Sasori_Te

The most effective style is the one you can adapt to yourself and use effectively if needed. Other than that there is no most effective style. What may be effective for me may be out of reach for you or vice versa.

GMC has a point. You are still young, and your hormones are more in control than your brain. I take it that your instructor doesn't know about these confrontations that you've been having. Don't take this the wrong way but you are the boy that still needs to become the man. We all go through this stage in some form or other. You need to try and actually think before you act the next time a situation comes up. Think, "What is this going to accomplish if I do this?" I can't think of a single positive thing that comes from beating someone up in a fight. Here I am talking about fights that can be walked away from and not true self defense situations. It's hard being young and having so much pressure from your friends. You feel like all eyes are on you when a challenge comes along, when in reality 5 minutes after it's over you're either hurt or in trouble and everyone else is wondering what's for lunch. Self control and self respect is the name of the game at this point. Good luck.

I thought it was a good book. It's been a while since I read it. I remember it mainly covering philisophical areas more than any practical application. He did use some of his "adventures" as examples of philosophy in action. I need to re-read it to give a more accurate account though.

Tring why do you want to get into martial arts? Also, what body type are you. Are you naturally athletic and flexible? Tall? Short? Skinny? Heavy? Strong? Weak? Etc...... These are all factors as to what martial art would suit you best. Ultimately, you can do any art that you wish. You need to investigate. Go to https://www.go.com and do a search on martial arts in your area. OR, better yet, look in the phone book. Make some calls, go see some classes and question the instructors. Good luck.

I must also apologize to gmc for jumping him like that. It seems that I need to learn some restraint myself. I apologize. I would also like to say that I tend to agree with both gmc and dm on this one.

* !!! Maybe if it were a mild sprain it would be healed in two weeks. However, swollen and purple doesn't sound minor to me. I don't believe that it could have healed that much in two weeks. I smellum' heap big stink.

I had "walking" pneumonia in one lung when I took my orange belt test. I thought I was going to pass out half way through the test. I was young and dumb and had just gotten out of the Army straight out of High school. In retrospect, it wasn't the smartest thing to do. My instructor thought it was great and showed a lot of spirit. It turns out that he was a complete knucklehead and didn't have the first clue as to what it takes to be a karrate instructor. We all have to live and learn but I wouldn't do it again. Take care of yourself and shorten your illness.

I use Asics wrestling shoes too.

You are correct. I meant that muscle in some cases hinders flexibility which in turn hinders even relaxed movements. Good example too. My ex-wife was both a gymnast and martial artist. She was extremely fast.

Alright Dr. Love. It's spelled "empirical" btw. I'll agree that biomechanics is not Newtonian physics (although all movement including that of the human body is governed by these physics), if you agree that the human body is not in any way similar to a golf ball or any other type of ball that is designed to be hit with a specific instrument. At any rate, you obviously have your opinion on the subject and I have mine. The way we're going, we could be discussing this until one of us keels over. Here's one final experiment for you. Try hitting a water core bag with a bat or a golf club or any other weighted rigid object. Let me know how that turns out for you when you try to follow through.

Wrestling shoes are much better than martial arts shoes and are comparable in price. They are also a lot sturdier from my experience.

Ripper if you combine dropping your center with circular movements (rotational inertia) you can redirect the force from the downward movement into the horizontal punch. There are other ways to accomplish power from grounding but frankly I'm tired of posting on this thread. Good luck to you however you choose to try and gain extra force.

One statement, so many nuances on so many levels. This is definitely a gray area if there ever was one.

I think it all boils down, like most things in the martial arts, to what you expect to achieve from the technique. There is no absolute right and wrong here. The physics are far more complicated but my examples will suffice to back up my arguments here.

I was a HUGE fan of Bruce Lee as a small child in the 1970's. I started martial arts for this reason as well as a strong lingering curiosity when I was 18. I learned what martial arts were really all about and now I can't do without my training.

Squirrel, if that school is the only one available for you my best advice is to check it out. If it seems okay, go for it. You don't want to get involved with anyone that has outrageous contracts or that teach that fighting is okay for any situation. I would stay away from the situation that you were talking about. It can only get you into more trouble you obviously don't need. Good luck to you.

Well granmasterchen. I'd say you really need to work on your mastery of the arts alot more. The last time I checked humility and courtesy were right up there on the list of things to master. As a matter of fact, as I understand it, you can never master an art you can only learn to master yourself. If this is the case, then you have a ways to go my friend. This kid comes here with a question as valid as anyone else's and you flame him for it. If I were you I would invest my time and money in some lessons on manners and etiquette.

As judo was designed to be a sport, it was designed to work against other judo players. This implies by definition that the other player will be wearing a gi. I've never seen a "traditional judo class that didn't make extensive use of the gi. IMO fo ran art to be effective it shouldn't have to depend on "aids" to make it work. Before it starts, I know that all judo throws do not depend on the gi but a large portion of them do. Wait a minute, so do a lot of traditional jiu jitsu styles ..... Hmmmmm. Forget I said anything. I will agree that BJJ is better at naked techniques than any other art that I can think of.

Yes I agree that muscles give you more mass if that's what you're getting at. So does fat. However muscles don't neccessarily help with your acceleration, and in a lot of cases( let's say bodybuilder's though I know it's a general statement) too much muscle will hinder acceleration. Our main point is grounding, or shifting your center downward is an easy way to gain both acceleration and put more available mass into a technique. Grounding isn't the only way to add force but it is a very effective way to do it. It is also a method that can and should be used with other methods to gain force. Rotational inertia being an example off of the top of my head. DM said it without saying it in a lengthy way: "Useful power (I prefer the term force) includes being 100% grounded.

Shorin Ryu Sensei. Thank you for giving me something else to think about. I didn't read into the post and it never occurred to me that I might already be on the ground when he demanded the co-worker go with him. I also agree that the distance to the firearm is extremely important in determining whether or not to try a disarm or controlling technique. However, I still have to believe that anyone pointing a gun at me has the intention to use it. But, as you pointed out, every situation would be different and a split second decision is all that you are going to have. This post is good for conjecture, but until a person is standing on the street with a gun pointing at them it's a bit of a moot point. we can all posture and say what we will or won't do, but the truth is we won't know until it happens. The military proved this point to me more than once.

Thank you for the info DM. Is this what you are referring to blaze?

You are talking about something else entirely now. As I said before each of these techniques has a place. You are talking about stealing balance. You call it follow through. I call it a push immediately after impact. We weren't ever really talking about the same thing. At least I didn't follow where you were going at first. In essence we are both right then. The push through after the punch does not cause more force to be exerted on impact, which is what I thought you were saying. It does cause a lesser amount of force to be exerted after the initial force of impact over a longer time in order to accomplish a specific task, in this case stealing the opponents balance.

I require a cup and mouthpiece only, and of course a gi. *L*

I try to stay away from Okinawan and Japanese terms in class. I cover them from time to time in case we have a guest come in to teach but I feel there are too many mistakes floating around out in the martial arts world as far as pronunciation and translation goes. I'm American and I figure it's better to stick to what you know for certain. I also have a habit of asking about words that I'm not completely sure of. I copy down the spellings, as best as I can get them, and I look them up on my own. After looking up Osu i discovered that it is a rude Japanese term mainly used by school aged boys.

I'm casting my vote for Delta1 and Ninjanurse's answers. I totally agree with what both of you have to say.