White Warlock

no, not really. At least not to me.

I guess we're going to disagree. Seriously though, it does make sense. Hopefully i can present why it does in the following paragraphs. Yes it is, and it's not an appropriate comparison. In basketball, there really is only one uniform way of doing things. Actually, depends on the type of science, although most of them do require a firm grasp of mathematical concepts. LA, i'm assuming, is language arts. I see no reason for this straw man presentation. As far as i'm concerned, yes, schools (colleges/universities) do have it wrong. That is true, but we're not talking about that. We're talking about ensuring you have a firm grasp of the material being presented. It's not all merely a bunch of strikes and kicks, as i'm sure you know. I have never stated such to a paying student, nor has a paid instructor ever said it to me. Indeed, nobody in this community is paying me, and yet i state freely that it is a viable approach. Now i think i understand what you are saying, in that there are many unscrupulous instructors out there and their goal is to obtain your cash, not necessarily provide you with quality instruction. Of that i agree wholeheartedly. The goal of learning the arts is not paying a teacher, it is learning the arts. If someone is studying a particular system, and that system doesn't provide them the insight or knowledge they pursue, then by all means they should pursue other studies. But, there is an underlying concern... which is that if they fail to grasp some critical elements to the study, and thus dismiss entirely an approach that would have made the application of techniques all the more effective, they blunt the knowledge they were provided by adopting alternatives, or making changes, to what they only 'partially' learned. The goal should be to learn and understand, not collect and filter, thus one of the reasons why it is important to master the basics of a particular system before running off to mix & match. On a personal level, i can see your point. However, i know the errors i committed by mixing and matching before obtaining mastery of a particular system in advance. These errors, i found out, are universal with eclectic practitioners. Because of this, i believe that my 'initial' path was in many ways counterproductive. By stepping back, i was able to obtain a degree of mastery in a particular system, and thus opened myself to seeing the flaws inherent in my initial approach. Since then i've developed, what i percieve to be, a degree of mastery in other systems... and have since adopted and merged, but not necessarily 'changed.' This, i believe, is the fundamental flaw with much of the studies made today. A dilusion of the work and insight presented by generations of artists, to bring instead a flood of substandard practitioners. And, in turn, a flood of substandard instruction. I have no love for these merchants of exploit, nor is using them as an example entirely applicable, unless your goal is to compare them to that of unscrupulous instructors. If such is the case, then my earlier stated agreements maintain.

what type of tournament? I.e., what are you emphasizing? forms, point contact, full contact?

I am a left-hander (hehe, Left-Handers Anonymous meeting). In competition/sparring left handers have a distinct advantage, as noted by others. Right handers spend over 90% of their time competing/sparring against other right handers, with only a little exposure to left handers. Left handers, on the other hand, are exposed to right handers over 90% of the time, but are also in-tune with the way left handers fight. So, over 90% of the time, left handers have the advantage. Of those times where a left hander fights a left hander, they zero each other out, no advantage. In grappling/wrestling, there is little difference. Certain 'angles' are emphasized, and left-handers tend to be more ambidextrous in their employment of techniques, but the advantages are miniscule. In a street situation, i feel left handed practitioners have an advantage, because they have trained in diversity. Most everything they studied, they had to 'change' to adapt to their handedness... which gives them a more 'flexible' approach to learning, and thus applying. In a real encounter, being adaptable is key.

If you do not feel full confident in your ability to deescalate a confrontation, and have prior mediation training, I agree that you shouldn't intervene in the situation unless it gets violent, or reaches a point where violence will definitely occur, especially considering you had loved ones with you. One option you may have omitted was that of using your cell phone to contact the management of this facility or, if necessary... 911. Also, if there was someone else with you (which you indicated there was), you could have 'ordered' them to seek management and/or security. At the very least, you would have gotten them out of harms way, and thus left yourself free to decide whether your intervention is warranted... without the baggage of knowing you may be endangering more than merely yourself.

what type of karate and what is the name of the school?

Hmm... maybe i should ask for a clarification. Are you referring to the Chinese butterfly knives (aka: leung ting bart cham dao)? http://www.chinesegifts4u.com/acatalog/brasshandlebutterflyknife.jpg or the Pilippino butterfly knives (aka: balisong)? http://www.genuinetobacco.com/benchmade/31.jpg I assumed the latter when i made my earlier comment, since i can't recall any 'tricks' associated with the former. Oh, and Michealangelo used nunchakus and occasionally tonfas.

the best tricks are to hold it in the ready position if needed, and in the sheathed position if not.

hmm... who cares? Really.. so many martial art systems don't even hand out black belts, and there are plenty of practitioners that are more than qualified to hold many black belts, but do not have even one. A belt is a stupid little measuring tool that so many people treat as some sort of holy grail. It's not, it's merely an ego-gratifying piece of cloth, worn about your waist or hung over your mantle. As to statistics, they serve whomever provides them. As to how many people practice the martial arts... absolutely no way to know, and as i indicated earlier, not all present belts as rank. So... really.... who cares? Study and develop, and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.

