White Warlock

I didn't go to any homecoming. i went to the prom, and it was an arduous experience that i hope never to repeat. I believe it helped cost me my girlfriend at the time. I would have been better off not going, except for never knowing what it would have been like. Anyway, don't make it a big deal. If you're there to impress a girl, or your classmates, it will be a bust. If you're there to have a good time, and to enjoy that time with others, then you'll have what you're looking for.

Katana? Don't you mean kendo?

hmm, i was a bit confused as to why you posted that as well. i'm thinking you misread the post you responded to.

"The Weaponless Warriors," presented by Richard Kim on journals written by Shimabukuro is a compilation of 'anecdotal' stories and should not be taken literally.

Something to get you started on 'researching,' rather than taking people's personal experiences or interpretations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi

Agreed. Of the language in the martial arts community, a technique is the same as an application, which is situation-specific. The initial poster is referring to 54 'applications,' which it seems have somehow been disconnected from the concepts, or principles, that they originate from. It is very likely, and i'm not familiar with the system you study, that these 'self-defense' applications are for presentation to laymen, as a means of presenting simple choices they can perform in the more common of instances. I gather these are not actually things geared towards the study of a system, or of a means to develop an understanding of principles/concepts. So, assuming my assumptions are correct, no. Many systems do not provide a series of 'self-defense' techniques, in package form. What is studied is the system as a whole, with the goal of developing a martial artist, not a technician.

it's a conspiracy

Unfortunately, that truth varies depending on preconceptions that are not removed during study.

My comments, relevant to these discussions, all from the same thread: Presentation and debate - http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=22242&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=29 More debate - http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=22242&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=39 Conclusion - http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=22242&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=58

Your first goal should be to truly comprehend what it is you are trying to develop, otherwise you will be administering the process of delusion, which is so common in this field of study.

it's true. The Shoalin monastery has been reborn as a 'marketing gimmick' by wushu practitioners and by the Chinese government. What is being presented is not what was.

thank you both

It should be noted that many 'ancient' techniques 'have' been tested, during times of war/conflict, via the abuse of prisoners/slaves, or via primitive anatomical examinations, and that these learned bits of data have been passed on either in writings or via word of mouth. The catch is, determining whether the initial information came from such sources, whether that information may have been 'changed' through time due to the 'means' of communication utilized, as well as making an effort to determine if information of our present era substantiates said claims, or disproves. Well, actually we don't need to test many things, as common sense will tell you that the fat stored on your belly will not be burned away even if u exercise that particular muscle group. To burn fat with any significant degree of success, you really need to work the 'large' muscles, such as the legs. The abdominal muscles are actually pretty dang small and consist largely of ligament. As to the electrocuting of muscle groups, that has been medically determined to be a 'valid' means of encouraging muscle growth and strengthening and is used extensively in rehabilitation for just that purpose. After all, in order for our muscles to contract, we direct the brain to send 'electrical' impulses to the muscles. These impulses, or current, is what causes a muscle to contract. So, basically what i'm trying to say is... we have the 'technology' and the 'understanding' right here and now, in this day and age, to determine what is hokey and what is real. All it takes is a degree of research, and a large dose of common sense. /tangent off If you examine the anatomical structure of the ear, the medical history of ear injuries that indicate trauma via impact or via an explosive blast (the effect of which, at least to the ear, could be simulated by slapping, with the flat of your hand, the ear quickly and with force, which is what the claim was made in that book) has caused unconsciousness and vertigo, as well as examine the means by which the trigeminal nerve communicates to the brain (via the brain stem) and the 'path' of the nerve as it travels thru a 'hole' in the skull (which is a point, known as the trigeminal nerve root, where the nerve can be pinched against the bone or even severed), you are able to 'understand' what 'can' be done, just as we can examine medical history on the break of bones, and the circumstances in which those bones were broken, to determine weakest points to strike and the means to do so. It needs to be noted though, the writer indicated the results with, in my opinion, too much confidence in its effectiveness. As if performing this singular act will result in the prescribed results. Nothing is perfect, and there are plenty of variables to undermine the effectiveness of a 'single' action that would 'guarantee' results. Also, it is not the eardrums rupturing that would cause a person to go unconscious and such a statement indicates the author is not knowledgeable of the causal relationships.

