White Warlock

Well, no, actually... ma is about ma.

Very likely not, since the use of a weapon of such magnitude likely indicates the person is not altogether skilled. Also, the immediate threat is from on-high, not down-low, so going for the knees while someone is swinging down on you is asking for a world of pain. When a weapon such as that is being utilized, you need both feet firmly on the ground for manuevering. There's a second part, which i'm addressing below. My point was, the 'severity' of the assault has not been presented, therefore the severity of response should not default to extremes. No but neither should it be instantly discredited Breaking someone's kneecap is a 'permanent' injury. In actuality, the kneecap likely will not break, but you could dislocate their knee, or break the joint. However, the likelihood of success is not as high as many people think, so "planning" to take out their knee is an all or nothing venture. Also, the call presented was to 'plan' to take out the kneecap, which is never a good idea. In whatever situation you are in, the circumstances of the conflict dictate the actions required to resolve the issue, not the other way around. And finally, no... it should not be 'instantly' discredited, nor did i do such. I merely mentioned it has a very high probability of consequence. Specifically, incarceration. Defending yourself against a threat is acceptable under the law, but use of excessive force is not. I would say that in the majority of cases, a breaking of someone's kneecap, which incurs permananent partial disability, would be considered 'excessive' by most courts. Granted, we have to examine the circumstances, the specifics... but... if we were to take the 'dry' evidence, which is that of a male breaking a female's kneecap, i would say the circumstances are already weighed against the male. Consequence is a major issue here, and it is something that is oftentimes disregarded.

if you have absolutely no grappling in your school, than a light gi is acceptable. Otherwise, it is a safety hazard.

Wudan is a mountain within the Hubei province in China.

My point was, the 'severity' of the assault has not been presented, therefore the severity of response should not default to extremes.

If you don't have the time, then you are limited in what you can learn... plain and simple. By examining some ufc videos, you can see 'some' of the techniques used to present a takedown. The more common ones used nowadays are wrestling takedowns. But, the problem is not that. If you learn to effectively counter one technique, it doesn't present you with the knowledge to counter a different technique. Also, it doesn't present to you an understanding of what that person can do when/if you do successfully counter. Just like in karate, where there are principles which must be absorbed, there are principles with groundfighting that must be absorbed. If you focus on a few techniques, you fail to grasp the principles... and thus must 'rely' on those few tools "if" the opportunity presents itself. To give an example with karate, if someone attempts to perform a strike to your face, and you block, then they grab your arm, pull down, and attempt a second strike with the opposing arm, you block, then they grab that arm, cross it against the other, and release one arm to strike you without resistance, what went wrong? Simple... you didn't know counters to follow-up actions and relied only on one counter... that of blocking a strike. So, the answer is, learn bjj, not a few 'counters' to a few more 'common' techniques presented. For every action there is a counter and for every counter there is a counter-action, etc. But, it would be foolish to learn each and every technique, when in reality what you need to do is 'understand' the principles so that everything flows and you instinctively know what to do, even if a particular technique has never been applied or studied before. Why? Because it is a technique based on a principle... as opposed to a technique, stand-alone.

Learn bjj so you can utilize your karate techniques without being 'ignorant' of what is being posed against you. I.e., a bjjer will have bjj, while you will have bjj and karate.

Look at some of these videos and you decide. http://www.pukulan.net/Multimedia.html

I taught out of obviousness. It was obvious i knew the material, and thus other students would request my assist. Also, if someone was doing something wrong, i would correct them, and move on with the practice. Oftentimes an instructor would request i manage a group, or assist a 'difficult' student. This is where teaching in the arts started, and it is the way i continue to teach. Obviously, i have since developed my approach to a system of learning, as opposed to merely a series of 'corrections.' I.e., ways of presenting information so as to ensure the students grasp the principles quickly. Teaching is partially learned, partially experienced, partially inherent, and partially a want. I bring this up because i don't believe 'anyone' can become a teacher, at least not a good teacher, therefore i don't believe 'all black belts' should undergo a teacher-training course. In the Kodokan, there are two types of black belt ranks, one of which is presented for 'teaching,' while the other is presented for 'implementing.'

Ali was a showman, and thus brought the sport of boxing to great attention. It was through his actions, and that of his manager, that he was able to encourage million dollar deals at a time when the vast majority of professional boxers simply weren't paid unless they won, and even then... pocket change. I hold a tremendous amount of respect for Sugar Ray Leonard. I don't know why, but he really doesn't get mentioned much when it comes to all time greats, yet i consider him to be one of the best 'boxers' that ever stepped in a ring.

no. A chimpanzee is an ape. To understand one clear difference, an ape is as far removed from a monkey as a man is as far removed from an ape. Apes are simply that much smarter and more physiologically advanced than monkeys.

That's nice, i'll visit you in prison.

I changed through time. The martial arts was one of the various things in my life that i incorporated into my being... but it was 'my' choice to do so, and therefore it was not the martial arts that changed me, but me changing myself via the use of martial arts and other means. I.e., the martial arts, the study of philosophy, computers, art, literature, etc.. all of these were things that "I" opted to subject myself to, because that is what i wanted of myself... what i wanted to absorb. And thus my joking reference to me being Batman. He made himself. Through the experiences he was subjected to, he had options... and he chose the paths to take to develop himself to what he became. People make themselves from what they experience, not the other way around, therefore the martial arts didn't change you... you changed yourself and used the martial arts, like a cheap date, to obtain some of the goals you were aspiring to. You are not a feather in the wind.