I use my fingers to type and pick my nose. Finger techniques are cute but, as noted by Andrew and a few others, it is generally a bad idea. Your fingers are wimps in comparison to the rest of your body, and their use requires precision... which means you sacrifice power and speed just so you can pick your opponent's nose. If you can use your finger to do the job, just as well you can use a one-knuckle punch, a protruding thumb, or an extended-joint punch with far more effectiveness, power, and speed. Keep your fingers, you need it to post here.

it is not wrong, unless you really haven't developed a mastery of said techniques in the first place. in which case you will merely be mixing a mass of unskilled 'concepts' together... and hitting your opponents with a blob of goo. It has been repeatedly recommended that you obtain mastery of at least one style before considering merging various concepts. Without an understanding of how a system can work fluidly... rather than piecemeal, you are going to do a disservice to yourself, and likely to anyone you teach in the future.

I too want to know what you mean by 'cause and effect.' i have taught at college settings as well. Via clubs through the student union and for no profit. If i am to guess at some things you are interested on, i present them here in generalities, and mostly in regards to clubs: Longevity: students at a college level are interested and many will stick with the training throughout their stay in the college. If it is a two-year college, expect a lot of dropouts (equal to the standard dropout rates at a college). If it is a 4-8 year university, expect mid semester and end of semester to be cricket time. I.e., nobody will show for practice because they are too busy cramming for mid-term test and finals. Intensity: students generally are there at a 'mental' level more than a 'physical' one. They are there to grasp knowledge and to develop skills, not to spar or any action that could potentially get them hurt and cause them to lose class time. Their primary goal is to obtain an education at the college/university, not to learn the martial arts. Setting: If it is a class, the interest level will be dependent upon the student's need to obtain a good grade. Expect many to fail to show up for finals, as this is an issue with a lot of college students... getting all confused about times for finals (which are usually setup different than regular class times). So, if you want to help your students, don't have a standard finals. Instead set it up prior to finals, and use the day of finals for a party or something. If it is a club, the interest level will be much higher. The persons in a club are there to participate, and in many cases share. Many that come into clubs already have some background, or are truly interested in learning the material, but have a limited budget. Very few you will find are there because of 'bully' issues. Moreso, it is for the knowledge. Problem Students: There are going to be students that come in with plenty of background, and they may opt to try and 'take over' a club. That is fine, as long as their actions are not wholey selfish, and their goals are to help the club grow and develop. Unfortunately, baby politics are high in college clubs, so it is likely that the person is going to be acting in a wholey selfish fashion, in which case you will need to nip that one in the bud, right quick. There is no need to challenge them, or to humiliate them, but putting a firm line on what is going on and how the club is to be managed helps a lot. Club leaders have one ace in their hand... the advisor. The advisor is a staff member of the school, usually a teacher. If a problem arises, it is best to work with the advisor to resolve this problem. In most cases, the advisor will nip that one in the bud for you, but don't expect him/her to do it. The advisor may instead leave it up to you to resolve. Whatever you do, be tactful and considerate. Problem Advisor: Sometimes an advisor can be a problem. He/she may feel it is HIS school, parked in a college setting. That is fine, to some degree. But if what he is presenting is not really what you want to teach, or his skill is not all that great, you will have a clear conflict of interest. In such a case, you will either need to draw lines for your advisor (which is entirely acceptable, since clubs are there for the students, not for the staff), or you will need to find another advisor. Again, be tactful and considerate, especially with advisors. In many cases, these advisors, being teachers as well, have clout in the college... and can thus help to 'boycott' your club. If such is the case, your club will never see the light of day again. At least, not with you running it. Challenges: Occasionally, and yes it does happen, you will have some yokel come in (another student) and challenge you, or one of your other instructors. There are two ways to handle this. One is to call campus security and have his butt hauled away. The other is to have him fill out all the appropriate paperwork required of any member, including disclaimers in case he gets hurt. Usually this latter part gets rid of them, especially if you present a lot of paperwork, including that of personal information, insurance information, proof of student status, place of employment, next of kin, etc (more than normal, just to be obnoxious). Legalities: As hinted above, there are going to be some forms that will need to be filled out. Pretty much the same forms required for any contact sport at the college, plus one or two more added by the Student Union to protect their butts as well (many student unions are independent of, although associated with, the college administration, and thus can be sued independently). Talk to the college student union advisor regarding this (not your club's advisor). hope this helps

i generally instruct to look center mass, but to not fixate, as others have mentioned. This is far easier to learn than to not look at all. What i do, and what i initially instruct are actually two different things. I do not look. As noted by Musashi's words, looking beyond the person allows you to see beyond the singular confrontation and thus helps you to keep an awareness of all activities, obstacles, and opportunites, not merely those presented by your single opponent. It is not merely peripheral vision, although that is a large part.