Now, here are some of the 'no' parts. If what you mean by knife hand is what i think you mean, and what y2_sub referred to as shuto, then such a strike is not necessarily aiming to impact the eardrum, but the trigeminal nerve root. A sufficient impact could cause the nerve to send an overwhelming signal to the brain stem, which could cause one to lose consciousness. However, such an impact must be very hard, and it is not likely that sufficient force could be garnered by performing simultaneous inward shutos (shuto-uchi) at a target above your own shoulder level. In truth, there's no need to strike both sides of the head if the goal is to impact the trigeminal nerve root. Only one side needs to be targeted, which would allow for sufficient force to be generated from a single direction. Also, the knife hand technique is not really a good one to use against the ear, if the goal is to impact the eardrum or cause a concussive wave to jar the semicircular canals. The edge of the hand simply doesn't cover enough area to 'trap' air into the ear canal, thus too much emphasis on accuracy would be required, which would take away some of the power necessary for any effect to occur.

A flat hand slap to both ears may work, except to perform such an act, you touch upon their peripheral vision. Also, you are required to get close BEFORE attacking, not to mention doing it from behind them. I mean, in a perfect world, sure... it would work, but we don't live in a perfect world. Nowadays, higher level security personnel are taught to keep their back to the wall while on sentry, and to turn about repeatedly while on patrol. So, if your target isn't a little old lady waiting at the bus stop, such a technique has limited applicability. If your question is whether, anatomically, it could work, the answer is yes, and no. Basically, the task of keeping us 'upright' is not a simple one and the human body has devised some creative ways of ensuring we maintain our balance on those two stumps we call legs. The semicircular canals behind the cochlea are what manage your equilibrium, through an ingenious xyz series of canals partially filled with fluid. Inside the canals, there are little hairs that act as sensors. When the fluid moves about, it moves the hairs (cilia), which the brain interprets as motion and thus your body attempts to compensate for said motion. By striking the ear with a flat hand, you quickly force air to pound against the tiny bones and ear drum that serve to transfer motion to the cochlea, which is interpreted by the brain as varying sound waves. A concussion of air, compressed and thrust into the ear canal, essentially shoots a huge wave of sound through the cochlea (not quite, but close enough). A sufficient impact could generate a reverberation, an echoed wave, to impact the semicircular canals and thus cause the fluids in there to go wild for a short period. This combination, with the likely possibility of causing the ear drum (tympanic membrane) to tear, or the tiny bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) in the ear to break, can significantly disorient an adversary.

by all means, continue writing. good information.

Well, you were the one to bring up money first. That should be considered.

kalaripayit

Well, i didn't say 'behind,' I said 'beyond' the person. The person you are dealing with right then and there. Beyond is not behind. Nor did i say 'opponent.' I know these may seem like plays on semantics... but opponent is a definitive singular, and there is always the possibility for plural. I.e., always the possiiblity of more opponents. As i see it, there are three basic tendencies: Before the Person If you look before the person, you find yourself 'reacting' to things without a precursor, a warning of intent, being that you are unable to read telegraphed actions. This is the state of most 'untrained' combatants, who look at the weapons presented (fist, knife, etc) and thus are easily 'setup.' Essentially, they are looking at the extensions, the moving parts. At the Person If you look 'at' the person (depending on 'where' you look, preferably center mass), you can read telegraphed actions at the cost of being susceptible to feints and other deceptions. This is the state of many trained combatants. And while this may be useful for sport/competition, it is a detriment for real encounters... where there is always the possibility of more than merely 'one' opponent, as well as disruptions and distractions presented by audience and environment. Also, adrenalin can 'enhance' this action and cause one to 'overfocus,' losing all sense of awareness on your surroundings. Beyond the Person If you look 'beyond' the person, somewhat 'through' your 'immediate' threat to some unperceived field, you gain a higher degree of awareness and a stronger application of peripheral vision. As well, when adrenalin hits, it will be far less likely that you will 'overfocus,' since you are not focused as it is, nor is there anything 'concrete' to focus on.I am not sure if you ever juggled, but i believe it can help you develop this habit of looking beyond, and can also serve here as an example of all three approaches: Before the Person A beginner juggler looks at all the balls as they are being juggled (extension, moving parts). Their eyes dash from one ball to the next, and back again, a flurry of ocular motion commeasurate with the amount of energy thier arms put in. If they fumble, suddenly their focus is lost and all the balls go flying in every which way. At the Person An intermediate juggler looks at some 'point' on the path, or in the center of the oblong path of the balls being juggled (center mass). They rely heavily on peripheral vision, yet occasionally flit their eyes to examine the activities of the balls, especially if a difficult action is committed, or a fumble occurs. More often, if a fumble does occur, only one ball is lost. The activity of the balls can continue without that one ball, but the juggler is somewhat distracted. His focus has been disrupted. Beyond the Person An advanced juggler looks beyond what he is doing, to some undetermined point or possibly to various persons in the audience, with a smile here, a facial contortion there, all the while maintaining his juggling. Indeed, because he is not dependent upon his eyes for direct focal attention, nor for peripheral vision, he is able to handle numbers far greater than even the audience's eyes could follow. He can make changes, perform unique tricks, change angles, engage in direct eye-contact conversation... all while still juggling, and even changing of his juggling.With an advanced juggler, he can be busily juggling a multitude of things and someone can throw something at him. He can catch that item and mix it in with the rest of the items he is juggling, and hardly miss a beat. With an intermediate juggler, someone can throw something at him, but it needs to be 'carefully timed' and 'predicted.' With a beginner juggler, throwing anything to that juggler will cause him to lose focus, with the end result being the balls flying in every which way. The feats presented by an advanced juggler cannot be performed with a dependency on direct view or peripheral vision. It requires a development of awareness on one's environment. The ability to see 'beyond' the target.

