more knowledge. Cheating myself isn't going to help me get there. So, here's some advice from me. I wouldn't try starting a martial art and progressing through the ranks using video initially. You have no knowledge base and no way of knowing whether you are practicing a technique correctly or not. If all you want is that piece of black cloth around your waist then save some time and money and go buy a belt and a certificate online somewhere. The end result will probably be the same anyway.

The thing you have to keep in mind about guns and knives being outlawed is that the law only means something to law abiding citizens. I'm sure that handguns might be a little more difficult to come by there but I'm sure knives aren't. You might want to try training escrima or some other stick art that can carry over to improvised weapons. That's my only suggestion for you.

I would never by anything other than a Shureido again. It felt like putting on a nice cotton t-shirt right out of the box.

gun fu as in hand gun, not gung fu as in Chinese martial art. In answer to that I would like to say that it's easier to carry a gun in the states than in any other country I've been in, and I've been in several. We tend to take things for granted here when it concerns things like the right to carry a weapon. Most of the other countries that I've been in keep a tight lid on things like that, for the average, honest, law-abiding citizen anyway.

I'm with you guys. My wife hates it when I get an idea for a technique because I usually run through it physically without thought as to where I am at the time. I've gotten some great ideas that way.

What's the big deal? It's only a tournament. They're just for fun anyway.

I'll give my opinion now. Is everyone listening? I believe the concept in question here is "karate ni sente nashi" there is no first attack in karate. This is a statement made on many levels. It gets meaning from karate being a defensive art It gives meaning as to the proper mind set for karateka. It gives meaning on how a karateka should act when confronted with a physical confrontation. By that I mean basically that if your opponent punches first then your counter should land before the punch arrives. Block and counter at the same time. This is, I believe, higher level karate at a basic level. This concept is also found in a lot of Chinese martial arts. This is where all of the training in technique, relaxation, focus and proper movement come together. There is no first attack because a first attack means a first blow landed, which inturn could decide the encounter. Opponent moves, you move faster and end the encounter. As for the other conversation about all katas beginning with blocks, here's what I tell my students and peers. Use a low, middle or high block to block the way you were taught (I'm talking about Shotokan and westernized karate "blocks) and see how successfully you can defend against my punches and kicks. I also tell them where and how I'm going to be punching and kicking. I haven't had one person succeed in this yet. After showing them the concepts behind these "blocking" movements and explaining their uses they can usually block me pretty easily after that. I would have to agree that there are no blocks in kata, at least not the way that most karateka are taught.

I've got a solution! Stop looking out the window.

It depends on how you practice Karate. I wouldn't blame your Sensei. He was probably never taught these things himself. This knowledge was not really passed on to Westerners when Karate was imported. You can rectify this with meditation. Meditation on it's own will build your energy field in an over-all sort of way. As for directing energy, it's a matter of imagination and intent. When I say imagination I don't mean that it's made up. I mean that you use your "mind's eye" if you will, to feel and build this energy. Your intention directs it where you want it to go. This is a way oversimplification, you really need to get with someone that is experienced in meditation and chi gung. You can then adapt it to your Karate. It's probably the best your going to be able to do. Good Luck!

I think it's a bit unfair that you judge all Kempo by what your friend couldn't do to you. I will agree with one thing you say though. Not everyone will react the same way to a certain stimulus. With practice you can predict what the majority of people will do but you can never be sure. This is why I tell my students that you should never count on a single technique. You should be prepared to flow through as many techniques as are necessary to handle a given situation.

I don't know what the point would be. Not only has it been asked over and over, it's been answered over and over. It seems like some folks just don't get it, or don't want to get it.

The only time I would go for a joint lock in a confrontation is if I stunned the other person with another technique first. Here's my reasoning for this. If I am grabbed by someone who means me harm, I'm not going to go for a joint "lock". I'm going straight for the dislocation of the joint and the tearing of as much cartilage and muscle as I can. Second reason: if the opponent is bigger and/ or stronger than me and I try to use a lock without stunning him first I run the risk of pitting strength against strength. If he's stronger I run a very real chance of being injured. Since I count joint locks in with my grappling techniques, that answers the question about group confrontations. we all can imagine how well a single person trying to grapple a group of people would go over.

Thanks Angela, I already use Mr. Montaigue's encyclopedias as a reference. I find them to be excellent reference tools. On a side note I would like to say that you have brought up some very good points on this forum. Thank you for keeping things interesting. Very impressive for a 3rd kyu brown belt. You're picture from your website is also very cute (I hope my wife doesn't see this ) Keep up the excellent questions.

Where was it that I read that the figures that BJJ uses are from statistics concerning police officers? The cops take any resisting subject to the ground, thus "all fights end up on the ground". I've never been in a confrontation where I ended up on the ground. In my younger days I was in my fair share. I too have watched some of these street fight videos (they are/ were posted somewhere on this forum) Maybe 1/3 had one or both participants go to the ground. I don't recall any that stayed there.

Neko, It depends on the points you want to strike of course. This was a really good post. All of the pp's have been researched thoroughly enough to be able to accurately predict the bodies reaction to different strikes and intensities on the points. I find the original Okinawan karate katas reflect this information more truly than most modern styles. I'm sure there are Chinese forms that reflect this information equally well but I can't speak of them with any sort of authority. TCM and 5 element theory added a whole new dimension to my training about 5 years ago. Funny enough, I've come full circle again and realized that it's no more or less important than any other aspect of my training.

As your knowledge base grows you'll realize that those boring white belt techniques can be something else entirely just by using a little imagination.

I have been knocked out due to martial arts training several times. Two of those times were accidents. The first one you could call a tko. I was caught in the back of the head with a hook kick. All I remember was the guy sidestepping. The next thing I knew I was seeing spots and everything sounded really far away. I also noticed that my hands were down and I couldn't seem to get them back up. The second time I was sparring for part of my ikkyu requirements. I got caught by a spinning hook kick to the ribs. Next thing I new I was on the floor with the ref and judges around me. I saw spots and everything sounded really garbled as I was waking up. I also managed cracked rib out of that episode. Since then I've been rendered unconscious by pp's several times during demonstrations. It's pretty much the same feeling except for the headache afterwards.

Street fighting is an art all it's own. I'd pit a good street fighter up against any style. Note I said a good street fighter. Whether a martial art is going to protect you in a confrontation depends entirely on you. How good are you? How well do you understand your chosen style? How well can you apply what you understand? I like to equate martial arts knowledge to owning a gun. The gun is only effective as the person squeezing the trigger.

I'm always wary when I see someone try and paint everyone with the same brush like these folks are doing. This is obviously a very poor sales technique. I'm not saying that what they claim isn't true, at least on some level. It's just not as wide spread as they would have you believe. I'll tell you my experience. I've been inseveral circumstances some mentioned and others not, on this board. I find that the techniques that are truly ingrained, the ones that I've practiced most will happen without any conscious recall on my part. This has never failed me so far. Situation arises, techniques happen and the situation is contained enough to allow me to leave. This is where all of those repetitions come in. You can train a complex technique through repetition as easily as you can train a very simple basic technique. It seems to me that you could control this adrenal response after a short period in this situation because you would realize subconsciously that you are in no real danger. You are still in a training situation. This seems like another gimmick to instill false confidence to me.