I agree with CanuckMA

The process of learning and understanding consequence to actions is not a think process, it is a learned process. Once you learn, you merely act with 'appropriate force.' This means you quickly gauge the situation and deal out the necessary actions to end the confrontation in the best manner. When you are sufficiently trained in this, it becomes instinctual. Basically, what you are referring to is the 'last resort,' not the 'best means to end a fight.' Last resort is a measure on a 'gauge,' not an end in and of itself. At last resort, one must use every option available to them and act without mercy. To clarify this gauge thing, if your little brother punches your arm, your friend gets angry at you for using his car without permission, you are confronted by an upset customer at your place of employment, or a little old lady smacks you with her cane, you do not tear out their eyeballs and disembowel them. You gauge the circumstances and determine the measure, applying the 'appropriate force' to resolve the confrontation. But, what if your life is not at risk? Applying a weapon to a confrontation changes the dynamics, that is clear. But it is also clear that if you do not know how to use that particular weapon, or weapon-type, you may very well give yourself a handicap. Indeed, you can also provide your assailant an 'idea' that 'escalating' the confrontation is entirely warranted. And, as i mentioned before... any weapon you use can very well be taken away and used against you. Unless it is your own body that is the weapon. Entering into ANY fight WITHOUT thinking of consequences is likely going to get you into bigger problems. The immediate is not your only problem. You have to live in the future. As to butt kicking... it is dependent upon a person's training, conditioning and the circumstances, not on whether they actually have the insight to make a quick analysis of the situation. Frankly, if you fail to think, you fail to plan and if you have the 'opportunity' to think, but fail to utilize that opportunity... Judgement is not something everyone has a good handle on. In fact, making good judgements in a confrontation, or just prior to one, is a 'learned' feat. Handing them the weapon of knowledge without training them in the proper understanding of 'when' to use it... is just not good training ethics. How do you teach it? We just had a thread discussing these issues, and we came to the conclusion that a big part of the problem with studying these things is... no "full-resistance" training available. So, do you go through the motions, or what? (( a question... what does your training program have to do with this thread's discussion? )) What is the difference? Jails AND graveyards are full of people who used excessive force, or weapons in the commission of a crime. Striking someone with a weapon is a crime. Killing them, even moreso. Indeed, 'threatening' them with a weapon is a crime. Also, jails really don't have that many 'prideful' people. Far more 'pride' is out in the streets, walking around ignorant of their inability to handle a life-threatening situation. What if they don't announce? If someone makes a verbal threat, a threat on your life, you have options under the law. But, pulling out your gun and shooting them in cold blood, merely because they threatened bodily harm... is 2nd degree murder. Expect to join those alleged prideful people in jail. No you won't enjoy it. Testimony comes from the corpse via autopsy. But also, there comes testimony from witnesses and from the weapon(s) utilized. And, there will come testimony from an investigator who will present that you claim to be an instructor that advocates use of deadly force. Frankly, i see this as one big blow-up. I just hope you re-examine your extremist approach. It is important to 'be able to' go all the way, but not hold to it as the aspiration. And to train your students to go all the way, without giving them training on 'how' to make crucial judgements while under extreme pressures... is giving them a gun and telling them to shoot first, ask questions later. Conclusion The goal is not merely survival, for if that were the case, killing everyone that even thought to look at you would ensure your survival. No, we live in a society and thus, to the best of our ability, we must abide by the laws of this society. If we fail to abide by these laws, we 'may' be given the option to continue our survival behind bars... outside of the society we are 'privileged' to participate in. On the other hand, this same society may deem that we, based on our actions, are unfit to continue living... and thus our extremist efforts to maintain our existence has merely expedited our death. And even if the courts don't make such decisions, consequence of actions include the very real possibility of retribution for actions committed. Parents, siblings, friends or gangmembers may just decide to take the law into their own hands... as we did when we put that assailant in the hospital... or in his grave. It would be so simple to merely 'off' someone who threatened bodily harm, but it is a grievious error to teach it in such simple terms.

