DLopez

[best Elvis impersonation] Thank you, thank you very much! [/best Elvis impersonation]

What do you mean, you "can't learn to fight from a traditional martial art until I've studied it for years and years"? Your basic premise is biased, not to mention incorrect. If you think taking BJJ and kickboxing for less than a year is going to make you any more of a good fighter than some thug you happen to run into by chance on the street, well, good luck. At least you'll have your confidence going for you, if not actual developed and refined fighting skills. Maybe I'm crazy, but IMO, the only way to become skilled at fighting, whether on the street or in the ring, is to actually become experienced, and that simply takes time. There's nothing wrong with wanting to try some other style than what you have already learned, but I think your expectations are unrealistic if you think there is a quick way to learn a fighting skill.

Myth. (But Polly wants a cracker)

That's total nonsense. It's a myth that keeps getting parroted by those that think they are only learning when they are getting beat up, but it is just a myth. From my own experience, point fighting does not lead to bad habits. If it did, why am I constantly having to remember to hold back and be light, instead of knocking my opponent's head off? No, still after 2 1/2 years of sparring for me, the natural tendency is to want to hit heavy, not lightly, and it takes a well disciplined fighter with excellent control to point spar, even if it sounds wimpy to those that enjoy getting knocked around all the time. The biggest mistake you can make is to underestimate the capabilities of a martial artist simply because you know they point spar.

Thanks for the well wishes Kicks! They came in handy! Things couldn't have worked out better... literally! I medalled in each event I entered, taking 1st place in all four! I am so excited, but I am too exhausted to do anything about it! Also, for the 2nd year in a row, our school, Kuk Sool Won of Katy, Texas, placed in the Top 10 Points competition. What can I say, our instructor had us well prepared. I am so drained, I need a hot soak in the tub! Lessee... the Astros won, the longhorns lost to OU, and I won 4 gold medals today... It's been a great day!

70's?? You've got the wrong decade. The Mopar motors' had the spotlight in the late '60s and very early 70's, when Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge took what Pontiac started with the GTO, and raised the bar a notch with the Hemi's and Magnums. The 1969 Charger Daytona was the pinnacle of Mopar's acheivements, IMHO. Then, in the early 70's, Chevy caught up with their big blocks (427's, 454's) and took over as reigning king of factory HP. But that was all she wrote, because in the mid-70's everything went to heck in a handbasket with the oil embargo, and the Big 3 automakers stopped competing in making big power motors. Poor old Ford, always played at best 2nd place to the other two auto makers. Note, I'm talking factory stock here. Even in that day, there was all kinds of magic you could apply to any make of motor to make it badder than any factory stock motor, no matter who made it. But when talking about factory stock, the 440 Magnum was bigger and badder than the Hemi (a mere 426 cu.in. ), but the Hemi had such an exotic head design, it got all the press and notoriety. No doubt, the Hemi was ahead of it's time, and made excellent power, but Mopar proved even within it's own motors that you could take conventional head design and make even more power just by giving the engine more cubes. "Cubes." I like that word.

Oooo! The Hemi's were nice and exotic, especially in their heyday, but many a 440 could put it all over the hemi's on the street! They just didn't get the same notoriety that the hemis did. Funny that a hemi-powered Mopar classic is more desirable than one with a 440 in it.

I'm not a doctor either... but I slept at a Holiday Inn last night!

If he couldn't make you laugh, no one can! My mother had morning sickness after I was born. Once when I was lost I saw a policeman and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him, "Do you think we'll ever find them?" He said, "I don't know kid. There are so many places they can hide." I tell ya, I get no respect. I went to a hooker, and she told me "Not on the first date!" Oh, last week was a rough week. I noticed my gums were shrinking. I was brushing my teeth with Preparation H. I told my dentist my teeth are going yellow. He told me to wear a brown necktie. My wife made me join a bridge club. I jump off next Tuesday. You will be missed Rodney!

Pain is your body's way of saying "Whoaaa!! That's too much!" I usually feel some stiffness and soreness in my hip joints the day after serious leg stretching exercises, but usually it goes away after warming up, which is how I can tell it isn't something serious like a pulled groin muscle. If the pain doesn't subside no matter how much you warm up, take P.A.L.'s advice and take it easy to let it heal up because otherwise those injuries take forever to heal.

Holy Moly!!! I guarantee you kick someone in the groin with not even half the force it would take to physically break something, and you will probably get the "desired result" whether it actually broke something or not. In fact, the person you kicked will probably wish he was dead!

Touche', Kicks! I could probably try it with my staff, but my son doesn't trust me for some reason. Yeh, the tournament is held in Houston, TX this year. The next two years it will be in Korea, so this is the last chance until then to enter into the "big one" until then, unless your able to travel to Korea next year. I'd really love to make that trip, as I understand it's really beautiful over there. Hey ZR, I finally got the tuning on my car's computer figured out for the idle and tip-in response! She's lots of fun to drive now!! No more stalling and sputtering at startup or when stopping for traffic lights. Shoot, at the rate it's going, I'm gonna need new tires in the back shortly! After the tournament, I'll finally have a free weekend to take it down to either Houston Raceway Park or the IHRA track in San Antonio to see just how deep in the 11's I think it'll go. Maybe even high 10's??

So, KSW'ers, who's going? I'm entered to participate in forms (Dae Geup Hyung), Techniques (performing Ahp Eue Bahk Soo #3,#4, & #8 ), Ki Cho Bong (Basic Staff Spinning) parts 1-5, and Sparring. Been practicing super-duper hard for the past coupla months! I'm pumped and ready!!

Doesn't anyone ever use the old comeback "Take a picture, it'll last longer" anymore?