It is not punishment, although one can perceive it as such. When one signs a contract, it is because they 'voluntarily' do so. If he assumed financial stability, and he was wrong in that assumption, then it is his assumption, not the person who presented the agreement, and thus it is on his head the repercussions for making said assumption. However, the real issue isn't whether he signed the agreement, as much as whether the agreement was legal and binding. Personally, i feel it is not. Based on the product or service he is alleged to obtain, and the timeline it is set for, i feel there are ethical issues associated with this that can be argued effectively in a court of law (business). On the other hand, people are buying tiny homes for half a million dollars, with the 'obvious' presentation that they cannot maintain payment on that home for 30 years, especially not if the interest increases. The law considers such things ethical. Presenting secured loans that are virtually impossible for people to pay is just one more way businesses make money... legally. Through the heartache of others...

Well, from the few videos i was able to examine, i'm not impressed by this art. A lot of 'bad' principles are being encouraged.

Essentially, yes. they function in the same or similar manner.

Hmm, well, how about if i touch it from my perspective... a person who has no belt whatsoever (except for two honorary 'gifts' that sit in storage) and who holds to a belief that belts are, 'the devil.' If the goal is to ensure people are ranked according to knowledge, mindset and skill, rather than merely on how many 'political hoops' they've jumped through, than providing to someone a rank that is comparable to their presented skill level and mindset is entirely appropriate... assuming you're into that whole belt thing. pfft If, however, the goal of the belt rankings is to define who is 'better' than whom, based on seniority, on how many tests they paid for, or on how amenable they are to the head instructor... then we're off on an unhealthy path. Unfortunately, this latter seems to be the more common when such things do occur and so the concept, when performed appropriately, is tainted by the prevailing instances of abuse. This is similar to many other issues that present hardship to legitimate martial artists. Keep it in perspective and treat each case individually. There is no 'single-sweeping' answer to this, nor is it truly important whether such abuse is rampant or not. The belt is merely a symbol and if that symbol is inappropriately obtained or utilized, it is on those who give and those who receive, not on those who spectate.

lol, the first time i read that, i thought he wrote Pokemon.

I'm Batman.

Yes, totally unlike an ape. Many of the 'forms' are simply improperly translated. As to the comment about 'no apes from Asia,' this is incorrect. There were, at one time, many species of apes, but only six still exist today, and all six are critically endangered. Three of the six, the gibbon, siamang, and orangutan are the only remaining 'Asian' apes, while the chimpanzee, bonobo and gorilla are the only remaining 'African' apes. And to note, the primary cause of extinction of apes, and the reason for the endangerment of the remaining apes, is mankind. I want to write more on this, but doing such would pull it far off-topic. Suffice it to say, in 60 years we'll still have video recordings of what they were like in the wild.

I would say one's sense of pride, or shame, plays a role in every aspect of one's life, why should it not also factor into the study of the arts?

While in Argentina i stayed at a cousin's condo in a very old building. There was a section of the condo, a cramped area, that always made me feel very very uncomfortable... as if i was not wanted there. Indeed, as i write this, shivers are running down my back and my hairs just stood on end. It is a series of experiences i cannot possibly dismiss, but that provided nothing tangible. Just that feeling, which my cousin admitted to having as well. In fact, she became very 'spiritual' while staying at that condo and i attribute this to that feeling. At one point i felt i was not wanted there anymore (not by my cousin, mind you) and then i started receiving disturbing dreams, in which detailed, yet non-descript, faces would slam into and through me repeatedly. Eventually i packed up and moved in with a different relative. My logical mind opted to attribute most of this to my not getting enough sleep for a time, and to my simply being a tad claustrophobic. But, i can't help feeling there was more...

I agree with bald1rides' post. Many of the posts here automatically assume that a woman cannot pose a threat, and thus present father-figure solutions to the issue. This can actually exacerbate the issue, cause it to escalate. The initial question, as 24fightingchickens noted, does not provide sufficient information. As all 'what if' situations, specifics are needed. Just because it is a woman doesn't mean we suddenly dismiss the extenuating circumstances, the context, platform, motive, and/or weapons that might be associated with the attack. First and foremost i think it would be prudent to 'know' why this person is attacking me, as well as 'how' they are doing so. Yet, even if i did not know why, knowing how should be sufficient. Unfortunately, the 'how' was not presented, and thus i have refrained from participating in this thread until now. Even now, i find only the motivation to 'point out' the error of assumptions based on gender.

I studied togakure ryu ninjutsu before Masaaki Hatsumi flipped out the ninjutsu and inserted taijutsu, which refers only to the 'unarmed combat' aspect of the physical aspects of ninpo. As to the fakers, yes there are plenty. There are so many because they capitalized on the popularity of the topic matter that hit during the 70's. The two better known are Frank Dux and Ashida Kim (aka Chris Hunter, real name of Radford W. Davis). For more about one of these 'pretenders,' and their motives as a whole, click here. Opportunists abound, as do false practitioners. It is not merely with ninjutsu, but with any art form, any study. Only through government intervention or strong private organizations that the riff-raff is kept to a minimum or more readily exposed. Unfortunately, neither of these two interveners are likely to present themselves on these topics, for there are no viable means to 'define' art. And that is the crux of the issue here, isn't it? I agree with the other posters about 'modern-day' ninjas. Anyone who claims to have studied ninjutsu and also claims to be a ninja is as much in delusion as he who studies kendo and claims to be a samurai. There are none, they no longer exist. It is a foreign word associated with a practice that has essentially been extinct for hundreds of years. What is practiced in systems like tokagure ryu 'taijutsu' are the traditional studies. Mostly they present the historical material, with a mild presentation of 'modern-day' application. In truth, in order to be the equivalent of a modern-day ninja, one would have to 'work in the field' performing and utilizing today's technological advances to counter today's technological advances. Hokey mama topic, i must say.

the requirements are different for each college/university. Talk to a college career counselor on campus, only way to go. They are, of course, located in the Career Center on campus.