If their intent is to cause you severe bodily harm, your having a seizure isn't going to sway them one bit. It would give them plenty of opportunities to kick you while you're on the ground, thus increasing the likelihood of you receiving serious permanent injury... or death. The mistake here is in assuming your opponent would show mercy. If such is your hope, beg. If it is not, do not fool yourself into believing they would have the same moral convictions you may hold to. If they're willing to cause you severe bodily harm, or worse... then they are likely not holding to same or similar convictions as you. Therefore, you should not use yourself as a reference base. As to the running, no... it would create more than one problem. As indicated, you would be tired, as would your opponents. You would be 'more' tired, because you would also be battling intermittantly. As well, and remember this very important point, in order to run... you have to turn your back to your opponent. In order to attack someone chasing you, you have to stop and turn around. You are automatically at a significant disadvantage when you are facing away from your opponent. Even moreso if they have momentum and you must halt your momentum to react to them. Your goal seems to be that of dealing with one opponent at a time, but as already noted, you are ASSUMING the opponents run at vastly different speeds, and this is not likely. Those that hang together... likely will run at comparable speeds. And even if they do not, the differences in speeds are not going to be sufficient for you to handle them one at a time. If you run, then continue to run. Your goal, at the point you decide to run, should be to escape. There is no point in turning around and fighting, unless it is obvious you will not escape. If such is the case, then you must deal with it. There is ONE thing i think may be viable for this whole attack running thing. If one assailant is faster than you, but all the rest are not, then injure his leg once you've determined he IS faster. Unfortunately this ONE thing has a fundamental flaw. If he IS faster than you, then you would not have gotten very far before the assault commenced... and likely he would have nabbed you from the back and thrown you to the ground. As Shorinryu Sensei mentioned, there are viable ways to handle multiple assailants. It is best to study those viable ways, rather than 'hope for the best' and 'hope for mercy.' Always, you must edge your bets for your survival, one thing of which means not underestimating the lethality of your opponents. A new thread could be started discussing some tactics for handling multiple assailants. I just don't think this one should be it.

Hey andrew, long time no speak.

Something to look into, eh? I agree, not promising, but the bonded issue may be a point of closure.

yoga?

It is not naive to consider non-lethal ends to an outcome. Utilizing a weapon is not what i could consider a 'best end,' as such actions do not end with that. More often it is followed by arrest, incarceration, conviction, term served, and unemployment due to a felony rap. Martial artists, in general, do not look at things in short-term. There is consequence associated with every action one commits to, so choosing a best means to end a confrontation also requires one consider the consequence of said actions. And while incarceration is one possible outcome for choosing the wrong action, there are concerns such as retribution, financial liability, having the weapon taken away and used against you, etc.

thank you for the information.

I paid him to post that.

Hmm, i was not aware of this. Thanks kchenault

Ben, if you train in utilizing such options, it can be intuitive. Using the skull to block a punch is a very quick counter. Essentially, it is yet one more 'option' you can use for defense. And frankly, i would rather be struck on the forehead than on the nose or mouth.

A contract is binding, IF you signed and IF the contract stipulates all things that are legally required by the State of Maryland. Communicating to an attorney is not a bad idea, because most people who present contracts dont' present them correctly, and thus the contract may indeed be unenforceable in Maryland. You should do this immediately, because it is possible that Maryland has a grace period with contracts. If such is the case, you may be able to cancel... now. As to the advice about writing your wishes and wants to them, it can cut both ways. If there is a grace period indicated in the contract laws of Maryland, it can benefit you. If, on the other hand, there is not... it can be used as a means to argue that your future efforts to 'backoff' from the contract were staged. The issue about your fiancee' having mono 'may' work for you, but the problem here is that you are not married yet AND it may be that by the time you do marry, she could be 'healed.' Medical concerns for ending a contract are not about money, at least not in this case. They are about inability to continue training... and thus the contract is punitive to a physically/mentally disabled person. Since the medical issue is not with you, but with your fiancee' (or wife, if you wait), then it is a 'financial' burden. This presents only your ability to argue your case for leniency with the instructor of the school. Moving is the other means to 'end' your contract and it seems to be your best option. Yes, that sounds drastic, but if you communicate that you have a 'new' address and that continuing to visit that particular school is no longer feasible, it is a valid cause for contract cancellation, as noted in their own contract. Indeed, my sister stepped out of a similar contract for her child by 'moving.' As to 'how' to move... well... you're getting married, right? Where is her residence at the moment? If you are married, for that short duration you both live in 'both' addresses. You can legally indicate that you have moved by presenting her address. If she lives nearby too... then you have to be a bit more creative. The contract should indicate the 'distance' moved that would provide to you the ability to invalidate the contract. Read it. If you have a relative somewhere, or a residence that you can claim as yours (legally) that is of that distance limit or further, then you have an easy out. If, on the other hand, none of those options present themselves, then you should meet, face-to-face, the instructor/business owner and request a 'cancellation fee' be presented. There is more, but this should cover your 'immediate' plan.