There is hope yet. I wonder what happened to the guys who developed that game, and if they moved on to more advanced ma virtual games.

It should be noted that the vast majority of these kind of guys give themselves a 'black belt' in their 'own' system. And no, i did not take offense, anymore than a person who 'earned' his black belt should take offense for my earlier comments made on the topic.

no, that's not what i said.

i used to love the virtua fighter games when they were out. Are they out nowadays? I haven't visited an arcade, or played with a game console, in quite a long time.

Well, if i may be so bold... that's a horrible guideline. There are far more 'unqualified,' 'unskilled' black belts running around than 'skilled' ones. It is a sorry state, but it is an accepted fact. Well, considering drivers licenses differ per State, and per Nation, i would say you would end up with unsatisfactory results there as well. True, but that is the reference you were looking for. hmm... proud to wear them? doesn't that have some reference to 'ego?' I'm messing a little, but you see my point i hope. A black belt is not even remotely a reliable reference utility to determine the amount of 'skilled' practitioners. But, even if it were, it is a shot in the dark to try and speculate just how many there are, especially when you consider how many countries there are, the dynamics of demographics, the amount of systems out there (and, of those, how many provide belt rankings), the actual qualifications of said belt holders (there are quite a few people that gave themselves black belts, or were 'given' black belts by friends/associates), etc. It's a shot in the dark. Worse, it's a shot in the dark with a spitwad. Didn't mean to be offensive with that comment. It's just that there is far too much black belt idolizing going on in the martial arts community and it irks me as much as the fact there are unqualified people obtaining said black belts, and irks me almost as much as the dismissiveness presented to non-belt skilled practitioners. /tangent As you may or may not know already, i don't have a belt and have thusfar refused to obtain one over the past 25+ years. Oh sure, i've been 'handed' belts, but i consider them tokens of respect, and not actual earned diplomas. The thing is, i repeatedly bump into people who would rather study under a 3 year practitioner holding a black belt, than they would me... without even experiencing what i have to offer. Their loss, i'll grant you that, but it still irks me. /tangent off

That is not at all what i was saying. I was mostly referring to the initial poster's query about changing 'one or two things.' The problem is not that of studying multiple systems, but of modifying what you have 'just' learned to accommodate the mix of styles you have 'tried' before you even have a firm grasp of the material presented, before you have mastered the basics. That is, after all, what a black belt/sash is supposed to represent... a mastery of the basics. And while not all systems present belts/sashes as rank, there still lies a point where it is rather clear you have a firm grasp of the basics presented in a system, be it boxing, wrestling, savate, escrima, etc. To study 6 months of this system, 3 months of that, a seminar or two... and have no basis, no core system to reference, is to leave yourself immense gaps in your understanding, and thus an inherent handicap in your learning process.