Breaking is usually pretty fun... I seldom get "board" with it! However, I keep it real and don't "pine" for silly ambitions like the ability to chop a tree down with my bare hands. Yeh, I like to think I am well "rooted" in my martial arts skills. My son has pretty good skills too... The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I wonder, if nobody was around to hear it, "wood" it make a sound?

I can just picture someone that "wins" one of these staredowns... they go around bragging, "Yeh, I glared him into the ground, dawg! His eyeballing was so weak, Lasik won't help him!! I'm the stare-master, dawg!"

No, it only appears lame to use auto comparisons because you probably do it all the time and don't give a second thought about how dangerous it actually is. You have become conditioned to think that driving in a car is "the norm", therefore it is an acceptable risk because of the inconvenience factor. I know it sounds silly to suggest not driving your kids in cars, but when you really stop and think about it, there are so many factors that are out of your control that makes automobile travel unsafe, it makes you head spin. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. At least someone else that posted here had enough guts to admit that if he railed against this guy for doing what he did, he would feel hypocritical for things that he does himself without thinking. I wish there were more like him - you know, cast the first stone and all that. Oh well, no one seems to be able to get my point, so what's the use.

Yes, perhaps. But only until it is actually witnessed. Once you have seen it, there is no longer the need to try to guess if it's possible or not.

Who said lock them up in the house? I just said that based on statistics, it's equally, if not more dangerous to put a child in a car and drive on the street as this nunchaku demo vid is. Cop out answer. That's a pretty weak way to try and win an argument. Every night on the 10 o'clock news, I hear about deadly auto accidents. I've yet to hear of a single death by nunchakus, or even facial disfigurements. Now, I must ask, why would you expect me to prove that riding in an automobile is dangerous, while not having to deliver the same proof yourself about the nunchaku demonstration? I can play that game too... until you show me the proof that something like that nunchaku demo is dangerous, I refuse to believe it the same way you refuse to believe automobile travel is dangerous. You see how your argument goes nowhere? You can do better. Shoot, all I have to do is read the daily newspaper about all the auto accidents that occurred the day before to support my position. So far, all you've provided is emotional reaction to a video. What risk? You keep saying this guy is taking a risk, but you haven't proven there's any risk. You don't know anything about this guy's level of skill, and I'm sorry, but your assertion that "No person is so skilled that they are infallible." is just wrong. Maybe (most likely) you've not witnessed them, but acts like this nunchaku demo would have been downright boring a few years back in the circus. Believe it or not, I've seen more amazing feats of skill than that performed by children. I'm sorry if you never have. They were amazing! Back to the risk thing... Now if you mean that if YOU tried it, there is risk, then okay, you've given me enough to go on that I believe the doubts you have in your abilities are justified. Seriously though, whether you or I possess such skill is irrelevant in this discussion. Somehow though, you insist on transposing your shortcomings onto the person in the video, (and everyone else it appears). To refuse to believe that some people possess such a high level of skill is, well, ignorant, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel. I don't know how to put it any other way. And someone can run a red light, or an 18-wheeler might lose it's load, or... Sorry, not good enough.

Okay, I've been hinting and hinting, but you're just not getting it. Why do you insist that this person is taking a risk? How do you know this person isn't so good that there is no risk at all? Do you not have any capabilities at all that you are just so good at, that there is no possibility of any other outcome than what you intend? C'mon, surely you're good at something! I don't fault anyone for being concerned about the well being of children, but really, you know absolutely nothing about the person on this video or his capabilities, yet you have concluded that he is reckless, uncaring, and dang lucky he doesn't kill the child. I just don't get it.

I gotta admit, I'm still intrigued by this question!!! I understand you are worried about the "what if" something goes wrong. But the fact that you are certain that something will go wrong and only by a miracle that nothing did go wrong is what fascinates me!! The conclusions drawn that whoever would do such a thing is completely reckless and uncaring for their child is such a leap, unless you somehow convinced yourselves that no one could be skilled enough to do such a thing without any danger being presented to the child. Exactly what was it that convinced you this guy was just a hair's breadth away from removing the child's nose?

Why can't you leave the child at home? Surely there are countless ways to arrange not having to transport your child in a vehicle. It may not be convenient, but I guess that means theres a level of inconvenince, above which makes putting your child in danger OK? Nope, I don't buy that. As far as accomplishing anything of value, that is a subjective opinion on your part. You might not find anything of value in such a demonstration, but others may. As far as statistics go, no I don't have the relative statisitics, but do you honestly believe I'm making up how deadly riding in a car is? Look it up on your home state's government website if you doubt it. It's public information. BTW - I've not heard of a single nunchaku demonstration death that I can recall - child or adult.

Well, since the crusade is picking up steam, let me toss this out for consideration... All these arguements like "she loved him and had faith in him", and "she chose to participate", can be applied to the children riding in evil rolling death traps called SUV's, minvans, and cars, no? Children love their parents, and have faith in them, no? As far as having a choice goes, children really have no choice when it comes to being strapped in their car seat while their irresponsible parents court danger and death by driving out on the roads and highways, right? Sure, all these arguments "sound good" on the surface, but I find it funny how they are selectively applied to certain folks doing certain things. Gee, I guess sometimes it's OK to put your child in danger, as long as it's something that is "the norm", and there are some people who believe they possess the wisdom to dictate to everyone else when it is okay and not okay to put your child in danger. Things that make you go hmmmmm.

Heh. The thing is, evidently, you really don't believe your brother is skilled enough if you have doubts, now do you? What would your brother say? There may very well be someone skilled enough to do it, and just because it's a bad idea for you or your brother to try it, doesn't mean it's so for everyone else. That's all.